Is this a good lifting routine??
taylorwaylor
Posts: 417 Member
I have been doing the new rules of lifting for awhile, im at the end of stage 3 and i want to quit.... The book and workouts have taught me so much, but some of the lifts now are too complex for me and i feel like i cant push myself because of that.
The workouts i chose are mainly compound workouts, the upper body is equaled with push-pull routines (some are isolated, i know). Lower body is mainly push....If you know of any lower body pull let me know! And i kinda threw in some random ab workouts into upper body and lower body days...I'm not sure if i should save all abs to just ab/cardio days, or work them into every day?
Lift 4 days a week, 2 days abs/cardio or yoga/cardio or maybe just yoga or cardio..lol, and one rest day. All are 4 sets, reps or 8-10, 8, 8, and 6-8.
Day 1, Upper body
Barbell bench press
Seated cable rows
(one set of seated cable rows, then one set of over-head cable curls, do 4 sets of each)
Over head cable curl
Dips
Wide-grip lat pull-down
Standing dumbbell press
20 mins HIIT
Day 2, Lower body
Barbell squats
Seated calf raises
Roman dumbbell one-legged dead lift
Plank
barbell lunge
Stair master for 20 mins
Day 3, upper body
Bent over barbell row
Reverse flyes
incline dumbell press
push-ups
Tate press
upper hand cable pull down
20 mins HIIT
Day 4, lower body
Barbell dead lift
leg press
calf raises on press machine
plank
one-arm kettle bell swings
Body weight matrix.... *time it*24 air squats, 12 lunges(each leg), 12 lunge jumps(each leg), 24 jump squats. multiply time by 2, rest that long then repeat.
Abs/ cardio days
I was thinking things like ab roller, suspended crunch and a few others...Which ones would you recommend?? And what reps and sets should i do with abs?
Followed by running, 4 miles (slowly increase distance over time)
So this is what I've come up with so far.....Please tell me what i should change and what you think about my routine! Thanks!!!
The workouts i chose are mainly compound workouts, the upper body is equaled with push-pull routines (some are isolated, i know). Lower body is mainly push....If you know of any lower body pull let me know! And i kinda threw in some random ab workouts into upper body and lower body days...I'm not sure if i should save all abs to just ab/cardio days, or work them into every day?
Lift 4 days a week, 2 days abs/cardio or yoga/cardio or maybe just yoga or cardio..lol, and one rest day. All are 4 sets, reps or 8-10, 8, 8, and 6-8.
Day 1, Upper body
Barbell bench press
Seated cable rows
(one set of seated cable rows, then one set of over-head cable curls, do 4 sets of each)
Over head cable curl
Dips
Wide-grip lat pull-down
Standing dumbbell press
20 mins HIIT
Day 2, Lower body
Barbell squats
Seated calf raises
Roman dumbbell one-legged dead lift
Plank
barbell lunge
Stair master for 20 mins
Day 3, upper body
Bent over barbell row
Reverse flyes
incline dumbell press
push-ups
Tate press
upper hand cable pull down
20 mins HIIT
Day 4, lower body
Barbell dead lift
leg press
calf raises on press machine
plank
one-arm kettle bell swings
Body weight matrix.... *time it*24 air squats, 12 lunges(each leg), 12 lunge jumps(each leg), 24 jump squats. multiply time by 2, rest that long then repeat.
Abs/ cardio days
I was thinking things like ab roller, suspended crunch and a few others...Which ones would you recommend?? And what reps and sets should i do with abs?
Followed by running, 4 miles (slowly increase distance over time)
So this is what I've come up with so far.....Please tell me what i should change and what you think about my routine! Thanks!!!
0
Replies
-
Ohh, and my goal is to lower my fat % and increase LBM.0
-
To be honest, Starting Strength or StrongLifts 5 x 5 would be better.0
-
bump...0
-
This. That looks way overly complicated, for no real reason.To be honest, Starting Strength or StrongLifts 5 x 5 would be better.0 -
To be honest, Starting Strength or StrongLifts 5 x 5 would be better.
Why?0 -
To be honest, Starting Strength or StrongLifts 5 x 5 would be better.
Why?
A number of reasons including:
- They are tried and tested routines developed by experienced peeps
- They are full body workouts
- There is a lot of support for questions on here as loads of people do them0 -
What are your goals with lifting?
Are you doing to to get stronger?
Are you doing it to look like a bodybuilder?
Are you doing it because you heard it's "good for weight loss"?
