Weight lifting

krknobbe10
krknobbe10 Posts: 110 Member
edited November 11 in Fitness and Exercise
Question: Is it better to split up your body if lift weights 3 times a week like do tris, chest, abs one day then legs and shoulders day two then to biceps, shoulders, and traps on day three?
Also, is it okay to do cardio in between sets to keep the heart rate up? like 30seconds of jumping jacks?
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Replies

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    It's best to pick a program suitable for your level of experience that has been devised by an expert and follow it.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    if you are just starting, full body workouts are the way to go. there is no need to split you body up into groups just yet.

    i personally would not do jumping jacks between sets. the rest time between sets is just that, a rest period. use it to recover and do the next set to the best of your abilities.
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    It's best to pick a program suitable for your level of experience that has been devised by an expert and follow it.
    if you are just starting, full body workouts are the way to go. there is no need to split you body up into groups just yet.

    i personally would not do jumping jacks between sets. the rest time between sets is just that, a rest period. use it to recover and do the next set to the best of your abilities.

    ^what they said.

  • poedunk65
    poedunk65 Posts: 1,336 Member
    I do combos of everything. One day triceps/chest, the next biceps/back, etc. I lift for approx. 1 hour each day and swim everyday for 1/2 hour.
  • blazterx
    blazterx Posts: 10 Member
    Assuming you are a beginner (based on your questions) I recommend that you follow a beginner strength program. StrongLifts 5x5 is 3 days a week and will take you tons further than what you have described. Save the cardio for after your workout (or another day even) because you will need the rest in between sets. All of that being said, just my opinion, so take it as such.
  • Gl3nnIV
    Gl3nnIV Posts: 4 Member
    When you start to lift heavier, you will need your rest. Try not to turn lifting into cardio. Keep that separate, if you're doing a 3 day split. There's no harm in doing it after, I have read somewhere it can also have a negative effective but that might be broscience.
    I'd say check out bodybuilding.com to answer you question more clearly and accurately
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    Lifting is not cardio time. Use your rest periods to rest. If you don't need your rest periods to rest, then you should be lifting more. The fact that you're doing abs one day tells me that you would benefit from a beginner lifting program. There is no reason to isolate muscle groups- it's very inefficient.
  • krknobbe10
    krknobbe10 Posts: 110 Member
    I'm not really a beginner at weight lifting. I have lifted heavy before in college, I just changed things up since I am home now. The workout I talked about above is a 6 day program so you do each day twice in a week. I was just told to keep your heart rate up.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    krknobbe10 wrote: »
    I'm not really a beginner at weight lifting. I have lifted heavy before in college, I just changed things up since I am home now. The workout I talked about above is a 6 day program so you do each day twice in a week. I was just told to keep your heart rate up.

    Can you link us to the program?
  • krknobbe10
    krknobbe10 Posts: 110 Member
    It's one that a friend does.
  • cliffodom1
    cliffodom1 Posts: 57 Member
    poedunk65 wrote: »
    ...I lift for approx. 1 hour each day and swim everyday for 1/2 hour.

    I have always wondered what that means. You don't exercise for a time, you get either a distance covered or a number of sets at an amount of weight. I look around the gym and see people sitting around or drinking water or looking at sports center on the tvs. That is all time that goes into that 1 hour of workout and then they wonder why they are not progressing.

  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    krknobbe10 wrote: »
    It's one that a friend does.

    Did your friend design the program or did a fitness expert put the program together? How long have you been lifting, and what kind of results have you seen so far?
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    It's best to pick a program suitable for your level of experience that has been devised by an expert and follow it.

    I like that over the years the knowledgebase of this forum has improved dramatically to the point where at least 50% of the time, one of the first few responses is actually a good one. That's serious progress. Back when I started here (about 4 years ago), the first 10 replies would be discussing whether walking, 30DS or xyz beachbody program was the best for strength.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    krknobbe10 wrote: »
    I'm not really a beginner at weight lifting. I have lifted heavy before in college, I just changed things up since I am home now. The workout I talked about above is a 6 day program so you do each day twice in a week. I was just told to keep your heart rate up.

    If you're asking questions like these, you're still a beginner.
  • krknobbe10
    krknobbe10 Posts: 110 Member
    auddii wrote: »
    krknobbe10 wrote: »
    It's one that a friend does.

    Did your friend design the program or did a fitness expert put the program together? How long have you been lifting, and what kind of results have you seen so far?

