Changed the routine and am going to try and keep this one for 5 weeks before changing it again (dont want the plateau)... any major changes need making? This is only weights, not my CV activities: Monday Wednesday and Friday: DB Chest Press DB Shoulder Press Single Arm Bent-over Row Upright Row Decline Sit Up Squat (ATG, wide leg or close leg, havent quite decided) Hammer Curl Kickbacks All 12 Reps/3 Sets
Deadlifts in there somewhere would be nice and some shrugs. Maybe chins also? Being three days a week I would recommend you split it up by like Chest/Triceps and Shoulders one day, Legs/ABS/ Traps another day then Back/Biceps. Just to make it a bit easier. If you don't want to plateu change rep schemes every so often. 3*12 is bordering on conditioning in my opinion, 3*8/10 is more conventional. Swapping this with 5*5 and 4*6, 6*4, 10*3 would maybe help you. Just my 2 cents
Yeah i'd prefer to do 8 reps, but until the extra weights get delivered next week i gotta do 12 to get the most out of it really. (Not on all the lifts, but the presses definately... I'll look at doing the others to 8 right now). Can I deadlift with DBs or do I need to go rummaging through my garage for an old barbell?
It all depends on what your goals are. I would add more big compound movements. Some power cleans, some snatches, some dead lifts (maybe Romanian's). As others have pointed you want to get some pulling action going on. Chin ups are great for that and when they get too easy... go for some with weights. Try to add something like some Rotational Plate Twists with a 15kg Oly plate for starters... that will build massive rotational power and will give you an insane whole body workout. I do them in three sets of 6 for each side (left and right) and I'm dripping wet after that... and your lungs get a workout, your legs burn and your shoulders ache. On most of my stuff I'm not going as much as 12 reps more like 6 reps for three sets as part of a circuit. Seems to blast me.
You can do that but you also have to take into account that you'll only be doing one body part per week with 7 days of rest (which is much more then you need) instead of 3 times a week with one or two days rest, which is optimal.
that was my main worry on that... seems like lots of rest, would mean Id be lifting everyday to get in a couple of sessions on each bodypart each week... which leaves me no days for Cardio...
Many hit somewhere around the 200kg mark after training the deadlift seriously for a few years. DBs wont cut it. You dont have to split up the exercises so that you're hitting only one muscle group per week. Just split it up so that you can handle the workload w/o sacrificing intensity.
It hits everything except maybe your chest and biceps. A maximal deadlift session is extremely intense and may result in puking.
When I do them with a mixed grip it hits my biceps. The only problem with the deadlift is it does take a lot out of you, and can hurt the spine. Alot of the world's best powerlifters deadlift briefly and infrequently, so I'm not 100% convinced that doing it often will work for everybody. There's lots of substitues such as cleans and good mornings which will often help the deadlift without taking as much out of the lifter. I guess given the original poster only has dumbbells the deadlift is pretty academic. M Lambert: How are squatting if you only have dumbbells? You might want to consider adding some single leg work in such as step-ups, bulgarian squats and lunges.
With difficulty... im just along the lines of doing them is better than not... but with the DBs I hold them in each hand, and squatting lol Yeah ive included lunges now. Trying to find a decent cardio to do as Im going off my Kickboxing class (which is hellishly expensive for just 1 night a week) and cant find a club Im interested in.
no rows, chins and deads, upright rows are bad for your rotator cuffs and if you're pressing and pulling heavy, no need for direct arm work
