Dumbbell workout questions

jemhh

I have been doing bodyweight workouts for 4 months. I now have a set of dumbbells (handles and 105# of plates) so I'm going to switch over to this workout:http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/dumbbell-only-home-or-gym-fullbody-workout.html . I have a few questions though:

1. The instructions say not to add any exercises but in the comments he tells someone go ahead and do pushups on the days when he does shoulder exercises. It looks to me like every day involves shoulders, at least as secondary muscles. I'd like to keep doing pushups and pullups all three days. Does that seem reasonable?

2. Why are the reps higher for women than men? Is that common?

3. It says to do one rep less than failure. Is that for every set?

4. Any idea of what weight to start with? I use 30# for db rows currently and two 15# db for overhead presses but everything else I do is bodyweight stuff so I have no idea what to use on other exercises.

5. I am not thrilled about the situps. Is there a downside to me sticking with planks? I'm doing side and wall planks right now.

Thanks

jemhh

Bump

EllaIsNotEnchanted

1. A basic routine is a basic routine. I do 5x5, but I have added a bit more exercises because I want to work on some individual muscles myself. Not only this I want to do a lot of running events so I do a lot of HIIT. I have personal goals and I work towards them grabbing from different routines here and there and mixing it all together for a win. If push-ups work for you along with the routine you found and you're not too terribly sore the next day; by all means do it! Someone mentioned this before in another post and I wish I remember the username (I deserve no credit): you cannot overtrain, you can under recover (also do not train things that are already injured or in ridiculous amount of pain; might be an injury).

2. I have no idea. Did you read the program on that? That is weird. Higher reps can turn into muscular endurance rather than muscular strength. If your goal is for strength less reps but more weight. Again, figure out a goal for yourself.

3. I'll leave that one for people who follow this program.

4. It's a start. Just start somewhere and keep adding weight the next time you do the routine. The weight will add on fast.

5. I lovelovelove planks. I think the plank has more assistive muscles (arms holding weight/feet) & I think QL (do not quote me on this) and rectus abdominis. I believe the crunch develops the rectus or tranverse abdom. more; however easier to do bad form. Nothing wrong with switching a similar core exercise to something you like more.

Cherimoose

1. The instructions say not to add any exercises but in the comments he tells someone go ahead and do pushups on the days when he does shoulder exercises.

It's fine on day #2 but not on the other days. That's because it would screw up the balance between "chest" and "upper back" sets, which should be an equal number, to avoid imbalances. (Pushups are "chest", rows & pull-ups are "upper back").

2. Why are the reps higher for women than men? Is that common?

Because of the outdated societal tradition that women shouldn't lift heavy things, or the myth that it will "bulk" them up.

With that said, it's good for beginners to do a higher rep range (8 to 15 reps), since new skills are best learned by repeating them a lot. After a month 6-12 reps is fine.

3. It says to do one rep less than failure. Is that for every set?

Yes.

4. Any idea of what weight to start with?

Just pick up a weight and try it. If you can do like 20 reps, use a heavier weight. If you can't even do 5 reps, or can't keep good form, use lighter weight.
Note that the first 3 exercises each day involve larger muscle groups and need more weight than the next 3 exercises, which are smaller muscles. In fact, i would reduce the # of sets for the last 3 exercises, since they're not as important. Some programs skip them entirely.

5. I am not thrilled about the situps. Is there a downside to me sticking with planks?

No. Those are actually better. The main function of the abs is bracing, not bending.

jemhh

Thanks for the feedback. I think I need to sit down and look at that workout a bit more and probably tweak it a bit. I definitely want to keep up with push ups and working toward full pull-ups so I want to keep doing them 3x a week. I started out at Level 0 fitness-wise and the gains I have made with those two exercises have become benchmarks for me so I don't want to give them up.

Interesting about the reps. I'll do the higher number and then move to the lower number after a month.

I'm getting a bench for $25 including delivery from a coworker so as soon as I have that I'll be good to go.

Wiseandcurious

I have been trying to find an answer to one question about this particular routine
linked in the OP, so I'll post it in this same thread if I may:

Is one supposed to do 1 set of everything -> 2nd set of everything - etc, or 3 sets of exercise 1 then 3 sets of exercise 2 etc? It never says so in the text or comments, but I infer the latter - 3 sets of exercise 1 with rest b/n each, then ex.2, etc....

Sorry for the dumb question, but one has to ask somewhere...

zipa78

^Doesn't really matter. You can do it as a circuit if you want to, do them one at a time or do supersets of 2-3 exercises grouped together.

The "default" is to do all sets of one exercise before moving on to the next. Usually people write explicitly if the routine is to be done as a circuit.

middlehaitch

It is general to complete all sets of exercise 1 before starting exercise 2.
One can circuit the exercises; all the diferent exercises set 1, then all the diferent exercises set 2, etc.
This method is generally identified in the workout descriptor.
I am not experienced enough to speak to the pros and cons of each method.

Cheers, h.

Wiseandcurious

Thanks a lot!