Bodybuilding Workout Routines: A Guide for the Newbie Bodybuilder

Choosing the bodybuilding workout routines that work best for you can be pretty tricky, especially when you're a beginner. Because no two body types are exactly the same, what works for one may not necessarily work for the other. So the whole process is largely trial and error, followed by a lot of adaptation and improvisation.

Still, one has to start somewhere, and there are bodybuilding workout routines that, while generic, are nevertheless a great place to begin one's quest for a bigger, stronger, heavier body.

Here's one that's tailor-made for the bodybuilding novice. It consists of workouts four days a week (rest on Day 3, 6 and 7), with 10-15 minutes of cardio as a warm-up before each training session.

Day 1:
Ab crunches – three sets of 10-20 reps
Bench press – one set of 12-15 reps, then three sets of 10-12 reps
Incline press – three sets of 10-12 reps
Dumbbell flyes – three sets of 10-12 reps
Triceps pushdowns – three sets of 10-12 reps
Dips – three sets of 8-10 reps

Day 2:
Leg raises – three sets of 10-20 reps
Cable rows – one set of 12-15 reps, then three sets of 10-12 reps
Lat pulldowns (front) – three sets of 10-12 reps
T-bar rows – three sets of 10-12 reps
Barbell curls – one set of 10-12 reps, then three sets of 8-10 reps

Day 4:
Ab crunches – three sets of 10-20 reps
Squats – one set of 12-15 reps, then three sets of 10-12 reps
Leg press – three sets of 10-12 reps
Leg extension – three sets of 10-12 reps
Leg curls – three sets of 10-12 reps

Day 5:
Leg raises – three sets of 10-20 reps
Military shoulder press (to front) – one set of 12-15 reps, then three sets of 10-12 reps
Barbell upright rows – three sets of 10-12 reps
Side dumbbell lateral raises – three sets of 10-12 reps
Standing calf raises – one set of 12-15 reps
Seated calf raises – three sets of 10-12 reps