Good lifting plan?

[EricMM 0]

4x12 is too many.

 

2 set is better than one by quite a margin, but 3 is not much better than two, and it diminishes further from there.

 

Basically 3 sets should be your cap. If you're not exhausted there, up your weights.

 

You're really really oversetting everything from what I see.

[Guest DRH 502]

You have FOUR bicep exercises and one hamstring exercise? First of all, you need to focus heavily on the rows which right now looks fine. After that burn out your biceps but four seperate exercises is just ridiculous. Cut it to 2, lift heavy on the back and pre fatigue them nicely. I'd add a stiff legged stiff back DEADLIFT to the leg routine as well.

 

EDIT: I left out deadlift.

 

I always try to do 4 exercises for the big parts and 2 for the smaller parts, except my shoulders which I give a seperate day for...

[Damaramu 0]

Ok so taking what I have what would you make it now as far as what to do and what sets? Like if you could put it in the list like I did.

 

I'm doing this to fight btw. Not to be a bodybuilder football player type.

[Gert T 0]

Like fight, bouncer or intimidation type, or organized fighting?

[Damaramu 0]

Kickboxing right now and probably MMA eventually.

[Guest DRH 502]

You'll know when you've worked out adequately enough. 8-12 reps are best for muscular hypertrophy, 4-6 for strength. I usually go with 4 sets of the first major exercise of the muscle group then 3 after that...

[Damaramu 0]

You said I only have one hamstring exercise? What else works it and would be good for it? I really want to work on my legs.

[Damaramu 0]

Ok I put this together based off of the website DRH provided:

 

Leg Press: 3x12

Leg Extension: 3x12

Leg Curl: 3x12

Straight Leg Deadlift: 3x10

Calf Raise Machine: 4x25

Bentover Dumbbell Row: 3x10

Seated Row: 3x10

Lat Pull Down: 3x10

Lower Back Machine: 3x10

Lateral Raise: 3x10

Shoulder Press: 3x10

Bench Press: 3x8

Dumbbell Fly: 3x10

Decline Fly: 3x10

Dumbbell Curls: 3x10

Barbbell Curls: 3x10

Tricep Extensions: 3x10

Skull Crushers: 3x10

 

 

What do I need to take out? What do I need to add? This workout seems like it would take a few hours to complete.

I do my abs on a different day when I'm training and I do cardio everyday.

One of the pro-fighters at my gym said that shoulders, back, and chest were really important for fighting. And being a kickboxer my legs and hips are obviously important.

 

I can only lift on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Should I break it up in between those two days or do the whole thing each day?

 

And if anyone thinks that sucks and wants to say "Look here's what you're going to do each day" and give it to me then I'll happily accept it. But for now(until i hear a criticism) that's what I'm going to do. I'm not a weightlifter so I need more criticism beyond "You should add another exercise for this muscle group." Tell me one to add.

Also I'd like another hamstring exercise besides the deadlift. Two much pressure on my left knee and it hurts like hell so the deadlift and squats scare me.

[Guest DRH 502]

Damamaru, here you go dude. Trust me when I say this is all you need to start on the way to a good body:

 

Day 1: Push Day (Exercises paired in SUPERSETS which means you perform one exercise after the other (the 2 paired together) with no break in between. So in other words you do your set of say inclines your set of declines then take a break. I try to move as fast as possible and only take 60 second or so breaks so as to keep the heart pumping and help burn fat.) Remember when you pick your weight for the exercises keep in mind you have to do another exercise right after so don't lift to your max and then not be able to hit your flys.

 

Flat Bench Press (barbell lift heaviest 4 sets of 8-12) Only do this exercise by its self so you can focus on it the most.

----------

Incline Bench Press (Dumbell or Barbell, I prefer dumbell for symetry but barbell is easier starting out)

Incline Bench Flys -3 sets of 8-12

----------

Dips (If you can do them fairly easily do reps of 20-15-10-10 if not adjust to whatever makes you confortable.)

Dumbell Arnold Press (Just a regular dumbell shoulder press cept you start with palms facing in then pushing up and moving them into normal position) -3 sets of 8-12

-----------

Squats do by itself and make this your focus of your leg workout. This builds great mass over all. 4 sets of 8 strict reps

------------

Leg Extensions 3 sets of 8-12

Calf Raises 3 sets 8-12

 

Day 2: Pull Day (again supersized unless otherwise noted)

 

Wide Grip Pullups 5 sets of the most you can do. You assistance if needed this is the best for building the width in your upper shoulders and will also put a pounding on the biceps. Great lat exercise. By itself.

---------------------

Barbell Row 3 sets of 8-12

One Arm DB Row 3 sets of 8-12

---------------------

Alternating Dumbell Curl 5 sets of 8-12

Upright Rows 3 sets of 8-12

------------------

Stiff Leg Deadlift 3 sets of 8

Leg Curl 4 sets of 8-12

 

 

Trust me this will be more than enough and if you work through it quickly you can get a workout done in like 45 minutes or so. You will burn alot of calories, and you might wanna do less sets first starting out because that is quite aload to undertake starting out.

