I'm (43M) just starting my gym routine and was wondering about some guidelines where to get informed about good workout schedules, in example which group of muscles to do on which day for optimal effect?
E:
I'm 176 cm (5 foot 9) / 86 kg (190 lb) now. Want to reach 80 kg (175 lb).
I want to lose that belly and work on overall fitness/muscle
Obviously, do whatever routine you want to do, but know that novices usually do not need body part splits. You should be able to, for example, bench three days a week.
So my recommendation to novices is usually:
perform a full body routine Mon/Wed/Fri
do some conditioning work on Tues/Thurs
eat enough protein
drink enough water
Over time when a full body routine stagnates, you can switch to something with less frequency. I usually recommend an upper body / lower body rotation at that point.
I like doing an A/B workout, where A is one full body workout, and B is another. Both are legs/push/pull, but just different exercises. Here's an example for someone just getting into lifting who wants to be fit:
A - Bulgarian Split Squat, DB Bench, DB 1-Arm Row
B - Kickstand Romanian Deadlift, DB Overhead Press, Pulldown (or Assisted Chinup)
3 sets of 8-12 reps each. Just alternate the two and lift 3x a week. The other two days can be LISS.