Weight training discussion

[deaner]

Just wondering what works for those of you that lift weights. Just got back into it around the beginning of February and have really been enjoying it. Not looking to body build or anything, just stay in good shape. Jumped back into my old routine from college and finding it a little much though. Just looking for feedback from those that know this stuff. It seems like you can find any answer you want if you do a search.

What I used to to in college (when I recovered quickly and had unlimited free time) was:

Day 1 - Chest and triceps
Day 2 - Back and biceps
Day 3 - Legs and shoulders
Day 4 - Chest and triceps
Day 5 - Back and biceps
Day 6 - Legs and shoulders

I would work in around 30-40 minutes of cardio 3-4 times a week after my weight workout, and then abs once or twice a week.

Now that Im 37 with 3 kids Im finding that I dont have as much time, and I just dont recover like I use to. Can a guy see decent gains by working each group once a week? Should a guy go with the same split but just space it out? I mean do the same splits but on day 1, 3, and 5. And how many reps and sets should a guy be doing. Back in the day I used to aim for 3 sets of 10-12 for each muscle and three different excercises......so a total of 9 sets. The reading Ive been doing lately suggests lower reps (4-6) if I am just looking to build size and strength right now. Does a guy up the number of sets then?

Just looking for feedback from people in the field, or hearing what has worked well for others.

 

[NoBrakes!]

Check out Chris Gethin on bodybuilding.com Dean. He's got a few workouts that keep training interesting and I had luck with. Things have changed in the gym, everyone's an expert on their own routine... everyone's a trainer... install ear muffs and get after it.

 

[S.W.A.T.]

I use the TRX system and really enjoy it

 

[broke'n'nuts]

Sometimes a full body workout can be better than splits depending on how many days a week and or time you want to spend in the gym. Biggest problem I found was my joints don't take to the weights like they used to and with splits I started to lose range of mobility. I found some of the body weight hiit stuff to help a bit more. I'm a couple yrs older than you.

 

[Ballzdeep]

Just wondering what works for those of you that lift weights. Just got back into it around the beginning of February and have really been enjoying it. Not looking to body build or anything, just stay in good shape. Jumped back into my old routine from college and finding it a little much though. Just looking for feedback from those that know this stuff. It seems like you can find any answer you want if you do a search.

What I used to to in college (when I recovered quickly and had unlimited free time) was:

Day 1 - Chest and triceps
Day 2 - Back and biceps
Day 3 - Legs and shoulders
Day 4 - Chest and triceps
Day 5 - Back and biceps
Day 6 - Legs and shoulders

I would work in around 30-40 minutes of cardio 3-4 times a week after my weight workout, and then abs once or twice a week.

Now that Im 37 with 3 kids Im finding that I dont have as much time, and I just dont recover like I use to. Can a guy see decent gains by working each group once a week? Should a guy go with the same split but just space it out? I mean do the same splits but on day 1, 3, and 5. And how many reps and sets should a guy be doing. Back in the day I used to aim for 3 sets of 10-12 for each muscle and three different excercises......so a total of 9 sets. The reading Ive been doing lately suggests lower reps (4-6) if I am just looking to build size and strength right now. Does a guy up the number of sets then?

Just looking for feedback from people in the field, or hearing what has worked well for others.

I do almost the same split. As we get older the less time we have for throwing weights around. You should try some interval training or supersets. Myself am a fan of supersets when i'm having a off week. Blast more blood into the muscles and shorten your rest time between sets to less then a min. Shoot for 4-6 sets heavy weight for a few weeks then go back to 9-10 sets lighter weight. Every other week i change it up...just like your schedule but mixed.

1- Bis/tri
2- Legs/back
3- cardio
4- Chest/Shoulders
5- Bis/Tris/traps
6- Squats/deadlifts

I have weak Chest/Tri so i try to hit them more. Wanna pack on more muscle... throw out your supplements and go to the grocery store and buy a sheet ton of food haha, gotta eat big to get big. kidding of course we need to take some supplements...creao, animal packs BCAAs pre work, post wrk...ect. I don't do hard cardio either...1hr on #7 incline and fast walk. I also don't train abs...Abs are made in the kitchen not in the gym haha this is just my 2 cents, but i'm the same age and have to hit every angle now, not like when i was 25 and did chest arm chest arm days haha
Whats your eating pattern? what kind of supplements you taking? Hope we can get some good insight from maybe a trainer or a pro...could be a good thread.