[Guest DRH 502]

Oh yeah, do abs whenever. I'm a slacker on my abs but i'm bulking right now so ehhh....

[Damaramu 0]

So my exercise plan didn't sound good?

Damn I thought that one would work. I followed what your website said and picked 2-4 from each section that it listed.

I'm not really trying to bulk up or build mass though. I'm trying to get stronger and build smart muscles for fighting.

[Damaramu 0]

http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/LowVolumeTraining.html

 

This was pretty interesting......I wonder how true?

[Damaramu 0]

I'm going to give yours a shot Donnie but I'm also going to give this one a shot next time I go. I read what that website you posted said and it said to do one exercise for each muscle group and as a beginner you'd be fine. It was saying something about how more exercises for a certain area don't really facilitate growth anyway and you'll just lose intensity and overtrain.

 

So this is what I will do Thursday and I will figure out the weight when I get there(i was thinking high weight)

 

Seated Leg Press 3x12

Lying Leg Curl 3x12

Calf Raise Machine: 4x25

Seated Row: 3x10

Lat Pulldown: 3x10

Lower Back Machine: 3x10

Shrug: 3x10

Lateral Raise: 3x10

Shoulder Press: 3x10

Bench Press: 3x10

Dumbbell Curl: 3x10

Tricep Extension: 3x10

 

That's one exercise for each group(except the back but i wanted to hit upper and lower)

[Bruiser Chong 0]

The curls for your biceps are pointless. You should be looking to do exercises that incorporate more than one muscle. Unless you have a ton of time, avoid exercises that isolate a particular muscle. There are plenty of upper body exercises you can do that'll give you a nice-looking bicep without ever having to do a curl.

[Guest DRH 502]

Do you know this from experience?

 

Just asking.

[Damaramu 0]

Some of the points on that website you posted, Donnie, I'm going to use in my exercising.

Things like only doing two sets(one warmup and one heavy), lifting twice a week because I'm a beginner, and only doing one exercise per muscle group.

It works according to the website and the website seems reputable.

[Guest wildpegasus]

Some of the points on that website you posted, Donnie, I'm going to use in my exercising.

Things like only doing two sets(one warmup and one heavy), lifting twice a week because I'm a beginner, and only doing one exercise per muscle group.

It works according to the website and the website seems reputable.

 

Although I believe it's possible (I've heard of the Bulgarians doing this) to make your body learn how to go without a warmup I don't believe in doing so because I think it's too risky. As for warmups, I think one warmup is not enough. Better than none but you're still risking injury with that especially if you're training instensly. I say go with at least 2 warmup sets.

 

I kind of skimmed through the article you read. Yes, there is some truth to it. Although there's more to it, generally less volume (while being intense) is especially better for hardgainers and makes it easier to gain muscle than more volume. People who gain muscle easier don't have to worry so much about less volume. Also remember that practically all beginners can get away with doing a little bit more sets and stuff when they're starting out which I think is a good idea since you get used to the exercises. Overall, I think people use too much sets when they work out.

I do believe there may be some merit to say 3 weeks of high sets/overtraining followed by a period of lower volume.

[Guest wildpegasus]

The curls for your biceps are pointless. You should be looking to do exercises that incorporate more than one muscle. Unless you have a ton of time, avoid exercises that isolate a particular muscle. There are plenty of upper body exercises you can do that'll give you a nice-looking bicep without ever having to do a curl.

 

From personal experience I've found that the chinups (palms inwards) keep a lot of my bicep power intact but not just quite up to what I'd be doing if I were doing incline dumbell curls (my fav bicep exercise) as well. Still, itje chinups definitely maintain most of my bicep strength for me. They hit them hard.

 

Yeah, definitely worry about the exercises that incorporate more than one muscle. Those are the ones you want to concentrate on.

[randomguy 0]

Isolating very specific muscles is useful for body builders or if one body part is really lagging, but yeah in general it's not great.

[EricMM 0]

Why the hell are you keeping with the 4x25?

 

Do you miss my point?

 

That many reps means you're not lifting enough.

 

Its not like you're getting some kind of cardio build from that. If you ARE looking for endurance for your legs (?) then do whatever you need endurance FOR, to get endurance.

 

Oh wait, is that the tippy toes machine?

 

My god.

 

Get off this pissant little baby muscle groups, like your calf and biceps.

 

Focus on your chest, back, quads, hams, abs and lower back.

 

Any work you do on that is going to effect your minor muscles as well.

 

You're getting hooked on machines, and its bad for you.

[Guest wildpegasus]

Calves are one muscle group that I would concentrate on.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Does your college offer weight/strength training as a fitness course? I took Strength Training last semester for one credit and it did me a world of good.

[Damaramu 0]

Yes it's the calf machine and the reason I was doing so many is because I was told that it takes a lot to put mass on your calves.

