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Critique my workout

post #1 of 28
10/21/07 at 12:00am
Thread Starter 
So I'm looking for any suggestions on modifications to my workout. Currently, it's as follows:

Lifting:

Day one: two chest exercises, three abs exercises
Day two: two leg/ass exercises, two abs exercises
Day three: three upper back exercises, three lower back exercises

Cardio:

one day treadmil, two days eliptical, 45-50 min including warm up/cool down

I alternate lifting and cardio days, and as far as the lifts go, I tend to just throw a bunch of different exercises in to keep things changed up, and do 3x10 to 3x15 for each, depending on how I'm feeling.

I welcome any suggestions people have. Also, keep in mind, though I don't target arms and shoulders, I make sure to do exercises that work those groups as well.
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post #2 of 28
10/21/07 at 1:54pm
I'll keep it short: if you are still working on the same routine as 6 months ago, something's not right. Or, everything.
http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=38080
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post #3 of 28
10/21/07 at 2:45pm
Yah.That sucks.

Not enough of anything
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post #4 of 28
10/21/07 at 3:03pm
What exactly are your goals? Without knowing that, it's hard to give you any positive criticism.
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post #5 of 28
10/21/07 at 3:10pm
Thread Starter 
I'm 6'1, about 40in chest, 31 waist, so I'd like to stay the same size, and just get harder/more defined. I don't want to lose weight, I'm 169-71, and wouldn't mind getting up to 175. I just want to be a bit more cut.
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post #6 of 28
10/21/07 at 11:03pm
You do nowhere near the amount of sets you should do. You should do at least 9-12 sets for chest at 7-15 reps/set. Also two sets for abs won't even hardly be a workout. You have to break down your muscle to build it or to get harder. Just moving a few weights a couple of times won't do anything.
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post #7 of 28
10/21/07 at 11:07pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by KBW View Post
You do nowhere near the amount of sets you should do. You should do at least 9-12 sets for chest at 7-15 reps/set. Also two sets for abs won't even hardly be a workout. You have to break down your muscle to build it or to get harder. Just moving a few weights a couple of times won't do anything.

Sorry, I should have been clearer. For chest, I do three exercises, each containing three sets of twelve. For example, I'll do a dumbell press, an incline press, and dips, with three sets of each. For abs, it's the same, but sets of 15.
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post #8 of 28
10/22/07 at 1:09am
You want to get stronger, go on a strength routine. Heavy weights at low reps will do that for you. Do compound exercises with a full range of motion. Your weight will be controlled by your diet so eat enough to maintain muscle but not enough for fat to develop. Do some reading outside of these forums based on what you want to do. Mark Rippletoe has some good strength books, read Starting Strength and Practical Programming. Read past posts, see what everyone has suggested for workouts. I go by Crossfit and top of the sports and climbing I do, it gives me a kick ass workout. Drizzt goes with heavy weights hitting different muscles, he loves those tris and bis. Eason can probably give you 5 different routines that will do what you want to do. None of this is going to help you unless you believe in what you're doing and are willing to make the necessary adjustments to do so. So read up, understand why you're doing what you're doing and decide what you need to do to take control of your body. Ya, not the answer you were looking for, but some hours of reading now will benefit you the rest of your life.
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post #9 of 28
10/22/07 at 1:24am
Since you're clearly not looking for mass, I would recommend you switch to a full body 3x/week spread. I'm not quite sure what you're trying to target within the context of your post, so if you're looking for something else I might recommend something other than full body each time.

Quote:
Originally Posted by DGP View Post
So I'm looking for any suggestions on modifications to my workout. Currently, it's as follows:

Lifting:

Day one: two chest exercises, three abs exercises
Day two: two leg/ass exercises, two abs exercises
Day three: three upper back exercises, three lower back exercises

Cardio:

one day treadmil, two days eliptical, 45-50 min including warm up/cool down

I alternate lifting and cardio days, and as far as the lifts go, I tend to just throw a bunch of different exercises in to keep things changed up, and do 3x10 to 3x15 for each, depending on how I'm feeling.

I welcome any suggestions people have. Also, keep in mind, though I don't target arms and shoulders, I make sure to do exercises that work those groups as well.
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post #10 of 28
10/22/07 at 1:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by DGP View Post
I'm 6'1, about 40in chest, 31 waist, so I'd like to stay the same size, and just get harder/more defined. I don't want to lose weight, I'm 169-71, and wouldn't mind getting up to 175. I just want to be a bit more cut.
Ok, then keep your diet the same, do your cardio 3x a week/60 minutes, and do 3x/week full body workouts. Something like 4-6 sets per body part, go compound lifts where ever you can: I might do it like this, you could too but it depends on your experience level and strength: Powercleans 3 x 10 Bench 4 x 10 Squat 4 x 10 (or weighted lunges) Close grip anterior pulldown 3 x 10 Free motion Lat Pulldown 3 x 10 (or maybe Row 3 x 10) Bicep curl-to-arnold press 3 x 10 deep single leg press 3 x 10 or something like that- as you can see you aren't doing a million exercises but you will definitely be doing work. Finish it off with abs, try crunches with your legs bent at 90 degrees and shins parallel to the floor, holding a medicine ball between your shoes. V-ups, bicycles for 1 minute, body plank lifting alternating hands and keeping your hips and shoulders level, contra-lateral leg/arm lifts, and maybe 2 minutes of wall sits... If you really need more specifics I'd could make you a strength training routine.
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post #11 of 28
10/22/07 at 2:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eason View Post
Ok, then keep your diet the same, do your cardio 3x a week/60 minutes, and do 3x/week full body workouts.
...

