Help me with my weight lifting routine, please

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I've been lifting for about 10 months now, but I've never really had a set routine until recently. This is what I've been doing:
Sit ups on a decline bench
Bench press on a smith machine
Squats (all my gym has is a freaking Smith machine though)
Assisted pull ups
Assisted dips
Leg press & calf raises on hip sled
Push ups
Lat pull downs
Alternating biceps curls with dumbbells
Walking lunges with dumbbells
Bent over row with dumbbells
Stiff leg deadlift with dumbells
Shoulder press with dumbbells
Chest fly with dumbbells
Bent over triceps extension with dumbbells

Thoughts? I know I don't necessarily need all those, but is there anything I'm leaving out? Anything I should change or completely leave out? Thanks in advance!
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Replies

  • SJ46
    SJ46 Posts: 407 Member
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    I am by far an expert but one exercise I don't see on your list is bent over rows.
  • da_bears10089
    da_bears10089 Posts: 1,791 Member
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    I would simplify as much as possible and do compound moves. check out strong lifts 5x5. i love it and try to avoid the smith machine. there has to be a place that people do their squats besides on a smith machine. using a barbell is much better because your body needs to stabilize the weight rather than a machine doing it for you, which means, working the little muscles of body along with the large targeted ones.
  • marie_2454
    marie_2454 Posts: 881 Member
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    Lol bent over row is on there; it's fifth from the bottom. I would live to just use a bar for squats, but Planet Fitness doesn't freaking have one (I know, my gym sucks, but it's all I've for at the moment). They have bars but they only go up to 60lbs & right now I'm squatting about 130. They have dumbbells that go up to 70 lbs, but I can't hold on to them without ripping my hands open.
  • SJ46
    SJ46 Posts: 407 Member
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    Yeah it is, isn't it? lol :)
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    Well obviously you're going to be limited by equipment so first choice would be to join a gym with the equipment you need. I feel your pain though, I was in a crappy gym for a while and I had to improvise. I would definitely look into doing squats with the DBs. If you can't hang onto them, get chalk, gloves or straps. Or hoist them up high on your delts/collarbones and do squats that way.

    Same with the chest press/bench press. Just use DBs.

    The Smith machine is going to give you such a crappy workout compared to using the DBs, honestly. I never even touched the Smith machine in my gym, I used DBs for everything until I outgrew the biggest ones and finally joined a real gym.

    Having said that, you've got some redundancy in your workout that isn't necessarily needed. You're hitting triceps with shoulder press, chest press, push-ups, etc. Then you're dong tricep extensions? That's 4 tricep excercises. I'd try to stick to more compound exercises so you don't have to do 20 different ones. Another one would be lats, you're doing pull-ups, lat pulldowns and rows. Maybe just do pull-ups and rows or chins and rows. Consolidate a bit. I guess it all depends on what your goals are, which you have not stated.

    Personally, I'd just find a good gym and do a good beginner's strength program. That will get you started off wonderfully.
  • marie_2454
    marie_2454 Posts: 881 Member
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    I've been thinking about getting gloves, but haven't yet. I'm going to buy a pair & then start doing bench press & squats with dumbbells instead.

    That is a bit redundant, so I'm going to stop doing lat pull downs & triceps extensions.

    I bought New Rules of Lifting for Women a while back & want to start it, but PF doesn't have all the necessary equipment. Switching gums right now isn't really an option, for a whole lot of personal reasons, but when I'm ready to join a different gym the first thing I'm looking for is free weights & bars so I can do real bench press, squats, & dead lifts.

    Goal wise, I've got about 10-15 pounds left to & 4-5% bodyfat to lose. Plus I want to get stronger.
  • lina011
    lina011 Posts: 427 Member
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    You can do squats without a smith machine, think about using body weigght, plyos, kettlebells etc. resistance bands
    personally id mix it up, with different types of weights or compounds movements
  • scottdeeby
    scottdeeby Posts: 95 Member
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    I'm not trying to be an *kitten*, but you haven't described your current routine, just a list of exercises....what are your training goals?
  • Coachrock11
    Coachrock11 Posts: 4 Member
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    Hey, You seem like you've got a pretty solid lifting base so congrats on that. Also, i have the new rules of lifting and it's a great book. I think it's important to change up your routine seasonally, but if your want a solid starting point push pull legs is a classic and it's always been successful. so example would b
    Monday and Thursday chest triceps and delts 3-4 working sets of everything
    flat bench
    incline bench
    dips
    flys
    tricep pushdowns
    overhead extensions
    military press
    lateral raises

    Tuesday and Friday back bis and traps again 3-4 sets of each
    wide grip Pull downs
    bent over rows
    alternating dumbell curls
    preacher curls
    up right rows
    shrugs

    Wednesday and Saturday Legs
    Squats (front or rear depending on goals)
    leg press
    leg extensions
    calf raises

    sunday rest
    You can do abs every day or every other day depending on your recovery time
  • marie_2454
    marie_2454 Posts: 881 Member
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    I'm not trying to be an *kitten*, but you haven't described your current routine, just a list of exercises....what are your training goals?

