Another Newbie to the forums..

[5spoke]

Hey Guys,
Im a 19 year old college student from VA and I have been trying to lift weights for about 1-1.5 years, with no real progress. I am 6'4" and 177lbs, so I am a fairly skinny guy. I go to the gym 3 days a week for about an hour and a half, but I believe I am in need of a new routine. The one I have been doing is pretty much just made up by me. I know that is probably a bad choice, but heres what I have been doing. I do 2 sets with 10 reps. Bench press, incline press, shoulder press, flys, tricep pull downs, curls, front pull down and a few various other exercises. I have to admit that all these exercises are being done on the "isolation" type machines, because I currently dont have a workout buddy to spot me on the bench. I also enjoy road biking so I do get a fair amount of cardio in per week.

Any advice or direction would be great. I am really looking for an over all good work out for all my muscles. I am not trying to be huge but I would like to build strength and gain some muscle mass. Keep in mind my university has a large gym so I am not limited in the equipment I can use, so suggest anything that will help.
Thanks for any help you can provide!

 

[s8nlilhlpr]

You've made little progress because of the machines you are using. If you can't get a spot on bench, the use a little less weight, don't use some cop out. You are missing the 2 most important exercises in your list. Squats and Deadlifts. You routine should be centered around them with bench, overhead pressing, and rows added in. Take a look at the training sticky and find a program that fits your experience level.

 

[wrknonit]

As stated before, read the training stickies, there is priceless info there. Pick 5 or 6 compound exercises (squats, deadlift, bench, rows, military press, etc) and get strong, eat big and the muscle will come. Ask for a spot if you need it, and talk to the big guys, most people are happy to help and share knowledge.