Thread: couple of questions...

Has Google broken down? I just searched and it returned 59,900 links on periodization. The very first on periodization was this one: Bodybuilding.com - Keats Snideman - Periodization For Bodybuilders!. Then I did a search named "list of compound exercises". Guess what! It returned 215,000 links. The first one was this: Compound Exercises for Maximal Muscle Mass

Nobody can really tell you whether it's a good idea to add dumbbell presses to your workout because we don't know what your current workout looks like, and all depends pretty much on what you're doing and how much you're doing. So, post your workout and I'm sure you can get a better answer.

ooops!Sorry sir,I did search a bit but didnt know if the sites I got were dependable. Thank you for giving me the links.
My workout is going to look stupid but here goes,and I hope I got the names right:
I do everything for 15 reps, 3 sets
1.Bench press(flat)
2.Barbell bend over row
3.Dumbbell row
4.Dumbbell lateral raise
5.Dumbbell shrug
6.Squat
7.Alternate dumbbell curl
8.One arm dumbbell extension
9.Abs
I do it 3 days a week, and do rotator cuff exercises on Saturdays

Oh sorry abs, I do only one set- Thats all that I can do now

How long have you been training?

Oh just 3 weeks now sir.

For a beginner, you are doing way too many isolation exercises. It would really, really be better to concentrate on compound lifts first. You could try a workout like this:

Workout 1
Barbell Squat
Bent-Over Barbell Rows
Flat Bench Barbell Press
Barbell Overhead Press

Workout 2
Barbell Deadlift
Inclined Bench Barbell Press
Dumbbell Overhead Press
Hanging Leg Raises

Workout 3
Barbell Upright Row
Chest Dips
Pull Ups
Dumbbell Lunges

You can see that the only isolation exercise is Hanging Leg Raises in Workout 2. And you can drop this as it’s actually not necessary for now. You should focus on form and not on weight. Start with a weight that allows you to do 12 repetitions using perfect form. If you can do more than 12 repetitions, the weight is too light. If you can’t do at least 9 repetitions, the weight is too heavy.

Begin with two sets. If you can do two sets of 12 reps, add another set next week. If you can do 3 sets of 12, try adding some weight. As long as you can remain within 9 – 12 reps, you should be doing fine. Just don’t work out for much longer than 45 minutes.

I forgot to mention this but I workout at home sir, and I just have barbells and dumbbells.And a flat bench out of which I can make a makeshift inclined one. Thank you for sending me new workouts sir- from the looks of it I have been just plain using too many exercises too!
If I may add 2 questions, I read on here to "breathe the weight in and blow it away" and I've been using that for the bent-over barbell rows too, hope that is correct?

Also, the flat bench presses doesnt seem to affect my pecs much- too low pundages I suppose?(It's my shoulders and arms that get more sore). Should I add one more chest movement in workout one and go with it sir or just concentrate on increasing the weights on bench press?

Hmm, that makes things a bit more difficult.

For now, the way you breathe isn't the most important thing. Just make sure you don't hold your breath.

Flat Bench Presses work your chest appropriately. Of course, they hit the shoulders and the triceps as well. The fact that you don't feel sore in the chest doesn't necessarily mean that the chest didn't get worked. There is no need to add another chest exercise. You could however, use dumbbells instead of barbells. These will allow a greater range of motion and actually stimulate the muscle group more efficiently.

Thank you for the reply sir. I'm changing over to workout 1 right now and I'll report to you how its going after a couple of months.

Dumbells and Barbells are the only equipment you ever need. Pretty much every type of movement you could ever want to do can be performed with this basic equipment.

With a set of dumbells and no bench i could up with a solid program. Dont underestimate the ol' faithfuls

Periodization is the planned variation of training stimulus over a period of time. This variable could be changes in rest intervals, intensity, volume, density, tempo, training frequency, training split...and so on through every possible thing that you can change about your workouts.

Its just a tool you can use to constantly vary your training so that you can see greater results, or train for a longer period of time without plateuing (is that even a word?).

And yes, dumbell bench and flat barbell bench are practically the same movement.