Checking my routine

[terracotta]

I'm 23yo 5'4 and 120 lbs. I am a graduate student. I have about 7 lbs of fat to lose (by the end of may) and I would like to gain muscle. I am fairly skinnyfat. I started a consistent/serious routine 3 months before my xmas vacation and was making weekly progress. I would like to have someone check that my routine is consistent with my goals and is the best way to reach them.

Tues - Back/biceps
Wed - social dance lessons (starting feb)
Friday - legs
Sun - chest/triceps/shoulders

I don't do any additional training or cardio. Oh, and I exercise at home with a barbell, dumbbells and a bench. I am more consistent this way.

Back/biceps - Deadlifts (4 sets of 6-10), Bent-over dumbbell rows (3 sets of 6-10), dumbbell pullovers (3 sets of 6-10)

chest/triceps/shoulders - chest press(4 sets of 6-10), incline db press (3 sets of 6-10),
shoulder press (4 sets of 6-10)

legs - squats (full rom) (4 sets of 6-10), romanian dl (4 sets of 6-10), calf raises (3 sets of 8-12)

[bscrusher]

I'm 23yo 5'4 and 120 lbs. I am a graduate student. I have about 7 lbs of fat to lose (by the end of may)

why? i doubt very much that you have seven pounds of fat to lose. do you have any idea how much space 7 pounds of fat takes up? next time you are in a grocery store look at a 1 pound loaf of bread. two pounds of fat takes up the same amount of space.

and I would like to gain muscle.

the correct order of business in this endeavor is...

1) gain muscle mass

2) lose fat

not the other way around.

I am fairly skinnyfat. I started a consistent/serious routine 3 months before my xmas vacation and was making weekly progress. I would like to have someone check that my routine is consistent with my goals and is the best way to reach them.

Tues - Back/biceps
Wed - social dance lessons (starting feb)
Friday - legs
Sun - chest/triceps

great split.

I don't do any additional training or cardio.

very good.

Oh, and I exercise at home with a barbell, dumbbells and a bench. I am more consistent this way.

Back/biceps - Deadlifts (4 sets of 6-10), Bent-over dumbbell rows (3 sets of 6-10), dumbbell pullovers (3 sets of 6-10)

drop the dumbell rows, cut the dumbell pullovers to 2 sets, increase sets of deadlift.

chest/triceps - chest press(4 sets of 6-10), incline db press (3 sets of 6-10),
shoulder press (4 sets of 6-10)

drop the incline, increase sets of bench press, that is what you mean by "chest press" right?

legs - squats (full rom) (4 sets of 6-10), romanian dl (4 sets of 6-10), calf raises (3 sets of 8-12)

drop the romanian dl, do more squats.

you are very much on the right track, just make sure you are eating enough, and keep doing heavier weights, even if you have to do less reps.

soon you will need access to a squat rack, and you will want to do some parallel squats and quarter squats.

[terracotta]

I gained 3 lbs over 2.5 weeks break and lost muscle. I suppose it is mostly water retention from not drinking enough the last month and the look of lost muscle. I also have a tendency to be overly critical of myself.

How's this: (yep I meant bench)

Back/biceps - Deadlifts (6 sets of 6-10), dumbbell pullovers (2 sets of 6-10)

chest/triceps/shoulders - bench press(6 sets of 6-10), shoulder press (4 sets of 6-10)

legs - squats (full rom) (6 sets of 6-10), calf raises (3 sets of 8-12)

I have no room here for a squat rack... I was actually thinking of going to gym on fridays to do legs (its free at the university and fridays are the least busy).

I eat about 2000 cals on training days, 1800 on the other days.

Is 4 sets enough for shoulders?
And I assume that the first 2 sets of each routine are warmup sets?

[egoatdoor]

Am I missing something? Is the shoulder press a triceps exercise?

[terracotta]

I fixed my posts.. oops forgot to write in the word "shoulders"

I don't do any direct bicep/tricep work. I am much of a beginner and they don't seem to have much of an effect.

I guess they would have been better labelled push and pull

[egoatdoor]

Thanks. I'll look at the routine and get back to you, maybe tomorrow.

[bscrusher]

I gained 3 lbs over 2.5 weeks break and lost muscle. I suppose it is mostly water retention from not drinking enough the last month and the look of lost muscle. I also have a tendency to be overly critical of myself.

