Strength Training - Please help!

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Hi guys, without boring you. I have lost alot of weight and want to start shaping my body now! I am planning to run this exercise twice a week, 6 days a week.

This may need some work, I feel like Day 2 is lacking but so far here's the routine. Please critique it and help in any way.

Day 1 - Chest & Back

Bench Press (Chest)
D.Y Row (Back)
Incline Bench Press (Chest)
Pull Down Laterals (Back)
Press-ups (Chest)
Pull-ups (Back)

Day 2 - Shoulders & Core & Cardio

Overhead Press (Shoulders)
Sit ups (Core)
Treadmill / Bike (Cardio)

Day 3 - Triceps & Biceps

Pull Down Machine (Triceps)
Standing Bicep Curls (Biceps)
Pull Down Machine (Triceps)
Preacher Curls (Biceps)
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Replies

  • atiredsmile
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    A couple of things:

    1. I try not to suggest split muscle group routines for people who are starting out.

    2. Sit-ups are a very poor exercise. They are bad for your back and target the hip flexors, not the abs. When you're doing them, you anchor your feet down and pull with your back, activating your psoas attachment and grinding the vertebrae in your back.

    3. The treadmill is a bad form of cardio, as it takes the posterior chain out of the equation entirely. Also, you should not be doing lifting and cardio in the same workout.

    4. Where are all your leg workouts? If you wish to gain muscle, then it is important to workout your legs, as the large amount of muscle mass there will stimulate more muscle growth overall. You don't want to be extremely built up top and have a chicken-legs situation.

    5. I would try to avoid smith machines and use free weights. Smith machines are just bad in general, as they do not promote proper accessory muscle growth, since you're ultimately guided by the machine.

    6. I would recommend that you try a compound=body workout like Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe or Pavel's 5x5.

    Just my thoughts on the matter! :smile:
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
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    I would look on bodybuilding.com and pick out a free tried and true routine rather than making up your own. IMO
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
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    2. Sit-ups are a very poor exercise. They are bad for your back and target the hip flexors, not the abs. When you're doing them, you anchor your feet down and pull with your back, activating your psoas attachment and grinding the vertebrae in your back.

    6. I would recommend that you try a compound=body workout like Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe or Pavel's 5x5.

    Just my thoughts on the matter! :smile:

    RE #2: They can be but not always. There are plenty of sources that will support your opinion and plenty that will oppose your opinion. If you have back issues, then you probably should avoid them; I have back problems and avoid crunches / situps most of the time.

    6. Agree with the Mark Rippletoe reference. There are so many variation of 5x5 that if you were going to do it I would just get Bill Starr's book who is the originator basically.
  • BackTatJIM
    BackTatJIM Posts: 1,140 Member
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    not sure if it helps but I been doing a differant body part 5 days a week besides biceps
    my week looks like this ( would take me a hour to type my whole routine)
    MON- bis/tris
    TUES- chest
    Wends- back
    thurs- legs/ biceps
    fri- shoulders
    (cardio everyday for atleast 30 mins before workout)
  • BackTatJIM
    BackTatJIM Posts: 1,140 Member
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    o and dont forget your decline bench press or decline dumbell press for your chest
  • mark996
    mark996 Posts: 184 Member
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    I would look on bodybuilding.com and pick out a free tried and true routine rather than making up your own. IMO

    No, don't ever go to bodybuilding.com for anything other than to stroke your bro-chord. 2% of the people there know what the hell they're talking about, the other 98% are Jersey Shore ****heads who are looking to slim down and get the perfect 6 pack 2 weeks before summer while sitting at 20% bodyfat. If you're new to lifting, Any 5x5, solid routine is going to provide you with gains, decently enough. If you're more experienced, i.e. lifting for 3+ years, you could vary in to DC training or other splits that target individual muscle groups.

    If you're hitting the same muscle group with multiple movements, why not condense it to one movement with either failure sets, or 20+ reps (widow makers)? Seems less efficient to move around to different things to hit the same muscle group.

