Lifting For Mortals Part 2

sudokuu

Cheers Guys for the feedback on my other tread. In light Of that Ive decided to put my full program up to get some feedback. No Prizes fro guessing where I got it. I'm 25, 5'9 and weigh 12 St. I train 6 days a week. Doing A Mon, Wed, Fri and B Tues, Thur, Sat

Program A

Bench 15reps @5kg 10rep @15 kg, 8 reps @ 25kg, 6 reps @ 35 kg, 4 @ 40kg
Incline Bench 15 r @5KG, 10R @ 10KG, 8R @20KG, 6R @ 25KG, 4 R@ 30KG
dUMBELL fLY 10@ 25LBS, 8 @30 LBS, 6 @ 35 LBS
pARRELL dIPS 15, 10, 8
Chin Ups 4 sets @ 10R
Close Grips Chin Up 4 sets @ 10 reps
Bent Over Row 4 set by 10 Reps 15 kg, 20 kg, 25 kg, 25 kg

Program B
Behind Neck Press 15 @ 5kg, 10 @10kg, 8 @ 15kg, 8 @ 20kg, 6@ 25kg
Lateral Raise 4 sets 8 reps 12 lbs
Bent Over Row 4 sets by 8 reps 8 lbs
Con Curl 8@ 20lbs, 8r@25lbs, 8r@30lbs
BB Curl 15 @ 5kg, 10r @10kg, 8r@ 15kg, 6r@ 20kg, 4r@25kg
Incline Db Curl 8r @ 15lbs, 8r @ 20lbs, 8r @ 25lbs 8r @ 30lbs
Lying Tricep Exstension 15r @10kg, 10r @ 15kg, 8r@ 20kg, 6r @ 25kg
Tricep Cable 3sets 10 reps 50 lbs
One Arm Tricep 10 r @ 15lbs, 10r @ 20 lbs, 10 r @ 25 lbs
Shrugs 4 sets 10 reps @ 40 kg

I know...I Know. No Legs. But I'm looking to run the maraton and dont wnat to run with my legs in pices from the weights
I should also point out I have a bit of a dogey ticker. Get Palps and Erratic heart beat from time to time

TerrorFirmer

Just a basic point but make sure that when you're lifting you start with the heaviest, trying to work up means you'll tire yourself far faster.

BossArky

sudokuu wrote:

Chin Ups 4 sets @ 10R
Close Grips Chin Up 4 sets @ 10 reps

Am I reading that correctly? You do 4 x 10 of chin ups followed by another 4 x 10?

80 in total sounds like a lot. Are you doing real bodyweight pull ups or just light weight on a lat pull down machine?

sudokuu

I'm using a Gravitron and have been slowly drcreasing the conter weight. I should point out I have a very weak lower back and as a result cant do push ups

Vegeta

ok if your back is that week it definitely needs to be targeted for improvement

I assume your goal is to get stronger.

You are doing a lot of exercises every night. How long does each session last??

sudokuu

Generaly no longer then a hour. I try to minimise my time by doing two excerises at once for example, with Program B. I might do the Lateral Rais and instead of taking a rest do a set of shrugs then a set of L raises then shrugs again. My only rest time between sets is the time required to do a set of the other excerise. Im looking to get stronge. But woukd also like some definition

TerrorFirmer

What the hell is a gravitron? Is it one of those assisted dip/chin machines? Does anyone find them.....ok does anyone find they work full stop?? Maybe the one in my gym is just broken permanently or something but I always found that no matter what it was too easy compared to a single, full body chin.

BossArky

I don't like those assisted pull up machines. Always bang my legs and knees off bits and pieces. I don't think they are made for doing unassisted chin ups. Only problem is that there is no proper bar elsewhere in my gym so I have to use it.

Colm_OReilly

Gravitrons are those assisted machines. Like any machine, it does make the exercise easier, but at least you're working the muscles in the correct manner more or less. And yes, unsupported chins/Pull ups are a lot more difficult.

sudoku,

I'd get rid of the dumbbell flies, tricep extensions and concentration curls. Work more on the pull ups with the gravitron or unassisted.

As far as push ups go, start doing them. If you can't do them on the ground, do them against a wall. That way, you're building up the core stability. If the wall isn't challenging, do them off something at chest height, then waist, knee. Soon you'll be doing them on the ground!

Another thing you can do to strengthen the back is to do good mornings - even with just a brush or a pvs pipe.

Deadlifts could be done without any detrimental effect to your running. I also understand your desire to leave squats out as your legs are taking quite a beating at this stage in marathon training but you could do pvc overhead squats, which would help balance out your legs and further build up that core stability - which will increase your upper body power output.

Hope this helps,
Colm

Vegeta

Colm (or anyone in the know) for the OPs and my benefit could you give a description of good technique for good mornings

BossArky

Colm_OReilly wrote:

you could do pvc overhead squats, which would help balance out your legs and further build up that core stability - which will increase your upper body power output.

