My First real routine!

[Beowolf]

Okdokey! Before now i've been limited to the incredibly crappy machines at my school gym. Now i'm only restriced to a barbell with 100lbs of weights! Woo! Here goes my Proposed weight lifting schedule. I just wanted some feedback, you know, make sure its not completetly stupid or anything. I know a guy who can help me with forms, Oly lifts particularly.

I weigh 175lbs, am about 5'8'', am 15 years old, and have about 22.2% Body fat. I run track (sprinter) and play football in the fall. This routine is mainly to start me off before my mom gets over her "heavy weights will screw your joints for life" phase. I'm looking for speed/strength mainly. Don't care to much about hypertrophy, loosing the bodyfat with cardio will make me look acceptable (Hypertrophy isn't a bad thing, just not a priority or a necassity).

Monday

3 x 8 Front or Hack squats
3 x 8 Bench Press
3 x 8 Power Cleans

Tuesday

Cardio! Either sprinting intervals and some poly/power drills, or burpees and quick lunges (depending on the weather). Might throw in some jump rope too.

Wednesday

3 x 8 Deadlifts
3 x 8 Incline Bench Press
3 x 8 Snatches

Thursday

Same as tuesday.

Friday

3 x 8 Romanian Deadlifts
8 x 2 Chin-ups (Limited to 2 at a time at the moment)
3 x 8 Clean and press

Saturday

Weather permitting, a lengthy run (building in time each week starting at about 5 minuets). Maybe throw in some sprints and light cardio.

Sunday

Rest/Stretch only.

Wadda ya think? Comments? Questions? :p .

I might also do some pre-breackfast work by walking the mile (mostly uphill) to school in the morning during weekdays (I eat at school).

Final question: I know warming up and streching is freakishly important, but i've heard static streching is bad before lifting weights. Should I just do rotation type streches then (trunk twists, arm rotations, toe-raisers ect...) or is there something else? Finally, about how much time should I allow for rest inbetween excercises/sets?

I seriously appreciate any comment. I'm not completly new at this, but there still so much I don't completly understand.

Just a comment: My friends still refuse to beleive that the guys in the pink bandanas and combat boots curling 20lbs are wrong, and that the gym teachers lied to us about high reps (in the 15 - 20 range) helping you gain strength without size :D .

[Pitfighter]

Ok, very good workout routine first of all. Second switch up saturday and thursday. You need time to heal your muscles after weightlifging, at least one day in between, do cardio on those "rest" days. Just remember in general cardio's better for your health.

Your right studies indicate that warming up is best prior to workout. Cool downs, kinda like warm ups but tapering off intensity as opposed top building it up like workouts, work good after workouts. Stretching is important though. Some recent studies seem to show that stretches are really for relaxing the muscles you tense up at rest, the muscles you cramp up during pedestrian hours (I.E. slouching in front of a PC or TV.) But in my experience streching has a synergistic relationship with exercise. The more you stretch the more intense your workout, and vice versa, perhaps not initially but over time this seems to be the case for me. So if you don't have the time or energy do stretches after your workout but please try to do them daily.

On the heavy rep routine your teacher instructed. It's not really wrong it's just that this concerns stamina more than explosive energy. Both actually are related to strength. Stamina allows you to maintain a certain level of duress over time while explosiveness lets you kinda ramp up intensity in any given situation over a brief period of time. Unless your training for something specific do both.

[TheMachine]

Looks good!

Do you do any stability work?

[Beowolf]

Pitfighter - Thanks for the advice. I'll switch sat. and thurs. like you said (though I don't see much of a difference?). I forgot about cool downs though, thanks for reminding me!

The Machine - Whats stabality work?

[TheMachine]

stability work such as core exercises, rotator cuff and unilateral exerises. Exercises on a Swiss ball ar also considered

Pitfighter - Thanks for the advice. I'll switch sat. and thurs. like you said (though I don't see much of a difference?). I forgot about cool downs though, thanks for reminding me!

The Machine - Whats stabality work?

[Beowolf]

I'll throw in weighted crunches, maybe a couple of upside-down ones too. How can I do rotator cuff excercises though? I'll google see what I can find. Also, I'll try to fit in some one-armed pushups (I can do about... one) and/or pistols. Maybe some lunges or step ups too. The above routine is just a routine, I'll be throwing other stuff in there every once and a while :cool: .

[TheMachine]

Good idea. We want to avoid any imbalances

I'll throw in weighted crunches, maybe a couple of upside-down ones too. How can I do rotator cuff excercises though? I'll google see what I can find. Also, I'll try to fit in some one-armed pushups (I can do about... one) and/or pistols. Maybe some lunges or step ups too. The above routine is just a routine, I'll be throwing other stuff in there every once and a while :cool: .

[NaughtyKnight]

I like it as it is.

When do you do ma? You need to factor that into your programs so people can see if your doing too much in one day etc.

You'll get some pretty decent gains from that program. Solid compound, good quality cardio work. Tight program.