Show me your free weight routines
Dementedllama
Posts: 177 Member
I've always been into cardio. I love a good run as much as the next cardio lover! I hit a plateau forever ago, and still run
five days a week.
But I think it's time to hit the free weights and replace about 25% of fat with muscle.
I've heard that free weights is much better than the machines that do half the work for you, and I believe it!
But I'm not quite sure where to start.
Suggestions?
Edit for typo.
five days a week.
But I think it's time to hit the free weights and replace about 25% of fat with muscle.
I've heard that free weights is much better than the machines that do half the work for you, and I believe it!
But I'm not quite sure where to start.
Suggestions?
Edit for typo.
0
Replies
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I've been doing NROL4W (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/102-new-rules-of-lifting-for-women-nrol4w ) and love it. I've also heard great things about Stronglifts 5x5 (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/4601-stronglifts-5x5-for-women ).
Try a few different things, and see what you enjoy. Also, if you haven't really done lifting before, try to find someone who knows what they're doing to help you get started and watch/correct your form. Form is a HUGE deal because bad form can cause serious injury.0 -
I've been doing NROL4W (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/102-new-rules-of-lifting-for-women-nrol4w ) and love it. I've also heard great things about Stronglifts 5x5 (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/4601-stronglifts-5x5-for-women ).
Try a few different things, and see what you enjoy. Also, if you haven't really done lifting before, try to find someone who knows what they're doing to help you get started and watch/correct your form. Form is a HUGE deal because bad form can cause serious injury.
Thank you!0 -
New Rules of Lifting for Women book, or Strong Lifts app. I am about to start Jamie Eason's Live Fit trainer, you can find it on bodybuilding.com. Free!0
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No problem! If you want to start NROL4W, I'll recommend what I do to everyone just starting it... Join the group. The book can seem kind of confusing at first, but the group is very helpful in clearing things up.
I've heard that Stronglifts is easier to follow as a newbie, but I haven't done it so I don't have a personal opinion on it.
Good luck and enjoy! :flowerforyou:0 -
New Rules of Lifting for Women book, or Strong Lifts app. I am about to start Jamie Eason's Live Fit trainer, you can find it on bodybuilding.com. Free!
Thank you! I bough the New Rules of Lifting for Women book awhile ago and never read it. I guess I had better get on it!0 -
No problem! If you want to start NROL4W, I'll recommend what I do to everyone just starting it... Join the group. The book can seem kind of confusing at first, but the group is very helpful in clearing things up.
I've heard that Stronglifts is easier to follow as a newbie, but I haven't done it so I don't have a personal opinion on it.
Good luck and enjoy! :flowerforyou:
Thanks! I think I'll join the NR group and go for it. I can always do the other one if that one is too hard. 0 -
I do the Strong Lifts 5x5 right now. I like how straight forward it is compared to NROLFW. I have that book too and although I like the exercises/routine, I found it to be a bit complex. I may go back to it at a later time though.0
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I do the Strong Lifts 5x5 right now. I like how straight forward it is compared to NROLFW. I have that book too and although I like the exercises/routine, I found it to be a bit complex. I may go back to it at a later time though.
Hmmm, I'll research them both before I start then. I really need routines that are easy for me to understand.0 -
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*edited - you got the resize before my post went up. 0
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Monday and Thursday:
Chest
Bench 4x12
Dips 4x12
Pullover 4x12
Back
Chinups *
Bent Row 4x12
Deadlift 10,6,4
Abs
Wheel 4 x 12
Tuesday and Friday:
Shoulders
PC+Press 4x12
Lateral Raise 4x12
Face Pull 4x12
P.Press 10,6,4
Arms
B.Curl 4x12
Sit DB Curl 4x12
CG Bench 4x12
Tricep Push 4x12
Wrists
Wrist Curl 4x12
R.Wrist Curl 4x12
Abs
Bicycle 4 x 25
Wednesday and Saturday:
Thighs
Squats 4x12
Lunges 4x12
Leg Curls 4x12
Calves
Calf Raise 5x15
SL DL 10,6,4
GM 10,6,4
Abs
R.Twist 4x120 -
Any beginner program that is intelligently progressive. You definitely want an actual program...don't just make **** up on your own...you'll waste a lot of time. I'm partial to strength routines for beginners...get a good functional strength foundation.
