critique my lifting workout if you please

Schwiggity
Schwiggity Posts: 1,449 Member
edited September 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I've decided to try to focus on weight lifting some more and with the help of a few exercises I've come up with a rough draft of a strength routine to do 3x a week. It is as follows:

Squats 3 x 8-12 (might replace or alternate with Lunges)

Calf Raises while holding dumbell 3 x 8-12

Planks (need some advice on number of reps I should do with these and side planks. So far I can hold planks for 30-35 seconds and side planks for 20-25)

Side Planks

Bench Press 3 x 8-12

Chest Flies 3 x 8-12

Kneeling Dumbell Rows 3 x 8-12

Skull Crushers (need to try these out to see if I want to use an EZ-bar or dumbells) 3 x 8-12

Alternating Dumbell Shoulder Press 3 x 8-12

Side Raises 3 x 8-12

The strength training I've done has been sets of 12 reps, and I'm probably going to keep it there for a while until I'm comfortable going with higher weights, at which point I'll drop down to 8 reps per set (at least this is what I've seen recommended).

Replies

  • tjradd73
    tjradd73 Posts: 3,495 Member
    everything looks pretty good...you may wanna add in some more bicep/tricep exercises though, as I don;t see too many of them. Otherwise, you seem to have quds, calves, shoulders, and core covered pretty well!!! be sure that you are doing them the proper way and that you are getting fatigued by rep 9 or 10 :)

    good luck to you :)
  • registers
    registers Posts: 782 Member
    I've decided to try to focus on weight lifting some more and with the help of a few exercises I've come up with a rough draft of a strength routine to do 3x a week. It is as follows:

    Squats 3 x 8-12 (might replace or alternate with Lunges)

    Calf Raises while holding dumbell 3 x 8-12

    Planks (need some advice on number of reps I should do with these and side planks. So far I can hold planks for 30-35 seconds and side planks for 20-25)

    Side Planks

    Bench Press 3 x 8-12

    Chest Flies 3 x 8-12

    Kneeling Dumbell Rows 3 x 8-12

    Skull Crushers (need to try these out to see if I want to use an EZ-bar or dumbells) 3 x 8-12

    Alternating Dumbell Shoulder Press 3 x 8-12

    Side Raises 3 x 8-12

    The strength training I've done has been sets of 12 reps, and I'm probably going to keep it there for a while until I'm comfortable going with higher weights, at which point I'll drop down to 8 reps per set (at least this is what I've seen recommended).

    This is a full body routine.... I would split it up some, like legs and low intensity cardio one day, upper body and low intensity cardio the next, then repeat. Congratulations on your weightloss so far.
  • Schwiggity
    Schwiggity Posts: 1,449 Member
    everything looks pretty good...you may wanna add in some more bicep/tricep exercises though, as I don;t see too many of them. Otherwise, you seem to have quds, calves, shoulders, and core covered pretty well!!! be sure that you are doing them the proper way and that you are getting fatigued by rep 9 or 10 :)

    good luck to you :)

    Ah damn I forgot about biceps. Thanks.
    I've decided to try to focus on weight lifting some more and with the help of a few exercises I've come up with a rough draft of a strength routine to do 3x a week. It is as follows:

    Squats 3 x 8-12 (might replace or alternate with Lunges)

    Calf Raises while holding dumbell 3 x 8-12

    Planks (need some advice on number of reps I should do with these and side planks. So far I can hold planks for 30-35 seconds and side planks for 20-25)

    Side Planks

    Bench Press 3 x 8-12

    Chest Flies 3 x 8-12

    Kneeling Dumbell Rows 3 x 8-12

    Skull Crushers (need to try these out to see if I want to use an EZ-bar or dumbells) 3 x 8-12

    Alternating Dumbell Shoulder Press 3 x 8-12

    Side Raises 3 x 8-12

    The strength training I've done has been sets of 12 reps, and I'm probably going to keep it there for a while until I'm comfortable going with higher weights, at which point I'll drop down to 8 reps per set (at least this is what I've seen recommended).

    This is a full body routine.... I would split it up some, like legs and low intensity cardio one day, upper body and low intensity cardio the next, then repeat. Congratulations on your weightloss so far.

    What is the benefits of body part splits?
  • registers
    registers Posts: 782 Member
    What is the benefits of body part splits?

    Is to not over train a muscle. If you stress a muscle faster than it can repair itself it will just deteriorate slowing down your metabolic rate. Will also cause psychological effects as depression, I am specifically talking about over training. If you want to train your muscle groups like that, do it lightly. The greater the demand on the body, the longer it takes to recover.
  • Schwiggity
    Schwiggity Posts: 1,449 Member
    What is the benefits of body part splits?

    Is to not over train a muscle. If you stress a muscle faster than it can repair itself it will just deteriorate slowing down your metabolic rate. Will also cause psychological effects as depression, I am specifically talking about over training. If you want to train your muscle groups like that, do it lightly. The greater the demand on the body, the longer it takes to recover.

    All the beginner routines I've looked at seem to be 3x a week full body routines however. I've read that beginning lifters tend to repair faster because the workouts aren't nearly as hard on the body as the workouts of advanced lifters. If I did body part splits, should it be similar to an ABA/BAB workout split?
  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,316 Member
    Full body routines are fine for beginners.

