I've started working out again!

1ZRed

I bought weights off amazon and they've arrived today. They're fairly standard 20kg dumbells.

Anyway I used to be crazy active so I said I'd better cop the f*ck on and get my ass to work:D

I'm 17, 5'11 (nearly 6') 157 pounds <-- lost 12 lbs in 2 months from being sick, so I'm thinner than what I'd like to be.

BTW I'll wait until september to join the gym because its 50% cheaper for students!;)

Until then I want to get a solid start going.
Any advice on how to build an effective routine from home?

For cardio I'm running 2k in morning and evening on week days, and
for strength training I'm doing:
-100 reps of hammer curls
-50+ reps power squats
-50+ reps biceps curls
-50+ reps raised laterals

I'd like to vary my excercises more but I don't have a bench press so I cant for the minute.

I haven't finalised my routine because I'm still working out what I should add to it for the best overall results. What do you guys think of it so far?
I'm open to all suggestions:)

rubadub

1ZRed wrote: »

For cardio I'm running 2k in morning and evening on week days, and
for strength training I'm doing:
-100 reps of hammer curls
-50+ reps power squats
-50+ reps biceps curls
-50+ reps raised laterals

Are these 100 & 50 rep sets? i.e. all in one go, or say 5 sets of 10reps to make up 50?

Most people stick to rep ranges of 3-15reps. You might want to buy more weights. I can fit 4x5kg plates and 2x2.5kg plates on a single dumbbell and just work one arm at a time, this is about 27kg in total as the bar is about 2kg, there is still room for a few small plates too. 10kg plates will fit but the diameter is too big so they are of no use for many exercises.

http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/9003187/Trail/searchtext%3E5KG.htm

http://www.amazon.co.uk/York-Standard-Cast-Iron-Disc/dp/B0015UP91O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336670320&sr=8-1

1ZRed

rubadub wrote: »

Are these 100 & 50 rep sets? i.e. all in one go, or say 5 sets of 10reps to make up 50?

Most people stick to rep ranges of 3-15reps. You might want to buy more weights. I can fit 4x5kg plates and 2x2.5kg plates on a single dumbbell and just work one arm at a time, this is about 27kg in total as the bar is about 2kg, there is still room for a few small plates too. 10kg plates will fit but the diameter is too big so they are of no use for many exercises.

http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/9003187/Trail/searchtext%3E5KG.htm

http://www.amazon.co.uk/York-Standard-Cast-Iron-Disc/dp/B0015UP91O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336670320&sr=8-1

I did sets of 30 for the hammer curls and sets of 20 for the rest. I give myself 2 minutes break between sets or I just move on to a different exercise.
I bought the york 20kg dumbbells on amazon. I found the weights to be a bit lighter than what I wanted -thats why my reps are higher than normal.
I'll look up more weights once I notice these getting too light.

How do you find the gains with them btw?

These are my weights
http://www.amazon.co.uk/York-20kg-Cast-Iron-Dumbell/dp/B004ELB550/ref=pd_sim_sg_1

ray jay

Your selection of exercises is poor. Do push ups and dips for chest and triceps, pull ups and rows for back, overhead presses for shoulders. Try pistol squats for legs, they should create a reasonable lower body load even with just 20kg of weight. Throw in some planks or hanging leg raises for abs. Oh, and curls of course.

If you're finding the weight too light, just reduce the time between sets. That should keep the challenge up until you can get more plates.

1ZRed

ray jay wrote: »

Your selection of exercises is poor. Do push ups and dips for chest and triceps, pull ups and rows for back, overhead presses for shoulders. Try pistol squats for legs, they should create a reasonable lower body load even with just 20kg of weight. Throw in some planks or hanging leg raises for abs. Oh, and curls of course.

If you're finding the weight too light, just reduce the time between sets. That should keep the challenge up until you can get more plates.

Thanks man I'll incorporate them into my routine:)
As well as working my upper body, I want to focus on my thighs as well.
Back when I was training I had really strong legs/thighs so I want them back!:D
I'm hoping overtime running and sprinting would build a lot of muscle on my legs but I always found squats did it faster.
What kinds of squats are most effective for this?

And for push ups, would this be any good?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B003YLRT0G/ref=mp_s_a_8?qid=1336695039&sr=8-8

Lago

1ZRed wrote: »

And for push ups, would this be any good?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/York-20kg-Cast-Iron-Dumbell/dp/B004ELB550/ref=pd_sim_sg_1

Ehm, no..... this would work better:

1ZRed

Lago wrote: »

1ZRed wrote: »

And for push ups, would this be any good?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/York-20kg-Cast-Iron-Dumbell/dp/B004ELB550/ref=pd_sim_sg_1

Ehm, no..... this would work better:

Wrong link:rolleyes:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B003YLRT0G/ref=mp_s_a_8?qid=1336695039&sr=8-8

cc87

1ZRed wrote: »

Wrong link:rolleyes:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B003YLRT0G/ref=mp_s_a_8?qid=1336695039&sr=8-8

Ehh you dont need equipment to do push ups and definitely not something that costs that much!

1ZRed

cc87 wrote: »

1ZRed wrote: »

Wrong link:rolleyes:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B003YLRT0G/ref=mp_s_a_8?qid=1336695039&sr=8-8

Ehh you dont need equipment to do push ups and definitely not something that costs that much!

