my workout

[JSt0rm]

Hey All,

So I just started lifting weights 2 years ago. I lifted for about 6 months and then moved across the county. I took a good 8 months off and have been working out again at a new gym for 3 months. i am 33 and weigh in at 177lbs 6'

So far I have only had advice from someone I used to work with. I don't want to bulk up. I just like having tone and definition. My lower back has always been a issue for me and so i try to avoid it as much as possible. Here is what i am doing now.


3x a week Mon Wed and Fri

dumbbell flys 25lbsx10 3 reps

after each rep I do curls with the same dumbbells 25lbsx10 3 reps

Lat Pulldowns I do either 70lbsx20 3 reps or 80lbsx20 3 reps depending on my mood ;p

I try to do bench presses but sometimes the bench is really busy. I only use the one that allows you to turn the bar and it locks in position just in case.

Right now I am doing 50lbs (plus the bar 20lbs??)x10 3 reps but i think I'm going to move up to 60lbs next week.

i don't know the technical name for these

Inclined sit ups 2 reps of 10

leg lifts 1 rep of 10

and then I run from 2 miles to 3.5 miles starting with a .25 walk then stretch.

Sometimes I mix up the order that i do the lifting but i always finish with the run.

Ok any suggestions are welcome. thanks for reading.

 

[MegaVovaN]

If you want to tone down (we call it "cut"), then do cardio work (run/bike/swim/whatever) and watch what you eat.

Now, many people here are fans of free weight training since it is more effective than machines. That said, here's what I suggest:

1. Replace lat pulldowns with chin ups and pullups.
2. For bench press, machine you described is called Smith machine. We 'round here don't like it because it balances weight for you. Better try doing real bench press with a spotter if you're worried. Or just don't lift too heavy when spot is unavailable. If its busy ask to "work in" - you do your sets while the other person(s) rest. Don't do this if there are like 4 people already on it.

Bar weights 45 lbs or 20 kg.

3. >>>leg lifts 1 rep of 10
You use incorrect terminology. It should be 1 set of 10 reps (reps standing for repetitions)

4. For running, count time, not distance. Work your way up to 30-35 min of running in "aerobic" zone. To calculate your max aerobic zone heart rate, read Mark Allen's article here: http://www.markallenonline.com/heartrate.asp
Also, do not stretch for running. You are doing cold stretches = bad. If you want, stretch after running (and after weightlifting), when muscles are warm.

5. I recommend running on days that you do not lift. So run Tues, Thurs, and one or both weekends. If you don't want to run, do some other cardio activity that keeps your hear rate close to max aerobic rate for 30-45 min.

edit 6. I'm sure your weightlifting exercises can be tweaked, but let's see what others here have to say about that.

edit2 7. Add crunches if you want abs. Here, read why: http://worldfitnessnetwork.com....php/sit-ups-suck-abs/

 

[presidentender]

Are you doing anything for your legs other than running? You probably should.

When you say you're had problems with your lower back, what sort or problems are you talking about? A lot of back problems can actually be alleviated by lifting. As it stands, you're focusing far too much on too few body parts; you won't cut much that way. It's also important to diet, or you won't look any better (although you'll still get stronger).

 

[JSt0rm]

Hey guys thanks.

Yeah i don't really know the names of the machines and what not hehe. As for my lower back it's just pain that comes if I sit in the wrong position for too long or lift something with it improperly.

I only do the running for my legs as I used to be a bike courier and my legs are way thick now. I think I have muscle memory (is that the correct term?) in them because just running for a bit and boom tons of definition.

I think when running my heart rate hits around 165. Reading that link maybe I am running to hard and not long enough. I will pick up a heart rate monitor and try and keep it below 155. Thanks for that link.

For the chin ups and pullups is there a good diagram somewhere that shows the proper usage? Also should i keep the same reps and offset my weight?

I know my exercises are probably too focused but time is my enemy. I work between 60 and 80 hours a week so while i could devote more time to working out its gonna be kinda hard. What I'm really trying to do is find those couple of weight lifting exercises that can help with strength and cut. I think I look pretty good right now. Very little body fat, what exists is around my belly but I think it is going away. I also want to work my heart so I can keep it going for as long as possible

 

[MegaVovaN]

For pullup/chin up, do your bodyweight. If you can't do one rep, read some methods to counter that here:
http://stronglifts.com/how-to-...with-proper-technique/
Just do couple sets of as many as you can.

Note: guy in video in article IS NOT doing proper pullups. He is gripping too wide and is not going all the way up.