When you say overhead squats I presume you mean holding a weight overhead whilst squatting? ....or do you mean a military press overhead (for shoulders).

Hanley

BossArky wrote:

When you say overhead squats I presume you mean holding a weight overhead whilst squatting? ....or do you mean a military press overhead (for shoulders).

I believe he's talking about this...



Also, not the wide grip. You simply cannot do these with a close grip unless you're inhumanly flexible thru your shoulders.

Hanley

Vegeta wrote:

Colm (or anyone in the know) for the OPs and my benefit could you give a description of good technique for good mornings

To be honest I wouldn't even bother with them. Personally I feel You'd be much better off with RDLs and SLDLs.

Colm_OReilly

Hanley,

I've found people's back's round a lot when they're doing RDL or SLDL but I see your point - done correctly, they're superior exercises. Do you have any links to good instructional vids of these lifts?

As for good mornings, the key thing to remember is that you're flexing and extended the hip joint only, the back is remaining straight.

While flexing the hip joint (leaning forward) keep your belly button pulled in to your spine as you descent. Pick a spot on the wall and focus on that, keeping your chest up as you go.

If you do this right, you'll feel a pull on the hamstrings (unless, of course, you've great flexibility). Come back up the same way you went down.

Hope this helps,
Colm

BossArky

Hanley wrote:

I believe he's talking about this...



Also, not the wide grip. You simply cannot do these with a close grip unless you're inhumanly flexible thru your shoulders.

Ok thanks. Must give those a try.

Vegeta

Hanley wrote:

To be honest I wouldn't even bother with them. Personally I feel You'd be much better off with RDLs and SLDLs.

Cool

also the lady in the pictuer is a hottie

Hanley

Colm_OReilly wrote:

Hanley,

I've found people's back's round a lot when they're doing RDL or SLDL but I see your point - done correctly, they're superior exercises. Do you have any links to good instructional vids of these lifts?

As for good mornings, the key thing to remember is that you're flexing and extended the hip joint only, the back is remaining straight.

While flexing the hip joint (leaning forward) keep your belly button pulled in to your spine as you descent. Pick a spot on the wall and focus on that, keeping your chest up as you go.

If you do this right, you'll feel a pull on the hamstrings (unless, of course, you've great flexibility). Come back up the same way you went down.

Hope this helps,
Colm

Any time I've tried to teach anyone RDL's I've told them the exact same thing you do with GM's!

Basically stand up straight with the bar in your hands, slight bend in the knees and push you hips back as far as possible. Don't think of anything else but pushing your hips back. A couple of times I've just stood behind them and grabbed their hips and pulled them back so they could feel it...

I've always found "lean forward" causes a rounded back, where's as "push your hips back and keep your chest up" generally seems to keep them in a good position.

From a personal persepctive I far prefer RDL's to GM's because you can use a much greater load and there's less stress on the shoulders and lower back (again this is important for me because all the benching and low bar squatting wrecks my shoulders and elbows very quickly if I'm not careful, same with my lower back) but again that's something that is important to me and is required of my training, it might not neccessairly be the case for others.

But then again the old saying "do more of what you suck at" probably applies here and tells me I should be doing more GM's...

Actually it's funny, Sam Byrd, one of the best squatters in the world (475kg at 90kg) had this to say about GM's.. "i did a good morning once... i thought my spine was shoot out my butt and break a mirror when i got in the bottom position. that was the one and only time... about 3 years when i got started competing."

Anyway those are my personal thoughts on how it applies to my training!

These are a couple of good articles about RDL's, SLDL's and DL's in general;
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1502753

http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1582703&cr=performanceTraining
http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1588392&cr=performanceTraining
http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1607555&cr=performanceTraining

Transform

I agree with Hanley and the op has farrrrr to much repetition in the workout - 3 biceps and 3 triceps exercises = total waste of time and it tells me the weights are not heavy enough and he is not pushing himself hard enough.

4 chest exercises?

You dont count the warm up sets also.

Get to the point where you can do 15 FULL dips and 10 FULL chins without assistance and then you will look and be stronger.

Did the marathon last year in 3hrs 11mins and kept the leg weights in until 6 weeks before the race where i then moved on to high rep body weight leg exercises.

Colm_OReilly

Hanley,

Cheers for the advice and the links!

Col

spiral

I partially tore my ACL in April and was advised to do RDL's to help strengthen and rehabilitate.
I found the following article extremely helpful.

http://danjohn.org/II1.pdf

sudokuu

So what abot Arms and shoilders

tribulus

Overhead Pressing for shoulders. That's the main one for them. Some lateral raises and facepulls/rearflyes/RC work for the back of the shoulder.

I wouldn't worry about arms too much. Their size will come along with overall progress imo.

Pick a curl and do it for a few weeks, say 3-4 x 10 or whatever, try to add weight, reps or an extra set to progress.

Pick an extension and do the same thing. The choice isn't that important but being honest with yourself, putting in the effort and changing things around if you're not progressing are.