Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Hi everyone!

I would like a little advice on my workout routine--just the weights portion of it.

A little background: I started with weights in the beginning of June this year, but I changed gyms three times, and as a result of different equipment in each have had to change my routine. I'm finally settling down at one gym and would like to settle down my routine as well, at least for a little bit.

Right now I am doing a full-body routine twice a week. I am also doing a single heavy set of each exercise. I like this approach. I find the idea of multiple sets pretty off-putting, so I would like to stick with single sets until I feel I really can't progress any more with them. I am a beginner, so I think I can still make progress with them for a while. But is there any really strong reason to abandon single sets? Oh, for my sets, I am aiming to do about 12 reps. But whenever I increase the weight (when 12 is easy-ish) then my reps are more like 8 and I increase reps each time until I can increase weight again. I don't go to muscle failure, but I do go to the point at which I don't feel I could do more while maintaining good form.

I'd eventually like to do a full-body routine 3 times a week, but with different exercises for each body part on different days--in other words, I'd like to develop 3 different full-body routines to use. Does that make sense to do? It seems it would give me more variety and more well-roundedness than doing the same routine every day.

On each day, should I do more than one exercise per body part? Or is one enough?

Ooops, I have to go meet my mom at the train station now. Any other advice you can give would be appreciated!

Hi

Your workout sounds very good to me.
Whole body, the way you increase the reps or weights, maintaining form, no muscle failure etc.


No, there is none.


Yes, that does perfectly make sense. At one set per exercise i think 3 times per week is more effective than two times. And doing various exercises is a good idea.
Can you give me an idea of what exercises you do?


I think one is enough.

It seems to me you're doing well and you have some sense in designing your program I hope my answers were of any use to you, any more questions?
I wish you fun and success in the gym,
love and peace,
Daywalker

Thanks for the feedback! I'm glad to know that I am on the right track.

Now I am doing squats, calf raises, barbell bench press, barbell shoulder press, cable row, lat pulldown, dips (assisted), and pullups(assisted). Core exercises (weighted crunches, back hyper, weighted side bend) I do separately in my apt building and do as many time a week as I can.

I have been doing lat pulldowns and pullups on the same day, but I will separate those; I don't think I get much out the pullups because I have always done the lats and am tired.

I am going to add deadlifts, but I want to work up in weight on my squats first because I had trouble with the form for deadlifts when I was doing them before and not squatting at all. I think if I strengthen my legs through squats that will help me use them more in deadlifting.

My main question would be what are other good exercises I can use to build up my other routines? As you can tell, I do basic compound stuff generally, not any bicep isolation or anything like that. I guess the major areas I am hitting are legs, calves, chest, shoulders, back, lats. Then separately, abs, lower back, and obliques.

I've been working on a list of possible exercises, by body part. I've been trying to select only compound exercises.

I would do squat or deadlift and calf raises every day for my legs. Probably squat 2x a week and deadlift once.

Here's my list so far for the rest.

Chest: Barbell bench press (flat), chest dips. Fly is a possibility, but it was listed as an isolated exercise. What about incline and decline presses--are those really any different from flat ones?

Shoulders: Barbell shoulder press, upright row, rear delt row.

Back: Cable row, barbell bent-over row.

Lats (which was classified as back, but I've separated it): Lat pulldown, wide grip pullup, narrow grip chin up.

Other good exercises? Any of those in my list bad ones?

Hi FL

Those are good exercises.

For chest, dips are great, good that you have them in. Build up until you can do them without assistance, even when it's only a few at first.
As a third exercise, i'd recommend incline bench dumbell press. Dumbells are great for bench press, and incline bench also. Why not combine the two?
I personally don't do decline bench. First, i hate the way the blood pressure makes your head go red, very uncomfortable Second, it's supposed to work the lower part of the pecs, a part that is usually far better trained than the upper part.

Upright row is a great exercise for the shoulders. Some people have problems, though, but if you can do it without pain, it's a builder.
Barbell press: not behind your neck, please

For back, dumbell row is a very good movement, too.


Usually it's the other way round, most people have a weak lower back. When deadlifting, don't straighten your legs first and complete the move with the back. Try doing it simultaneously.

When you do the core exercises seperately and as often as possible, be sure you're not doing too much, as this could affect your squats and deadlift (and others). Best way imho to do that is never going to muscle failure, in no set, never ever.

You could give lunges a thought, but squats are just fine. Why doing them twice and deadlift only once a week? Why not doing them alternately?

Good program. I bet you'll make good progression with that
Just make sure to write the weights, sets and reps down in a log.

D.

Cool! I will make that my third exercise.


Yup, always in the front!


That's exactly the problem I was having. I thought that if my legs were stronger I'd be able to pull the weight up as I straightened my legs. But you think it's actually lower back weakness that leads to this form problem?


For the core stuff, I do higher reps and lower weights, and I definitely don't go to failure. I'll be sure to make sure I don't overdo it.


Just because I like squats so much more than deadlifts! But maybe I should learn to love DLs as well.

Thanks so much for all the feedback and advice!