Starting Strength is my preference...Strong Lifts 5x5 is good too, Im just not a big fan of the 5x5 format, expecially while you're at a deficit of calories...might change my toon at a surplus or even maintenance. New Rules is good and my wife is doing it now...seems to sacrifice some strength gains for more physique work (I think rep ranges are 10-12). I'm currently doing 5/3/1...it can be geared towards a beginner, but it's more of an intermediate routine.0 -
Suggestions?
I do a real simple routine.
Squats: 3 work sets of 5 reps
Deadlifts: 3 work sets of 5 reps
Pendlay Rows: 3 work sets of 5 reps
Bench Press: 3 work sets of 5 reps
I do warm up lifts of increasing weight until I hit my work weight. Rest a much as I need to between sets, but the reps happen on after the other, and I don't re-rack until the set is done.
The pendlay rows need to be done right, and I'm doing those to gain some explosive power, those lifts are basically, grab the bar, position body, begin the lift and accelerate it up as hard as you can, return to the ground, remove hands, regrip, do it all again.
Got the setup from Starting Strength, except for the pendlay rows, those are a custom add.0 -
Any beginner program that is intelligently progressive. You definitely want an actual program...don't just make **** up on your own...you'll waste a lot of time. I'm partial to strength routines for beginners...get a good functional strength foundation.
Starting Strength is my preference...Strong Lifts 5x5 is good too, Im just not a big fan of the 5x5 format, expecially while you're at a deficit of calories...might change my toon at a surplus or even maintenance. New Rules is good and my wife is doing it now...seems to sacrifice some strength gains for more physique work (I think rep ranges are 10-12). I'm currently doing 5/3/1...it can be geared towards a beginner, but it's more of an intermediate routine.
Starting strength... okay I'll look into that one as well.
Thank you!0 -
Any beginner program that is intelligently progressive. You definitely want an actual program...don't just make **** up on your own...you'll waste a lot of time. I'm partial to strength routines for beginners...get a good functional strength foundation.
Starting Strength is my preference...Strong Lifts 5x5 is good too, Im just not a big fan of the 5x5 format, expecially while you're at a deficit of calories...might change my toon at a surplus or even maintenance. New Rules is good and my wife is doing it now...seems to sacrifice some strength gains for more physique work (I think rep ranges are 10-12). I'm currently doing 5/3/1...it can be geared towards a beginner, but it's more of an intermediate routine.
Starting strength... okay I'll look into that one as well.
Thank you!
I also just recommend the book starting strength regardless of what program you do...it can be a bit overwhelming and it's pretty long, but the illustrations and explanations of how to perform the various exercises is priceless.0 -
When I first started lifting seriously (January 2013) I used this routine:
It's a mixture of machine/free weights. Rep range 8-12 reps
Monday: Chest/ Triceps
Chest: 4 sets of Flat bench Press Superset w/ Incline Bench dumbbell Flyes
Triceps: 4 sets of Skullcrushers Superset w/ Seated overhead DB extensions
Wednesday: Legs/ Shoulders/Calves
Legs: 4 sets of Leg Press Superset w/ Squats
Then..Walking Lunges Superset w/ Leg curls (4 sets)
Shoulders: 4 sets of Shoulder Presses (military press or DB's) SS w/ Side Laterals
Calves: 4 sets Dumbbell calf raises
Friday: Back/Biceps
Back: Lat Pulldowns Superset w/ Seated rows
Biceps: Barbell curls Superset w/ DB twisting curls
Then on Tuesdays, Thursday and Saturday I did either Abs & Cardio or just cardio. I did about 20-30 minutes of cardio on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for warmups and cool-downs, along with lots of stretching. Every week I tried to increase my weight for at least one full set.
I did this for about four months and then decided to give Jamie Eason's Livefit a try. Bodybuilding.com is an excellent source of information for how to use proper form for each lift and different routines. I'm on week 5 of the Livefit and it is kickin' my *kitten*! I don't have access to a barbell, but I'm doing just fine.
Hope my post helps! Happy Lifting!! 