    You're not being an *kitten* lol. I never know how much info is needed. I want to lose about 10-15 more pounds, lower my bodyfat % 4-5% & get stronger. I have a decent amount of muscle, it's just under a little bit too much fat for my taste. My bodyfat is around 21-22% right now & I'm 5'9, 154 lbs. I don't really have anything specific that I'm training for, but I want to get into federal law enforcement (after grad school so I've got a few more years) & I'm signed up for an obstacle course in late April (Hard Charge). I would really like to be able to do pull ups. Right now, with 55 pounds helping me, I can get 3 sets of 6-7. With my routine, I'm aiming to complete 3 sets of 10. I lift heavy (for me anyways) so once I can complete the full 10 reps for all sets then I increase the weight a little.
  • koko12
    koko12 Posts: 81 Member
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    look up workouts on bodybuilding.com and cutandjacked.com. thats where i found some good routines when i started
  • marie_2454
    marie_2454 Posts: 881 Member
    Options
    Hey, You seem like you've got a pretty solid lifting base so congrats on that. Also, i have the new rules of lifting and it's a great book. I think it's important to change up your routine seasonally, but if your want a solid starting point push pull legs is a classic and it's always been successful. so example would b
    Monday and Thursday chest triceps and delts 3-4 working sets of everything
    flat bench
    incline bench
    dips
    flys
    tricep pushdowns
    overhead extensions
    military press
    lateral raises

    Tuesday and Friday back bis and traps again 3-4 sets of each
    wide grip Pull downs
    bent over rows
    alternating dumbell curls
    preacher curls
    up right rows
    shrugs

    Wednesday and Saturday Legs
    Squats (front or rear depending on goals)
    leg press
    leg extensions
    calf raises

    sunday rest
    You can do abs every day or every other day depending on your recovery time

    I would like to be able to do a split workout, but I work full time & I'm taking 19 hours at school, including 2 grad level classes. I just don't have the time to get in the gym every day.
  • ChrisLindsay9
    ChrisLindsay9 Posts: 837 Member
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    Those are pretty good exercises, nice job. And I'm a fan of gloves but for purely psychological reasons. When I put on gloves, it's like putting on a uniform and sort of puts me in that zone. I sometimes wear gloves on leg day... lol

    Coffeehouse put together a nice list, here's another to consider.

    Day 1 - Chest/Triceps

    Flat Bench Press - (alternate Incline Bench Press every other week or so)
    Flat Bench Dumbbell Press - (alternate Incline Bench DB Press every other week)
    *- don't be afraid to ask an experienced lifter for a spot
    Pec Fly Machine or Chest Fly with Dumbbell
    Wide-Arm Pushups (as many as you can do in 30 seconds, then eventually 45 seconds, then 1 minute)
    Skullcrusher
    Bent over Tricep with Extension
    V-bar Tricep Pulldown (alternate with Rope Handle every other week)
    Seated Dips

    Day 2 - Legs

    Smith Machine Squat or Split Squat off of Bench
    Walking Lunge with DB (or Front Lunges)
    Side or Rear Lunges (bodyweight or light DBs)
    Leg Extension Machine
    Leg Curl Machine
    Stiffed-Leg Deadlift
    Seated Calf Raise Machine (or Calf Raise on Leg Press Machine)
    Smith Machine Calf Raise (standing on pedestal of some kind)

    Day 3 - Cardio/HIIT/Ab Work

    Situps on Decline Bench or Stability Ball
    Leg Raises
    Planks

    Day 4 - Back/Shoulders/Biceps

    Dumbbell Shrug
    Barbell Upright Row
    Assisted pull ups
    Lat pull downs
    Bent over row with dumbbells or Seated Cable Row
    Shoulder press with dumbbells
    Front Dumbbell Raise / Lateral Dumbbell Raise (superset)
    Dumbbell Bicep Curl (2 sets of wide, 2 sets of front, 2 sets of inner aka concentration curls)

    If you do three days of weight training, you can put your ab work in any of these other days. If you do five days, you can put shoulders on its own day and complement it with some HIIT training. You can also do one or two of the ab exercises on any of the other days as well. I like to have one day dedicated to ab work so that I'm not always doing it at the end of a workout when my energy is diminished.

