Lifting Heavy - changed it up... Is it good enough?

BarbaraCarr1981

I guess all along I was doing OHP wrong - I was really doing a push press or something. So tonight I did this for my strong lifts:
Deads 90lbs 5*5
OHP 50lb 5*5, 2*3 (I kept my feet glued to the floor the whole time but I could only do 3 reps on the last 2 sets.)
Tris 25lb 5*5
Bis 25lb on each arm 5*5
Pushups 3*10 (knees on floor)
Quads (Leg extension i think) on gym set (I think the weight is set around 100lbs - its not marked so don't know) 5*5

What do you heavy lifters think of this? I really just started out couple months ago but Im getting more education on how I should be doing things. My goal is just to lower body fat and become lean looking. Fit back into prepreg clothes.... Currently 25% BF. Eating at a 500cal deficit 7 days a week since April 1st. CW is 150-155lbs. Heigh 5'9". 31 years old. I also play badminton once a week and do 2-3 walks with the baby in the stroller.

Any advice peeps?
Thanks

babyblooz

No advice, as I am a weight lifting newbie. But I just have to say the idea of lifting 100 pounds with my quads makes me want to run away, screaming! :sick:

BarbaraCarr1981

OHP and bar rows (60lbs) are rotated between Mon Wed and Fridays.

BarbaraCarr1981

Oh ya, and Im doing the 30 day Squat Challenge with no weights.

ivyreynolds

I would strongly recommend that you purchase personal training sessions, even just one a week for 6 weeks. Ask questions; work on each lift/strength training exercise. Work with the trainer to master your form. Without form you are wasting your time and asking for injury. Ask your trainer what he/she recommends you work on throughout the week & how you should be managing your macronutrients.

BarbaraCarr1981

I would strongly recommend that you purchase personal training sessions, even just one a week for 6 weeks. Ask questions; work on each lift/strength training exercise. Work with the trainer to master your form. Without form you are wasting your time and asking for injury. Ask your trainer what he/she recommends you work on throughout the week & how you should be managing your macronutrients.

Don't have the money for that.

rick_po

For a beginner, I wouldn't bother doing bicep or tricep exercises. If you're doing the other compound lifts, they are somewhat redundant. Maybe later you can add them to your routine, but don't worry about them now. Save yourself a few minutes in the gym!

Switch your pushups to a bench press. You can start with dumbbells, but you'll need to use a barbell eventually.

Squats are the most important lift you can do. If you have access to a squat rack, I'd do barbell squats instead of leg extensions. Body weight squats are fine, but you'll make a lot more strength progress doing barbell squats.

Good form is important when the weights get heavy. Have someone watch you do the heavy lifts to make sure you're doing them right.

Good job getting started! Get strong, and be careful!

Mock_Turtle

I guess all along I was doing OHP wrong - I was really doing a push press or something. So tonight I did this for my strong lifts:
Deads 90lbs 5*5
OHP 50lb 5*5, 2*3 (I kept my feet glued to the floor the whole time but I could only do 3 reps on the last 2 sets.)
Tris 25lb 5*5
Bis 25lb on each arm 5*5
Pushups 3*10 (knees on floor)
Quads (Leg extension i think) on gym set (I think the weight is set around 100lbs - its not marked so don't know) 5*5

What do you heavy lifters think of this? I really just started out couple months ago but Im getting more education on how I should be doing things. My goal is just to lower body fat and become lean looking. Fit back into prepreg clothes.... Currently 25% BF. Eating at a 500cal deficit 7 days a week since April 1st. CW is 150-155lbs. Heigh 5'9". 31 years old. I also play badminton once a week and do 2-3 walks with the baby in the stroller.

Any advice peeps?
Thanks

Overall it looks pretty good, personally the only suggestions I would make:

1. Do you do this same routine each time in the gym, or is there a "B" routine where you do squats and back exercises? That's important because it's gong to affect my comments, so please confirm.

1. Get rid of the bicep and tricep curls for now. Instead of doing these, just add an extra set of pushups (for your triceps) and do some back work (which will hit your biceps anyway)

2. You really some type of back exercise in there, or preferably 2 of them. If your gym has an assisted pullup machine, use it. If it doesn't then you need to do some form of a bent over row, or a 1 arm row. You can youtube videos of these.

3. I would also get rid of the leg extensions. You need to do squats. If you already do squats on a different day, just do lunges instead of leg extensions.

DaniH826

Skip the biceps and triceps for now, focus on the compounds, and look up Rippetoe teaching videos on the big 4's (deadlift, squat, OHP and bench) on Youtube to make sure your form is solid. There's a Youtube video by Pendlay on Pendlay rows if you care to look. Mehdi's videos are pretty decent but he's no Rippetoe of course.

However, if your gym has a rowing machine, maybe try that over Pendlays (for the sake of your lower back mostly as bent-over barbell rows can be hard on the lower back, especially if that's a trouble area for you). Or do pull-ups instead.

Stay with the lower weights until your form is good, then start adding weights and keep going up every week by about 5-10 pounds on the lower body lifts and about 2.5-5 pounds (if there's fractional weights available) on the upper body lifts.

If your gym has a squat rack, skip the leg extensions and do squats instead. Start at 45 lbs (lower if you need to) and work your way up from there. Think compound, and don't waste your time and energy on isolation lifts. Use dumbbells if there is no squat rack. Squats are lot more beneficial than leg extensions, and you'll get a lot more bang for your buck. And at that point don't worry about the squat challenge (unless you want do, of course ... I like mixing things up and warm up with overhead squats, but to each their own).

