Critique my strength routine?

AlysonG2

Anybody wanna weigh in on my strength routine before I get too far into it? I did it for the first time this morning. I did 2 sets of each move, 10-12 reps (ab stuff I did more like 20 reps), but I plan to increase that to 3 sets each from now on. I'm doing what I think are called supersets, mostly just because I hate wasting time. My goal is to keep the muscle that I've got while I lose these last 30-40 pounds. I'd just like everything to be tight when I get to goal, not flabby. I'm doing it at home, so I only have access to my bench, barbell, a few dumbbells, and a makeshift squat rack.

So here's what I did:

Bench press/Chest flies
Barbell curls/Bench dips
Deadlift/Reverse crunch
Squat/Glute bridge
Barbell row/Triceps extension
Overhead press/Side lifts
Side bends/Bicycle crunches
Calf raises

I plan to do this 3 times a week and run 3 days per week, alternating days, with one rest day.

Anything I should be doing that I'm not? Anything I'm wasting my time doing that could be replaced with something else?

jhc7324

My first thought is that for a true strength program, you're using too high of a rep range. To add strength, you should focus on weights that you can only do 5-8 reps with.

You also have a lot of different exercises in there, and some of them focus on relatively small muscles. If you're just starting out, you'll get a lot more in terms of results/time spent out of focusing on a few compound (meaning that one lift utilizes multiple muscle groups) lifts.

Starting Strength
Stronglifts 5x5
New Rules of Lifting for Women

are 3 of the more popular beginner strength programs. I used the "Practical Programming" version of starting strength that made some substitutions from the traditional program. I'll be happy to send you some links if you're interested.

No_Finish_Line

you said you wanted strength and if thats true then I agree with above.

after reading your post though, that didn't necessairly sound like the goal

other then that i have no complaints

AlysonG2

My first thought is that for a true strength program, you're using too high of a rep range. To add strength, you should focus on weights that you can only do 5-8 reps with.

You also have a lot of different exercises in there, and some of them focus on relatively small muscles. If you're just starting out, you'll get a lot more in terms of results/time spent out of focusing on a few compound (meaning that one lift utilizes multiple muscle groups) lifts.

Starting Strength
Stronglifts 5x5
New Rules of Lifting for Women

are 3 of the more popular beginner strength programs. I used the "Practical Programming" version of starting strength that made some substitutions from the traditional program. I'll be happy to send you some links if you're interested.

I would love that. Thank you!

AlysonG2

you said you wanted strength and if thats true then I agree with above.

after reading your post though, that didn't necessairly sound like the goal

other then that i have no complaints

I didn't mean to imply that. If I get stronger, that's fantastic, but that's not my main goal with this. Sorry for the confusion. So should I be looking at the 10-12 rep range or a lower number of reps?

ETA: I guess I should have titled this "critique my weight lifting routine". I see where it was confusing now.

jhc7324

you said you wanted strength and if thats true then I agree with above.

after reading your post though, that didn't necessairly sound like the goal

other then that i have no complaints

I didn't mean to imply that. If I get stronger, that's fantastic, but that's not my main goal with this. Sorry for the confusion. So should I be looking at the 10-12 rep range or a lower number of reps?

ETA: I guess I should have titled this "critique my weight lifting routine". I see where it was confusing now.

There's a bit of carryover in the rep ranges/results, but in general rep ranges from 5-8 will be most beneficial for increased strength, from 8-12 will be most beneficial for increased muscle size (not exactly the same as strength) and 12+ will be best for muscular endurance.

That said, increasing the amount of weight you can lift (strength) will have a side effect of increasing the number of reps you're able to do at lower weights (endurance), so the rep ranges are really just a recommendation, not a hard and fast rule.

No_Finish_Line

typically i'll start at 12 ish as kind of a warm up and work down to as little as 3 reps over 3-5 sets

while upping the weight of course