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Luke
Oct 23, 05 - 11:35 AM |
Training Routines
Hey all,
I was just wondering if someone here could give me some advise on my training routine.
I'm fairly new to weightlifting and previously have a background in swimming, chinese martial arts and acrobatics.
However, I have been pretty un-active for the last few years due to a bad injury..etc. Luckily, it has left no permenant problems and I have been able to get back into the world of fitness.
I'm basiclly looking to increase my strength and build lean muscle mass.
I'm 5ft 7 and what you would call a Mesomorph body type (or so I have been told). I've always been fairly lean (although not skinny)...but never really packed on much size before as I had never done weight training up until recently.
I have since invested in a home gym...power rack, multi-purpose bench, lat attachment..etc. so I want to get serious about training now.
I understand how important it is to have a structure to any kind of training...and so I have put together a 4 day workout plan, which I'm hoping will give results.
MONDAY: CHEST & SHOULDERS
Chest/Shoulders -
Incline Bench Press: 3 Sets of 6 – 8 Repetitions
Flat Bench Press: 3 Sets of 6 – 8 Repetitions
Shoulders -
Shoulder Press: 4 Sets of 6 – 8 Repetitions
TUESDAY: LEGS
Quadriceps -
Squats:
1 Set of 10 - 12 Repetitions (Warm Up)
4 Sets of 12, 10, 8, 6 Repetitions
Leg Extensions: 2 Sets of 6 – 8 Repetitions
Hamstrings -
Stiff Legged Deadlifts: 4 Sets of 6 – 8 Repetitions
Leg Curls: 2 Sets of 6 – 8 Repetitions
THURSDAY: ARMS
Triceps -
Close Grip Bench Press: 4 Sets of 6 – 8 Repetitions
Weighted Dips: 3 Sets of 8 – 10 Repetitions
Biceps -
Barbell Curls: 3 Sets of 6 – 8 Repetitions
Hammer Curls: 3 Sets of 6 - 8 Repetitions
SATURDAY: HIPS & BACK
Hips -
Deadlifts: 4 Sets of 5 - 6 Repetitions
Back -
Seated Cable Rows: 3 Sets of 8 - 10 Repetitions
Wide Grip Lateral Pull downs: 3 Sets of 8 - 10 Repetitions
Close Grip Lateral Pull downs: 3 Sets of 8 – 10 Repetitions
I'm not sure if there is too much overlap in this or that I'm giving myself enough recovery time...but as you can see, I've tried to structure my training around compound exercises (not a big fan of isolation exercises) and more importantly, the legs, hips and back.
I know some people prefer full body workouts, but I think that a split like this might work better for me.
There is also this routine I'm considering, designed by Stuart McRobert:
Monday
LEGS: Squats
1x 16 reps, 1x 12 reps, 1 x 8 reps, 1x 6 reps, 1 x 5 reps, 1 x 4 reps, 1 x 10 reps
BACK: T-Bar Rows or Seated Rows
1 x 16 reps, 1 x 10 reps, 1 x 8 reps, 1 x 6 reps, 2 x 5 reps, 1 x 10 reps
CALVES: Standing Calf Raises
1 x 12 reps, 1 x 8 reps, 1 x 6 reps, 1 x 10 reps
Wednesday
CHEST: Bench Presses
1 x 12 reps, 1 x 10 reps, 1 x 6 reps, 1 x 5 reps, 1 x 4 reps, 1 x 8 reps
CHEST/TRICEPS: Parallel Bar Dips
1 x 12 reps, 1 x 10 reps, 1 x 8-10 reps
BICEPS: Barbell Curls
1 x 10 reps, 1 x 8 reps, 2 x 6 reps
ABDOMINALS: Reverse Crunches
2 x 20 reps
Friday
LEGS, HIPS, BACK: Deadlifts
1 x 12 reps, 1 x 8 reps, 1 x 6 reps, 1 x 5 reps, 3 x 3 reps, 1 x 8 reps
SHOULDERS: Military Presses or Behind The Neck Presses
1 x 10 reps, 1 x 8 reps, 2 x 6 reps, 1 x 8 reps
CALVES: Seated Calf Raises
1 x 12 reps, 2 x 8 reps, 1 x 10 reps
ABDOMINALS: Crunches
2 x 20 reps
Can anyone give me some ideas for a good routine to pack on muscle mass? (Obviously diet is extremely important aswell).
Thanks in advance and apologies for such a long post.