There's also no need to go beyond 5x5 on any of the lifts, so the 2x3 could have been easily skipped. I never do more than 5x5 for any of them, but 3x5 at a minimum with at least 1x5 at my highest weight for the day/week (I do a staggered 5x5 rather than an across-the-board one).

You're not doing Stronglifts but that's okay because 5x5 is a traditional format that will take you a long way as long as you progressively add weight to the bar.

Just my 2 cents for what those are worth to you.

meribethd

I would do one of two things. I would either pick up a copy of New Rules of Lifting for Women and follow that program. Or, I would concentrate almost entirely on compound lifts. Squats, deads, OHP, bench, rows. You don't have to follow Stronglifts, but it's a good program in terms of the exercises you are supposed to do.

Agree with making sure your form is good before moving up, and then adding 5-10 lbs when you want to increase weight.

Just keep at it and you will lift heavier.

BarbaraCarr1981

I guess they only back exercise im doing is the bar rows. I do have a rower on my universal gym set though. And when Im done of the 30 day squat challenge, I am going to start doing front barbell squats at 50lbs. I want nice arms, thats why ive been doing the tris and bis - why shouldn't i be doing them yet?

meribethd

It's not that they're bad; it's that rows, bench, OHP, even the deads some will help you accomplish the same thing.

DaniH826

I guess they only back exercise im doing is the bar rows. I do have a rower on my universal gym set though. And when Im done of the 30 day squat challenge, I am going to start doing front barbell squats at 50lbs. I want nice arms, thats why ive been doing the tris and bis - why shouldn't i be doing them yet?

Because deadlifts, bench presses and overhead presses work your biceps/triceps already, and quite thoroughly so.

Doing curls and triceps extension isn't wrong or anything, just don't let them hurt your progress with the main lifts. Make the big compounds your priority/focus and treat the other stuff as optional. Except for rows/pulls which in the scheme of things should have a higher priority than any isolation moves, so skip the bi/tri work before you skip those.

BarbaraCarr1981

Can I do bench press right on the floor? I don't have a weight bench. All I got is a universal gym set (lats,press,curlbench,leg extenstion, row, pulldown - i think thats it) and I have the following free weights:
2*10lb dumbbells
2*25lb dumbbell
For the bar:
4*5lbs
4*10lbs
2*25lbs

BarbaraCarr1981

I put my profile pic of my universal gym set so yas would know what Im talking about. Lol. Don't know all the gym lingo so....

gerard54

I don't see anything wrong with ur workout, keep it up...

BarbaraCarr1981

I guess all along I was doing OHP wrong - I was really doing a push press or something. So tonight I did this for my strong lifts:
Deads 90lbs 5*5
OHP 50lb 5*5, 2*3 (I kept my feet glued to the floor the whole time but I could only do 3 reps on the last 2 sets.)
Tris 25lb 5*5
Bis 25lb on each arm 5*5
Pushups 3*10 (knees on floor)
Quads (Leg extension i think) on gym set (I think the weight is set around 100lbs - its not marked so don't know) 5*5

What do you heavy lifters think of this? I really just started out couple months ago but Im getting more education on how I should be doing things. My goal is just to lower body fat and become lean looking. Fit back into prepreg clothes.... Currently 25% BF. Eating at a 500cal deficit 7 days a week since April 1st. CW is 150-155lbs. Heigh 5'9". 31 years old. I also play badminton once a week and do 2-3 walks with the baby in the stroller.

Any advice peeps?
Thanks

CORRECTION!!!! I mean to say this for OHP: 50lbs 3*5 and 2*3. I didn't do extra!!! I couldn't!!! I could barely lift 3 times on the last 2 sets.

DaniH826

I put my profile pic of my universal gym set so yas would know what Im talking about. Lol. Don't know all the gym lingo so....

Got ya.

If you don't have a bench, then push-ups will do.

Alternately you could do hack squats, goblet squats and so forth with dumbbells if you want to add resistance to your squats.

Have a look here:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/902569-barbell-routines-when-you-only-have-dumbbells

You could consider selling your universal gym at some point and replacing it with a power cage, along with a bench, bar and plates, but that's up to you of course. For now I'd focus making the most out of what you have and getting creative. Use that gym and those dumbbells to your advantage and to their max potential if that's what you have to work with right now.

Also, maybe check into dumbbell/barbell complexes for cardio/interval goodness.

Like so:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/lift-to-burn-4-barbell-complexes-scorch-fat-increase-strength.html

New Rules of Lifting for Women has a lot of dumbbell alternatives/approximations to traditional barbell moves. Or just check the Interwebs if you'd rather not spend the money on that book. Obvously 110 (plus whatever your bar weighs) is going to be your max for deadlifts so you're going to have to get creative with them at some point and check into deadlift variations.

Check into power cleans also (Rippetoe has those on Youtube), they're quite fun and a nice compound/explosive exercise you can alternate with deadlifts, where your 110 lb (plus the bar) limit will go a long way to keep you busy for a good while.

rick_po

I can't tell for sure, but you might be able to do a bench press type exercise with your universal gym. Can you sit on the seat and push those U-shaped arms forward away from your chest? If you can, that'll work as a bench press alternative.

rick_po

Also, there is an MFP group about stronglifts for women that you might want to look into.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/4601-stronglifts-5x5-for-women

phjorg

Can I do bench press right on the floor? I don't have a weight bench.

no.