Intro and Help with Routine

[ChocoChick]

Hi -

I am new here and looking for some help with my routine. I am inmy mid-40's, 5'7", 127 pounds. I am interested in losing fat while preserving as much muscle as possible (would like to gainmuscle, actually, but from everything I've read here, that's a pipe-dream). My diet is ok - my weight is stable - and consists of a 60/25/15 split of carb/protein/fat.

Here's my current routine:

Day 1 -
Squat
Bench press
Dips
Bicep curls
Abs
Aerobic exercise (leg-based)

Day 2
Squat
Shoulder Press
Lat Pulldown
Rows
Abs
Aerobic exercise (leg-based)

I'm doing a modified pyramid:
set 1 - 75%-80% of weight, 12 reps
set 2 - 90% of weight, 10 reps
set 3 - 100% of weight, 8 reps

Any suggestions? I can't lunge (bad knees) but otherwise no health problems.

[Laurie]

Wellll.......

Depends on what you are looking for when you say " to gain muscle". We do not have the high amounts of testosterone like the guys to get "big" and there is genetics. The women bodybuilders really have to work to get that "ripped" appearance seen in contests. Then you have the fitness competitors and the Strong Women contests where you see a wide variety of women competitors that do show quite abit of muscle or not as much as you might think and are still quite strong.

Most women are looking for "toning" however and get put off by any image not construed as not being "feminine" looking.

But you can gain muscle if you work out with moderate to heavy weights in the 6 to 8 reps area.

For myself, I would increase the protein more and lower the carbs abit...the fats are fine. You have to increase your protein to help build the muscle and boost your metabolism.

As to your routine, I would keep the squats to one day rather than doing them twice.

You did not say if you are using dbl or bb only or have both.

Include a Tricep exercise like an "Overhead" or "Lying Down" Tricep Extension along with your bicep curl. You do have Dips but these extra Tricep exercises will also help firm/build up that area. This will certainly help increase your bench work too.

Try different curl forms like sulpinating curls (great for the forearm) and hammer curls if all you were doing is standard ones.

Have you thought about including "Flyes" with your bench?

Along with shoulder work, I would include some raises to help form the anterior and posterior delts. I am unable to do lateral raises myself due to an old rotator cuff injury in my Left arm (not from lifting). However there is a alternative where you are holding the dbls as if holding a cup with your arm in a 45 degree angle ("L") and raise your arm as if pouring.

I am 52, 5' 6 1/2", large boned and 183. But I started out a year and a half ago at 245lbs and a good deal of that fat. I still have fat to lose...but quite abit of that 183 is muscle now. My routine is still similar to the one given when I took a women's college strength class for a year. Still kept with it after the last class ended in December.

Day one (3 sets)

Bench press (115 and 125...warm up with 80)
Incline (90)
Flyes (25 and 30lb dbl)
Curls (sulpinating)... 6 to 8 with 25lb and 30lb dbls
Tricep Overheads

Day Two

Shoulder press w/dbls (palms facing each other)
Alternative lateral raise
Bentover DBL rows (45lb dbl)
Bentover BB rows (115)

Squats with 205lbs....
When I left the class, I was beginning to do this with 275 but the gym there had a power rack. At home, all I have is an Olympic adjustable bench with moveable crutches.....and no spotter. I am looking for more plates now to add and will be badgering my husband to make me a rack soon.

Living a rural lifestyle and raising animals, I did have more strength than most of the women in my beginning class. But had lost flexibility and felt out of kilter from being so overweight for over 33 years. That and having two ceasareans and raising two kids (21 and 17 now). My weight bounced from 220 to a maxium of 260 and back to 245 after going through menopause in my mid forties. What diet?

We all started out with low weights (5 and 10lb dbl) but I found these too light. My instructor started me out with slightly heavier ones after a week. Found I liked lifting and the feeling it gave, ran with the class premise throughout the year. Dropped the fat and built up muscle as I went. Ok, my fat 16 inch arms did not turn into 16 inch muscled ones....just 14 inch ones but there is muscle definition and my "batwings" certainly have shrunk. This certainly helps when lifting hay bales or carrying/handling our dwarf goats. My back broadened out abit more (always was broad shouldered to begin with) and I have better cleavage from my built up pecs.

My husband bought my Olympic bench, bb and plate as a Jul gift near the end of my first semester. He loves the changes I have gone through.

[ChocoChick]

Thanks so much for your reply. I am more focused on losing fat than gaining muscle. Everything I've read says you can't do both at once (except as a beginner), so I've identified fat loss as my primary concern.

That said, is there some place you can point me so that I can see what some of the movements you recommended look like? I think I know what a "flye" is, but would like to be sure about form. And I have no idea what a sulpinating curl is or either of the triceps movements you recommended are. I'm also not familair with the rows.

Your workout is incredible. I can't imagine progressing to those weights! How often do you work out? And how long do you rest between workouts? Do you incorporate any aerobics into your program (something else I have read mixed thoughts on).

Thanks again.

Oh yes, I have access to pretty much everything -- I joined a gym after my husband got tired of stubbing his toes on various db's and bb's strewn across the bedroom floor! We don't really have the room for an at-home workout area.

[jacqui583]

There's a great exercise database right here on this site; here's the link.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/exercises.htm

[Laurie]

"Sulpinating curls" start with the palms facing your thigh at the bottom . As you raise your arm, you twist forearm (keeping wrist stiff) on the way up ending with the palms facing you. Reverse to go down. This not only hits the bicep but also builds the forearm as well. For a long time, I had some flexibility problems turning my palms "up". Working with the dbls like this, helped improve this motion.

Since leaving the class, I have tried to keep a three day split whenever possible at home. But not always possible. Sometimes, it is more like every two days. I do not have any cable or machines at home, so pulldowns or cable rows are out of the question. But you adapt and there are plenty of alternative exercises that replace these.

As for the weights. After the instructor started me on the heavier weights, I decided, afterwards, to see just how far I could take the class' premise. Lifting for strength is doing 8 - 12 reps with moderately heavy weights. Lifting for power is doing it with heavy weights at lower reps. At some point, I just drifted into something of a mixture.