Beginner split

D

Dreygan

0
Ok, yesterday I posted with some concerns about the routine my trainer was having me do, and I got some responses which I really appreciate. I looked around on here a bunch and did some research and I kinda wrote out what I think I would like to do. Any input or suggestions etc would be really appreciated. Thanks for reading :)

Before I start listing things, theres a couple notes.
1) I see alot of people suggesting pull ups/dips etc... right now im too weak to do things using my own body weight, i may work into some of those but I cant right now

2) Alot suggested to do a full body workout instead of split, I looked at things and based on my workout days (monday, tuesday, thursday, friday) I like the idea of doing one general area on mon/thur and the other area on tues/fri... if its a horrible idea then let me know, but thought it was close enough to not be a big problem

3) Squats seem to be a favorite around here, and while i may do them at some point i dont seem to be flexible enough to go down very far. I feel like leg presses may be more effective since i can do a fuller range of motion, and hacksquats were the ones that i was shown that i felt most comfortable with.


Day 1
Bench Press/Fly (dumbbell, 3x3)
Cable Row
Back Extensions
Upright Row/Lateral Raise (dumbbell, 3x3)
Close Grip Bench Press/Skull Crusher (barbell, 3x3)
Curls (barbell)

Day 2
Sled 45 degree Leg Press
Hack Squats
Leg Curl
Calf Raise
Seated Crunch
Exercise X*

*I cant find what this exercise is called, you have a cable set low, and stand with it to your side and slightly in front of you, you hold a handle with both hands and make a 45 degree uppercut motion while turning your body away from the machine.
 
I forgot to mention i have some wrist action things that im going to do too but i dont know what they are called and i dont think they'll really effect the rest of the routine very much.
 
It can be a good idea to do some wrist exercises as it can aid with lots of lifts, especially big ones I find. But do your wrist workout at the end rather than anywhere else otherwise you are wearing them down just before you need them most.
 
If you don't feel comfortable with squats, I'd suggest doing 2 sets, with a light weight at the beginning of your leg workout and following that with a couple of sets of leg presses or hack squats. Do 8-15 reps, concentrate on form and going as low as you can. Try go a little lower on every rep in the set if you can, until you can get all the way down to your glutes resting on the back of your ankles. Again the goal is not to do more weight, but to get the feel of going low. After a time, weeks, months or even years, you wil eventually start to feel comfortable with squats and then you will be set for life. But I can guarantee you will never get comfortable with sqauts if you don't do them consistantly!
 
Thanks for the replies :)

Ill be sure to read the form guides on squats later today when i get a chance.

I dont understand though why they are so important? A leg press, or even leg extension supposedly work the quads, but everybody still says deadlift and squats are important...

I always used to prefer machines, but saw somebody mention that with free weights it forces you to work on the balancing muscles or something like that as well... it made sense to me, so as my schedule lists, i use mostly freewights, or cables, with just a couple machines where i dont see alot of other things im comfortable with just yet.

So is there a difference? is it something like the whole balance muscle thing? I always figured the different lifts were basically preference...
 
like you said. Leg press and leg extension are machines, they dont work stabilizing muscles. And squats and deadlifts are natrual movements for your body
 
Last edited:
so in your opinion would you say to replace the leg press and hack squats with just squats and deadlift once i get more comfortable with them? Or would there still be some reason to keep one or both of the ones i have listed now?

Oh, and would a squat using a smith (i think thats what ive heard it called) still be the same value as one just holding the bar?
 
Last edited:
squat with smith isn't nearly as good as squat with just the bar. In fact, I've read an article stating it's harmful (I can't verify this).

This smith machine squat guides the bar in a fixed motion. It's as ineffective as any machine.

Though I've never done hack squats before and I've onyl just seen a picture, they look like they're also in a fixed plane of motion.

Leg curl is also a waste of time. No motion you perform in real life will isolate the hamstrings from the glutes.

The only machines I would use are cable machines for doing horizontal rows.

As for the importance of squat and deadlift. Your body gets the most stimulus when the most amount of energy is used and the largest amount of muscle fibers are engaged. Squat uses your entire lower body and requires alot of energy. Deadlift is a total body lift. (your arms will be tense from holding and stabilizing the bar) You'll find that if you do either squat or deadlift, and try to do the other one, it'll be much harder because both require tremendous amounts of energy. Squats and deadlifts stimulate your body to release the most growth hormone. This is why training the lower body with these exercises can lead to bigger upper body gains (growth hormones affect the whole body).


All in all, I'd practice squats and deads with something light (just the bar) at first, and when you get that motion down, increase weight. Drop all the leg machines. Keep the cable rows.
 
Last edited:
Dreygan said:
I dont understand though why they are so important? A leg press, or even leg extension supposedly work the quads, but everybody still says deadlift and squats are important...
Click to expand...

Think functionality. How many times per day do you push a weight from a seated position like a leg extension? Better yet, how many times do you lay flat on your face curl your legs? Zero.

However how many times do you squat down to pick something up? How many times have you had to move something heavy and had to lift with your legs? Thats the deadlift. Start deadlifting and then go move some furniture, you'll be happy you deadlift.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top