....
Programs like SS and SL5x5 are straight and to the point and work on getting you very strong, very efficiently. Once you've attained an intermediate or advanced level in lifting, you would normally move on to a (just slightly) more sophisticated program involving periodization.
Programs like NROL seem to have a pretty sane foundation, but just from what I see and hear on MFP, as the phases go on, they seem to throw in a bunch of random assistance work, almost arbitrarily.
Do you want to look like a bodybuilder instead of get stronger? Then you probably want to do isolation work and make all the various muscles on your body pop. But arguably, for the first year or two of training, it's probably more efficient to still start out on a compound lifting program.
Do you just want to burn calories? Then do P90x or something that's more conditioning-oriented.0 -
To be honest, Starting Strength or StrongLifts 5 x 5 would be better.
Why?
A number of reasons including:
- They are tried and tested routines developed by experienced peeps
- They are full body workouts
- There is a lot of support for questions on here as loads of people do them
I know, they are full body and are proven. BUT i go to the gym a lot...and i would like to lift more than 3 days a week. I think i would do better with focusing on certain muscle groups rather than full body, and i would be able to push myself more and get a better workout. I know, you're a success story......but i will keep thinking about doing strong lifts:/ But thank you!0 -
To be honest, Starting Strength or StrongLifts 5 x 5 would be better.
Why?
A number of reasons including:
- They are tried and tested routines developed by experienced peeps
- They are full body workouts
- There is a lot of support for questions on here as loads of people do them
I know, they are full body and are proven. BUT i go to the gym a lot...and i would like to lift more than 3 days a week. I think i would do better with focusing on certain muscle groups rather than full body, and i would be able to push myself more and get a better workout. I know, you're a success story......but i will keep thinking about doing strong lifts:/ But thank you!
I think a full body workout would be more beneficial than a split routine at your stage of lifting. You can still push yourself doing these programs.0 -
What are your goals with lifting?
Are you doing to to get stronger?
Are you doing it to look like a bodybuilder?
Are you doing it because you heard it's "good for weight loss"?
....
Programs like SS and SL5x5 are straight and to the point and work on getting you very strong, very efficiently. Once you've attained an intermediate or advanced level in lifting, you would normally move on to a (just slightly) more sophisticated program involving periodization.
Programs like NROL seem to have a pretty sane foundation, but just from what I see and hear on MFP, as the phases go on, they seem to throw in a bunch of random assistance work, almost arbitrarily.
Do you want to look like a bodybuilder instead of get stronger? Then you probably want to do isolation work and make all the various muscles on your body pop. But arguably, for the first year or two of training, it's probably more efficient to still start out on a compound lifting program.
Do you just want to burn calories? Then do P90x or something that's more conditioning-oriented.
I want to get stronger and decrease my fat...I dont really care how much i weigh, i just want to feel great about my body. I dont want to just burn calories either...I REAAALLY love lifting.
But oookayyy..... I'll still keep stronglifts in mind....
0 -
I personally hated stronglifts. I liked doing wannabebig.com baby got back routine and threw in a few more lower body things to round it out. But thats just me. Do something like a superset routine maybe??0
-
To be honest, Starting Strength or StrongLifts 5 x 5 would be better.
Why?
A number of reasons including:
- They are tried and tested routines developed by experienced peeps
- They are full body workouts
- There is a lot of support for questions on here as loads of people do them
I know, they are full body and are proven. BUT i go to the gym a lot...and i would like to lift more than 3 days a week. I think i would do better with focusing on certain muscle groups rather than full body, and i would be able to push myself more and get a better workout. I know, you're a success story......but i will keep thinking about doing strong lifts:/ But thank you!
check out Jamie Lewis' Chaos and Pain programs.
Depending how strong/experienced you are, you might try the beginners program, or the intermediate squat or deadlift based program.0 -
IMO, this routine is decent but it lacks focus. A bit too hodge podge in some areas and too much overlap in other areas. Also, you say 2 days of cardio/yoga but it looks like there are 4 or 5 cardio days in your routine to me. That may or may not be an issue depending on your ultimate goal but be honest with yourself. You're doing 4 days not 2, so plan your recovery accordingly.
The 4 day, 2x per week split you're doing has always been the routine that has worked best for me. But I'd still advise you to go over to bodybuilding.com and find a routine that's put together a little better.
