Which exercise to do over the other per muscle group?

cherriegh

ok, there are so many exercises which ones do you choose? I always struggle coz i want to do all of them!....i'm focusing mainly on lower body compound and glutes..... in a day i do squats, deadlift, leg press, lunges, glute bridge, leg extension, leg curls, then upper body and HIIT following day.

But there are so many exercises to do and variations how do you choose how many per muscle group?

Wheelhouse15

What is your lifting level i.e. how long have you lifted? What are you goals for lifting? How many days a week are you going to lift? Have you looked at a recongized plan like New Rules of Lifting, Starting Strength, or Strong Lifts?

Unless you are an advanced lifter doing a couple workouts per day there is no need to worry about the vast majority of exercises but rather concentrate on the big compound lifts and then rotate assist exercises in as required/desired. I personally wouldn't do squats and deadlifts on the same day since they are both heavy lifts that hit similar areas, but that's up to you.

TJP_

It depends on what you're trying to achieve.

I train to improve my squat and deadlift 1RM so these are the staple of my training, along with assistance lifts to specifically work lower back, hamstrings, core and grip and explosiveness

Paused lifts, speed work, good mornings, SLDLs, hanging leg raises, rack pulls, front squats, snatch grip deadlifts, glute ham raises, power cleans, high box jumps, bounds...

cherriegh

I started lifting beginning of month, i lift heavy 5-8reps, i lift 3xweekly and i need to firm my body lose body fat and firm loose skin. i also want to shape my butt

212019156

One primary movement for each muscle group plus a bit of added accessory work for weak points. So doing deadlift, squat, military press, bench press and pullups will pretty much hit everything in a thorough balanced fashion. All the extra accessory work isn't really necessary for most people.

One thing that I changed up in my routine is that I although I always have squatted twice per week, I now do front squats on one day and back squats on the other.

TJP_

cherriegh wrote: »

I started lifting beginning of month, i lift heavy 5-8reps, i lift 3xweekly and i need to firm my body lose body fat and firm loose skin. i also want to shape my butt

I would drop the leg extensions and curls (they won't be giving you anything that the squats/legs presses aren't) and swap for glute ham raises, plus either stiff deadlifts or good mornings.

Rest of it looks good for your goals (Personally I'd also drop the leg press and do front squats but leg presses are also fine).

jacksonpt

Personally -

back squat, front squat, leg press

deadlift, GHR, walking BB lunges

Some occasional ab work.

cherriegh

Thanks, today I just did squats, lunges, leg press and glute bridge, and bench press all heavy weighted. I'm scared of deadlifts I might hurt my back so I rather squat which I've managed to perfect

W31RD0

I do compounds that involve the main muscles you want to work on that day first and give it my all on those. If I feel like I have some juice still left in a particular muscle, then I will an isolation exercise at the end.

Here is an example of my leg and lower back day

Barbell Deadlift (the maximum barbell weight at my gym is 60lbs, so I am limited with that)
Stiff-Legged Dumbbell Deadlift
Dumbbell Lunge
Smith Machine Calf Raise
Seated Smith Machine Calf Raise
Back Extension

dbmata

cherriegh wrote: »

I started lifting beginning of month, i lift heavy 5-8reps, i lift 3xweekly and i need to firm my body lose body fat and firm loose skin. i also want to shape my butt

Do your squats, do your deadlifts. Add some lunges, because those are awesome. Glute bridges sure. The rest? Meh, waste of time at your current level.

ninerbuff

It's not how many exercises you do. It's how you do them.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

dbmata

W31RD0 wrote: »

I do compounds that involve the main muscles you want to work on that day first and give it my all on those. If I feel like I have some juice still left in a particular muscle, then I will an isolation exercise at the end.

Here is an example of my leg and lower back day

Barbell Deadlift (the maximum barbell weight at my gym is 60lbs, so I am limited with that)
Stiff-Legged Dumbbell Deadlift
Dumbbell Lunge
Smith Machine Calf Raise
Seated Smith Machine Calf Raise
Back Extension

Seriously, your gym has 60# in plates?!

mustgetmuscles1

You need to get on a program instead of just making it up as you go.

Strong Curves is a great full body program that focuses on lower body and glutes.

Incorporates many of those lifts but in a structured way.

W31RD0

dbmata wrote: »

Seriously, your gym has 60# in plates?!

I think the heaviest plate is 45lb. The free dumbbells are fixed and only go up to 60lb. If I want do heavier barbells, I have to use the smith machine, which I'd only use for shrugs and calf raises.

Lofteren

W31RD0 wrote: »

dbmata wrote: »

Seriously, your gym has 60# in plates?!

I think the heaviest plate is 45lb. The free dumbbells are fixed and only go up to 60lb. If I want do heavier barbells, I have to use the smith machine, which I'd only use for shrugs and calf raises.

If they have 45lb plates then they should have a bar. If they have a bar and 45lb plates then you can load more weight than you could ever hope to lift onto that bar... and then you can squat it and all of your training problems will be solved.

dbmata

No, you don't need the smith machine for anything other than holding your towel while you do some work.

Take the barbell, put plates on it, and lift it.