For heart rate monitor, a cheap one might not work well. So either buy expensive one (such as Suunto: http://www.suunto.com/suunto/main/index.jsp ) or do it by hand:
1. Grab your neck,
2. count beats for 15 sec
3. multiply by 4 and you have your bpm (beats per minute)


Muscle memory IS a correct term.

edit: more on pullup strength: http://stronglifts.com/how-to-...trength-on-the-pullup/

 

[KoolDrew]

A: Squat, Bench, Dead
B: Squat, OH Press, Row

Repeat 3x a week. Much simpler, much more effective.

 

[JSt0rm]

I think squats scare me. can't you harm the lower back with them?

 

[MegaVovaN]

Originally posted by: JSt0rm01
I think squats scare me. can't you harm the lower back with them?

Yes you can harm lower back with squats and deadlifts (maybe rows too, I don't know). So you have to learn the correct technique for these exercises.

 

[JSt0rm]

Yeah I looked at some vids of those. They all look a little to serious for me. I like an athletic build those guys look like sides of beef I have been interested in Rows though. Maybe I can add those in.

 

[presidentender]

I have mild scoliosis, so my back hurts if I sit or stand in one place for a long time. Working out and massage together fix this much better than either one alone. I am not a doctor, so talk to one first, but don't ignore your lower back.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Originally posted by: MegaVovaN


Note: guy in video in article IS NOT doing proper pullups. He is gripping too wide and is not going all the way up.

That is Jesse Marunde, and he died last July from cardiac arrhythmia due to "hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathy.".

As to doing them properly, who is this so called authority on pull-ups that says it ain't proper? There is more than one way to do a pull-up from everything I've seen and read. That bar is designed to have those handles there. Some of us have a big ass "wing span". Jesse was one of the strongest cats out there, and that anyone has the unmitigated gall to critique his form negatively, is :disgust: I'm not directing that at you personally, so much as whomever the asshat is that decided what a "proper" pull-up is. If they were good enough for Jesse- i.e.

he is 300 pounds (a lean 14.5 percent body fat), 6 feet 5 inches tall, and sports 19-inch biceps, unpumped. A 6-foot tape measure is too short to circumnavigate his chest and arms. Tethered in a rope harness, he can pull a 24,000-pound school bus across the parking lot of Sequim High; squat-lift an 1,100-pound platform topped by squealing mini-skirted "Bud Girls"; hoist a 385-pound stone sphere onto a chest-high platform.

that is a hell of an endorsement.

 

[spamsk8r]

If you want to strengthen your back you won't do so by avoiding working it. Your "program" is woefully lacking. Squats should be the basis of most workout programs because they work the most muscle and get you strongest, fastest. Believe me, you're not going to end up looking like a powerlifter or a bodybuilder after you do a couple of squats. It takes those dudes years and years with dedicated programs and diets to get big and strong like that. You can be lean and athletic looking by doing a combination of squats, deadlifts, pullups, bench, and shoulder press. With those 6 exercises you will work all the major muscles in your body. You will get stronger and leaner. You won't get bulky unless you eat an excess of calories. If you don't want to do something like Stronglifts 5x5 I would recommend a functional fitness program such as CrossFit, which incorporates all different aspects of fitness into a highly effective program. They post the daily workout every night at http://www.Crossfit.com

 

[presidentender]

Originally posted by: MegaVovaN
Note: guy in video in article IS NOT doing proper pullups. He is gripping too wide and is not going all the way up.

Your credibility? No longer extant.

 

[MegaVovaN]

Originally posted by: presidentender

Originally posted by: MegaVovaN
Note: guy in video in article IS NOT doing proper pullups. He is gripping too wide and is not going all the way up.

Your credibility? No longer extant.

Never claimed I was expert in anything. Do I need to add "IMHO" after every post?
Have fun following me around the board and pointing out that my credibility does not exist.

I already got pwned on that count by DAPUNISHER, but thanks for chiming in.

 

[JSt0rm]

well today I do my normal weight thing but i did change my run to a 30 minute run with speed based on my heart rate@155. It was a good run. I think I will keep that up from here on out. As for the lifting i guess I am hesitant because I want to do it correctly so I don't damage myself. Those seem like the kind of exercises that can cause damage. Anyways maybe I will look at the crossfit thing as well. I mean If I do the exercises above am I completly messing up my body? Or am I just retarded for working dumb muscle groups?

 

[presidentender]

Originally posted by: JSt0rm01
well today I do my normal weight thing but i did change my run to a 30 minute run with speed based on my heart rate@155. It was a good run. I think I will keep that up from here on out. As for the lifting i guess I am hesitant because I want to do it correctly so I don't damage myself. Those seem like the kind of exercises that can cause damage. Anyways maybe I will look at the crossfit thing as well. I mean If I do the exercises above am I completly messing up my body? Or am I just retarded for working dumb muscle groups?

Well, exercise is usually better than no exercise, but you're not exercising as effectively as you could be. Grab someone at the gym and have them critique your form and do light weights (just the bar) to begin with.