Of course, there's a chance that your description is more hodge podge than the actual workout. Are you really doing a chest, back, chest, back, back in that order? I hope not0 -
I agree with DavPul, it seems a little all over the place, but I know you worked really hard researching to plan this!!!! So for that, I say good job, but still agree that maybe something like Live Fit would be better? It's a great program and it has split days I think. It's by Jamie Eason.
But most importantly I agree about the cardio days!!!! You have a LOT of them scheduled in there with barely any rest!! If you really want to get better at lifting, you have to actually rest on your rest days. Your muscles need time to repair and strengthen. For example, when I first started NROLFW, I wouldn't ever take the full week off between stages, because I was impatient. Then one time I did because I had a busy week, and when I went back to it, my lifts were ALL better, by a LOT. My body needed that time to recover, and that's what rest days are for, not for cardio. Yoga maybe is fine, but if you want a cardio day specifically, then do only 3 lifting days I think. Also if you are going to do HIIT after a workout, only do it every other workout and definitely not on leg days, do it on your shorter workout days.
But I agree with waiting until you've been lifting a few years before trying to plan your own program. Look into live fit!0 -
I do this 4 day split routine. It's working we'll for me so far. http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/the-muscle-building-workout-routine/0
-
hmmm....I somehow completely missed that you were using NROLW to base this routine from. Makes more sense to me now. I've read NROL and would imagine the women's version is just a sensible, so it looks like you're picking and choosing a bit.
I design my own routines and change them on the fly all the time. But i have been lifting so long i'm more apt to write a book on it than read a book. I'm really appreciating how much you're progressing but at this stage I think you should still try to follow a well planned routine as closely as possible.0 -
I'm currently doing a modified version of 5/3/1's Triumvirate program (turning it into a split of sorts), it works as a 4 day a week program or 3, depending on your schedule, and it's centered around the big 4 lifts. Volume is 5 x 5 for main lifts and 5 sets of 8 reps for accessories) increasing the weight each set and by 5 pounds each cycle
Day 1
Main lift: Overhead press
Accessory lifts: Dips, lateral dumbbell raises, and alternating pull-ups and chin-ups workout to workout
Day 2
Main lift: Deadlift
Accessory lifts: Good mornings, hanging leg raises, and oblique cable crunches (where you kneel on the ground and pull the cable from above your head to an oblique crunch)
Day 3
Main lift: Barbell bench press
Accessory: Incline dumbbell press, kroc rows, bicep curls or chest flyes depending on my mood
Day 4
Main: Barbell high back squat
Accessory: Leg press, leg curls, box jumps or some kind of plyometrics
Cardio on off days0 -
I'm currently doing a modified version of 5/3/1's Triumvirate program (turning it into a split of sorts), it works as a 4 day a week program or 3, depending on your schedule, and it's centered around the big 4 lifts. Volume is 5 x 5 for main lifts and 5 sets of 8 reps for accessories) increasing the weight each set and by 5 pounds each cycle
Day 1
Main lift: Overhead press
Accessory lifts: Dips, lateral dumbbell raises, and alternating pull-ups and chin-ups workout to workout
Day 2
Main lift: Deadlift
Accessory lifts: Good mornings, hanging leg raises, and oblique cable crunches (where you kneel on the ground and pull the cable from above your head to an oblique crunch)
Day 3
Main lift: Barbell bench press
Accessory: Incline dumbbell press, kroc rows, bicep curls or chest flyes depending on my mood
Day 4
Main: Barbell high back squat
Accessory: Leg press, leg curls, box jumps or some kind of plyometrics
Cardio on off days
I love Wendler - doing it myself. But it is not the most effective routine for a beginner (which the OP is) as you only hit the main muscle groups once a week. Generally it should be considered after you get into the intermediate level of lifting.0 -
Well there's the Stripped 5x5 program, which is what I used as a beginner before moving to the hybrid 5x5 / 531.
A: Squats, Bench, Overhead Press
B: Deadlift, Barbell bentover rows, Pull-ups
All 5x5
Alternate A/B/A/B/etc0 -
Well there's the Stripped 5x5 program, which is what I used as a beginner before moving to the hybrid 5x5 / 531.
A: Squats, Bench, Overhead Press
B: Deadlift, Barbell bentover rows, Pull-ups
All 5x5
Alternate A/B/A/B/etc
Solid compound lift program.0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.8K Introduce Yourself
- 43.9K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 176K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.6K Fitness and Exercise
- 428 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153.1K Motivation and Support
- 8.1K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 15 News and Announcements
- 1.2K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions