44 year old "newbe"

[NewOldzguy]

Hello to all,
just want to start off by saying "thank you" to the people that built this site & its members who give out advice & discussion for those who ask.

resources are limited on my home gym but i need to start some place.
(have a used body solid smith machine with a 180lb stack on it with high low/pulleys.)

so the workout routine i have is built around those limits. i would appreciate some input on the routine that i use or some suggested links to help out (this is a big site for me).

currently the sets that i been doing have been a set of 15 reps, 12,10,8,6 the finish with starting weight again between 8-12 reps.
the schedule is a 3 day (ie. Mon weds fri) 2 body parts each day.

i have done some research on exercises for the smith machine & pulley (joe tong, u-tube)
Monday
CHEST
Flat bench
incline
TRICEPT
close hand press
skull crusher (low pulley)
pushdowns (high pulley)

Weds
BACK
bent over rows
low rows
behind the head pull downs
BICEPT
standing curls
preacher curls

Friday
SHOULDER
Shoulder presses behind the head
LEGS
box/bucket squats
calf raises

being an older guy Should i be doing more reps? exercises? Different exercises? any input would be appreciated.

[carbkilla]

If you're just starting out I would do a general workout with compound exercises 3x a week and save the split for about 6 months down the road. I would add about 15-20 minutes of cardio training and stretching in the morning to get the metabolism going. Also, I would eliminate any behind the head exercises and be painfully aware of any burning in your shoulders. Have you started to change the way you eat, it's just as important as lifting. Hey, I knew a guy once that thought he was on the Adkins diet because he ate his cheese steak sub without the bread roll. It's funny the things we can talk ourselves into. The important thing is don't go hog wild then bulk out of the program, it doesn't matter so much what you do as long as you are developing the exercise habit/lifestyle.


Hope that helps,
CK

[drudixon]

I'd have to see a pic of said (specific) machine to see what you're talking about. That said, I'm not a fan at all of 1 body part / week. I simply don't grow on it. For just starting out, look to Rippetoe's Starting Strength which, while boring, is the fast track to some good strength and mass.

[bigtallox]

(snip)
i have done some research on exercises for the smith machine & pulley (joe tong, u-tube)
Monday
CHEST
Flat bench
incline
TRICEPT
close hand press
skull crusher (low pulley)
pushdowns (high pulley)

Weds
BACK
bent over rows
low rows
behind the head pull downs
BICEPT
standing curls
preacher curls

Friday
SHOULDER
Shoulder presses behind the head
LEGS
box/bucket squats
calf raises

being an older guy Should i be doing more reps? exercises? Different exercises? any input would be appreciated.

No, don't do more reps just because you think you're older. IMHO, you need to include both low rep work and high rep work in your routine. You're missing deadlifts, if I had to choose one thing nobody should miss, it'd be deadlifting.

[paqua17]

If you can spare a couple of hundred dollars (probably less) I recommend you buy a used Olympic bar and weight set for it (the "standard" available seems to be 255# of weight to go with it). Scour craigslist in your area for deals. This can go a long way.

[NewOldzguy]

If you can spare a couple of hundred dollars (probably less) I recommend you buy a used Olympic bar and weight set for it (the "standard" available seems to be 255# of weight to go with it). Scour craigslist in your area for deals. This can go a long way.

thanks for the input:

CARBKILLA: Is running 2 miles on off days tues weds thurs (good enough cardio)?
as far as diet, its confusing for me @ this point, i would eat the same thing everyday to simplify for now egg whites on whole wheat bread?

DRUDIXON: i posted some pics of what i have below

BIGTALLOX: just double checking, 6 sets per exercise is good (15 reps,12,10,8,6, 8-12 finish)
& can someone do deadlifts on a smith machine??

PAQUE: i will keep an eye out on craigs list but $$ is tight right now.

[alex2363]

thanks for the input:

CARBKILLA: Is running 2 miles on off days tues weds thurs (good enough cardio)?
as far as diet, its confusing for me @ this point, i would eat the same thing everyday to simplify for now egg whites on whole wheat bread?