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What I really desperately need help with is what exercises to do, when to do them, and how much weight to use. That's where I struggle the most.0
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When I first started lifting seriously (January 2013) I used this routine:
It's a mixture of machine/free weights. Rep range 8-12 reps
Monday: Chest/ Triceps
Chest: 4 sets of Flat bench Press Superset w/ Incline Bench dumbbell Flyes
Triceps: 4 sets of Skullcrushers Superset w/ Seated overhead DB extensions
Wednesday: Legs/ Shoulders/Calves
Legs: 4 sets of Leg Press Superset w/ Squats
Then..Walking Lunges Superset w/ Leg curls (4 sets)
Shoulders: 4 sets of Shoulder Presses (military press or DB's) SS w/ Side Laterals
Calves: 4 sets Dumbbell calf raises
Friday: Back/Biceps
Back: Lat Pulldowns Superset w/ Seated rows
Biceps: Barbell curls Superset w/ DB twisting curls
Then on Tuesdays, Thursday and Saturday I did either Abs & Cardio or just cardio. I did about 20-30 minutes of cardio on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for warmups and cool-downs, along with lots of stretching. Every week I tried to increase my weight for at least one full set.
I did this for about four months and then decided to give Jamie Eason's Livefit a try. Bodybuilding.com is an excellent source of information for how to use proper form for each lift and different routines. I'm on week 5 of the Livefit and it is kickin' my *kitten*! I don't have access to a barbell, but I'm doing just fine.
Hope my post helps! Happy Lifting!!
Thank you!0 -
What I really desperately need help with is what exercises to do, when to do them, and how much weight to use. That's where I struggle the most.
That's sort of hard for anyone but you to help out with, as a person's strength can vary.
Personally, I picked a Dumbbell that was heavy enough that the last two reps feel difficult, but not painful. You also want to pick a weight that you can use for each set, or you can just do a drop set. (From Wiki: using drop sets is a technique for continuing an exercise with a lower weight once muscle failure has been achieved at a higher weight.)
You also don't to go too hard too fast and risk injuring yourself. That's why I really enjoyed my three day split. 0 -
5x5 can be brutal on a cut. I'm doing All Pro's SBR on a cut:
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=147447933
Has a slightly higher rep range and it won't grind you into the ground too badly if you're in a calorie deficit (until you get a few cycles in, that is)0 -
Any beginner program that is intelligently progressive. You definitely want an actual program...don't just make **** up on your own...you'll waste a lot of time. I'm partial to strength routines for beginners...get a good functional strength foundation.
Starting Strength is my preference...Strong Lifts 5x5 is good too, Im just not a big fan of the 5x5 format, expecially while you're at a deficit of calories...might change my toon at a surplus or even maintenance. New Rules is good and my wife is doing it now...seems to sacrifice some strength gains for more physique work (I think rep ranges are 10-12). I'm currently doing 5/3/1...it can be geared towards a beginner, but it's more of an intermediate routine.
Starting strength... okay I'll look into that one as well.
Thank you!
I also just recommend the book starting strength regardless of what program you do...it can be a bit overwhelming and it's pretty long, but the illustrations and explanations of how to perform the various exercises is priceless.
There is also a dvd that is priceless.0 -
What I really desperately need help with is what exercises to do, when to do them, and how much weight to use. That's where I struggle the most.
As a beginner, in particularly, you're going to want to focus on the big compound lifts. That's why so many people are recommending Starting Strength and Strong Lifts...these routines focus on these big compound lifts. Squat, Dead-lift, Bench, Overhead Press, Pendlay Rows (can be substituted for cleans despite what Rippetoe says)
You're going to get the most benefit from these lifts as they are compound in nature...meaning they work many muscles in the body. The squat works the most...the squat is the most awesome weight lifting exercise on the planet. You want to be doing these types of exercises and getting a lot of exposure to them because these are the exercises that are truly going to make you strong....they work the most muscles and biggest muscles of the body.
Machines and the like have their place...but they are isolation work. It has it's place, but not with a beginner. For the beginner, doing a bunch of isolation and assistance work is just a waste of time...that time and energy you spend isolating certain muscles would be much more productive if you working working compound lifts. Really, isolation exercises and assistance work aren't really necessary until you start hitting plateaus on your strength gains and start having recovery issues from pushing heavy weight, full body every workout. That's ultimately why I switched from Starting Strength to a 5/3/1 format...my strength gains will now be slower...much slower, but I have the advantage now of extra recovery, plus a good amount of assistance work now.
Any of the programs I and others have mentioned will lay out the program for you, including how much to lift, when to up weight, etc. Starting Strength and Strong Lifts, you pretty much up weight every time out...but you start pretty light (just the bar). This way, you go a long time making linear gains on how much weight you're pushing and pulling. Don't worry, it'll get heavy soon enough...just follow the programs.
