I’ve been lifting weights for many years and try to switch my routines around every month or so. While the magazines are pretty useless, the articles are often written by coaches from t-nation.com which is a good resource (apart from the supplement soft sell).
My main question is which workouts have you found to be most effective, for you. I’ve just started CrossFit and have had lots of shoulder DOMS since doing so as I am not used to volume Olympic lifting or pull-up variations. So I’ve just put together a routine incorporating lots of HIIT cardio to complement the CrossFit.
Any way, my most effective:
For hypertrophy: Advanced German Volume Training
For strength: Main lift followed by max effort Nautilus circuit training (miss working out at a military base)
For weight loss: 400m sprints between high volume squats or circuit training
I’ve been a gym rat most of my life. There was a multi-year hiatus in my 30’s I’m not proud of. But for the past dozen years or so, I’ve switched to primarily body weight type workouts with lots of core work and cardio (swim/bike/run). Past two years I’ve cut out long sessions of cardio and switched to primarily circuit type stuff with short rest periods between sets. The only weights I use anymore are dumbells. For the past year, I’ve been following the Athlean-X dude on YouTube. He’s got tons of content and seems to know what he’s talking about. I like the results I’m getting.
I just started strength training. Since I am not familiar with it, I hired a personal trainer, and my workout is whatever she tells me to do. That prevents me from cheating by just picking easy stuff. I think I get best results from combination body weight dumbbell exercises, such as doing lunges while holding an exercise ball.
For strength training, I’m a fan of Lou Schuler and Alwyn Cosgrove’s work. They have a New Rules of Lifting series (I believe it’s a 5-book series) and I’ve lost track of how many of those workout programs I’ve done. I’m towards the end of their New Rules of Lifting Supercharged workout program right now.
For cardio, nothing beats Insanity. That program is miserable and makes me want to give up and just be content with being fat, but if you want a good workout, that’s it.
I like Schuyler and Cosgrove but haven’t read anything new in a while. Insanity is surprisingly good — just the right amount of encouragement and rest.
Started a new routine today that proved quite tough. The exercises I need to do (not always what I prefer) are divided into four or five supersets interspersed with short but intense cardio — sprints, rowing, burpees, stairs or Jacob’s ladder. And a bit of ab work. We’ll see how it works.
I got a copy of Scientific Principles of Strength Training for my birthday. If you are interested in general strength development and/or powerlifting, this is a very valuable resource for program planning. It’s more academic than most popular works on the topic, but understanding the principles I found very useful in designing a long-term training plan.
I started walking for weight loss a year ago, and even though I have a ways to go before I get to a comfortable place, my skin is getting loose and flabby in spots. So, I hired a personal trainer to help add muscle and hopefully firm up some. She’s a powerlifter with a full gym in her garage. She also does nutrition planning on request.
So far, we’re working one body part at a time (though there’s some crossover by necessity), four days a week. I go Sunday-Monday, take Tuesday off, then go Wednesday-Thursday, so I keep my Friday and Saturday nights free. She was judging a meet Sunday, so the first day we met this week was Monday, which was “Chest” day. Exercises were, as best I can recall:
Warmup with elastic band to loosen up chest and shoulders.
Reclining pulldown x10 into lat pulldown x10, no pause in between, 2 sets.
Shoulder press x6 into bent-over row x6, no pause in between, 4 sets.
And then benchwork:
Bench press x8, 4 sets
Skullcrushers x10, 4 sets
Narrow-grip bench press x6, 4 sets
Dumbbell flyes x10, 4 sets
Incline dumbbell press x8, 4 sets
She mixes up my reps and sets as well. Tonight is “shoulders”, so there’ll most likely be overhead dumbbell presses, plate raises, lateral raises, more lat pulldowns, bent-over rows, and so forth. I still keep with my walking every day, too.
Trying out a new routine. “Cardio” means 400m sprint, 500m row, 5 min treadmill (30s slow/30s fast), 3*1min Jacobs ladder, 10 burpees, etc. “Stomach” is incline sit-ups, Ab rollouts, V-ups, Reverse hypers, etc.
