Need some help with setting up a basic weight training program

C

cellar

0
Hi there, I just joined up on the forums here to ask for a lil help. I'm looking to set-up a basic training program to help me get in shape for summer and to help shed some fluff that winter has left me with. Luckily I have a basic workout room setup downstairs but I am limited to a bench press and a set of dumbells, as well as the old tredmill and a some rubber bands and medecin balls.
What I need help on is staggering out my workout. I have no idea what muscles should be worked out on the same day with each other and all that. I am adding some running into the mix, just 1-2 miles about 4 times a week, and I am becoming obsessed with flattening out my abs and adding some definition to my chest. I know balance is the key, so I decided to come as for some advice instead of throwing a bunch of work outs together. I gotta jet for now, but any questions or info people can toss my way will be much appreciated. I'll get into some more details later on.

- one love

Eric
 
If your main goals are to improve your conditioning and trim up, I'd go with some full-body circuit training for the most part.Even though many people overlook circuit training as being ineffective, I think they can be tailored to whatever your goals may be and are highly productive.

In the weight room, I would follow a basic push/pull/squat circuit.Choose one exercise from each and hit between 3-6 circuits of anywhere between 8-15 reps depending on the difficulty of each individual exercise.A few exercises to pick from:

Push:
bench press
incline press
overhead press
push press
dips

Pull:
pull-ups
chin-ups
bent rows (single- or double-arm)
pullovers (on bench)
inverted flyes

Squat*:
squat (dumbells on shoulders or at sides)
single-leg squat (non-working leg resting on bench)
step-ups
lunges
overhead squats

*you could also include one-arm dumbell swings or snatches in the squat category

A sample circuit could look like:
single-leg squats 10 reps per leg
bench press 10 reps
single-arm row 8 reps per side

Short circuits like the one above can be referred to as micro-circuits.You could also do a macro-circuit:
single-leg squats
bench presses
single-arm rows
single-arm snatches
push presses
inverted flyes


I'd also include outdoor circuits for your cardio work if you don't want to do just running.
An outdoor circuit can include sprints, medicine ball work and bodyweight exercises:

medicine ball recoveries
burpees
medicine ball carioca
lunges

*For medicine ball recoveries, you chest pass the ball as explosively as you can and then sprint after it and recover it.Depending upon the weight of the ball and how explosive you are, you will probably be sprinting between 10-25 meters.You then pick up the ball and repeat for the desired distance, say 100 meters or the length of a football field.
Medicine ball cariocas are something I have just started experimenting with.For these, you perform a simple carioca drill with the feet, but the ball moves in sync with the feet.These seem to target the hips as well as the core muscles.Same as medicine ball recoveries, set a specific distance for this drill.

These are just some ideas to get you started if you decide to try circuit training.
 
wow thanks, that is almost exactly to a T what I was looking for. I do have some newbie questions though. Circuit training seems different then what I've seen before where you work out one or two body areas per day, and doing that every other day alternating body regions. With circuit training your doing a little of everything every day? Or do you need to rest a day between macroworkouts? Whats the benefit of using a circuit training schedual over the one muscle group a day everyother day? I'm sure the answers are right in front of me, but then again I'm being as careful as possible.

Also on a side note, it seems that because of my jobs over the past 2-3 years the right side of my body (pecs, biceps, and abs) seems to be smaller/weaker then my left. Can I compensate that just by doing the normal workout with a few exercises at the end focused on just using the right side of my body (idk how you focus on the right side of ab muscles haha)?

thanks again for the info, its been a HUGE help.

one love

Eric
 
cellar said:
Circuit training seems different then what I've seen before where you work out one or two body areas per day, and doing that every other day alternating body regions. With circuit training your doing a little of everything every day? Or do you need to rest a day between macroworkouts? Whats the benefit of using a circuit training schedual over the one muscle group a day everyother day? I'm sure the answers are right in front of me, but then again I'm being as careful as possible.
Click to expand...


Focusing on one or two muscle groups per day is more along the lines of what bodybuilders do as they are trying to focus exlusively on each muscle.I think this method is good for developing size, but for general fitness and conditioning, you basically want to work the body as one unit, meaning you work most if not all muscle groups in a single session.

When you do full-body routines, most people will benefit from alternating a training day with a rest day (meaning no exercise) or a recovery day (meaning light exercise like a low-intensity session on a cardio machine or a 1-2 mile walk).As an example, you can do full-body circuits on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, take Tuesday and Saturday off and do recovery work on Thursday and Sunday.

You can and should incorporate plenty of variety in your circuits.Don't do the same thing every time.Vary the exercises, exercise order, sets, reps, weight, rest intervals, speed of execution, etc.The amount of variety is an individual thing and something you will just have to experiment with but there are tons of options.You want to work hard and challenge your body but at the same time you want to keep things interesting, which is where variety comes in.


Re the under-developed muscles, you can include a few sets to address this problem after your circuits or add a few reps during your circuits for your weak sides.For example, say you are doing 10 reps of single-leg squats in your circuit.After you complete 10 reps for each leg, go to your weak side and squeeze out a few more.You can do the same thing with bench presses and one-arm rows; do a few more reps on your weak side than your strong side.For the abs, twisting crunches and side planks may be an option.

I had the same problem when I worked landscape construction.My left trap and right lat muscles became overdeveloped from all the shovelling I was doing.Single-arm dumbell shrugs and rows helped to compensate for the overdevelopment, but it took a long time to do.That is why, with manual labor type jobs, it is best to alternate back and forth between sides, especially when lifting or shovelling to not only stop overdevelopment of one side of your body but also to protect against injuries.When one side of your body becomes too strong, your weaker side has trouble keeping up and this muscle/strength imbalance can cause some serious trouble in the future.Just something to keep in mind.
 
thanks a lot for droppin all that info on me. It's becoming a great help.
much love to Ballast.

I got a question a lil question off topic. My dad used to be a pro athlete and he suggests that adding some Core exercises will help out dramaticly. Any place I can go to get some info on the different types or core exercises?

one love
- Eric
 
Eric:

You can do a google search for core strength exercises. Also, your father is absolutely correct. Every movement your body makes originates in your core (deep trunk muscles). A weak core makes for a weak body.
 
hey I have a question as far developing my underdeveloped ab muscles. If it is the right side of my abs that are underdeveloped and I am doing planks, do I do the exercise resting on my right arm to work the right side of the abs? or the left side? it's been drivin me nuts

also I was wondering if you guys had any tips as far as oblique exercises (trying to get rid of my pseudo love handles).

thanks
one love
- Eric
 
anyone know which arm you rest on when doing planks corresponds to the right side of your abs? It may be a stupid question, but i'm just looking to make sure as I am unbalanced enough.
 
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