Is this a good workout?

by Xfactor31 on Feb 17, 2009 8:26 PM EST Comment 4 comments

I will be starting my new workout plan in march i am currently using a lower body day 1 and uppr body day 2 now to build up my strenght for my next plan. Just so i dont have to say it i have a 30 second rest between every set The plan i have created is as follows

Day One- 7 minutes of cardio (treadmill) before workout

Bench Press- 3 sets of 8 Lat pull downs 3 sets of 10

Front Deltoid Raises 3 sets of 12 Dumbell Chest Flies 3 sets of 12

Overhead Dumbbell Presses 3 sets of 12 Alt Dumbbell Curls 3 sets of 10 each arm

Lying Tricep Extensions 3 sets of 12 each arm Tricep kickbacks 3 sets of 10 each arm

Leg Press 4 sets of 10 Calf Press 4 sets of 10

Back extensions 2 sets of 20 Side extensions 2 sets of 20 Sit up with plate 2 sets of 20

Day two is

7 minutes of Cardio

Incline Dumbbell Chest Press 3 sets of 10 Wide grip Pull ups 3 sets of 8

Lateral Deltoid Raises 3 sets of 15 One armed rows 3 sets of 8 each arm

Arnold Press 3 sets of 12 Hammer Curls 3 sets of 15

Barbell Tricep Presses 3 sets of 10 Barbell Curls 3 sets of 12

Leg Extension 4 sets of 10 Leg Curl 4 sets of 10

Back extensions 2 sets of 20 Side extensions 2 sets of 20 Sit ups with plate 2 sets of 20

Day 3 is

7 minutes of Cardio

Incline Chest Flies 3 sets of 12 V-Bar pulldowns 3 sets of 10

Rear Deltoid Lateral Raises 3 sets of 12 Wide Grip Push ups 3 sets of 15

Seated Rows 3 sets of 10 Upright Rows 3 sets of 12

Cross body Dumbbell Curls 2 sets of 10 each arm Dumbbell Tricep Extensions 3 sets of 12

Preacher Curl 3 sets of 10 Tricep Dips 3 sets of 15

Leg Press 4 sets of 10 Calf press 4 sets of 10

Back extensions 2 sets of 20 Side extensions 2 sets of 20 Sit ups woth plate 2 sets of 20

Now i might cut down on all of the upper body sets by maybe one in the beginning so i build up to more sets but please let me know if i can improve anything and if i have put together a good program as it is a career path i would like to follow

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Hey X...

There are decent aspects of this program, so let’s start with those: you’re doing full-body workouts three times a week. I’m hoping you’re taking a day of rest between each of the workouts you’ve described. If not, do. The volume isn’t overwhelming and the acute variables (trainer speak for set/rep configurations and the like) are not horrible.

Other than that, I’m going to encourage you strongly NOT to go down this particular primrose path. It’s going to waste your time. You may get some results, granted—people new to training can get results doing almost anything—but you’ll make much better progress if you basically cut all single-joint exercises (flies, front raises, leg extensions and leg curls, bicep curls and tricep extensions), as well as the dreaded leg press and focus on getting strong in the following movements:
deadlift
squat
weighted pushup or, if you must, bench press
dumbell overhead press
chinup
row
dip
lunge
hyperextension
plank, side and front, for time

There are a bunch of different ways of splitting these exercises up over the week. One basic way is to do squats, chinups, overhead presses and planks one day; deadlifts, pushups [bench presses], rows and planks on another; and lunges, dips, planks, and, say, hyperextensions on a third day.

Yup, you’re doing planks 3x/week. If you get good at them, progress to stability ball and ab wheel rollouts. Don’t do crunches or situps or hanging knee raises, they’ll just lead to heartache and pain, though reverse crunches are somewhat less offensive.

When you’re first starting out, go for 2-3 sets of 12 reps or so with immaculate form. And I’d suggest hiring a good trainer to perfect your form, because it can take years to learn how to squat and deadlift well if you don’t. Just make sure he/she is a smart trainer. Lots of bozos around. If they tell you “Today’s arm day,” run screaming.

As you get better, work with more sets and fewer reps.

That basic format will stead you for a few months; after that you’ll want to go more advanced and pick up some materials from the top folks in the field:

There are dozens of great books on program design, many of which I’ve plugged here: New Rules of Lifting, Muscle Revolution, Functional Training For Sports, Maximum Strength, and—one I just picked up—Built For Show, by Nate Green, which has a pretty cool yearlong course in it. All of them have slightly different points of departure, but the program design is tops in all of them. There are plenty of others, but I keep coming back to those as personal faves.

T-Nation is a great resource as well. They have a section for beginners that you should visit daily. JPFitness is also a terrific site; some of the smartest fitness types bar none skulk around there regularly.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

But don’t let us catch you on the leg press machine.

Andrew

by Andrew Heffernan on Feb 19, 2009 9:49 AM EST reply actions

Question:

Why do you suggest using (weighted) pushups instead of the bench press? Is it because of a)potential shoulder problems that are sometimes associated with bench pressing, b) pushups work the core harder than the bench or c) something else I’m not aware of?

by dakoose on Feb 20, 2009 5:29 PM EST up reply actions

Both A and B

…and C, t’s a more ‘functional’ movement as well. Kind of tired of that term, but in life and sport, generally you have to brace the core in order to push something, and you use the lower body as well (pushing a dead car to the service station [life], pushing your way through the offensive line [sport).

by Andrew Heffernan on Feb 25, 2009 8:31 AM EST up reply actions