 

[Ballzdeep]

after a re reading your post...i kinda went full left field there...but try out the supersets you'll probably enjoy it :d

 

[brutematt750]

I've been hitting the gym every other day now since Jan now. Started last August but didn't start training hard till the new year.
My split is
Day 1. Chest and back
Day 2. Bi, tri, shoulders
Day 3 legs
I find on leg day I got nothing left in the tank for another muscle group.
I just rotate through that split. I've almost always pyramid my sets 12-10-8-6 going up in weight as the reps get lower. Then I usually go back to the starting weight Right after the last one and hammer out as many as I can.
3 or 4 exercise per muscle group. So at the end of the day I've done 6-8 sets, sometimes an extra set or two depending on how the body feels.
I also try to get 20 min cardio in each day. I like to do 10 min before as warm up and then 10 -20 after

 

[deaner]

Thanks for the feedback so far guys. Yeah I think this could be a great thread, especially if we get people on here that have some background in this stuff. The great part is that no matter what you are doing....it is good! Cant believe how much better I feel after getting back into it. Also finding that the old saying "you cant outrun your fork" is so freaking true. I started this whole thing out by doing light weights, cardio, and a strict eating program. I lost 20 lbs fairly easily and started to get stronger. Ive slacked off on the strict diet, hit the weights harder, and have been putting on more muscle. But with letting beer and some junkfood back into my diet its crazy how fast the love handles are coming back. Kind of frustrating. The more muscle a guy puts on the easier it will get though.

One crazy thing Ive found is how quickly it comes back when you have been at a certain point, no matter how long ago. I used to be in really good shape in college, then tore my right pec off. It took a couple surgeries and years of physio to get anywhere close to normal. Then never did really get back into the gym. Im moving up closer to the weight I used to lift WAY faster than I thought I ever would have.

 

[deaner]

Check out Chris Gethin on bodybuilding.com Dean. He's got a few workouts that keep training interesting and I had luck with. Things have changed in the gym, everyone's an expert on their own routine... everyone's a trainer... install ear muffs and get after it.

Thanks Aaron. I took a quick look at his stuff, and that is interesting because that is another approach I have been considering. Just need to read more to figure out the reps/sets. I read a really good article that said there is some good research showing that one day a week for each muscle group is the most effective, but I think it is contingent upon working that group hard enough on that day. Thats the biggest thing Im trying to figure out right now.

 

[deaner]

Sometimes a full body workout can be better than splits depending on how many days a week and or time you want to spend in the gym. Biggest problem I found was my joints don't take to the weights like they used to and with splits I started to lose range of mobility. I found some of the body weight hiit stuff to help a bit more. I'm a couple yrs older than you.

I hear you on the joints not liking some of the split days. Its one of the reasons I have been thinking about going to a 5 day program where you just focus on one group each day.

 

[S.W.A.T.]

Always good to through in something different. Try using a ball from time to time or doing things on one leg

 

[deaner]

I do almost the same split. As we get older the less time we have for throwing weights around. You should try some interval training or supersets. Myself am a fan of supersets when i'm having a off week. Blast more blood into the muscles and shorten your rest time between sets to less then a min. Shoot for 4-6 sets heavy weight for a few weeks then go back to 9-10 sets lighter weight. Every other week i change it up...just like your schedule but mixed.

1- Bis/tri
2- Legs/back
3- cardio
4- Chest/Shoulders
5- Bis/Tris/traps
6- Squats/deadlifts

I have weak Chest/Tri so i try to hit them more. Wanna pack on more muscle... throw out your supplements and go to the grocery store and buy a sheet ton of food haha, gotta eat big to get big. kidding of course we need to take some supplements...creao, animal packs BCAAs pre work, post wrk...ect. I don't do hard cardio either...1hr on #7 incline and fast walk. I also don't train abs...Abs are made in the kitchen not in the gym haha this is just my 2 cents, but i'm the same age and have to hit every angle now, not like when i was 25 and did chest arm chest arm days haha
Whats your eating pattern? what kind of supplements you taking? Hope we can get some good insight from maybe a trainer or a pro...could be a good thread.

Ive always been leary about supplements and any naturopathic approach, but there is definitely something about creatine and/or glutamine. Ive tried to get back into the weights before but I could just never seem to recover. If I worked out hard enough to make progress I would get sick, or if I went as hard as I could without getting run down I wouldnt really make any gains. The ONLY thing I did differently this time was added creatine and glutamine supplements and I cant believe the difference. Kind of curious which one is making the difference but not gonna spend the time pissing around to figure it out.