DRUDIXON: i posted some pics of what i have below

BIGTALLOX: just double checking, 6 sets per exercise is good (15 reps,12,10,8,6, 8-12 finish)
& can someone do deadlifts on a smith machine??

PAQUE: i will keep an eye out on craigs list but $$ is tight right now.

try do cardio as much can if you wanna burn sum fat...nice set up of weight/equipment....if you dont have a olypic type bar then do squats on s/machine...

[mmastrong]

do some side lateral raises for side delts and some military presses for front delts 3 sets 8-10 reps on your shoulder day that way you work uour other shoulder muscle which in return will make you less injury prone and i would do rear db lateral raise rather than behind head presses they can injure your shoulder very easy

Hello to all,
just want to start off by saying "thank you" to the people that built this site & its members who give out advice & discussion for those who ask.

resources are limited on my home gym but i need to start some place.
(have a used body solid smith machine with a 180lb stack on it with high low/pulleys.)

so the workout routine i have is built around those limits. i would appreciate some input on the routine that i use or some suggested links to help out (this is a big site for me).

currently the sets that i been doing have been a set of 15 reps, 12,10,8,6 the finish with starting weight again between 8-12 reps.
the schedule is a 3 day (ie. Mon weds fri) 2 body parts each day.

i have done some research on exercises for the smith machine & pulley (joe tong, u-tube)
Monday
CHEST
Flat bench
incline
TRICEPT
close hand press
skull crusher (low pulley)
pushdowns (high pulley)

Weds
BACK
bent over rows
low rows
behind the head pull downs
BICEPT
standing curls
preacher curls

Friday
SHOULDER
Shoulder presses behind the head
LEGS
box/bucket squats
calf raises

being an older guy Should i be doing more reps? exercises? Different exercises? any input would be appreciated.

[drudixon]

Thanks for posting. If you can, please do your military press with dumbbells. Smith + military press can be very dangerous due to the forces applied and the restricted range of motion. I had a partial rotator cuff tear doing that very same thing and the sports medicine guy said he'd seen it happen more than once with smith machines. IMO barbell back squats are better than smith squats, but smith squats are still effective. A big thing to watch for is your foot placement and how that may affect shearing forces on your knees. Feet too far back could lead to trouble. That said, they really can be a good tool when used properly. For the curls, I love some good cable curls which you can do with the low pulley. I'm not a fan of preachers unless you have a big tendency to rock while you curl. Otherwise, they make the top end of the movement too easy.

More important than perhaps even the movements is the progression. Try to chart out weight and reps of each workout and set targets that are an improvement over the prior workout. If there's no progress (either increased weight or reps) then your muscles haven't adapted which is really why we all do this. Best of luck!

dru

[NewOldzguy]

Thanks for posting. If you can, please do your military press with dumbbells. Smith + military press can be very dangerous due to the forces applied and the restricted range of motion. I had a partial rotator cuff tear doing that very same thing and the sports medicine guy said he'd seen it happen more than once with smith machines. IMO barbell back squats are better than smith squats, but smith squats are still effective. A big thing to watch for is your foot placement and how that may affect shearing forces on your knees. Feet too far back could lead to trouble. That said, they really can be a good tool when used properly. For the curls, I love some good cable curls which you can do with the low pulley. I'm not a fan of preachers unless you have a big tendency to rock while you curl. Otherwise, they make the top end of the movement too easy.

More important than perhaps even the movements is the progression. Try to chart out weight and reps of each workout and set targets that are an improvement over the prior workout. If there's no progress (either increased weight or reps) then your muscles haven't adapted which is really why we all do this. Best of luck!

dru

ALEX2363: thanks for the input on the "cardio" i will probably have to do more (
as soon as i start getting over all this soreness)

MMASTRONG; ok, will tryout add/rearrange shoulder routine. gonna try using the single (yellow handle) for lateral side raises on Lower Pulley??

DRUDIXON: will add dumbells to the wish list & keep a journal, also on the squats for the smith, been studing this youtube video (guys name is darenstein) shows technique on the box/bucket squat. (i can't post the link. don't have 30 posts yet)