    It was one a trainer made for her. Seems to work for her but I feel 6 days of lifting is a lot
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    krknobbe10 wrote: »
    auddii wrote: »
    krknobbe10 wrote: »
    It's one that a friend does.

    Did your friend design the program or did a fitness expert put the program together? How long have you been lifting, and what kind of results have you seen so far?

    It was one a trainer made for her. Seems to work for her but I feel 6 days of lifting is a lot

    It is.
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
    edited January 2015
    krknobbe10 wrote: »
    I'm not really a beginner at weight lifting. I have lifted heavy before in college, I just changed things up since I am home now. The workout I talked about above is a 6 day program so you do each day twice in a week. I was just told to keep your heart rate up.

    If you're asking questions like these, you're still a beginner.

    Why flag him for this? It's an honest response... Just because you have lifted before doesn't mean you've broken out of the beginner category. It's more about the stress and adaptation model, and how rapidly you could progress... More than likely you are still categorized as a beginner, especially if you are referencing the fact that you "used to lift heavy before college". All it means is that you would progress through a beginner program more rapidly this time around.
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
    krknobbe10 wrote: »
    I'm not really a beginner at weight lifting. I have lifted heavy before in college, I just changed things up since I am home now. The workout I talked about above is a 6 day program so you do each day twice in a week. I was just told to keep your heart rate up.

    If you're asking questions like these, you're still a beginner.

    Truth.

    And I find it amusing that this has been flagged.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    krknobbe10 wrote: »
    I'm not really a beginner at weight lifting. I have lifted heavy before in college, I just changed things up since I am home now. The workout I talked about above is a 6 day program so you do each day twice in a week. I was just told to keep your heart rate up.

    If you're asking questions like these, you're still a beginner.

    Truth.

    And I find it amusing that this has been flagged.

    What flag :wink:


    OP, keep in mind the science continuously evolves, so why not do a current program that would be better suited for you, instead of some other person. And there is nothing wrong with starting with a beginner program as long as your lifts are increasing.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    psulemon wrote: »
    krknobbe10 wrote: »
    I'm not really a beginner at weight lifting. I have lifted heavy before in college, I just changed things up since I am home now. The workout I talked about above is a 6 day program so you do each day twice in a week. I was just told to keep your heart rate up.

    If you're asking questions like these, you're still a beginner.

    Truth.

    And I find it amusing that this has been flagged.

    What flag :wink:


    OP, keep in mind the science continuously evolves, so why not do a current program that would be better suited for you, instead of some other person. And there is nothing wrong with starting with a beginner program as long as your lifts are increasing.

    Thanks
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    edited January 2015
    Here is an intermediate 4 day split you could try if you feel like you are above beginner. Not saying you aren't a beginner, but hey, 4 days is better than 6

    http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/4-day-power-muscle-burn-workout-split.html
  • wilsoncl6
    wilsoncl6 Posts: 1,280 Member
    krknobbe10 wrote: »
    auddii wrote: »
    krknobbe10 wrote: »
    It's one that a friend does.

    Did your friend design the program or did a fitness expert put the program together? How long have you been lifting, and what kind of results have you seen so far?

    It was one a trainer made for her. Seems to work for her but I feel 6 days of lifting is a lot

    It is.

    I think it really depends on what you are trying to achieve. I lift 6 days a week but I focus each day on a single specific body part and give that part almost an entire week to recover but on the day I work it, I destroy it. However, you have to find what works for you. Not everybody is or responds the same to certain types of weight routines. I recently switched to a slow tempo lighter weight routine with a pause at peak contraction to shock my muscles. My suggestion, try out a few routines and see what you like. Then, with experience, pick them apart and put together one that works for you.
  • krknobbe10
    krknobbe10 Posts: 110 Member
    My main point of asking that question was to see if it was beneficial or not or if you would get better results. Just wanted to hear what most people do so they see results. I am trying new things to see better muscle tone. I like doing my full body three times a week. I am trying to gain muscle and lose fat. I am cutting on my cardio to help with the tone look. I have also heard to do low weights and high reps yet keep it challenging enough. Any opinions?
  • FitPhillygirl
    FitPhillygirl Posts: 7,124 Member
    I do full body heavy lifting at the gym 3 times a week since I can't get there more than that. While my muscle growth has been slow, I am now seeing some good results. Although in my case I don't eat as much as I should to have gains either....
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    krknobbe10 wrote: »
    My main point of asking that question was to see if it was beneficial or not or if you would get better results. Just wanted to hear what most people do so they see results. I am trying new things to see better muscle tone. I like doing my full body three times a week. I am trying to gain muscle and lose fat. I am cutting on my cardio to help with the tone look. I have also heard to do low weights and high reps yet keep it challenging enough. Any opinions?

