What exercises should you do in the gym: 6 best exercises

Every man who wants to get in shape needs his own training program in the gym.
Thanks to it you can make your body more toned. The frequency of exercise, the correct execution of exercises and their competent combination play a big role in the formation of a male figure. The program in the gym for men for beginners is designed for those who are just taking their first steps in iron sports.

Basic training goals

In order to correctly draw up a training plan in the gym, you need to determine your training goal. The gym allows you to achieve the following goals:

• Keeping fit;
• Fighting excess weight;
• Increased strength indicators;
• Improving your body;
• Muscle building.

A novice athlete's training should be aimed at achieving one goal. There is a wonderful Russian proverb: “If you chase two hares, you won’t catch either.” Choosing a target is key.

Nutrition: diet and sporpitis for men

Proper nutrition and sports diets are important for men, since such measures can not only improve their physical shape, but also improve their health, improve many body functions and strengthen the immune system.

Nutrition rules will depend on whether you plan to lose excess weight or gain missing muscle mass.

For fat burning (“for relief”)

If you need to burn accumulated subcutaneous fat, your nutrition should be guided by two basic principles:

• The main rule is to reduce the amount of calories entering the body while gradually increasing the intensity of exercise in the gym. It is necessary not only to reduce the volume of food portions, but also to eat according to a schedule, otherwise even the most effective training programs for men will not bring the desired result.
• There are special sports nutrition - fat burners, which can help speed up the process of losing excess weight. They only work if you regularly visit the gym; without a sufficient amount of physical activity, fat burners do not provide positive results.

For muscle gain (“for mass”)

Many men do not have problems with excess weight, but want to build muscle mass.

In this case, it is recommended to pay attention to the following points:

• It is necessary to start counting calories: their daily intake must necessarily exceed daily consumption. It is usually enough to increase the standard daily intake by 500 kcal to ensure accelerated muscle growth.
• With a good and balanced diet, special sports nutrition is not required. If you have difficulty gaining the required amount of calories, you can additionally take creatine, protein and amino acids.

Choosing a gym

The first thing you need to do is decide on a gym. First of all, the hall should be comfortable in every way. That is why think carefully about everything before purchasing a subscription to a particular club, and take it seriously. You can visit several different gyms, compare them, inspect all the simulators and only then make a responsible choice.

A little about equipment: the most important rule is don’t chase variety. For the first time, a dumbbell row, an upper block exercise machine and a bench with the ability to adjust the inclination angle will be enough for you. Try to find a gym as close to home as possible, this is very convenient for those who study and work.

Training process

Below is one of the complexes that is suitable for beginners.

Warm-up

Any trainer will say: “a warm-up without a workout is more useful than a workout without a warm-up,” but this is true! Thanks to warm-up exercises, we warm up the joints, thereby improving their lubrication.

Typically, warming up takes no more than ten minutes. It consists of the following components: jumping, work on cardio equipment and the main element - running. All of the above exercises quickly warm up the body, which gives a start to subsequent training.

Almost every inexperienced athlete tries to perform heavy exercises in the gym without the appropriate level of training. Let's now look at the basic program for beginners.

This stage is mandatory for all athletes. What is he like? The human body is not ready from scratch for serious stress; there are introductory classes for this. They include work with minimal weights, but with a load on all major muscle groups. The duration of such a period is at least four weeks, and the frequency of training is no less, but no more than three times a week.

Below is the complex by day.

First training (Monday)

Bench press . This is a basic basic exercise. The bench press works the triceps, deltoids, and serratus muscles. Lie down on a bench press so that you are in the most comfortable position. Place your hands shoulder-width apart (a little wider if possible). Take the bar with an overhand grip. Gently lift the barbell and begin to lower it to mid-chest level. Using a powerful force, press the barbell and complete the planned number of repetitions.

Immediately before the bench press, perform several warm-up sets, this way you will significantly reduce the risk of injury. You can only touch your chest lightly. Perform the exercise strictly under the supervision of a trainer or any other person (for example, a training partner).

Standing biceps curl . Place your feet shoulder-width apart and stand straight. We take the barbell in our hands at the level of the abs. We inhale and bend our arms at the elbows (during the exercise, you are not allowed to move your arms in different directions). You don’t need to lift the bar very high, just raise it to a level parallel to the floor. As soon as you lift it, begin to lower it slowly (without sudden movements, as this can stretch the muscles).

• Push-ups from the floor and parallel bars.
• Notes on the technique:
• To increase the load, place your elbows close to your body;
• Do not bend your legs under any circumstances! This is cheating;
• If you experience the slightest pain, stop exercising;
• If push-ups are easy, use additional load;
• While doing push-ups, you need to keep your head level.

Wide grip pull-ups . This exercise, like many on the list, is basic. It develops the back muscles well. Many people think that if you grip as wide as possible, the load on the muscles will be greater and the effect will be better. On the one hand, a wide grip reduces the work of the biceps, but in itself it limits the speed of movement. This limits the load on the target muscles. The grip width must be selected individually based on anthropometric data.

Hyperextension . An exercise to improve general physical condition and train the muscles of the lumbar back. Interestingly, this exercise can be used both for warming up and for regular exercise. Hyperextension is performed with your own weight, and sometimes with additional weights.

On a machine designed for hyperextension, we take the following position: we lie down so as to securely fix our legs with bolsters. Relax your entire body and lower your body vertically. Take a deep breath and slowly lift your body up, bending your lower back. When your torso is pointing vertically, freeze for a few seconds. Inhale and return to the lying position. This must be repeated at least fifteen times, three to four approaches.