    5/3/1 is a simple, effective and minimalist approach. You don't need to do 1,000 sets of 10 reps to achieve anything. I ran 5/3/1 before moving on to a more progressive routine such as DC training, rest pause, negatives, etc.

    Cardio every day before a workout, unless used as a light warm up on leg day will kill anything you do afterwards. If you lift 3 days, do cardio 2 or 3 days. If you want to absolutely do cardio on lifting days, do it after, or do it in the AM, lift in PM. It's not about how much you cram in to your routine, it's about doing what's efficient and what WORKS FOR YOU.
  • iKapuniai
    iKapuniai Posts: 594 Member
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    3. The treadmill is a bad form of cardio, as it takes the posterior chain out of the equation entirely. Also, you should not be doing lifting and cardio in the same workout.

    Whaaaaat? Who says this?? I've always been told Cardio AND lifting/strength training is the best way to go, especially in the same workout. I typically start my workouts w/ 15 mins of cardio, then 30 mins of lifting/strength, then end my workout with another 15 min cardio.

    Why shouldn't we be doing cardio and strength in the same workout???
  • Cathleenr
    Cathleenr Posts: 332
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    Hi guys, without boring you. I have lost alot of weight and want to start shaping my body now! I am planning to run this exercise twice a week, 6 days a week.

    This may need some work, I feel like Day 2 is lacking but so far here's the routine. Please critique it and help in any way.

    Day 1 - Chest & Back

    Bench Press (Chest)
    D.Y Row (Back)
    Incline Bench Press (Chest)
    Pull Down Laterals (Back)
    Press-ups (Chest)
    Pull-ups (Back)

    Day 2 - Shoulders & Core & Cardio

    Overhead Press (Shoulders)
    Sit ups (Core)
    Treadmill / Bike (Cardio)

    Day 3 - Triceps & Biceps

    Pull Down Machine (Triceps)
    Standing Bicep Curls (Biceps)
    Pull Down Machine (Triceps)
    Preacher Curls (Biceps)

    if you do bench, deads and squats with the bar, you won't really have to worry too much about your core, because with all three complex exercises you are working them adequately. that being said, you are heavy on the chest, light on the shoulders and have no legwork at all. the back muscles are a major group and although you will incorporate some chest with your shoulder work, look for exercises that target different areas. for back day, lat pulldowns, side db raises, pull ups and rows, seated and bent over all hit different angles. deadlifts on this day, too.

    shoulder work can be shrugs, front raises, bench press, cable work, OHP, reverse flys and delt presses. work in your bicep curls and tricep presses, but don't overdo them because the other bigger shoulder exercises will work them.

    leg day is either the worst or the best, depending on your point of view :)
    squats, definitely. then some leg presses in a couple of configurations if your gym has the equipment. lunge walks or single-legged squats. reverse hypers if your glutes need it (and they probably do) and you didn't do them on back day. don't worry about your calves...they will get worked with the lunges and squats.

    as for cardio, if you are working the weights, you won't need it. I know, I know, blasphemy. but it's true. if you must, do it once or twice a week for about 30 minutes and don't kill yourself. muscle mass will lean you out more than cardio will. eat your carbs on training day...don't skimp. and get your protein and fats in. make sure you know how much you should be eating, or you won't feed your muscles properly.
    above all, form before weight in all the moves. it won;t do you any good to use momentum and then cry about not growing your muscle, or shaping or whatever your goals are...or to sustain an injury and not be able to train at all.
    a good basic program is starting strength or stronglift 5x5
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
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    I would suggest if you are doing 2 body parts on 1 day together you might want to try:

    Back and Biceps

    Chest and Triceps

    Legs and Shoulders

    Back and Biceps are pulling movements in other words when you work Back you are working biceps as well because the are pulling motions and Tricep and Chest are Pushing movements. I would never do 2 major (Back and Chest) body parts on the same day but that may be just me.... I am a firm believer in a rest day between Lifting days... My weight training routine is around 70-90 mins, 4 exercise for 10-12 reps (with heavy enough weight that by the 10 or 12 rep I am close to failure) and I always do 30 minutes of cardio (normally treadmill) but I don't run just walk. I use up all my glycogen storage during my weight training and the cardio at the end is pulling from fat storage. Like I said this is what works for me, not saying it is for everyone just a suggestion... best of luck....
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
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    Why shouldn't we be doing cardio and strength in the same workout???