How's this: (yep I meant bench)

Back/biceps - Deadlifts (6 sets of 6-10), dumbbell pullovers (2 sets of 6-10)

chest/triceps/shoulders - bench press(6 sets of 6-10), shoulder press (4 sets of 6-10)

legs - squats (full rom) (6 sets of 6-10), calf raises (3 sets of 8-12)

I have no room here for a squat rack... I was actually thinking of going to gym on fridays to do legs (its free at the university and fridays are the least busy).

I eat about 2000 cals on training days, 1800 on the other days.

Is 4 sets enough for shoulders?
And I assume that the first 2 sets of each routine are warmup sets?

looks mighty good. make use of the squat rack, you will love it.

4 sets is PLENTY for shoulders. in fact, if you seem to be making slow progress in that area, REDUCE number of sets of overhead presses. you see, your shoulders are already getting slammed by bench press and deadlift. make sure you are doing your overhead presses in the standing position, and stick to freeweights.

use the first two or three sets of your FIRST lift as warm-ups.
after 6 sets of deadlift you have no need to warm-up for dumbell pullover. your other sessions are the same in that regard.

if you are doing deadlifts you are doing the most effective bicep exercise there is.

if you are doing bench press and overhead shoulder press you are doing two of the best tricep exercises there are.

[bscrusher]

Am I missing something? Is the shoulder press a triceps exercise?

if you do not know that shoulder press is an absolute KICK-ASS tricep exercise, you have indeed missed A LOT.

i urge you to study the kinesiology of the various overhead presses and make your own determination.

[egoatdoor]

The shoulder press works the deltoids in a primary fashion. The triceps are an ASSISTING muscle in this exercise, not the primary. One would NEVER do the shoulder press as a primary exercise for the triceps.

[bscrusher]

The shoulder press works the deltoids in a primary fashion. The triceps are an ASSISTING muscle in this exercise, not the primary. One would NEVER do the shoulder press as a primary exercise for the triceps.

that's where you are wrong. it does not matter whether the tricep is the prime mover or not. what matters is the ACTUAL stress on the tricep.

[terracotta]

The triceps are an assisting muscle for the bench press AND the shoulder press. Anyways, I feel the exercise in my triceps the next day from pushes and in my biceps from pulls. I never feel anything after doing bicep curls except my forearms. My biceps flexed are only 1/2 inch bigger circumference. I'll have to agree with bscrusher, there is no reason for me to do extra work at this stage.

Also, in the past I tried to do tricep and bicep specific exercises, and they are so weak they get totally fatigued from the compound workouts.

As well, lifting heavy is quite exhausting and when I want to add extra things I will change to a 4 day split.

Also, egoatdoor, if you have a routine to suggest go ahead. Don't do this back and forth with other posters thing. I can freely choose what works best.

[egoatdoor]

I started a consistent/serious routine 3 months before my xmas vacation and was making weekly progress. I would like to have someone check that my routine is consistent with my goals and is the best way to reach them.

Hi T. I would only suggest fairly minor modifications to your routine. I think there are other factors that are more important in your attaining your goal. But before I get into that, can you give a little more background? Where were you body weight and bodyfat wise when you started 3 three months ago? What do you mean by"weekly progress"? Do you feel you are still progressing? If not, is that why you posted your original question?

[terracotta]

ok, i'll be more clear. This is the first time I have been consistent since the summer of 2001 (and that only lasted the summer). At the beginning of october, I started to slowly recondition my body for weightlifting. I had a dumbbell set and an exercise ball. In mid november I got a barbbell set and a second dumbbell set and a bench. So I have been only exercising heavy since then. I was increasing my weights at 5 lbs per week. (eg. 40lb bench press to 45 lb). Then I did light workouts only from december 24 to January 10th. I tried a yoga class on the 10th which put me out of commission for 3 days with several pulled muscles. So you see I took approximately 1 month off.


Anyways, I saw progress right up until I left for my xmas break. I went through my routine once this past week and I am only 5lbs below my pre vacation max.

Now for the bf issue. I gained about 5 lbs of fat over the summer. I had bronchitis for 2 months and couldn't do any activity, then I had a 3 week vacation. When I started exercising and changed my eating habits in october I lost 3 lbs the first month. All from my stomach. I figure I was retaining water which I lost after I doubled my intake of fluids. I still had miniscule love handles but I decided to ignore them and go for the muscle. Then over my 3 week vacation I ate a ton of chocolate and got minimal exercise and gained 3 lbs.

My measurements are B-32 W-28 H-37. I am a ruler shape and an ectomorph. My abdomen is also 32. I am only carrying extra weight on my stomach, butt and hips. In 2001 I weighed 112 lbs, since then I grew hips. In october i weight 120, in november 117, and since december 30th 120. So I have to loose probably 5 lbs of fat. I am not worried about the specific number. If the love handles collapse I will definately be happy. A year ago I didn't have them.

I have no idea what my bf % is . I'll tell you I am very skinny with very little muscle. There is no point in me wasting money to calculate it.

Since I was making consistent progress, I am just checking my program to see if it needs improvement.

Oh, and I am very weak - Bench Press (45lb), squats (60lbs+-5), dl(60lbs+-5)

For bscrushers benefit, everytime I say fat, I mean nonmuscle eg water and fat. I don't want to say weight as that would not exclude muscle. If there is anything inconsistent or confusing above it is because I wrote it quickly so just ask.

[terracotta]

ok.. so after reading a few of bscrushers recent threads I realize he means powersquat.. I am not 100% sure of the technique from the pic Emma posted. The only thing I can see is that it is a wider stance. I have more balance on a wider stance and could probably squat more. If there are other details I am missing could someone tell me?

Bscrusher, I already read your description about how to deadlift previously and I have been doing rep at a time.

[bscrusher]

the trick of the powerlifting squat is to sit back as if you were reaching with your butt for a chair that is too far back.

shins stay vertical.

your weight is on your heels.

[terracotta]

thanks bscrusher.. I was wondering for a while why I was only feeling the squats in my quads. I'll do them correctly this friday.

[egoatdoor]

I really think that longer term, you are going to have to do direct tricep and bicep exercises. In particular, your triceps are going to have to get stronger if you are going to progress in continuing to increase your weights on pushing ( chest and shoulder) movements. When I had first mentioned slight modifications to your routine, this was exactly what I was going to suggest.

I want to make two other comments on the routine and then will move on to some other factors. First, I think at some point in the near future, you are probably going to have to graduate to either going to a gym or getting a much more advanced set of home equipment if you want to continue to progress both strength and physique wise. Second, as a relative beginner, I do NOT think you should be trying full powerlifting type squats with your weight on your heels. You are risking injury by attempting this as a relatively new trainer and it is not compatible with your goals in that you are bodybuilding, not powerlifting. Bodybuilders and powerlifters train differently and have different goals. There is a reason you feel your squats in the quads now. It is because you are exercising primarily your quads, not your lower back, not your hamstrings, not your calves and traps and any other assisting muscles. Bodybuilders do squats with the weight on the balls of their feet for that reason, to work the quads.

Now onto your goal of losing 7 pounds of fat by the end of May. That is about a half a pound a week which is pretty significant for someone who has not been able to do this before. I think diet and cardio also have to be strongly considered, not just your weight routine, in meeting this goal.

I don't have any specifics on your diet other than 2000 calories on training days and 1800 on off days, so I am somewhat limited in the specific advice I can offer on what you are eating. I do think that your calorie intake is right on as to maintaining your current weight.

I think you need to add one day of short high intensity cardio to your routine if you want to kick start your metabolism and help you lose that 7 pounds of fat in just 4 months. As an ectomorph, you have to careful not to overdo the cardio so that it begins to burn muscle. But I do not think one short 15 to 20 minute session a week will move you into the muscle burning stage. This cardio would ideally be on a stationery or recumbent bike or on a treadmill, but since you are working out at home and may not have this equipment available, then at the very least, you should start with some fast paced outdoor walking.

Now if you want to do this cardio, I want to get back to diet. To reach that goal, I would recommend that you SLOWLY reduce your caloric intake for short periods of time ( say 3-4 weeks) during the next 4 months. This would be say 30-50 calories per day on a weekly basis ( 1900 to 1850 a day in week one, then 1800 in week 2 and so on). This combined with your cardio should reduce your bodyfat, but not be so drastic that you burn muscle. But I also emphasize the words short periods of time. After 3 or 4 weeks, STOP and go back to the 1900 level for a month to give your body a break from "dieting".

[bscrusher]

I really think that longer term, you are going to have to do direct tricep and bicep exercises. In particular, your triceps are going to have to get stronger if you are going to progress in continuing to increase your weights on pushing ( chest and shoulder) movements. When I had first mentioned slight modifications to your routine, this was exactly what I was going to suggest.

