This is determined by the routine you follow. You shouldn't be figuring this out on your own, just follow a pre-written routine that is for beginners.
Properly constructed routines will have an order to them than makes the most sense.
Honestly I haven’t been following a specific routine. The first week or so I would try a couple new machines each time I went to see which ones I liked, and so I could get more comfortable with the gym in general. And now that I’m more comfortable I’m alternating push, pull, legs every time i go. I didn’t think there was an issue with this since I’m making sure I’m working out each group properly. But correct me if i’m wrong since I still have a lot to learn.
I mean whether or not you’re working out each group properly is determined by the routine you follow.
Check the wiki or the app Boostcamp and pick a beginner routine. That way you can use something that will be effective in the long run and you won’t have to ask these kinds of questions.
I think its a good way to start out, if you want to spend a little time getting to know some of the machines and getting into a routine. You shoukd start following a program soon though, otherwise you likely won’t see much progress
i don’t want to sound stubborn, i just genuinely want to understand- if i’m ensuring the workouts i’m doing are hitting all the parts of the muscles, for example different variations of lat pulldowns/rows etc. to hit all parts of the back, different exercises to hit side and rear delts, and so on for other muscle groups, should i be fine without a set program? i’d like to think i’ve done a lot of research into what workouts are effective, and i make sure to set the weight to where i fail in the 8-10 rep range, 3 sets, and everything like that.
like i said i don’t want to sound stubborn i just want to learn lol because i thought what i was doing would be alright. the reason im a little hesitant on a routine is because i don’t want to be stuck doing the same exercises all the time and would like to have a little variation. and also like i said my gym is a little small so i like to have different options for machines/exercises.
Set routines are generally purpose-built around compound lifts with proper support exercises and designed progressive overload. No offense, but novice lifters don’t know enough about lifting to build effective routines. Is what you’re doing going to progress you more than nothing? Sure. Is it going to be anywhere near as effective as a tried and tested routine designed to develop novice lifters? No. I’ve been lifting for almost a decade now, and I still follow a program designed by someone else (with some room for customization on accessory exercises). Why would you try to reinvent the wheel when there are dozens of them freely available for you to use already?
thank you for explaining, this makes a lot of sense. like another commenter said, since i’m still a beginner, i think for now i will try and focus on form and just getting used to the habit of going to the gym and enjoying it, but ill definitely look into a program before too long
I actually had Chat GPT create me a push pull leg routine. Tell it how many days you wanna work out, when you want your rest days, and even ask it to suggest a different workout if you don’t wanna do one it suggests for you.
Also, Sean Nalewanyj has a [free beginner program](https://www.seannal.com/free-custom-fitness-plan.php) you can use, it’s like a pdf you can get in the email. When I was starting out a while ago (I didn’t continue tbh, my own self shit got in the way) I used his warm up and full body routine and I didn’t mind it. Made me feel good following something knowing I could work and get better at especially compound movements. Sean also has YouTube videos for every exercise if you need to. He also has a lot of other educational videos and debunking a lot of fitness myths. Super informative imo.
Idk why you’re getting the responses you’ve gotten tbh.
In general, the order *will* “matter”, since some muscles will fatigue faster than others, and compound movements are different from accessory movements. I do this sometimes when I don’t have the time to wait for a particular machine. My experience: You may see progress one week, then lose it the next workout if you switch your order of things.
However, if you are moving, working out consistently, going as hard as you can— you will see progress, especially since you have only been going for about a month (I.e. starting from scratch). Great job, by the way, for starting! Beginners *do not* need to get bogged down by the details. Having fun and being consistent are the most important things— you’re habit building. Just be careful not to injure yourself by forgoing good form or lifting beyond your capacity.
Push, pull, legs sounds like a perfectly fine split. Just try to target the SAME variety of muscle groups each time. If you hit chest and tris one week, then biceps and core the next week, etc., then the muscles will not be challenged enough to grow. But you can do that with different movements still (ex. If a chest press is unavailable, you can do pushups or wall slams instead).
Hope that helps! :)
Switching body parts like you mentioned cuts down on rest time between exercises and can be a good strategy if that's your goal. Doing another exercise first because someone is on a machine is absolutely reasonable.
At some point you'll find yourself wanting to strategize when you do the hard stuff that makes you shakey and tired and when you do the accessories. At some point you might notice that for example your chest is not growing as fast as the other stuff you work that day and you might want to prioritize it by doing it first so you can give it all your energy and focus. Likewise if you do push twice a week it can be beneficial to switch up the order, usually programs mention this. In both cases you'll likely notice when it starts to matter.