You should not do this exercise very often. If you complicate the task and do fewer repetitions with more weight, then the desired effect may not be achieved, but the likelihood of injury is high.

Second training (Wednesday)

Army press . This is a basic exercise aimed at developing the muscles of the shoulders, chest, etc. It has always been considered fundamental for shoulder development. The big plus of the military press is its versatility, that is, it can be performed in various ways: on a machine, with dumbbells or a barbell. Therefore, we can do it sitting and standing.

Here we are obliged to follow the correct technique, because otherwise the consequences of the exercises can be disastrous. To begin with, select an individual load, a suitable weight (it should be average). Fix the weights on the barbell and perform the following steps:

• Take the bar shoulder-width apart, place the barbell on your chest, strain your back and abs;
• Powerfully press the barbell up.

Pulldown of the upper block to the chest . With this exercise, the back muscles are loaded. The main working muscles are the latissimus and arm muscles. We choose a comfortable position while sitting on the simulator. We fix the legs with bolsters. With powerful movements, begin to pull the handle away from the block towards you (toward your upper chest). We return to the starting position, taking a short break (two to three seconds). Everything is done in 3-4 sets of 12-15 times.

Many people try to make the movement easier for themselves in some way and deviate. This is not worth doing, because you will only waste your energy, but the efficiency will be zero. The back muscles should work first. When rowing, move your elbows back as far as possible. When performing the exercise, the head should be positioned straight. Don't lift it up or down.

Leg press. Perhaps this is the most basic exercise for pumping up your legs. It is performed on a specialized simulator (by the way, there are many varieties, they, in fact, differ only in the angles of inclination). We select the appropriate weight and load the platform with pancakes. We take a comfortable sitting position. We powerfully squeeze the platform with our feet (it is worth noting that the knees must be kept at a right angle, practically without bending them).

Advice from a sports master: Be sure to listen to your body! If you feel that your lower back is tense during the leg press, then you are doing something wrong. Your back must be pressed tightly against the seat, otherwise you may get injured. If you are working on the inner thighs, place your feet slightly higher and wider than shoulder level.

Extension of arms on the upper block while standing . Exercise to work the triceps. It differs in that it is suitable for absolutely all levels of sports training, from beginners to professionals. We attach the handle to the block and wrap it around it. Using great effort, we straighten our arms. We linger in the middle of the amplitude for a few seconds. Then we return to the original position.

Bend the arms on the lower block . Great exercise for biceps. How to do it correctly:

• We securely fasten the handle;
• We set the optimal load;
• We wrap our hands around the holder, while taking a step back;
• With sharp movements we bend our arms all the way (we stop at the last point for a few seconds).

Third training (Friday)

Bent-over barbell row . We train the latissimus dorsi muscles. We get into the starting position as follows: the legs must be bent at the knees, they are located shoulder-width apart. Bend forward and hold the barbell with weights straight. We straighten up and at the same time lift the barbell (you can’t bend your arms).

Frequent mistakes. During the execution of the movement, movement of the head or legs occurs. (They must remain motionless.) Precarious position. Incorrect grip width. Slouched back. Trying to take maximum working weights (if a friend’s weight is 100 kg, this does not mean that this weight will suit you).

Close grip press . Develops triceps. Lie down on a horizontal bench. Grab the bar with an overhand grip. Lower the barbell directly to chest level. With a quick, powerful movement, we press the barbell up, return to the starting position, and repeat the exercise again.

Exercise "Hammer" . It is used as an auxiliary. We grab the dumbbells so that our palms are turned to the sides. We raise the projectile until the elbow joints are bent at an angle of 90 degrees. Slowly and carefully we return to the initial stage.

Crossovers on the upper blocks . Exercise promotes the growth of pectoral muscles. We stand between the blocks of this necessary simulator. We grasp both handles and perform hand-to-hand contact.

Leg extensions on the simulator . Additional exercise for the muscles of the anterior thigh. It is recommended to be performed by both beginners and masters, as it is a very good preparation for squats.

Step-by-step instruction:

• We sit down on the leg extension machine, grab the side handles;
• We put our legs under special soft bolsters and bend them;
• Next, you need to straighten your back, inhale and straighten your legs, hold for a few seconds and return to the starting position.

The program in the gym for men is designed for beginner athletes who are moving day by day towards their goal. The program becomes more complicated in the future, but if you exercise correctly and dose the load correctly, the body will have time to adapt to the load. It’s a small matter, you just have to start and don’t give up. Good luck!

Program for beginners

Beginners are advised to avoid split classes and perform full-body exercises, which allows you to work several muscle groups at the same time. Both beginners and athletes need to follow a self-training regime.

For the best fitness training, you can create a table with a schedule and system for the entire training course.

The main objective of the training plan for beginners is to adapt the body to physical activity, increase muscle strength and create a certain foundation that will allow you to increase the load and duration of training in the future without negative consequences for health.

There are various training options for male beginners; The proposed program, which must be followed for the first 1.5-2 months, is given below:

• Warm-up, duration is 10-15 minutes.
• Incline crunches and goat bends: 3 sets of 10-15 reps.
• Classic bench press and barbell squats: 4-5 sets of 8-12 reps.
• Recumbent pullover with dumbbells, overhead pull-downs, seated wrist flexion and extension with a barbell: 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions.
• Five-minute cool-down after performing the main set of exercises.