Alright, I'm going to tell you how I started out and how you shouldn't start out. I started about 3 years ago, when I was 12. I started lifting with Doug M. of this board until I got my own bench and weight set. The bench came with a poster that showed a bunch of exercises. Naturally, I put a bunch of these together and called it workout A. I took the others and made them workout B. Did each 1-2x a week. I saw the newbie gains so I thought all was well. I'd lift for 2+ hours at a time. In reality, I was wasting a lot of time. My ah-hah! moment came about 1.5-2 years ago, when I was looking into doing HomeGrown Muscle. I didn't see any bicep work until the 4th phase or something like that. I asked about it here, and Mike Meijia, the guy who wrote the program, answered me and explained the benefit of compound lifts as the core of a lifting program.
Ever since, my lifting programs have been changed dramatically, and I've made huge gains. I went from cheat benching 120# to hitting 150 easily. I went from quarter squatting 130 to hitting a below parallel 200# squat a few weeks ago. I went from barely being able to hit 135 on the deadlift a year ago to pulling 300# recently. All this while playing sports nearly year round. In 8th grade, it was soccer, basketball, and baseball. Freshman year was basketball, and then baseball from March until November of last year. I've been training the entire time, and baseball is starting again. Alright, enough of the story, let's get down to what you need to know for now.
http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle.do;j... 05-104-training
Read that over, it's a great read that I wish I knew about when I was first starting out. That covers the basics that you should know about when you're first starting out. You can check out the Workout thread in the Fitness FAQ subforum and find something there that you think will work for you. Personally, I'd suggest something like death by bodyweight for a few weeks as a primer to your program. Then, start on a program with lighter weights and some higher reps to get your joints, cartilage, etc. used to the stress of the lifts. Practice form and get it down solid before upping the weight.
You might consider doing a few weeks of doing bodyweight exercises to prep your muscles, then do a few weeks of a simple workout consisting of the major lifts: squats, deadlifts, bench, rows, chins/pull-ups, dips. Split them up into something like:
w/o A:
-Squats
-Bench
-Chins/Pullups
w/o B:
-Deadlifts
-Rows
-Dips
Do that for a few weeks with lighter weight to get your form down, then either up the weight or adopt a program. While I haven't done any of the workouts themselves, Book of Muscle, Testosterone Advantage Plan, and New Rules of Lifting ahve all gotten good reviews. Pick a program and stick with it. Consistency is the key to results.
Now, you got the lifting part down, now onto your diet. What do you eat on a daily basis? If you're serious about making gains, you'll have to cut out a lot of crap you might be eating. Now, after adjusting my diet about a year ago, eating sweets and drinking soda makes me feel a little quesy if I have more than a little at a time, every once in a while. Cut down on the processed food, sweets, soda, etc . Eat more lean proteins (chicken, fish, etc.), vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Find out your caloric needs, you can find a calorie calculator online. If you want to add a little mass, eat a few hundred (or more) calories above maintenance. If you need to cut a bit, subtract a few hundred calories. You can use
www.fitday.com to track your calories and macro breakdown.
There's a little preview of what you need to know to get started. Welcome to the board. The most important thing is to stick to it and keep asking any questions that you have. We're more than happy to lend a hand.
Weight Training!!!!!
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