How often do you lift?

kyleekay10
kyleekay10 Posts: 1,812 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
How many days a week do you lift, and what's your breakdown of your workouts (ie; What do you focus on, on what days)?

Just trying to find a routine that works for me, and curious as to what other people do. :)

Replies

  • spammarino
    spammarino Posts: 34 Member
    Before i strained my back i was lifting 3 days a week, insanity and other HIT the other days. I split Bi's and back, chest and tri's, legs and abs. I usually do 3 sets of 12,10,8 reps. It's definitely good to get a gameplan going before hitting the gym because it could be fairly overwhelming.
  • jeschauvin
    jeschauvin Posts: 20
    I lift every day. (6 days a week) with 30 mins HIIT cardio. My friend and I are currently following the LiveFit Trainer on Bodybuilding.com. This was my first time trying weights so it was very helpful to have each day broken down already for you.
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,616 Member
    I try to lift x3 a week. More often, sadly it's twice.

    I do mostly compound lifts - bench, deadlifts, rows, press. Used to squat, but my knees just can't do it anymore. Tricep pull down. I've had some very amusing goes at the assisted pull up machine.

    I love strength training, but it's second to my running, and I make sure I fit that in first.
  • TrailNurse
    TrailNurse Posts: 359 Member
    5 DAYS A WEEK.
  • jdm_taco
    jdm_taco Posts: 999 Member
    4 or 5 days

    back/abs
    shoulders/traps
    legs
    biceps/abs
    chest/triceps
  • kyleekay10
    kyleekay10 Posts: 1,812 Member
    Thank you everyone for your answers!
    4 or 5 days

    back/abs
    shoulders/traps
    legs
    biceps/abs
    chest/triceps

    I like this set up a lot. However, I kind of want to do squats every day... lol. Would it be okay to add squats in every single day I lift, or is that too much?
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    Two days a week.

    Day 1: squats, bench press, bent-over rows
    Day 2: deadlifts, overhead press, close-grip bench press, curls

    All with barbells.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    Currently I'm making great strength progressions with Wendler's 5/3/1 and doing a 2x weekly variation.

    Wrkout A:

    Squats (heavy), Bench Press (Heavy), Lat Pulls (3x10), back raises (3x12), Dumbbell Bench Press (3x10), Rear Laterals (3x12)

    Wrkout B:

    Dead-lift (heavy), Overhead Press (heavy), barbell rows (3x10), dips (3x10-12), Good Mornings (3x10), Barbell Curls (3x10)

    I was going to switch back to a 3x weekly plan, but this has been working really well for me in RE to my gains and time management. On what would typically be my 3rd lifting day I do some conditioning work like pushing the sled, farmer's carries, some body weight work, etc...and usually go for a 1/2 mile swim to cool down (though with summer coming to a close, that's going to have to change...outdoor only pool at my gym).

    With this 2x variation, I find myself a lot more fresh for running and cycling, yet still make my gains. My running season is over until next spring, but I'm trying my hand at cyclocross and start those workouts and practices next week.
  • iamwilso
    iamwilso Posts: 1,955 Member
    liftx3 cardio on off days
  • spammarino
    spammarino Posts: 34 Member
    Thank you everyone for your answers!
    4 or 5 days

    back/abs
    shoulders/traps
    legs
    biceps/abs
    chest/triceps

    I like this set up a lot. However, I kind of want to do squats every day... lol. Would it be okay to add squats in every single day I lift, or is that too much?

    You'll want some time off the squats so your muscles can recover. At least 24 hrs in between. But thats an awesome attitude!
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    With this 2x variation, I find myself a lot more fresh for running and cycling, yet still make my gains. My running season is over until next spring, but I'm trying my hand at cyclocross and start those workouts and practices next week.

    Sounds like we might be in similar places. The 2x a week lifting allows space for 3x running, 4x cycling, and 2x swimming.
  • MissFuchsia
    MissFuchsia Posts: 526 Member
    I'm doing Stronglifts 5 x 5 which is 3 times per week.
  • hyper_stitch
    hyper_stitch Posts: 180 Member
    I had this recommended to me > > http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=4195843&page=1 by some fabulous MFP peeps so far so good :bigsmile:
  • whitebalance
    whitebalance Posts: 1,655 Member
    Re squats every time, that's the foundation of Starting Strength. If you're not lifting every single day, I don't see why you couldn't do squats every time.

    I'm transitioning from machines at the gym to free weights at home. Have been a little spastic about it so far, but what I think I've settled on for this stage is 2-3 times a week compound lifts at home (squat, bench, dead lift, press, all four each time) and once a week "accessorize" on gym machines (abs, fly/delt, rows, chin/dip assist, arms). Pretty simple, but I don't feel panicky about the change, like I'm quitting everything that got me this far.

    I don't want to split it up among body parts and lift every day (although I did that on the machines) because I'm also starting to run and I'd like to keep the activities separate as I wean myself onto heavier lifting. If I find that I'm still making comparable progress on the machines with only one visit a week, that will tell me the compound lifts are doing the whole job and I don't need to continue with machines. Then I'll put that day toward learning the power clean and other compound lifts that scare me.
  • Erica_theRedhead
    Erica_theRedhead Posts: 724 Member
    I only lift 2x per week now because I'm training for a marathon, but after that's over, I'm going back to 3x per week. I always do deadlifts and squats paired with some arm/back movements like strict press or bench. My third component is usually 1 leg, and 1 arm at the end. For example:

    Day 1:
    back squat/benchpress (5 each) / 12 assisted pullups x 5 rounds
    deadlift/strict press (5 each) / 12 walking lunges

    Day 2:
    deadlift/bench press (5 each) / 15 kettlebell swings x 5 rounds
    back squat/strict press (5 each) / 12 dips x 5 rounds
  • jdm_taco
    jdm_taco Posts: 999 Member
    I wouldn't do squats everday

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