Prototype Routine

[Sliver]

I've decided to revamp my routine, since the gains stopped and I was getting pain in my forearms ( remeber what the doctor said caused it now. Neuritis.) . The two biggest changes, are that I will actually be doing stretching, and warm up sets. (You get the idea how much it needed changing.)

I'm wondering exactly how long I should lay off the training, and how often I should check to see if I can start again, and lastly how long to stay off the curling till it's safe again, and also, what I should do to check to see if it is safe again.
(Oh, and never did anything special with my biceps to get them so far ahead of the rest of my body. I just worked them out like the rest and they shot ahead. Too far ahead it would seem.)

The idea was just to isolate as many muscles as possible.

Also, what I've been doing is just doing 8 to 12 reps, and when I can do more than 12 I add 5 pouinds, if I can only do less than 8 take weight off. But I've read something about calculating the weight you add by percentages of your maximum or something like that.

Any critiques, suggestions of addition's subtractions, rearranges. How long I should do the stretching and if I picked out the right ones.

Monday: Chest & Back

Stretching: Behind Head Chest Stretch.

Exercise:Bench Press
Warm up set
2 sets, 8-12 reps

Exercise:Incline Bench Press
Warm up set
2 sets, 8-12 reps

Stretching: Standing Side Reach

Exercise: Bent Arm Pullover (Dumbbell)
Warm up set
2 sets, 8-12 reps

Stretching: Fixed Bar Back Stretch

Exercise:Cambered Bar Lying Row
Warm up set
2 sets, 8-12 reps

Wednesday

Legs & Abs


Stretching: Seated Glute Stretch

Exercise: Barbell Deadlift
Warm up set
2 sets, 8-12 reps

Stretching: Lying (Prone) Quadriceps Stretch

Exercise: Barbell Full Squat
Warm up set
2 sets, 8-12 reps

Stretching: Lying Hamstring Stretch

Exercise: Straight Leg Deadlift
Warm up set
2 sets, 8-12 reps

Stretching: Lunging Straight Leg Calf Stretch

Exercise: Barbell Standing Leg Calf Raise
Warm up set
2 sets, 8-12 reps

Stretching: Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch

Exercise: Weighted Roman Chair Sit-up
Warm up set
2 sets, 8-12 reps

Stretching: Kneeling Abdominal Stretch

Exercise: Weighted Crunch
Warm up set
2 sets, 8-12 reps

Stretching: Pretzel Stretch

Exercise: Dumbbell Side Bend
Warm up set
2 sets, 8-12 reps

Friday

Arms & Shoulders

Stretching: Lying Front Deltoid Stretch

Exercise: Barbell Military Press
Warm up set
2 sets, 8-12 reps

Stretching: Side Deltoid Stretch

Exercise: Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Warm up set
2 sets, 8-12 reps

Stretching: Rear Deltoid Stretch

Exercise: Dumbbell Lying Rear Lateral Raise
Warm up set
2 sets, 8-12 reps

Stretching: Overheard Triceps Stretch

Exercise: Dumbbell One Arm Triceps Extension
Warp up set
2 sets, 8-12 reps

Stretching: Standing Bicep Stretch

**avoiding this excercize until further notice**
Exercise: Dumbbell Curl
Warm up set
2 sets, 8-12 reps
**avoiding this excercize until futher notice**

**avoiding this excercize until further notice**
Exercise: Barbell Preacher Curl
Warm up set
2 sets, 8-12 reps
**avoiding this excercize until further notice**

Exercise: Barbell Reverse Curl
Warm up set
2 sets, 8-12 reps

Stretching: Single Arm Wrist Flexor Stretch

Exercise: Dumbbell Wrist Curl
Warm up set
2 sets, 8-12 reps

Exercise: Dumbbell Lying Pronation
Warm up set
2 sets, 8-12 reps

Exercise: Dumbbell Lying Supination
Warm up set
2 sets, 8-12 reps

[hoosegow]

Don't everyone scream at me... I don't believe in stretching, and I have never pulled a muscle. Others swear buy it. I read an article in Runner's World that said that their is debate on whether or not it actually helps. I am a big believer in warming up. I wouldn't do a warm-up set for every exercise you do. For example, you do a warm-up set on flat bench. You then do two sets. You chest muscles are already warm from the flat so why do another when you switch to incline?

On a side note, you might want to think about dropping your wrist curls. They should get adequate work gripping with everything else you do. Also, think about buying some lifting straps and use them in the dumbell row, deadlift, etc. Without having to grip so hard, you might recover faster.

[Guest]

I dont stretch much either. Actually theres a danger if you stretch too much it can be counter-productive to your workout and you will hurt your strength. I definitely would NOT stretch a muscle immediately before the sets for the reason i just gave. Just do all your stretching during the warmup all at once...and dont overdo it. Just enough to loosen up and thats it. The way you have it laid out im assuming you're talking about doing the stretches during the workout and not all at the beginning...sorry if im wrong. Other than that everything seems ok, of course you'll have to manipulate the reps...you cant just stay at 8-12 forever and expect to keep making progress. How about chest for example doing the flat bench 6-8 and the incline 10-12 or something like that?? Or even 4-6 for one and 8-12 for the other? Then after 3 weeks flip flop it,..incline 4-6 and flat 8-12. it will give you more variety and each range will have a different effect. Also for the muscles that you're just doing one exercise like triceps for you could probably afford to add a 3rd set to those.

hoosegow I like to do one warmup set for incline after doing flat. Reason being the flat is easier so when i switch to incline i need that warmup set just to get the "feel" down for the harder angle. Its not much...maybe just 4 reps or so of a moderate weight. If i just jumped right into the work set it would feel heavier than it should.

