lifting program (thoughts?)

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jolarocknrolla
jolarocknrolla Posts: 236 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
here it is so far, any thoughts?

i just joined a gym, no barbell set at home, just dumbbells - so barbell work will happen next week.

last monday with 15-pound dumbbells:
5 x 10 squats
5 x 10 chest press (on balance ball since i don't have a bench)
5 x 10 rows

wednesday:
5 x 10 squats
5 x 10 single-leg deadlifts
5 x 10 military press

saturday:
6 x 10 single-arm rows
6 x 10 deadlifts (one hand holding the 20, one w/ the 15, then switched them up on the next set)
3 x 8 one-armed dumbbell snatch (which only sounds dirty!) ... and i could barely get that 8th rep in there w/ my left arm.

question: i can't really do curls with the 20 pounds, i can do maybe 1 set of 3 - should i stick w/ the 15 pound weights, should i not bother w/ curls at all since they aren't that useful an exercise for developing overall strength? i hope to be able to work lats at the gym, i know my back needs more work etc. probably should be deadlifting more weight too ...

(i've increased my calories by abour 300-400 per day since i'm probably not eating enough to build muscle at this point, also considering post-workout protien shakes - whey powder)

Replies

  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
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    Sets of three reps are just fine for heavy weights. Just take a little more time between sets for recovery. You can add reps as your strength increases.
  • jolarocknrolla
    jolarocknrolla Posts: 236 Member
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    i've been taking about 5 minutes between sets - which is probably a little long? That's about how long it takes for me to recover (assuming i don't want to go to failure on a regular basis!)
  • jolarocknrolla
    jolarocknrolla Posts: 236 Member
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    any help here?
  • jolarocknrolla
    jolarocknrolla Posts: 236 Member
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    huh, anybody else here lifting???
  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
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    Bump.
  • tidwelljw
    tidwelljw Posts: 146
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    I think its good to incorporate some heavy weights in your workout. The one thing I don't agree with is where you said that you weren't going to worry about curls because they weren't important to overall strength ( I'm paraphrasing because I can't remember exactly how it was worded), they are not only important but crucial. If you plan to do anything else heavy you will be using your arms. if it's lack of equipment thats the problem then try things like push ups and pullups, that will really help your arms without doing too few reps.
  • jolarocknrolla
    jolarocknrolla Posts: 236 Member
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    Hmmm, my reasoning for not focusing on curls was that doing other complex moves will also work the biceps (and triceps, etc) without focusing and isolating them. The single-arm dumbbell snatch for example works a lot of parts (just as an example) , or an (assisted) chin-up, instead of focusing on just one area like a bicep curl will - it just seems that much more efficient. I'm open to other ideas though, i certainly don't want to undertrain smaller muscles, i may just have to work them at a lower weight/intensity.
  • Furrytreats
    Furrytreats Posts: 132 Member
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    5 minutes for rest is fine. I've trained with one of the best and she always had us sit for minimum of 5 minutes, more likely 10 or 15 in between sets. She always promoted as full as recovery as possible in between sets. However that is for lifting extreme weights. If you're maxing yourself out, then yes, rest away.
  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
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    I do curls, but mostly for bragging rights.

    Pull-ups, chin-ups are way better for arm strength. Plus, they work a huge muscle group.

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