    Your body will tell you when its time to go to a two or three day split.

    Just don't neglect cardio. Maybe 30 min on a stationary bike after you lift. Something low impact.
  • rachmaree
    rachmaree Posts: 782 Member
    Are you doing this routine at home or at the gym? As was mentioned above, I would add a bicep/ tricep exercise and doing 30 minutes of cardio after the workout would be a good idea :) I have never done alternating shoulder press, so don't know the advantage of doing that rather than both dumbells at once, and you could do something for your back?
  • Schwiggity
    Schwiggity Posts: 1,449 Member
    Are you doing this routine at home or at the gym? As was mentioned above, I would add a bicep/ tricep exercise and doing 30 minutes of cardio after the workout would be a good idea :) I have never done alternating shoulder press, so don't know the advantage of doing that rather than both dumbells at once, and you could do something for your back?

    I'm going to be doing cardio 6 days a week as well, so it wont be anywhere near neglected. I've read that alternating the dumbbells can help with form and my shoulders are one of my trouble areas when it comes to keeping good form. Thanks for pointing it out. I forgot to add in the assisted pull ups I do for lats. Im not sure what to do for my lower back though. I hate deadlifts because I just don't have the posture for them.
  • Schwiggity
    Schwiggity Posts: 1,449 Member
    It won't let me edit my initial post for some reason, but my workout should actually look like this now.

    Squats 3 x 8-12 (might replace or alternate with Lunges/45 degree Leg Press)

    Calf Raises while holding dumbell 3 x 8-12

    Planks (need some advice on number of reps I should do with these and side planks. So far I can hold planks for 30-35 seconds and side planks for 20-25)

    Side Planks

    Bench Press 3 x 8-12

    Chest Flies 3 x 8-12

    Assisted Pull-Up 3 x 8-12

    Kneeling Dumbell Rows 3 x 8-12

    Skull Crushers (need to try these out to see if I want to use an EZ-bar or dumbells) 3 x 8-12

    Alternating Dumbell Shoulder Press 3 x 8-12

    Side Raises 3 x 8-12

    Dumbell Curls 3 x 8-12


    One other question. In which order should I be doing these exercises? I remember reading biggest to smallest muscles, but should I start with biggest to smallest in the legs, then work my way to core then upper body?
  • rachmaree
    rachmaree Posts: 782 Member
    Are you planning to do all the exercises every time? Something like 3 times a week? Or break it up? I would do the core/ abs stuff last. If you have more than 1 exercise for a body part do them together- chest/ bench press then chest flies. My husband says to do the shoulder press before the pull ups. Someone else might advise you completely differently, but good luck!!
  • Schwiggity
    Schwiggity Posts: 1,449 Member
    Are you planning to do all the exercises every time? Something like 3 times a week? Or break it up? I would do the core/ abs stuff last. If you have more than 1 exercise for a body part do them together- chest/ bench press then chest flies. My husband says to do the shoulder press before the pull ups. Someone else might advise you completely differently, but good luck!!

    Yes I'm planning to do full body workout 3 days a week at first. Once I've been doing it for a little while I'll probably do some more advanced isolation and do body part splits.
  • rachmaree
    rachmaree Posts: 782 Member
    Sounds like you are on the right track :) With the planks, I would do them 3 times, hold as long as you can each time. I don't do side planks, but wherever you start, just aim to build up on that.
  • registers
    registers Posts: 782 Member
    What is the benefits of body part splits?

    Is to not over train a muscle. If you stress a muscle faster than it can repair itself it will just deteriorate slowing down your metabolic rate. Will also cause psychological effects as depression, I am specifically talking about over training. If you want to train your muscle groups like that, do it lightly. The greater the demand on the body, the longer it takes to recover.

    All the beginner routines I've looked at seem to be 3x a week full body routines however. I've read that beginning lifters tend to repair faster because the workouts aren't nearly as hard on the body as the workouts of advanced lifters. If I did body part splits, should it be similar to an ABA/BAB workout split?

    Per NASM(National Academy Of Sports Medicine) it's not advised to do 3 sets per body part. I already discussed why. It is fine if you use light weight, beginners need to learn to stablize the weight first, that's the Stabilization phase of NASM protocol. Like someone else said, your body will tell you, yes that's the best advice, just listen to your body. If you feel tired all the time, cut back.
  • registers
    registers Posts: 782 Member
    What is the benefits of body part splits?

    Is to not over train a muscle. If you stress a muscle faster than it can repair itself it will just deteriorate slowing down your metabolic rate. Will also cause psychological effects as depression, I am specifically talking about over training. If you want to train your muscle groups like that, do it lightly. The greater the demand on the body, the longer it takes to recover.

    All the beginner routines I've looked at seem to be 3x a week full body routines however. I've read that beginning lifters tend to repair faster because the workouts aren't nearly as hard on the body as the workouts of advanced lifters. If I did body part splits, should it be similar to an ABA/BAB workout split?

    Per NASM(National Academy Of Sports Medicine) it's not advised to do 3 sets per body part. I already discussed why. It is fine if you use light weight, beginners need to learn to stablize the weight first, that's the Stabilization phase of NASM protocol. Like someone else said, your body will tell you, yes that's the best advice, just listen to your body. If you feel tired all the time, cut back.
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