Noob workout and done myself a mischief

MungBean

Started doing weights on Tuesday, I did:

Bench press 4 sets of 20 with 20kg
Barbell curls 4 sets of 10 with 20kg
Dumbbell curls 4 sets of 20 with 5kg
Leg extensions 4 sets of 30 with 13.5 k
Leg curls 4 sets of 20 with 9kg.
Warmed up with a 400m brisk walk and finished off with a 800m jog.

My left bicep began to feel tight early on when using the weights. I assumed that it was because my left arm is just a bit weaker than my right so I carried on, but yesterday my left bicep was extremely sore and I couldnt move my arm a whole lot. Today both arms are very sore and I cant straighten them much.

Is my ad hoc workout way too much for a beginner ? And is there anything that would help with the soreness of the arms ?

SBWife

Sounds like DOMS which means it should feel better in 48 hours, in the meantime ibuprofen should help.

MungBean

Once the soreness goes I'm safe to get back to it then or will I have to give it another few days to avoid a repeat ? Should I cut back on the amount of sets, reps or weights ?

RobAMerc

Sounds like DOMS - look them up.
You should also invest some time and research an appropriate routine for yourself and follow that rather than the adhoc manner you are going at it at the moment.

Start by researching Starting Strength or 5x5 Stronglifts both super routines to begin with, easy to follow, effective and in the case of 5x5 at least come with plenty of support ( all free btw I am not shilling anything )

MungBean

Thing is I dont have access to a gym, just a weight bench out the back with a barbell, assorted old weights and one dumbbell.

Most of the programs I have come across when looking have some stuff that I cant do plus they mostly dont come with any advice regarding what weight to use.

MBateson

I think the programs mentioned above recommend starting with the empty barbell and initially adding 2.5Kg-5Kg every session in the case of bench press etc. and 5-10Kg in the case of squats/deadlifts. This allows you to work on your technique/form and, after a few weeks when the weights start to feel heavy, lower the amount of the increase per session.

john_cappa

SBWife wrote: »

Sounds like DOMS which means it should feel better in 48 hours, in the meantime ibuprofen should help.

If I am not mistake Ibuprofen or other NSAIDS should not be taken for DOMs as they actually inhibit the recovery healing period.

I dont think a full consensus has been reached on the issue. There are papers for and against the use but I would err on the side of caution and use other pain killers if required or avoid painkillers altogether and concentrate on getting the required nutrition into to enable the healing process.

MungBean

john_cappa wrote: »

If I am not mistake Ibuprofen or other NSAIDS should not be taken for DOMs as they actually inhibit the recovery healing period.

I dont think a full consensus has been reached on the issue. There are papers for and against the use but I would err on the side of caution and use other pain killers if required or avoid painkillers altogether and concentrate on getting the required nutrition into to enable the healing process.

What nutrition would that be ? I have been taking whey protein shakes after workout, should I continue with those while recovering ?

john_cappa

MungBean wrote: »

What nutrition would that be ? I have been taking whey protein shakes after workout, should I continue with those while recovering ?

Plenty of protein from a variety of sources (whey, all meats and fish, eggs, nuts, beans, milk)

Plenty of good carbs (sweet potato (or normal), whole grain rice, bread, pasta etc.

Health fats (nuts, oils, fish)

Plus fruit and veg!

MungBean

Soreness cleared up in a couple days as people said. I reduced the weights so as not to do it again. But just have a quick question.

I'm not looking to get massive here or anything just slim down and get fit so I've reduced some weights and added a couple things. Gonna try incorporate lunges and squats next time too.

Bench press 3 sets of 15 with 18kg
Dumbbell curls 3 sets of 20 with 5kg
Dumbbell chest press 3 sets of 10 with 5kg
Leg extensions 3 sets of 20 with 20kg
Leg curls 3 sets of 20 with 10kg.
Warmed up with a 400m brisk walk and finished off with a 400m jog and 400m brisk walk. All at 5/10 incline.

Can I do that 5 days a week seeing as I'm not wanting to increase ? Or do I still have to break it up into muscle groups and give myself off days to let muscles recover ?

Alpha&Omega

RobAMerc wrote: »

Start by researching Starting Strength or 5x5 Stronglifts both super routines to begin with, easy to follow, effective and in the case of 5x5 at least come with plenty of support ( all free btw I am not shilling anything )

fyi rob, stronglifts recently switched to a paid membership site. I would still highly recommend it, as this keeps away the trolls. I'm a member and the simplicity of the routine is deceptive. I've seen some great gains over the past 8 months.

MungBean wrote: »

I'm not looking to get massive here or anything just slim down and get fit so I've reduced some weights and added a couple things. Gonna try incorporate lunges and squats next time too.

Can I do that 5 days a week seeing as I'm not wanting to increase ? Or do I still have to break it up into muscle groups and give myself off days to let muscles recover ?

I would highly recommend squats over the leg ext/curl you're using now. But your equipment is lacking any sort of squat rack. In that case you should either get a training partner to spot you, or else go for front squats. You should also keep your strength balanced and add deadlift and rows for your back and overhead press for shoulders.

As a beginner the weights will be light so you can recover more easily. Your body will tell you when 5 days/week is too much. But most beginner routines recommend a full body workout 3x a week.

MungBean

After a while routing around I devised this 5 day split workout that I intend to stick to. Considering I only have a bench, barbell and dumbbell I have to change some of the workouts, any advice on whether I'm missing something would be appreciated.

Monday

Chest

Flat Bench Press: 3 sets of 10.
Incline Bench Press: 3 sets of 10.
Dumbbell Flys: 3 sets of 10.
Dumbbell Pullovers: 3 sets of 10.

Abdominals

Abdominal Crunches: 5 sets to failure.
Reverse Crunches: 5 sets to failure.

Tuesday

Shoulders

Barbell Shoulder Press: 3 sets of 10.
Lateral Raises: 3 sets of 10.
Bent-Over Dumbbell Laterals: 3 sets of 10.

Forearms

Wrist Curls: 3 sets of 10.
Reverse Wrist Curls: 3 sets of 10.

Wednesday

Back

Chin-Ups: 3 sets to failure.
T-Bar Rows: 3 sets of 10.
Dead-lifts: 3 sets of 10.
Dumbbell Shrugs: 3 sets of 10.

Abdominals

Abdominal Crunches: 5 sets to failure
Reverse Crunches: 5 sets to failure.

Thursday

Legs

Front Squats: 3 sets of 10.
Lunges: 3 sets of 10.
Leg Extensions: 3 sets of 10.
Reverse Leg Extensions: 3 sets of 10.
Calf Raises: 3 sets of 10.

Abdominals

Abdominal Crunches: 5 sets to failure

Friday


Biceps

Standing Barbell Curls: 3 sets of 10.
Seated Dumbbell Curls: 3 sets of 10.

Triceps

Bench Dips: 3 sets to failure.
Push-Ups: 3 sets to failure.

Forearms

Wrist Curls: 3 sets of 10.
Reverse Wrist Curls: 3 sets of 10.

Abdominals

Abdominal Crunches: 5 sets to failure
Reverse Crunches: 5 sets to failure.

Also doing some cardio (walking on incline, running and cross trainer) before and after the workouts. Usually just do a 400m run to warm up and after workout a 400m run, 200m walk on incline into 200m run on incline and then 10 minutes on the cross trainer. Has me sweating buckets.

So far all the different exercises have been ok, felt my lower back get sore with the crunches, and the bent over dumbbell laterals. So I usually do some superman stretches warming up to help with that. I suppose lower back is another muscle that is gonna be a bit sore like the rest until I get used to it right ?