L
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Matt
Oct 24th, 2005 - 12:28 PM |
Re: Training Routines
Hello Luke,
IMO to be succesful there's 3 major factors that need to be considered: Training; Recovery; and Nutrition. All three are equally important and all come hand in hand.
If you're new to weightlifting then you'll want to be careful to avoid overtraining. Lots of exercises and sets may be suitable for athletes who've trained for years but that's something they certainly wouldn't have started doing. So, like with your other activities, being disciplined also means knowing when to stop.
You're on the right track concentrating on compound movements as these are your major mass builders. Also, having a Mesomorph shape means you've probably got the genetics to make very good gains.
Different things work for different people, but generally these differences are discovered over years of training and so set routines are a good guide in most cases. I'd preferably like to do full body workouts consisting of compound movements, if just starting out, before progressing to a split routine as I feel greater gains can be made this way.
Out of the two routines you've listed I don't like the thought of a specific arm night as they're small muscle groups and feel this'd be better divided between the chest and back workouts. The Stuart McRobert routine is a nice routine and the one I'd favour, however, he probably advises at what level he feels appropriate you should perform this routine. If you've got a Stuart McRobert book then you may find it a useful guide to follow and progress with.
Wishing you happy and successful training,
MATT
P.S. Keep us updated with your progress.
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Luke
Oct 25th, 2005 - 2:40 PM |
Re: Training Routines
Thanks for the advice Matt.
Actually, I have been doing a bit of research into this and I think a full body routine might be the best bet for me as I'm just starting out.
I tried doing 3 sets of bench press yesterday and it just made me realise how weak I really am. I managed 10 on the first set, but could barely do 6 on the second set (using the same weight)...pathetic..lol
I think I've made the mistake a lot of beginners make in that I'm being too eager.
Can you recommend a good full body routine for a complete beginner?
This is one I've thought up:
Squats (or Deadlift)
Leg Curl
Shoulder Press
Lateral Pull downs/Pull ups
Flat Bench Press
Seated Cable Rows
Dips
Barbell Curls
Crunches
I've tried to put as many compound exercises as possible, but does this look ok for someone just starting out?
I will be aiming to do this routine 2 - 3 times a week, doing just 1 set of each exercise for the first few weeks (lifting a weight were I can reach 8 - 10 reps failure) in order to train my body into coping with the "feel" and strain of the exercises and recovery time.
Then as I become more accustomed to the exercises, I will aim to increase the sets to 2.
Obviously I would like to move on to a more specialised routine eventually as my strength increases, but I think I need to condition more body more before I can move onto a split like this.
I think this is probably a better way to go anyway as it would also give me a progressive goal/target to work towards and give me a better training structure.
Any advice would be greatly appriciated.
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Matt
Oct 25th, 2005 - 3:48 PM |
Re: Training Routines
Being eager's not always a bad thing - it's difficult to train if you're not motivated. In my experience though continual progression keeps people motivated and it's those that try and run before they can walk that are the first to fall.
I like the look of your routine - the pressing followed by pulling exercises are a good compliment to eachother. I don't think there's anything you've missed out. Just concentrate on good form and your poundages will start increasing. For the first few sessions I'd worry more about lifting correctly and getting "the feel" as you say and that should allow you and your muscles to become accustom to the exercise and hopefully avoid too much soreness.
MATT 
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Matt
Oct 25th, 2005 - 3:51 PM |
Re: Training Routines
P.S. Don't forget your Calves!
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Luke
Oct 25th, 2005 - 4:22 PM |
Re: Training Routines
Awesome, thanks again Matt
Yeah, I'll need to add some calf raises in there too.
Do you think 1 set of each exercises is enough to begin with though? It doesn't seem a lot, but I guess it will give me a chance to build up gradually.
I will obviously aim to increase this over the coming weeks, but will 1 set be that beneficial in increasing my strength?
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Matt
Oct 25th, 2005 - 4:56 PM |
Re: Training Routines
2 sets may be best for the first couple of sessions to get you used to the exercises. You could always do them after one another, as you'd expect, or as a circuit .
Provided everything's OK, after the intial few sessions try increasing to 3 working sets of the compound movements - i.e Squat, Bench Press, Shoulder Press - and keep the others at 2 sets. Aim for 10 to 12 reps for each set once you reach this stage. Even with 3 working sets this routine should only be lasting 45mins to an hr .
MATT
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Stan Marsh
Apr 25th, 2006 - 5:17 AM |
Re: Training Routines
I have a good fitness diet training to recommend at:
http://fitnessdiet.info/fitnessprogram.html
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