I want to make two other comments on the routine and then will move on to some other factors. First, I think at some point in the near future, you are probably going to have to graduate to either going to a gym or getting a much more advanced set of home equipment if you want to continue to progress both strength and physique wise. Second, as a relative beginner, I do NOT think you should be trying full powerlifting type squats with your weight on your heels. You are risking injury by attempting this as a relatively new trainer and it is not compatible with your goals in that you are bodybuilding, not powerlifting. Bodybuilders and powerlifters train differently and have different goals. There is a reason you feel your squats in the quads now. It is because you are exercising primarily your quads, not your lower back, not your hamstrings, not your calves and traps and any other assisting muscles. Bodybuilders do squats with the weight on the balls of their feet for that reason, to work the quads.

that is total b.s.

1) the powerlifting squat is THE safest squatting technique in existence. it HAS to be. does anyone really think that people are squatting over 1000 pounds with anything other than the absolute safest technique there is?

2) the bb squats may place more stress PROPORTIONATELY on the quads, but since more weight can be lifted with the powerlifting squat the ACTUAL stress on the quads is greater.

Now onto your goal of losing 7 pounds of fat by the end of May. That is about a half a pound a week which is pretty significant for someone who has not been able to do this before. I think diet and cardio also have to be strongly considered, not just your weight routine, in meeting this goal.

I don't have any specifics on your diet other than 2000 calories on training days and 1800 on off days, so I am somewhat limited in the specific advice I can offer on what you are eating. I do think that your calorie intake is right on as to maintaining your current weight.

I think you need to add one day of short high intensity cardio to your routine if you want to kick start your metabolism and help you lose that 7 pounds of fat in just 4 months. As an ectomorph, you have to careful not to overdo the cardio so that it begins to burn muscle. But I do not think one short 15 to 20 minute session a week will move you into the muscle burning stage. This cardio would ideally be on a stationery or recumbent bike or on a treadmill, but since you are working out at home and may not have this equipment available, then at the very least, you should start with some fast paced outdoor walking.

Now if you want to do this cardio, I want to get back to diet. To reach that goal, I would recommend that you SLOWLY reduce your caloric intake for short periods of time ( say 3-4 weeks) during the next 4 months. This would be say 30-50 calories per day on a weekly basis ( 1900 to 1850 a day in week one, then 1800 in week 2 and so on). This combined with your cardio should reduce your bodyfat, but not be so drastic that you burn muscle. But I also emphasize the words short periods of time. After 3 or 4 weeks, STOP and go back to the 1900 level for a month to give your body a break from "dieting".

cardio machines lower the IQ.


p.s. weightlifting is a SKILL, the squat especially, to do it safely and effectively takes the same level of focus and discipline as any martial art, gymnastics, or ballet training.

terra, keep doing research and keep learning, i have been lifting for a long time, and i am always learning new ways to improve my training.

[egoatdoor]

T, I am not going to get into an argument with this guy. You decide what you want to do.

If you want me to PM you, I will argue my points further or rebut his argument. And as someone who has done both powerlifting and bodybuilding type squats, I CAN rebut his argument.

[bscrusher]

then let's see it. come on, share your genius.

[egoatdoor]

I will share it with T if she wants me to. You are out of the loop.

[bscrusher]

YOU are out of the loop.

your own lack of confidence in your half-baked arguements is quite obvious to everyone.

if you really believed your own nonsense you would have the courage to post it.

[egoatdoor]

Looks like Mr. BS got banned.

[Ravenous_T]

Looks like Mr. BS got banned.

He'll just be back with another username.

[imperfectly_lou]

He'll just be back with another username.

I thought he had been banned early in the NY? And used the name shadow something??

[terracotta]

I don't think they banned him just his IP. That's why he said the thing about having access to other computers.

[egoatdoor]

He'll just be back with another username.

And if he keeps up with the same stuff as before, they'll ban him under his new name. The point is he needs to abide by the rules like anyone else.

[Lumiere]

Maybe he is already here.

[Ivey_Itch]

I would just like to say Egoatdoor has helped me out TREMENDOUSLY!

[terracotta]

Hello IveyItch ! I looked at your journal .. great progress! You look like I looked at 110 lbs before I finished growing my hips..just so egoatdoor knows what I mean by skinnyfat. So I am that skinny plus 10 lbs.. which is why I am hoping to lose 5.