 

I did that routine I just posted today and it worked pretty well except I'm going to cut out the lat pull downs because they basically do the same thing as the row and I hate them and have always hated them. Plus I can never seem to do it right. I NEVER feel it in my back and I always feel it in my arms.

 

I was also wondering about the bench press. I never seem to be able to feel the burn in my chest but my arms are always on fire when I do it. I did the flies for my chest and that seemed to work moderately well.

Do I need to do bench press AND incline bench press? I was told they work different parts of the chest.

[Guest DRH 502]

Definately. EricMM not to be rude but do you have any pictures displaying your awesome physique? You can do 4 sets of 25 or 3 sets of 8 whatever as long as you stimulate muscular atrophy then you are gold...and yes it is necessary to stimulate certain smaller groups such as calves and biceps. I agree there is alot of overkill on the stuff, and I also agree that dude needs to say FUCK machines because Freeweights are the best (dumbells too)...I understand the concept of putting your COMPOUND EXERCISES FIRST. Your Rows, Deadlifts, etc. But finishing off with 3 sets of an isolation movement can make all the difference in the world. Working out is all about knowing your body, and knowing when you've put enough in the gym that you are gonna be sore the next day. Thats my workout ethic anyway, and its working great.

[Damaramu 0]

Does your college offer weight/strength training as a fitness course? I took Strength Training last semester for one credit and it did me a world of good.

 

Yes and it did no good whatsoever. It was being taught by some fat mexican chick and all she did was have us sign in and do our own thing and she provided little to no help.

[Damaramu 0]

Definately. EricMM not to be rude but do you have any pictures displaying your awesome physique? You can do 4 sets of 25 or 3 sets of 8 whatever as long as you stimulate muscular atrophy then you are gold...and yes it is necessary to stimulate certain smaller groups such as calves and biceps. I agree there is alot of overkill on the stuff, and I also agree that dude needs to say FUCK machines because Freeweights are the best (dumbells too)...I understand the concept of putting your COMPOUND EXERCISES FIRST. Your Rows, Deadlifts, etc. But finishing off with 3 sets of an isolation movement can make all the difference in the world. Working out is all about knowing your body, and knowing when you've put enough in the gym that you are gonna be sore the next day. Thats my workout ethic anyway, and its working great.

 

Well I'm re-evaluating. I'm still going with what was said on that website you posted about only doing one workout for each muscle when you're starting out but I'm re-evaluating which exercises will work best for each muscle.

The machines are kind of a neccessary evil I have to do on some muscle groups.

Like the quads and that whole group. I don't/can't/won't do squats. My left knee is bad and everytime I do them the pressure on my knee feels like it'll explode at any minute. So I have to do the leg press there. And on the seated rows.....don't you kind of need a machine for that?

But everything else: chest, biceps, triceps, and shoulders I use free weights. It's just my back and legs that are really getting the machine treatment right now because I feel safer using them on those areas.

[Guest DRH 502]

Its okay to use some machines, but its best to base your workouts around freeweights. You are doing fine bro, don't ever think it. Keep it simple. If you do alot of martial arts and alot of other things that require hindu squats, pushups etc. you also want to keep that in mind when you workout. No sense in over training. As for not being able to do squats, can you work a legpress machine??

[Damaramu 0]

Yeah that's what I've been doing but Eric is saying not to do the machines.

 

I do a lot of pushups, situps, squat kicks, squat jumps, and other stuff plus a lot of isometric shit at kickboxing.

 

So what about the bench and incline bench? This dude told me(and i don't know if he was full of it or not) that bench works your lower chest and incline works your upper chest. And I was just wondering if that's true and I need to do both. I still can't feel shit in my chest when I do the bench and I can barely feel it in my back when I do the row(which btw does that work your whole back or just the upper)?

[Damaramu 0]

And I know what he's saying about the sets. I figure 3x8 from now on with most exercises would be best as long as I push it hard.

 

I am afraid of overtraining. I mean I do kickboxing on Mondays and Wednesdays and lift on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Those 4 days are really the only times I can workout at all.

 

As you can see from the first post I've been trying to get something good figured out since f'n November. It's been almost a year and I still can't figure out a good workout plan to use or stick to one. The only thing that's stayed constant is working Judo or Kickboxing. I have been losing weight doing that though but if I want to compete I need some muscle and strength. I'm not trying to look pretty here. I want practical muscles.

 

That also reminds me. A lot of the guys where I train at say a good way to build endurance is with sprints. I see them outside the gym doing them all the time and some of them say they'll do them for a mile. They'll sprint for a 10th of a mile and then jog, then sprint, and so on.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Do you know this from experience?

 

Just asking.

Somewhat. Like most people who mess with lifting, the curl was one of the first things I tried and kept with. It certainly helps, but in the grand scheme of things, it's pointless unless you have hours a day to dedicate to lifting. I'll still throw in the curl now and again, but I find that there are plenty of other exercises that work the biceps and target other muscles, too.

 

I know there aren't too many guys that don't like a nice-looking bicep, but if you're lifting to build better strength, it's best to stick with the exercises that work a group of muscles and not just one.