    The "tone" look comes from having low body fat and a good amount of muscle. Low weight high reps work endurance while a low rep, high weight will help with strength. Cardio will have on impact on getting toned. Also, there are very little chances of gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    psulemon wrote: »
    krknobbe10 wrote: »
    My main point of asking that question was to see if it was beneficial or not or if you would get better results. Just wanted to hear what most people do so they see results. I am trying new things to see better muscle tone. I like doing my full body three times a week. I am trying to gain muscle and lose fat. I am cutting on my cardio to help with the tone look. I have also heard to do low weights and high reps yet keep it challenging enough. Any opinions?

    The "tone" look comes from having low body fat and a good amount of muscle. Low weight high reps work endurance while a low rep, high weight will help with strength. Cardio will have on impact on getting toned. Also, there are very little chances of gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time.

    For the love of all that is good, you are building muscle/losing fat. You are not "toning".

    From this source: http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/muscle+tone

    muscle tone
    syn tonus (1) in skeletal muscle, a state of tension that is maintained continuously - minimally even when relaxed - and which increases in resistance to passive stretch. Pathologically, loss of tone (flaccidity) can be caused, e.g. by peripheral nerve damage, and exaggerated tone (spasticity) by overstimulation, e.g. when the activity of the relevant lower motor neurons is released from higher CNS control in spinal injury. The term is sometimes also used, incorrectly, to indicate general muscle strength. (2) In smooth muscle, steady tension maintained in the walls of hollow vessels; regulated mainly by autonomic innervation but influenced, e.g. in the walls of arterioles, by local variables: temperature, chemical factors or intravascular pressure, contributing to autoregulation of appropriate blood flow. See also stretch reflex
  • HeySwoleSister
    HeySwoleSister Posts: 1,938 Member
    To be fair, I'd actually say that "toned" means moderate body fat with strong muscle. Because "toned" always carries with it an implicit or explicit statement of "but not muscular." And, at the end of the day, the difference between "toned" and "muscular" when gauged by models? Seems to be that those who are called "toned" have maybe 1-3% more body fat than those who are "muscular."

    In fact, sometimes the "toned" photo is of a hydrated version of the "muscular" one.
  • NotGnarly
    NotGnarly Posts: 137 Member
    krknobbe10 wrote: »
    My main point of asking that question was to see if it was beneficial or not or if you would get better results. Just wanted to hear what most people do so they see results. I am trying new things to see better muscle tone. I like doing my full body three times a week. I am trying to gain muscle and lose fat. I am cutting on my cardio to help with the tone look. I have also heard to do low weights and high reps yet keep it challenging enough. Any opinions?
    I do a full body lifting workout 3-4 times a week. I don't exercise back to back days so usually there will be a 1 to 2 day break in between lifting days. I lift heavy also. I cut my cardio back to 20 mins after my 60 mins lifting session. Usually when I lift I will do squats and during the rest time I will do some bicep work and then switch back to squats. I'm very limited on time since I only have 90 mins. but this works for me. My personal trainer gave me a similar routine years ago.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    krknobbe10 wrote: »
    My main point of asking that question was to see if it was beneficial or not or if you would get better results. Just wanted to hear what most people do so they see results. I am trying new things to see better muscle tone. I like doing my full body three times a week. I am trying to gain muscle and lose fat. I am cutting on my cardio to help with the tone look. I have also heard to do low weights and high reps yet keep it challenging enough. Any opinions?


    Buy some books, such as New Rules of Lifting for Women and Starting Strength.
  • natecooper75
    natecooper75 Posts: 72 Member
    I think the best solution to this is to start out on a a beginner program until you get back to the heavy weights you were doing before. Once you get to that point, you can make a determination on what is best for you based on the goals that you have. Don't be in such a hurry to get to the end of the course.

    The reason for doing a beginner program is to build up base strength that is required to move on to the next phases of your lifting career. Since you have lifted heavy before, it shouldn't take you a long time to get back to where you were. Some people choose to go with a bodybuilding type plan, while others will choose to go into powerlifting, olympic lifting or maybe just another general purpose strength program like 5/3/1 or the Texas Method.
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