No sh1t but I hate push ups. They just bore me so much. I love weight lifting but push ups are a pain, not so much physically but just a pure chore.
I was thinking these would keep my interest, and considering they're very intense I might not have to do as many of them as I would normal ones.
I get what you mean though, it's an unnecessary cost.

cc87

1ZRed wrote: »

No sh1t but I hate push ups. They just bore me so much. I love weight lifting but push ups are a pain, not so much physically but just a pure chore.
I was thinking these would keep my interest, and considering they're very intense I might not have to do as many of them as I would normal ones.
I get what you mean though, it's an unnecessary cost.

So make them interesting to you. Change hand position, put your hands on med balls, vary leg height, or raise one leg. The push up is one of the best exercises there is, there are loads of variations of it

If you want to spend money on something im sure you can pick a cheap pair of push up thingys in argos or somewhere

1ZRed

cc87 wrote: »

1ZRed wrote: »

No sh1t but I hate push ups. They just bore me so much. I love weight lifting but push ups are a pain, not so much physically but just a pure chore.
I was thinking these would keep my interest, and considering they're very intense I might not have to do as many of them as I would normal ones.
I get what you mean though, it's an unnecessary cost.

So make them interesting to you. Change hand position, put your hands on med balls, vary leg height, or raise one leg. The push up is one of the best exercises there is, there are loads of variations of it

If you want to spend money on something im sure you can pick a cheap pair of push up thingys in argos or somewhere

For the meantime I'm not buying them because I'd sooner get heavier plates and other stuff. Push up aids aren't my first priority at the moment so they can wait until I've tried all I can to make them interesting.
I'll spend a good chunk of tomorrow researching work out videos on YouTube to try an build a better routine including various push up exercises.
Thanks for the advice though:)

Mellor

1ZRed wrote: »

I was thinking these would keep my interest, and considering they're very intense I might not have to do as many of them as I would normal ones.
I get what you mean though, it's an unnecessary cost.

Why would they be any more intense?

1ZRed

Mellor wrote: »

1ZRed wrote: »

I was thinking these would keep my interest, and considering they're very intense I might not have to do as many of them as I would normal ones.
I get what you mean though, it's an unnecessary cost.

Why would they be any more intense?

Apparently they work your core more because they swivel everytime you push up.
I haven't exactly looked into the full benefits of them but I did read a few user reviews and people really seem to like them.

Mellor

1ZRed wrote: »

Apparently they work your core more because they swivel everytime you push up.
I haven't exactly looked into the full benefits of them but I did read a few user reviews and people really seem to like them.

I know what they do. But I don't see how that makes so much more intense that the reps you need are lower. The load on your chest is not much different, even your core is the same.
The swivel adds a bicep element, so I'm not saying they are useless, I just think you'll still need to put in the reps.

ray jay

If you want to make push ups more difficult, just put some plates in a backpack. Touch your chest off the floor on every rep too. Alternative try dips, they're harder as well.

PauloConn

Pushups are a better, cheaper way to strenght. Use the variations like the others have said, diamond pushups for triceps as well.
BW squats are good but if you have dumbells use them with some goblet and potato sack squats. Lunges as well using weights and bodyweight, front, back and lateral.
And if you were going to invest insomething, get a pull up bar that goes in a door frame. They're normally about 20-30 quid and a great investment.
Best of luck with the training as well:)

opinion guy

ray jay wrote: »

If you want to make push ups more difficult, just put some plates in a backpack. Touch your chest off the floor on every rep too. Alternative try dips, they're harder as well.

Or raise your feet off the floor onto bench or something - higher you go more load. Or one armed push ups. etc etc

Try pistol squats for legs,

I'm trying to do these but can't even do one. Even assisting myself with one arm on the edge of the couch I can't do em. Any tips ?

diegowhite

start with just going from sitting on a chair to standing on one leg, over time use lower and lower objects to sit to, eventually you'll hit that ground and get back right up again:D

opinion guy

diegowhite wrote: »

start with just going from sitting on a chair to standing on one leg, over time use lower and lower objects to sit to, eventually you'll hit that ground and get back right up again:D

Actually......coool idea!! Never would have thought of that

rubadub

1ZRed wrote: »

I bought the york 20kg dumbbells on amazon. I found the weights to be a bit lighter than what I wanted -thats why my reps are higher than normal.

You can load up one dumbbell and do 1 arm at a time. The 4x5kg plates will not go to waste.

1ZRed wrote: »

No sh1t but I hate push ups. They just bore me so much.

Do your pushups slow & controlled, chest to the ground. I was up to about 70 pushups or so at one stage, but it was just lashing them out quickly. If I do proper slow ones I am down to 15. If I do tricep ones, touching both hands together I am down to 6 or so. There are loads of variations out there, it need not be boring at all.

I wouldn't bother with the swivel pushup things, I would highly recommend gymnastic rings or a suspension trainer though, you can do pushup variations on them and loads of other stuff. You can make a simple suspension trainer really cheaply

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjyRdlhc2bo

I have regular pushup stands which I like, non twisting ones, they came in a kit with a chinup bar and other things. I would get the plates & rings and/or chinup bar before them though.