[Guest]

Ok, I'll do the stretsching all at the begining. And how should I judggle the number of reps for each excercise?

[JeffD]

After reading about your forearm and wrist problems, im not sure id do those reverse curls with a barbell...thats asking for more trouble. An EZ curl bar is a better alternative, but even then i could see that causing pain for your forearms.

As for the rep juggling, theres many ways you can do it, but the idea is pretty simple. Just dont use the same range for the same exercise for more than a few weeks. EXAMPLE: You could do 4 sets of 4-6 reps for one week...then switch to 2 sets of 12-15 for the next week...then maybe 3 sets of 8-10 after that. Know what im saying?? Lets look at your Monday workout of chest and back. To keep things simple, if your going to go 4 sets of 4-6 for your chest that day(flat and incline bench)...use the 2 sets of 12-15 range that day for the 2 back exercises. That way you wont have to wipe yourself out by doing 16 heavy sets of 4-6 reps(combined chest and back)! The following Monday go 3x8-10 for chest and 3x 8-10 for back. The 3rd week do 2x12-15 for chest and 4x4-6 for back...and so on. Thats just one way to do it but its pretty easy and keeps things fresher..just remember to jot down what weights your using so you can keep track. Use that as your base for a while and eventually move on to some other more advanced routine depending on your goals!

[Guest]

Got it. I'll cut out the forearm and bicep work for now. But I can't avoid it forever. How often should I check to see if my arms are healing? Once a week, once every two weeks?

[rexallxp]

That wrist/forearm pain may very well be tendonitis. In that case, you should avoid anything that puts downward weight into your palms. I've been dealing with tendonitis for a while, now (hopefully) being on the tail end of it. I just stopped doing EZ bar and dumbell curls. If you add bent over rows to your back day, you'll be working your biceps pretty hard then. Especially if you do reverse grip barbell rows.

[Sliver]

That's the thing, the doc said it was neuritis. But I honestly have no idea how to tell the difference between them.

[Sliver]

Ok back to the intensity juggling thing. Time really isn't a factor. I just can't do a fully body routine 3 times a week, and trying to do different excercises and different intensities will be impossible to keep track of. So can vary the intensity by the week? (Week 1 = light, week 2 = medium, week 3 = heavy, week 4 = Rest)

[George G]

Ok back to the intensity juggling thing. Time really isn't a factor. I just can't do a fully body routine 3 times a week, and trying to do different excercises and different intensities will be impossible to keep track of. So can vary the intensity by the week? (Week 1 = light, week 2 = medium, week 3 = heavy, week 4 = Rest)

If you have a training log, then doing different excercises and different intensities will NOT be impossible to keep track of. If you don't have a training log, then start one.

Varying intensity by week is not a good solution in my opinion. On your heavy week you will run into the very problem you were trying to avoid in the first place (too much intensity). And your light week will be too light.

[Sliver]

I went and worked out a log. And I looked up "training log" and found the ExRx page and read this.

A weight training log allows for optimal progress. Too much or too little weight may be used if resistance is not recorded. If too much weight is used, form may suffer and injury is more likely. If too little weight is used, the body does not have to adapt to a overload (muscular strength, muscular size, power, increased bone density, joint integrity, increased metabolism, etc.).

Does weight training really cause increased bone density?

[Guest]

Does weight training really cause increased bone density?

Yes :)

[TimD]

I went and worked out a log. And I looked up "training log" and found the ExRx page and read this.

A weight training log allows for optimal progress. Too much or too little weight may be used if resistance is not recorded. If too much weight is used, form may suffer and injury is more likely. If too little weight is used, the body does not have to adapt to a overload (muscular strength, muscular size, power, increased bone density, joint integrity, increased metabolism, etc.).

Does weight training really cause increased bone density?

Yep, it sure does. More and more studies have been being done lately with the Boomer generation (which I am a member), and apparently, more and more cases of osteoporosis and osteoarthritus are showing up. It has been shown that weight bearing exercise (of course a vit/mineral rich diet counts too) can prevent and actuially reverse bone loss. You can always use a search engine and search for something like "the effects of weight training on bone density".
Tim

[Guest]

As a matter of fact any exercise makes bones thicker. If you notice, some body fat calculators have another mode for people who exercise frequently. This is because of the increased impedence caused by bone mass. Weights cause even more bone increase. In fact the body is constantly adding and removing bone. It adds bone to areas bearing weight and removes it from areas that don't in order to keep you lighter. Every few years you actually have a totally different skeliton. I don't remember the exact time. Osteoperosis has a lot to do with being sedintary. Weight training is a good way to maintain bone strength and thickness as well as that of the muscle and conective tissue. Just look at the problems people have in space with the 0 G environment. The solution is going to be spinning them for a time each day to expose them to gravity. This will counter the effects of weightlessness.