Powercleans 3 x 10
Bench 4 x 10
Squat 4 x 10 (or weighted lunges)
Close grip anterior pulldown 3 x 10
Free motion Lat Pulldown 3 x 10 (or maybe Row 3 x 10)
Bicep curl-to-arnold press 3 x 10
deep single leg press 3 x 10

... as you can see you aren't doing a million exercises but you will definitely be doing work.

No need to be concerned over (too little) work. It's already hell of a whole lot more than what he's doing.

Seriously, those are some excellent pointers. Doing olympic lifts is a must if the OP want any significant results; pay special attention to proper form/technique over the first 3-4 weeks though. Also, abs exercises are generally wastes of time. There, I said it. Do not consider them part of your workout; if you're the type who actually enjoys doing crunch/leg lift, then go ahead, just remember to do them after a full workout.

Alternatively, take a look at CrossFit (www.crossfit.com) if you get bored easily and/or prefer military-type training.
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post #12 of 28
10/22/07 at 3:01am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eason View Post
Ok, then keep your diet the same, do your cardio 3x a week/60 minutes, and do 3x/week full body workouts.

Something like 4-6 sets per body part, go compound lifts where ever you can: I might do it like this, you could too but it depends on your experience level and strength:

Powercleans 3 x 10
Bench 4 x 10
Squat 4 x 10 (or weighted lunges)
Close grip anterior pulldown 3 x 10
Free motion Lat Pulldown 3 x 10 (or maybe Row 3 x 10)
Bicep curl-to-arnold press 3 x 10
deep single leg press 3 x 10

or something like that- as you can see you aren't doing a million exercises but you will definitely be doing work. Finish it off with abs, try crunches with your legs bent at 90 degrees and shins parallel to the floor, holding a medicine ball between your shoes. V-ups, bicycles for 1 minute, body plank lifting alternating hands and keeping your hips and shoulders level, contra-lateral leg/arm lifts, and maybe 2 minutes of wall sits... If you really need more specifics I'd could make you a strength training routine.

Thanks, I could definitely see that working. That's really not that much more gym time every day, which is what I'm trying to avoid. See, I don't really enjoy the gym (granted mine is a piece of shit, and I should look for a different one), so I just want to get in and out.

A question: what kinds of variations would you suggest to switch things up every so often, and would you recommend really heavy weights, or just enough so I feel like I'm working?
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post #13 of 28
10/22/07 at 3:02am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by whacked View Post
No need to be concerned over (too little) work. It's already hell of a whole lot more than what he's doing.


See, my problem is not that I don't like to work hard, it's that I don't like to spend time at the gym. Some guys love working out, but to me it's all about the end result, and I want out of the gym as fast as possible each day. That's why I like the most recent suggestion, seven exercises instead of six, not much more time than I'm already there.
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post #14 of 28
10/22/07 at 3:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by DGP View Post
A question: what kinds of variations would you suggest to switch things up every so often, and would you recommend really heavy weights, or just enough so I feel like I'm working?
As much as you can muster for the target number of reps, provided you have decent form, good ROMs etc... And this max should improve over time. Anything less would just slow down possible gains and make you stay in the gym longer.


Quote:
Originally Posted by DGP View Post
See, my problem is not that I don't like to work hard, it's that I don't like to spend time at the gym. Some guys love working out, but to me it's all about the end result, and I want out of the gym as fast as possible each day. That's why I like the most recent suggestion, seven exercises instead of six, not much more time than I'm already there.
In that case, CrossFit is for you. Look up the link I provided above.
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post #15 of 28
10/22/07 at 3:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by whacked View Post
No need to be concerned over (too little) work. It's already hell of a whole lot more than what he's doing.

Seriously, those are some excellent pointers. Doing olympic lifts is a must if the OP want any significant results; pay special attention to proper form/technique over the first 3-4 weeks though. Also, abs exercises are generally wastes of time. There, I said it. Do not consider them part of your workout; if you're the type who actually enjoys doing crunch/leg lift, then go ahead, just remember to do them after a full workout.

Alternatively, take a look at CrossFit (www.crossfit.com) if you get bored easily and/or prefer military-type training.

i wouldn't say that abs are a waste of time. abs play an important role in stabilizing the lower back. although i agree with you that they're not fun to do.
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