Part II
Day 2:
Stiff Leg Deadlift - 3 sets of 12 reps (week 6 increase to 4 sets, weeks 7+ increase to 5 sets)
Step-ups - 2 sets of 12 reps (week 6+ increase to 3 sets)
Overhead Press - 3 sets of 12 reps (sets stay constant throughout)
Cable Pulldowns - 3 sets of 12 reps (sets stay constant throughout)
STIFF LEG DEADLIFT
In the video, the guy drops the BB once he is done with the set. You don't do this.
I like to use an alternated grip, which means one hand is pronated while the other is supinated. This simply firms of the grip you have on the bar, less likely for the bar to slip out.
Although it is called "stiff leg," you don't want to keep the knees locked. You want a slight bend in the knees, which is maintained throughout the movement. This takes the stress off of the knees.
You want to keep the natural curvature of the lumber (lower) back. If you find that you are rounding your lower back, drop the weight until you can perfect the movement. You will be able to get "deeper" in the movement as your flexibility improves. For now, the bottom of the movement is just above the point where your lower back wants to round. Full range of motion for the average person usually allows the bar to travel just below their knees.
You want to keep the bar close to your body (hips, thighs, knees, shins).
A huge misconception people have is, you simply bend forward at the hips. They are missing out hugely. As with the squat, you want to initiate this movement with your hips, by sticking your butt back. Pretend there is an imaginary wall behind you that you are trying to push your butt against. You don't want to go so far back with your butt/hips that you lose balance. Just before that point, you can start flexing at the hips, which brings your torso down toward the ground. Descend until you feel a stretch in the hamstrings and glutes OR to the point where your lumber wants to round (as noted above).
To reverse the movement, simple extend your hips and bring your torso back up. I like to overly extend my hips, basically thrusting my pelvis outward and squeezing my glutes at the top of the movement. Follow me?
It is very important to keep your back fixed, as the torso leans forward.
This exercise can be performed with a BB or DBs.
STEP UPS
In the video, the guy is using a box. Many gyms do not have boxes. You can use a bench instead. You can start with a low bench and work your way up to a higher platform as your strength increases. You can also use a BB as in the video, or hold DBs down to your side. I prefer a BB.
You want to keep the shoulders pulled back and the chest up during this exercise.
OVERHEAD PRESS
As you can see from the vids, you can use a BB or DBs with this exercise. You can also do them standing or seated. My personal preference is standing, and I use both BB and DBs. Pick which is most comfortable for you!
If you do these standing, don't lock your knees. Keep a slight bend in the knees throughout the movement.
Don't excessively arch your lower back. If you feel the need to do this, that means you are most likely using too much weight. Push the weight straight overhead.
CABLE PULLDOWNS
As you can see in the vid, there is no excessive swinging of the torso that you so commonly see in the gym. You want to lean back slightly, just enough to let the bar pass in front of your face. Pull the bar down to your upper chest/neck. Don't just pull with your arms, remember, you should be pulling with your lats and upper back as well. I like to pinch my shoulder blades together and bring them down toward the floor while I pull the weight down. I find this hits my back best when I focus on that.
Day 3:
SAME AS DAY 1
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OK, so this should be a good start. I probably could have gone into more explanation and description, but there are only so many hours in a day. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to post!
As for movement of the exercises, I like a controlled 2-3 second eccentric movement and a controlled, but explosive concentric movement. This means, in the portion of the exercise where you are flexing, shortening, or tightening the muscle.... you should move the bar as quickly as possible while maintaining form and control. Eventually, you will be using a heavy enough weight which will dictate how fast you move the bar during the concentric portion of the exercise. For instance, when I bench press, it may not look as though I am pushing the bar up fast. However, the weight dictates the speed I can use, and it is as fast as my body will allow.
During the eccentric portion, or the portion of the exercise where you are stretching the muscle, you want to really slow down the decent of the weight and control it. 2-3 seconds will do for now. I see so many people, again, I will use the bench press as an example.
They explode up with the weight. Then, they simply let the bar fall back down to their chest, let the weight bounce off their chest, and they explode back up. This is incorrect. Control the weight. These people who don't control the weight are missing out on a majority of the exercise (the eccentric contraction).
This routine will be fine for any "newbs" just starting out in the gym with the goal of fat loss. I left out a lot though. This is strictly the weight training portion of the program. Remember, there is nutrition, which is most important. Plus aerobic exercise and flexibility work.
A quick note on flexibility work. I highly suggest doing dynamic flexibility work before each weight training session and static flexibility after each weight training session. If you don't know what these are, maybe we can have another informational post regarding the subject. I could not include them here as this post is already way too long!
Another quick note on weight training. The goal of any program should be to get stronger. In order to do this, you need progressive overload. Progressive simply means you increase the intensity by altering some variable as time goes on. In its simplest form, you merely increase the weight on the bar as you get stronger. You could also do more work in less time, increase the number of difficult exercises, reduce rest between sets, increase frequency of training, and so on and so forth. Overload simply means pushing your body to do something that it is not used to doing. Put simply, if 100 lbs is heavy for you while bench pressing, you might be able to get 8 reps. As you progress in the routine, you will get stronger. Soon 8 reps of bench using 100 lbs will no longer "overload" your body. Your body has adapted to that weight. So you would have to increase the intensity in order to continue overloading the body. As you can see progression and overload go hand in hand.
Lastly, the beginning of this should be ALL ABOUT learning the movement/exercise. Don't worry about how much weight you are lifting. Simply pick very conservative weights. In most cases, you can use just body weight, or just the bar, or very light DBs. As you get better at the execution, you can start adding weight. But always be conservative. Jumping up too quickly in weight lifted can lead to plateaus long before you should. Gradual progression is the name of the game.
We are starting out with 12 reps per set. This can be customized to your learning curve, but I suggest something "like" the following progression:
Week 1 - 12 reps per set
Week 2 - 12 reps per set
Week 3 - 8-10 reps per set
Week 4 - 8-10 reps per set
Week 5 - 6-8 reps per set
Week 6 - 6-8 reps per set
Week 7 - 4-6 reps per set
Week 8 - 4-6 reps per set
The sets change as the reps change on some of the exercises as you progress from week to week. On others, the sets remain constant. You will see the set progression in paranthesis next to each exercise in the program outline found way up top.
I am sure I am leaving out a lot of stuff. Future discussion on the subject may lead to edits of the post, but this is a fine starting point.
And DQ, this was in reference to your post, but in reality, it is obviously geared toward all "newbs" of the weight room.
