Thread: Am I over/under working myself?

Originally Posted by mercenary123

This is my workout. 1 on 1 off, alternating a/b

A
bench press 4 sets 5-8 reps
chin-ups 2 sets 8-12 reps
deadlift 1 set 5-8 reps (to increase to 3 sets eventually)

B
overhead press 3 sets 8-12 reps
bent over rows 2 sets 8-12 reps
hack squat 1 set 5-8 reps (increase to 3 sets eventually)


do abs and cardio on off days

is this your first time lifting weights?

switch the hack squats to squats
do your abs after the squats if you must do your abs

if this is your first time lifting weights this is a good workout. just focus on mastering form with a weight that challenges you but you can complete with perfect form. you may need to take 2-3 days off here and there.

once you are comfortable with the exercises you can start adding more exercises and incorporation periodization.

I just took a second look and your sets are unbalanced. you are doing twice as much push than pull.

at first you should stick to 3 sets of 8-12 reps on all exercises with a weight that challenges you and in which you can perform the lift with perfect form. this will help you keep a balanced routine

the sets are inbalanced because its what my body can take right now, how ever they will increase to 3 of everything..ive been lifting for like a week so yeah not first time but very new yes.. hack squat is there because i have no squat rack ! =(

Originally Posted by mercenary123

the sets are inbalanced because its what my body can take right now, how ever they will increase to 3 of everything..ive been lifting for like a week so yeah not first time but very new yes.. hack squat is there because i have no squat rack ! =(

Then why are you doing 4 sets of bench when you're targeting 3 sets for everything else? I would drop the bench to 3 sets. Keep the reps on the high end by lowering the weight and then focusing on your form. If you can do 2 sets of chin ups in the 8-12 range you can probably do 3 sets of 8 or something close. So I think you're ready to break the chin ups into 3 sets. I would also alternate the hack squat with some type of lunges. Adding a set of calf work is also a good idea.

would bodyweight calf raises work? i work out at home so i dont have a calf machine or anything.. also i think i may just make a squat rack out of wood, since i cant really afford it lol.. its been done

it's near impossible for a newbie to resistance training to over-train in the first couple of years as the body and mainly the central nervrous system (CNS) is in it's highest most untrained state. remember that it takes the CNS longer to recover from high intensity exercise than it does the muscles. that being the case you have to adapt the frequency of your training to match the level of intensity. if you are using loads at or close to 80% or more or your 1RM then no more than 2 heavy training sessions for each body part every 6-7 days. when training at a lower intensity you can increase the frequency of training. technically you can use loads of 50% of the 1RM and work the same muscles daily with out CNS burnout.

Originally Posted by mercenary123

would bodyweight calf raises work? i work out at home so i dont have a calf machine or anything.. also i think i may just make a squat rack out of wood, since i cant really afford it lol.. its been done

Using your body weight is fine. I would do elevated calf raises, which will give you a better ROM. I hope you know that if you build your wooden squat rack, you're bound by law to post pics of it.

Originally Posted by mercenary123

would bodyweight calf raises work? i work out at home so i dont have a calf machine or anything.. also i think i may just make a squat rack out of wood, since i cant really afford it lol.. its been done

I dont have room for a squat rack at home so I also do hack squats. They work real well and you dont need a spotter. Plus you wont risk killing yourself in a wooden squat rack.

Originally Posted by PushAndPull

Using your body weight is fine. I would do elevated calf raises, which will give you a better ROM. I hope you know that if you build your wooden squat rack, you're bound by law to post pics of it.

I guess I'm gonna have to post mine......

Ok this is the final result then A bench press 3 sets 8-12 reps chin-ups 3 sets 8-12 reps deadlift 3 set 8-12 reps B overhead press 3 sets 8-12 reps bent over rows 3 sets 8-12 reps dumbell lunges 3 sets 8-12 reps

Originally Posted by rockhardly

I guess I'm gonna have to post mine......

It is the law Post it, I wanna check it out. Plus, i'm sure it will help this guy since he wants to build one.

Originally Posted by mercenary123

Ok this is the final result then A bench press 3 sets 8-12 reps chin-ups 3 sets 8-12 reps deadlift 3 set 8-12 reps B overhead press 3 sets 8-12 reps bent over rows 3 sets 8-12 reps dumbell lunges 3 sets 8-12 reps

That looks good, nice balance. Once you get the squat rack built you can swap the lunges for squats.

could i do 1 huge set of pushups on day B if i wanted to get more endurance? or would that be too much for my chest/shoulders?

Originally Posted by LAM

it's near impossible for a newbie to resistance training to over-train in the first couple of years as the body and mainly the central nervrous system (CNS) is in it's highest most untrained state. remember that it takes the CNS longer to recover from high intensity exercise than it does the muscles. that being the case you have to adapt the frequency of your training to match the level of intensity. if you are using loads at or close to 80% or more or your 1RM then no more than 2 heavy training sessions for each body part every 6-7 days. when training at a lower intensity you can increase the frequency of training. technically you can use loads of 50% of the 1RM and work the same muscles daily with out CNS burnout.

Overtraining is a result of working out too often or performing too many sets in a workout...how is this different for someone that has been training for 1 year to someone that has been training for 5?