Originally posted by: TheNinja
Originally posted by: BaliBabyDoc
Originally posted by: TheNinja
I always though deadlift was for my lower back and hit some legs as well. but on some sites I see it listed as a leg exercise. What's the deal?
Btw, I've lifted for 5 years but have always been scared of certain exercises and lifted dumb (too much weight, etc). Then I had major shoulder issues. Now's it back to the drawing board and back to the basics. I'm doing it right this time around to avoid injuries...that and the fact that I no longer care how huge or strong I get. I just want to get fit and lean.
edit:
so now I do bench, dumbell fly, dips, tricep (pulldown, kickback, or skullcrush), deadlift, pulldowns/pullups, dumbell shoulder press, lateral raises, barbell curl, dumbell hammer curl, and that's it for now
No offense intended . . . but you've got a lot of weak exercises in there. If you are looking to get fit and lean you can probably live without regular deadlifts and just stick with machine work or bodyweight exercises (back extensions) for your low back.
It's far more important to include SQUATS in your core workout than worry about deadlifts.
what do you mean "weak" exercises? Like too much isolation? And I don't currently have a squat rack where I workout now. I just have one of those cheesy bench/pull down combos. i guess I can use the bench bar holder for starting point but there are no safety bars for squats.
Stick with compound exercices and minimize isolation exercises.
Chest day should compose of flat bench, incline bench and decline bench or dips with maybe 4 sets of triceps.
Back day should compose of wide grip pull downs, narrow grip pulldown/rows, bent over, one arm dumbell rows or cable low rows and high rows.
Shoulder day should compose of shoulder/military presses, and upright rows. Throw in biceps on this day and do 4 to 6 sets using 2 to 3 exercises max.
Leg day should compose of squats, deadlifts, stiff leged deadlifts (for hamstrings) and calf raises.
Isolation exercises are a waste of time. My arms are HUGE, and I do very little, if any direct arm work most weeks. Isoaltion exercises also are the cause of most injury, because they put the most awkward stress on the joints. Chest and shoulder flys are excellent examples.
Another key to weight lifting is to minimize everything but intensity. Minimize sets, reps, and frequency, but give every set and rep everything you've got.
Split your workout into body parts and work each body part once a week:
Mon: Chest and tris
Tue: Back
Wed: Off
Thur: Legs
Fri: Shoulders and bis
Lift no more than 4 days a week, as your days off are just as important as the days you lift... these are the days your body builds new muscle.
Finally, your time lifting should be no more than one hour, with no more than 12-16 sets per day. Take long breaks in between sets and lift heavy, but maintain good form. Rep range varies by experience. Until you perfect form, I would keep your rep range at 10-12. Once you perfect form, go heavier and drop your rep range to 8-10, then 6-8. The key is to give every set everything you have, and lift to failure on every set (failure of form is failure, too).
And remember what I said about form in my previous post. I cannot stress that enough.
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