Squaggleboggin

My goal is more overall strength/power that I can use in everyday life. I have trouble tracking my progress because I don't work on bench at all, and that makes it an inaccurate way to determine whether or not I've gained strength; any ideas as to how else I can guage my strength and whether I've made progress would be appreciated (measurements also don't work well because I don't work for mass). I jog in the beginning to get my blood flowing and to improve my cardiovascular health (although squats seem to do a good job with that ). This is my routine (it probably seems a lot longer than it actually is), and, as the title of the thread says, it may need to be rescued:


Thursday: (warm up w/ 5 min jog, 6th dot) Explosiveness

-DB Rows:

-Warm up: 1x10 (20);

-Workout: 2x5 (60);

-Power Set: 1x3 (70)

-DB Shoulder Presses:

-Warm up: 1x10 (30);

-Workout: 2x5 (50);

-Power Set: 1x3 (60)

-DB Hammer Curls:

-Warm up: 1x10 (20);

-Workout: 2x5 (40);

-Power Set: 1x3 (50)

-Hanging BB: (I just let a BB hang in front of me to work on grip)

-Workout: 2 sets of 1 min (135);

-Power Set: 1 set of 30 sec (165)

-Side Dips:

-Workout: 2x5 (80);

-Power Set: 1x3 (100)

-Weighted Sit Ups:

-Workout: 2x5 (25);

-Power Set: 1x3 (35)



Friday: (warm up w/ 6 min jog, 6th dot) Explosiveness

-Squats:

-Warm up: 1x10 (115);

-Workout: 2x5 (155);

-Power Set: 1x3 (170)

-DB Presses:

-Warm up: 1x10 (60);

-Workout: 2x5 (90);

-Power Set: 1x3 (100)

-DB Flies:

-Warm up: 1x10 (20);

-Workout: 2x5 (40);

-Power Set: 1x3 (50)

-DB Kickbacks:

-Warm up: 1x10 (10);

-Workout: 2x5 (20);

-Power Set: 1x3 (30)

-Calf Raises:

-Workout: 2x20 (95);

-Power Set: 1x5 (135)


Monday: (warm up w/ x min jog) Explosiveness

-T-Bar Rows:

-Warm up: 1x10 (70);

-Workout: 2x5 (95);

-Power Set: 1x3 (115)

-DB Shoulder Presses:

-Warm up: 1x10 (30);

-Workout: 2x5 (50);

-Power Set: 1x3 (60)

-Barbell Curls:

-Warm up: 1x10 (45);

-Workout: 2x5 (60);

-Power Set: 1x3 (70)

-Hanging BB:

-Workout: 2 sets of 1 min (135);

-Power Set: 1 set of 30 sec (165)

-Side Dips:

-Workout: 2x5 (80);

-Power Set: 1x3 (100)

-Weighted Sit Ups:

-Workout: 2x5 (25);

-Power Set: 1x3 (35)



Tuesday: (warm up w/ x min jog) Explosiveness

-Deadlifts:

-Warm up: 1x6 Regular (135);

-Stiff-Legged: 2x3 (205);

-Power Set: 1x2 (225);

-Regular: 2x3 (205);

-Power Set: 1x2 (225)

-DB Presses:

-Warm up: 1x10 (60);

-Workout: 2x5 (90);

-Power Set: 1x3 (100)

-DB Flies:

-Warm up: 1x10 (20);

-Workout: 2x5 (40);

-Power Set: 1x3 (50)

-Dips:

-Workout: 2x2

-Calf Raises:

-Workout: 2x20 (95);

-Power Set: 1x5 (135)

Let me know if you have any questions as to what I put up (such as specific stances I use or more specific goals). Thanks in advance.

Seanp156

That looks like a fairly good routine to me, but I'm no expert at all I'm just beginning to get serious about BB myself. One question I have though, is why don't you do any bench work? Any particular reason?

Squaggleboggin

Well, I don't have a spotter and my training requires going heavy. Whatever other people say about being able to get the bar off of yourself is great for them, but I'm not comfortable with that and there's no point in doing something that I could become afraid of. Dumbbells also force you to use more energy stabilizing, thus recruiting more muscle fibers in order to compensate for the increased energy required, and, IMHO, give you a much better workout.

Seanp156

You can use dumbbells to bench press as well... I don't have a spotter that I know either, but I don't go very heavy. I can usually tell what I'm able to do that day and if I have any doubt or I'm going heavier than usual too quickly I'll ask someone else in the gym to spot me.

I've actually gotten pinned while benching on a smith machine. The bar got low enough I couldn't hook it on the clips and I couldn't get the weight up. It was probably one of the most embarassing things that's ever happened to me, but I motioned for someone to help and they did.

Since then I've gone to using a barbell and dumbbells for bench because it's not only safer but it's better for the muscles as well. You learn from your mistakes you can't stop because of being afraid. Yeah, I was embarrased, panicked at the time, but I never really thought about cutting out benching from my routine.

Sorry if I'm ranting, but that's my experience. If you don't feel the need to bench press that's fine. Maybe just try going lighter than your other workouts to the point where you're comfortable.

Rocco32

He is using DB's to bench press.

I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain...

Rocco32

Right there.

I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain...

Squaggleboggin

Indeed I am, rock, indeed I am.

Sean, I work out at home, so I wouldn't be able to motion over to someone to help me, which is why I cut out the BB bench altogether from my routine.

Thanks for the input so far. Does anyone see anything major that needs work?

You can also check out another thread I started entitled "Usable strength" which talks a little bit about plyometrics, isometrics, and calisthenics, some of which I'm thinking about incorporating into my workout. I'm just wondering how much of an effect each would have, which ones I should do, and whether weight training is less effective than a combination of the above to add strength. Does anyone have experience using iso/plyometrics and/or calisthenics? If so, did you find it had good results? Thanks for the help, and let me know your thoughts even if you haven't used these techniques.

Squaggleboggin

http://www.balisongxtreme.com/balipl...ps/2-27-00.htm

Using that idea, tell me your thoughts on the following:
Let's take DB presses as an example. I'll do the warm up set, followed by the working set, followed by the power set. After that, I'll do three sets of isometric work with the same weight as the power set: holding the DBs just above the lowest point for ten seconds, half way up for ten seconds, and just below the highest point for ten seconds. Take that example and apply it to all exercises for which it can apply (I wouldn't do that on hanging BB, for example), and I should see some pretty great improvements in my lifts.

What do you think?

Seanp156

Guess I got confused b/c in the first part of his post he said he didn't do any bench work which I thought was bench pressing, not using the barbell.

Sorry for the confusion

And I didn't know you worked out at home, so that makes sense not to use a barbell.