For eating, the crazy thing is that all a person has to do is eat clean and you can pretty much eat as much as you want. Its the junk (wings!) and beer that get me. Generally when Im being good I have 5 meals a day that consist of lean protein, carbs, and as many veggies as you want. No sugar, limited dairy, and try to stay away from super fatty stuff.

 

[deaner]

Always good to through in something different. Try using a ball from time to time or doing things on one leg

For sure. I think variation is definitely a good thing. Whether its changing your reps/sets/exercises around, or doing something completely different to shake things up.

 

[Ballzdeep]

Ive always been leary about supplements and any naturopathic approach, but there is definitely something about creatine and/or glutamine. Ive tried to get back into the weights before but I could just never seem to recover. If I worked out hard enough to make progress I would get sick, or if I went as hard as I could without getting run down I wouldnt really make any gains. The ONLY thing I did differently this time was added creatine and glutamine supplements and I cant believe the difference. Kind of curious which one is making the difference but not gonna spend the time pissing around to figure it out.

For eating, the crazy thing is that all a person has to do is eat clean and you can pretty much eat as much as you want. Its the junk (wings!) and beer that get me. Generally when Im being good I have 5 meals a day that consist of lean protein, carbs, and as many veggies as you want. No sugar, limited dairy, and try to stay away from super fatty stuff.

Depending on what protein you are using there should be enough Glutamine in there to help recovery. On heavy days i will add some to my post shake but most say the benefits come from early morning intake. Creatine taken in different ways and times can be very useful. Personally if i take in too much Creatine i get bad water retention. If that's all the supplements you are taking and you feel good....awesome! Your right about the food, once you start eating clean it's pretty easy to eat lots....damn delicious beer n wings tho

 

[adamg]

Probably not a super applicable video, seeing as you probably aren't on the gear like this guy, but it's an interesting routine. And the weights are mind boggling.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3xY4JnDO3k

 

[deaner]

Have you guys ever noticed a difference in gains when going up or down in reps? Ive never done 4-6 before and am wondering if thats why Ive seen such quick gains. Could be muscle memory.....but I have noticed that on muscle groups that I have done lower reps in, I have seen faster gains in strength. By quite a bit.

 

[HUNT 24/7]

Have you guys ever noticed a difference in gains when going up or down in reps? Ive never done 4-6 before and am wondering if thats why Ive seen such quick gains. Could be muscle memory.....but I have noticed that on muscle groups that I have done lower reps in, I have seen faster gains in strength. By quite a bit.

Lower reps with heavier weight focuses more on building strength, higher reps with lower weight focuses more on building size typically.

 

[NoBrakes!]

Couldn't agree more, diet diet diet... my chick is a WBFF fitness pro and it's unreal dedication to get to that level.

superset/giant sets will save time for sure but don't rush. It's all about getting everything out of each rep or you're just swinging weights around. Focus on breathing and tempo, the gains will come!

 

[maierch]

Probably not a super applicable video, seeing as you probably aren't on the gear like this guy, but it's an interesting routine. And the weights are mind boggling.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3xY4JnDO3k

There’s a documentary on Netflix called Born Strong that follows Eddie Hall, the mountain from Game of Thrones and an American named Brian Shaw as they prep for the Arnold’s. It is pretty crazy the food and workouts they do to build mass.

Personally I work do a ton of legs. My typical week is Squats on Mondays, high intensity cardio on Tuesday (usually spin), Upper Body on Wednesday, Deadlifts Thursday followed by another Spin class Friday if I don’t go sledding in the winter or mountain biking in the summer. Usually weekends are my rest days where I get into the beer but working hard all week I usually maintain a pretty consistent 210lbs.

It really all depends on your goals. I tore my ACL a couple years ago and never did anything about building strength specially in that leg for a couple years so it’s been a struggle to get both legs back to similar power. I generally do low reps high weight to build strength as mentioned but I also mix in some volume of both sets and reps within my 9 week cycle to help break the monotony. I also try to mix in some strong man stuff to help keep things interesting.

.

 

[JustChilling19]

Lots of good feedback here. Something different works for everyone. Low rep typically builds muscle mass and higher reps are for toning. My typical gym groupings is as follows:

-bi/tri
-chest
-back/shoulder
-legs

i almost always superset the days I have two muscle groups going. I will change up what I do on days but do find it’s best to focus on just legs and chest as different days because they take so much power. At the end of the day you only have so much in the tank. Make sure to listen to your body, it will tell you when it’s done. Don’t keep going just to finish a routine, that’s how you hurt yourself. I use a pre workout (cycle on and off) then BCAA’s during the workout in my water bottle and a protein and glutamine shake after.