Day One
Superset: Bench variation 5 sets1065%
Chin-up 5 sets
Cardio
Superset: Weighted Dips 310
Row variation 310
Cardio
Farmers walk 1-1.5BW
Back extension machine
Olympic lift 3 sets
Stomach
Tabata preacher curls 510 over 5 mind
Lunges
Day Two
Deadlift variation 51060%
Farmer’s walk 1.5-2BW
Cardio
Superset: Lat pull down 310
Row variation 31090%
Cardio
Superset: Hammer curl 310
Zottman curl 310
Stomach
Glute variation 310
Machine leg flexion/extension 310 each
Day Three
Superset: Fly
Posterior Fly
Pull-ups
Cardio
Smith machine: Floor Press to 90% max
Close-grip Press 310
Overhead Press 310
Cardio
JM Press 310
Tate Press 310
Cardio
Olympic lift 3 sets
Weighted Dips 310
Stomach
Calf machine 320
Barbell curl 3*10
I need to find a routine like one of these and stick with it. I play tennis at a high level (tournaments, etc) so my cardio shape is very good. I routinely do 3 hours practices. However, I am lost when it comes to weights. I just sort of bumble around and try to copy other guys until I get frustrated and then I end up on the elliptical or stair machine since that’s my comfort zone. Maybe I should hire a trainer to set a routine for me? I’d love to put on a few pounds of muscle, but obviously, don’t want to get big or anything. Probably couldn’t anyway. If it matters, I am 6-2 180.
And I know you are supposed to do the free weights, but that’s where all the grunting meatheads with tank tops split on the sides are so I just stay on the machines with the old people and women, lol.
Do your fellow teammates lift weights? You could certainly hire a trainer, but if you have a friend who knows his/her way around a weight room, that could be a cheaper option.
My routine is Saturday PM with the trainer, and then lifting on my own Tues or Wed. Mon and Thurs are cardio, Fri is yoga.
My trainer is a petite middle aged woman who is easily twice as strong as I am, in absolute terms, never mind compensating for body weight. It’s depressing and inspiring at the same time.
Workout:
Back-Front Lunges, 4x8
Squat + Sumo Squat, 2x10 each
Speed Skaters, 3x8
Calf Raises, 100 reps in as few sets as possible
Romanian deadlifts, 4x8
She went pretty easy on me, compared to past leg days.
IA lot of gyms employ personal trainers who will do a consultation with you and then let you book a session where they can work out a programme for you and show you how to do whatever they have planned. My gym allows members to book a free consultation and then pay a reduced rate for a couple of sessions. It’s a good way to get started, and you might then decide that a PT is something you want to continue with.
I work out at home. I walk on an overused treadmill 250 calories and 500 calories alternating days. I’ve broken two ellipticals(one I broke twice) and had to repair the treadmill I’m currently using. I don’t have the money to buy something that would last. One the 500 calorie days I do leg lifts about 4 or 5 sets of 8 on my pull up bar. Before I set up the bar I did ab workout videos from fitness blender, that Jeff Cavaliere guy Quicksilver mentioned from AthleanX and a few other channels I’ve forgotten.
One the 500 calories days I alternate workouts. Tricep/chest, back, bicep/legs every other day. I do a warmup set and a reverse pyramid for 4 sets. Heaviest weight 6 reps, lighten load then 8, repeat for 10, 12. I try to maintain the intermittent fasting technique but my weight loss has plateaued probably because I don’t eat quite as well as I should. I have gotten stronger as well but I don’t always feel every workout is productive as it should be. I get too distracted between sets. But I realize I have to keep at it.
He can be a bit long winded, but he knows his physiology and best way to get a good workout done in under an hour. I used to spend 2-3 hours at the gym, 75% cardio/endurance and 25% strength/weights, but I don’t have the time or the desire to do that anymore.
To keep my heart rate up and reduce lollygagging between sets, I bought a simple electronic kitchen timer for $10. I use it to time various sets and especially the recovery time between sets. It’s really added intensity and shortened the elapsed time for my workouts.
I was basically in the same boat (same height and weight too) - avoiding the huge dudes standing around the weights saying “Bro!” a lot, and doing a lot of cardio. So I took the plunge and hired a personal trainer thru the gym. Kinda expensive, but worth it, I think.