Working Out For Dummies--My New Journal

[rangers97]

OK, so I have become obsessed with how many reps/sets to do and finding the "perfect" routine, so I decided to just cut the crap and just lift the damn weights! I am going to be using the following split (found in P-funks's log, thank you):

mon-lower 1
tues-upper horizontal
wed-cardio
thurs-lower 2
friday-upper vertical
sat-cardio
sun-OFF

I am not going to obsess about calories or meals or anything like that, but I am going to eat clean and eat when I am hungry, that means things like lean meats, tuna, whole wheat, and I will watch my portion sizes, but I am not going to get into the specifics of things. My goal is to get strong as I can, but also to look good for the upcoming summer, that's where the good clean eating will come in. Hopefully with some added cardio and clean eating I can get a bit leaner...I am pretty lean, only suspect spot is, you guessed it, my stubborn belly fat! Right now I am about a 35" waist, and I would love to get to a 33-34". I currently weigh 200ish lbs which was a goal of mine, but it will be hard to keep the 200lbs if I want to get a bit leaner. I would bet 190 might be nice, but it is psychological now, I want to be 200lbs, so it will be a mental challenge as well.

Instead of worrying about rep speeds, sets, reps, blah blah blah, I am just going to lift the damn weight! I will just choose a weight I think I can do, and do as many reps as I can in my sets. If that means 3 or 4 reps in a set so be it...if it means 8 or 10 reps in a set, so be it. I will increase the weight when I feel like it, so long as I am striving to get addition reps at the same weight. I am just going for overload---lift more than I did last time either more weight or more reps. I am dumbing it down, because all the endless information out there is getting me crazy! I changed my routines like I changed clothes, and this craziness has just got to stop, so it ends here!

Feel free to read, feel free to contribute, I am doing this just so I get my lifts out there and if I can get someone else motivated to do more by reading what I can do, then I am glad I am writing here. Good luck to everyone

here is the routine:
mon
sumo deadlifts 3 sets
leg press 2 sets
leg press for calves 2 sets
crunches 2 sets

tues
bb rows (underhand grip) 3 sets
db bench press 3 sets
close grip cable rows 2 sets
close grip bench press 2 sets
bb curls 2 sets

thurs
squats 3 sets
leg curls 2 sets
calf raise 2 sets
crunches 2 sets

fri
shoulder width grip weighted chinups 3 sets
weighted dips 3 sets
upright rows 2 sets
standing db shoulder press 2 sets
wide neutral grip pulldowns 2 sets

opinions on the routine are welcome as well....take care for now

 

[P-funk]

on the upper body days I would perform the main presses (DB bench and overhead DB press) first since the lats pplay a big role in pressing and internal rotation of the shoulder and if you fatigue them you wont get as much out of your presses.

 

[rangers97]

so do you feel the db overhead press is the primary movement out of all the vertical ones? I do that exercise usually 4th that day! I wish I could do bb pushpress/overhead press but my shoulder hurts too much when I do it with the bar, the dbs are pretty much pain free.

I usually do the "pulling" movement first, since it allows me to be even more warmed up and ready for the press, which I consider harder, but I will try it your way today and see how it goes. But you think I should put my shoulder press ahead of dips on friday and do 3 sets as opposed to 2?

 

[rangers97]

on the upper body days I would perform the main presses (DB bench and overhead DB press) first since the lats pplay a big role in pressing and internal rotation of the shoulder and if you fatigue them you wont get as much out of your presses.

does it work the other way though? If you press first and the lats play a role, are you in a way fatiguing the lats before the lat exercise even begins then?

 

[P-funk]

I would make the overhead press my main press.

the lats will be fatigued a little but not a huge amount. they help to stabalize and then internally rotate the shoulder at the end of the movements. I just don't like to fatigue them so that I can have that added shoulder stability on my presses.