Total Physique Online

The last time I had an entry for a traditional workout was Sept. 28 2007.

Ironically, on that day I was coming off a 3 month layoff, or thereabouts.

The fire that had taken out home had taken place nearly 6 months prior to the Sept. 28 entry. The fire introduced a huge amount of chaos into my life, and so many areas of my life had suffered tremendous blows. I had not been able to eat well and my training was more or less non-existent. Had been for months; and judging by the numbers of that Sept 28 workout my body was clearly beginning to show the combined affect of several risk factors: stress, age, starvation, illness, poor training habits.

Yep. I was getting weaker, losing muscle density and my health was taking a beating. Little did I know then that things would get worse. Much worse.
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This is my first post in a long while. Anyone who reads this web site with any regularity knows of the trials and tribulations of my homeless situation, not to mention my hospitalization with a partially blocked small bowel which nearly killed me. Yup. Life has put yours truly through the ringer and back again. So, the site has suffered in so far as I have not had the metal (or mental) energy to add new content to it.
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I stood in the middle of the gym. All around me were thickly muscled lifters, power racks and benches. The gym was buzzing with activity.

As I recall, the benches and racks stood out like a sore thumb. This was some of the strongest looking equipment I had ever seen. The frames of the benches and squat racks were white, and the tubing that comprised the frames that formed the pillars of the racks and benches was thick and stout. Not surprisingly, the athletes in the gym were equally thick and stout, heavily muscled from stem to stern. What stood out the most about these athletes was their hands.
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Advanced Program For Beginners

By Louie Simmons, writing for Elite FTS

I hear all the time that Westside training is for the advanced and that only top 10 lifters can do the training that is required at Westside. It is true that our training is advanced, but it is also great for beginners. Why start out wrong, or start with a program that will yield only small results?
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Note: This program is a beginner to intermediate program. If you have never worked out before then some of the terminology used here may seem confusing. If that is the case, then please visit Our Sample Beginner Program Page. Use the pop-up windows on that page to familiarize yourself with some of the more common terms. Take a look at some of the exercise demos. This will help you grasp some of the concepts discussed in this post. Also, please visit the Anatomy Chart to familiarise yourself with your body’s muscle groups

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I receive lots of emails from people all over the world who have some form of COPD. Many of them are already discovering the health benefits of exercise. They have found out that even moderate exercise, performed daily, makes a world of difference in their ability to breath.

Still, I do receive more than a a few emails from people who have not begun a workout program. They came to this site to check it over and see what is here. They have reviewed the articles and looked over the exercise programs that we currently have available, and still have not found what they are looking for.
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The following program is a sample program for beginners. The program is merely a suggestiion of an approach that is basic and seems to work well for most people. As always, read the disclaimer at the top of the page of this site, and consult a physician before beginning any training program. If you feel the need to reduce the amount of volume for this program, please feel free to do so. Listen to your body. You be the judge of what works best for you.

For your convenience, a glossary of terms and a nice exercise demo gallery is added below. Clink the pop-up links to access the information, and use the arrows to navigate.

[ Note: The exercise demos are linked to exrx.net, which is a GREAT source for strength and conditioning. Perhaps one of the best! ]

Open Terms and Definitions

Open Exercise Demonstrations

Open Beginner Strength Training Program