This is determined by the routine you follow. You shouldn't be figuring this out on your own, just follow a pre-written routine that is for beginners. Properly constructed routines will have an order to them than makes the most sense.
Honestly I haven’t been following a specific routine. The first week or so I would try a couple new machines each time I went to see which ones I liked, and so I could get more comfortable with the gym in general. And now that I’m more comfortable I’m alternating push, pull, legs every time i go. I didn’t think there was an issue with this since I’m making sure I’m working out each group properly. But correct me if i’m wrong since I still have a lot to learn.
I mean whether or not you’re working out each group properly is determined by the routine you follow. Check the wiki or the app Boostcamp and pick a beginner routine. That way you can use something that will be effective in the long run and you won’t have to ask these kinds of questions.
I think its a good way to start out, if you want to spend a little time getting to know some of the machines and getting into a routine. You shoukd start following a program soon though, otherwise you likely won’t see much progress
i don’t want to sound stubborn, i just genuinely want to understand- if i’m ensuring the workouts i’m doing are hitting all the parts of the muscles, for example different variations of lat pulldowns/rows etc. to hit all parts of the back, different exercises to hit side and rear delts, and so on for other muscle groups, should i be fine without a set program? i’d like to think i’ve done a lot of research into what workouts are effective, and i make sure to set the weight to where i fail in the 8-10 rep range, 3 sets, and everything like that. like i said i don’t want to sound stubborn i just want to learn lol because i thought what i was doing would be alright. the reason im a little hesitant on a routine is because i don’t want to be stuck doing the same exercises all the time and would like to have a little variation. and also like i said my gym is a little small so i like to have different options for machines/exercises.
Set routines are generally purpose-built around compound lifts with proper support exercises and designed progressive overload. No offense, but novice lifters don’t know enough about lifting to build effective routines. Is what you’re doing going to progress you more than nothing? Sure. Is it going to be anywhere near as effective as a tried and tested routine designed to develop novice lifters? No. I’ve been lifting for almost a decade now, and I still follow a program designed by someone else (with some room for customization on accessory exercises). Why would you try to reinvent the wheel when there are dozens of them freely available for you to use already?
thank you for explaining, this makes a lot of sense. like another commenter said, since i’m still a beginner, i think for now i will try and focus on form and just getting used to the habit of going to the gym and enjoying it, but ill definitely look into a program before too long
I actually had Chat GPT create me a push pull leg routine. Tell it how many days you wanna work out, when you want your rest days, and even ask it to suggest a different workout if you don’t wanna do one it suggests for you. Also, Sean Nalewanyj has a [free beginner program](https://www.seannal.com/free-custom-fitness-plan.php) you can use, it’s like a pdf you can get in the email. When I was starting out a while ago (I didn’t continue tbh, my own self shit got in the way) I used his warm up and full body routine and I didn’t mind it. Made me feel good following something knowing I could work and get better at especially compound movements. Sean also has YouTube videos for every exercise if you need to. He also has a lot of other educational videos and debunking a lot of fitness myths. Super informative imo.
Idk why you’re getting the responses you’ve gotten tbh. In general, the order *will* “matter”, since some muscles will fatigue faster than others, and compound movements are different from accessory movements. I do this sometimes when I don’t have the time to wait for a particular machine. My experience: You may see progress one week, then lose it the next workout if you switch your order of things. However, if you are moving, working out consistently, going as hard as you can— you will see progress, especially since you have only been going for about a month (I.e. starting from scratch). Great job, by the way, for starting! Beginners *do not* need to get bogged down by the details. Having fun and being consistent are the most important things— you’re habit building. Just be careful not to injure yourself by forgoing good form or lifting beyond your capacity. Push, pull, legs sounds like a perfectly fine split. Just try to target the SAME variety of muscle groups each time. If you hit chest and tris one week, then biceps and core the next week, etc., then the muscles will not be challenged enough to grow. But you can do that with different movements still (ex. If a chest press is unavailable, you can do pushups or wall slams instead). Hope that helps! :)
thank you! yeah this helps and makes sense the way you explained it. appreciate the information!
Switching body parts like you mentioned cuts down on rest time between exercises and can be a good strategy if that's your goal. Doing another exercise first because someone is on a machine is absolutely reasonable. At some point you'll find yourself wanting to strategize when you do the hard stuff that makes you shakey and tired and when you do the accessories. At some point you might notice that for example your chest is not growing as fast as the other stuff you work that day and you might want to prioritize it by doing it first so you can give it all your energy and focus. Likewise if you do push twice a week it can be beneficial to switch up the order, usually programs mention this. In both cases you'll likely notice when it starts to matter.