    That's a good question, would love to hear the bro-science behind that one.
  • imchicbad
    imchicbad Posts: 1,650 Member
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    My peronal trainer Mark Olives (who is also a PT-)he trains lots of celebrity clients in motor cross and athletics -and rehabs the injured ones- anywho his Gym is called Fast Track- Mark said 20 minutes of cardio after strenght is all you need. running on a tread mill all day isnt going to do you anygood but create endurance for a marathon, or burning calories (160-240 an hour and thats vigerously)and nothing else. Strenth training works bet when you attack 2 muscle groups at a time. But you must do legs as well. So my routine consists of arms and back-and chest, next day legs and trunk, but always 20 minutes of cardio-but you must mainain at 65% or higher heart rate for it to be beificial. Also 1 minute rest in between sets for muscle memory. You want your muscle that stores 2500 calories to fire up and burn again. That what I know. Because when you hve the on swoll feeling your good- if you have the im tired and body hurts feeling yur muscles arent firing, there fore no burn. Also excessive gym is not necessary. 3-4 times a week foe 1 hour-in and out is sufficient and give your body a brake or else you will plateau and results will stop. thats what I know :P
  • imchicbad
    imchicbad Posts: 1,650 Member
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    sorry about the spelling, i type too fast sometimes lol
  • myak623
    myak623 Posts: 616 Member
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    These should be the first places you look: www.startingstrength.com or www.stronglifts.com
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
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    These should be the first places you look: www.startingstrength.com or www.stronglifts.com

    ^ this.

    I just started Stronglifts 5x5, and it's a full body workout in just 3 compound moves 3x per week for 45 mins. If you do it right, you definitely don't need extra ab work either.
  • bunnylvr
    bunnylvr Posts: 78
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    A couple of things:

    1. I try not to suggest split muscle group routines for people who are starting out.

    Why not??
  • warmachinejt
    warmachinejt Posts: 2,167 Member
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    where are the legs???? O_o
  • atiredsmile
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    3. The treadmill is a bad form of cardio, as it takes the posterior chain out of the equation entirely. Also, you should not be doing lifting and cardio in the same workout.

    Whaaaaat? Who says this?? I've always been told Cardio AND lifting/strength training is the best way to go, especially in the same workout. I typically start my workouts w/ 15 mins of cardio, then 30 mins of lifting/strength, then end my workout with another 15 min cardio.

    Why shouldn't we be doing cardio and strength in the same workout???

    The two types of exercise impede each other. To get the most out of either, it is simply best to do them in separate sessions, not concurrently or one right after the other.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17095927

    http://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Abstract/2006/11000/Concurrent_Strength_and_Endurance_Training__From.13.aspx
  • jallen1955
    jallen1955 Posts: 121
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    That is a lot of "flash" and not much meat.

    I would recommend you lose all the isolation exercises and focus on deadlifts, squats and bench presses.
    Situps are NOT an effective core exercise. However, the squat and deadlift will both strengthen your core.

    The treadmill is fine, just do sprints.

    Please, please...read some books or hire a decent trainer.
  • jenniejengin
    jenniejengin Posts: 785 Member
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    bump
  • wolfi622
    wolfi622 Posts: 206
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    . running on a tread mill all day isnt going to do you anygood but create endurance for a marathon, or burning calories (160-240 an hour and thats vigerously)and nothing else.

    My HRM would disagree with your PT on the calories........