I did fine for awhile, but soon found that I could only up my weight once per week while I was dieting...once I went to maintenance I started having good strength gains again until I hit a wall about a month ago and had to re-evaluate my routine...that's when I switched. I did Starting Strength for a good 7 months or so though before hitting that wall.0 -
All very good points mentioned. I am a begginer at lifting weights but I am doing Stronglifts 5X5 and I really like it. It is very simple for me to follow and it has an app as well. One of the main reasons I started this is, is because I feel like i have no strength at all. My main concern is just building strength. I will worrry about getting toned a few weeks.0
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All very good points mentioned. I am a begginer at lifting weights but I am doing Stronglifts 5X5 and I really like it. It is very simple for me to follow and it has an app as well. One of the main reasons I started this is, is because I feel like i have no strength at all. My main concern is just building strength. I will worrry about getting toned a few weeks.
I downloaded the app, it looks very helpful.
Getting stronger and getting toned is essentially going to do the same thing. 0 -
What I really desperately need help with is what exercises to do, when to do them, and how much weight to use. That's where I struggle the most.
As a beginner, in particularly, you're going to want to focus on the big compound lifts. That's why so many people are recommending Starting Strength and Strong Lifts...these routines focus on these big compound lifts. Squat, Dead-lift, Bench, Overhead Press, Pendlay Rows (can be substituted for cleans despite what Rippetoe says)
You're going to get the most benefit from these lifts as they are compound in nature...meaning they work many muscles in the body. The squat works the most...the squat is the most awesome weight lifting exercise on the planet. You want to be doing these types of exercises and getting a lot of exposure to them because these are the exercises that are truly going to make you strong....they work the most muscles and biggest muscles of the body.
Machines and the like have their place...but they are isolation work. It has it's place, but not with a beginner. For the beginner, doing a bunch of isolation and assistance work is just a waste of time...that time and energy you spend isolating certain muscles would be much more productive if you working working compound lifts. Really, isolation exercises and assistance work aren't really necessary until you start hitting plateaus on your strength gains and start having recovery issues from pushing heavy weight, full body every workout. That's ultimately why I switched from Starting Strength to a 5/3/1 format...my strength gains will now be slower...much slower, but I have the advantage now of extra recovery, plus a good amount of assistance work now.
Any of the programs I and others have mentioned will lay out the program for you, including how much to lift, when to up weight, etc. Starting Strength and Strong Lifts, you pretty much up weight every time out...but you start pretty light (just the bar). This way, you go a long time making linear gains on how much weight you're pushing and pulling. Don't worry, it'll get heavy soon enough...just follow the programs.
I did fine for awhile, but soon found that I could only up my weight once per week while I was dieting...once I went to maintenance I started having good strength gains again until I hit a wall about a month ago and had to re-evaluate my routine...that's when I switched. I did Starting Strength for a good 7 months or so though before hitting that wall.
Thank you! You've been very helpful.0 -
Monday: Chest
Incline bench
Flat bench
Incline cable flies
Cable flies
Decline dumbbell press
HIIT cardio
Tuesday: Back
Deadlifts
Barbell rows
Lateral pulldowns
Straight arm cable pulldowns
Seated cable rows
Reverse grip pull ups
HIIT cardio
Wednessday: Shoulders
Arnold press
Side dumbbell raises
Front cable raises
Cable rear delt flies (not sure of the actual name)
Upright barbell row
Military dumbbell press
HIIT cardio
Thursday: Legs
Squats
Leg curls
Hip abductors
Hip adductors
Calf raises
Leg press
Friday: Arms
Incline dumbbell curls
Weighted dips
Preacher curls ez-bar
Overhead cable extension, rope grip
Spider curls ez-bar
Reverse grip cable tricep extentions
Reverse grip barbell curls
V-bar cable pulldowns
Rope grip cable curls
Overhead dumbbell extensions
Barbell 21s
I also throw in abs and obliques 1-2 of those days, whenever I feel like it0 -
I do somewhat of a modified SS.
Every workout:
Squats
Cable crossover crunches (don't do these anymore because I don't have the equipment at home)
A:
flat bench
(dumbell) incline bench
dead
dips
B:
Standing military press
BO rows
curls
pullups
farmer walks
Everything (that I can at least) has progressive warmups and then 3x5 working sets.0
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