    Whatever you end up with, keep up the great work and effort!
  • marie_2454
    marie_2454 Posts: 881 Member
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    look up workouts on bodybuilding.com and cutandjacked.com. thats where i found some good routines when i started

    I've looked on bodybuilding.com before, but didn't find a full body routine I liked. It's been a while since i looked there though, so I'll check again. What routine(s) did you follow?
  • marie_2454
    marie_2454 Posts: 881 Member
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    @ ChrisLindsay9, I'm only able to make it to the gym 3 times a week. Would a split like this be better than 3 days doing full body workouts? I'm not sure how I feel about only training each body part once a week.
  • koko12
    koko12 Posts: 81 Member
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    look up workouts on bodybuilding.com and cutandjacked.com. thats where i found some good routines when i started

    I've looked on bodybuilding.com before, but didn't find a full body routine I liked. It's been a while since i looked there though, so I'll check again. What routine(s) did you follow?

    the only routine i followed was one body part a day. but id find other exercises and add them in . i like cutandjacked better cause they interview and athlete and that athlete gives their routine
  • scottdeeby
    scottdeeby Posts: 95 Member
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    I'm not trying to be an *kitten*, but you haven't described your current routine, just a list of exercises....what are your training goals?

    You're not being an *kitten* lol. I never know how much info is needed. I want to lose about 10-15 more pounds, lower my bodyfat % 4-5% & get stronger. I have a decent amount of muscle, it's just under a little bit too much fat for my taste. My bodyfat is around 21-22% right now & I'm 5'9, 154 lbs. I don't really have anything specific that I'm training for, but I want to get into federal law enforcement (after grad school so I've got a few more years) & I'm signed up for an obstacle course in late April (Hard Charge). I would really like to be able to do pull ups. Right now, with 55 pounds helping me, I can get 3 sets of 6-7. With my routine, I'm aiming to complete 3 sets of 10. I lift heavy (for me anyways) so once I can complete the full 10 reps for all sets then I increase the weight a little.
    Increasing reps is a good way to progress. If you want to gain strength, 10 reps is too much. Do 5 reps with more weight.

    Avoid bodybuilding.com like the plague - there is so much misinformation on that site. If you want to learn good lifting technique and have a very good introduction to training for strength, get the "Starting Strength" book. Do what this book says and you will learn more and make more progress than anything else you have tried so far.

    scott
  • scottdeeby
    scottdeeby Posts: 95 Member
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    @ ChrisLindsay9, I'm only able to make it to the gym 3 times a week. Would a split like this be better than 3 days doing full body workouts? I'm not sure how I feel about only training each body part once a week.

    the Starting Strength routine is 3 workouts a week, each one a full body workout, about one hour each. But be prepared to work hard! There's a few variations in the routine but essentially it's alternating two workouts:
    workout 1: squat, overhead press, pullup
    workout 2: squat, bench press, deadlift

    It doesn't seem like much since there are so few exercises, but they are all compound movements so they hit multiple muscle groups.

    I know it sounds like I drank too much cool aid on the starting strength, and I probably did when I used it a few years ago. It is a good starting point, and will help you learn a lot about lifting and getting stronger. It will put you in the right direction.
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
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    Hey, You seem like you've got a pretty solid lifting base so congrats on that. Also, i have the new rules of lifting and it's a great book. I think it's important to change up your routine seasonally, but if your want a solid starting point push pull legs is a classic and it's always been successful. so example would b
    Monday and Thursday chest triceps and delts 3-4 working sets of everything
    flat bench
    incline bench
    dips
    flys
    tricep pushdowns
    overhead extensions
    military press
    lateral raises

    Tuesday and Friday back bis and traps again 3-4 sets of each
    wide grip Pull downs
    bent over rows
    alternating dumbell curls
    preacher curls
    up right rows
    shrugs

    Wednesday and Saturday Legs
    Squats (front or rear depending on goals)
    leg press
    leg extensions
    calf raises

    sunday rest
    You can do abs every day or every other day depending on your recovery time

    I would like to be able to do a split workout, but I work full time & I'm taking 19 hours at school, including 2 grad level classes. I just don't have the time to get in the gym every day.

    Somebody already said it but given your time constraints I would

    1. Find a new gym with proper equipment

    2. Look into Starting Strength, New Rules of Lifting for Women, or Stonglifts.

    All those programs focus on whole body routines and compound lifts. It'll save you time and you'll get results.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    strstd.com