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Looking for input on my split


Haz
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Hey everyone. I am a new member here -- see my introduction if you'd like to learn more about me! Or watch the vid below:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDPQ7zQVrXw

 

SO... I'd like some input on this training regimen that I've adopted to help me bust out of this plateau of mediocrity. Here is what I've done for the past week:

 

20-minute yoga stretch first thing in the morning followed by 1 hour aerobic exercise (running, cycling, elliptical). Then I have a protein drink and some fresh fruit. I eat a lot of steamed veggies, beans, and grains, big salads, grilled tofu, raw fruits, etc. I tried to go 100% raw but it was not a possibility for me, however I am HIGH raw. Anyway, I've got the nutrition under control and am definitely getting enough calories, protein (about 100 g/day), complex carbs, etc. I take a little bit of creatine, free form aminos, and I'm a novice herbalist who likes to try different herbs on myself for circulation and hormonal balance; I definitely have the "what goes in my mouth" part covered. After giving the eating a break for an hour or two while I study, I end my day with some gentle stretching and meditation.

 

As far as lifting goes, I am NOT concerned with poundage. I really don't care how much I can lift. Been there, done that. What I'm after is a defined physique, meaning decent lean muscle mass and low body fat. I am a runner and I would like to look more like one. I am training for my first marathon this fall, so endurance is my athletic goal. I frankly could not bulk in any capacity while racking up 40-50 miles a week. Anyhow, I want to hear what you guys think of this 6-day split, which I will do in the evenings:

 

Monday

 

SHOULDERS

Front cable raise

Machine press

Free weight press

Band rotation

Lateral raise

Standing rotation

 

CHEST

Bench press

Single arm

Bench fly

Machine press

Single cable fly

 

ABS

Crunch machine

DB twists

Ball exchange

Hanging leg raise

Ball crunches

 

Tuesday

 

TRICEPS

Cable pulldown

Dip

Overhead press

Side crushers

Kickbacks

Push ups

 

BICEPS

Concentration curl

Chin ups

Preacher

Hammer

 

Wednesday

 

ABS

Crunch machine

DB twists

Ball exchange

Hanging leg raise

Ball crunches

Standing rotation

 

BACK

Cable pullover

DB pullover

Reverse fly

Pronated pull-ups

Cable deadlift

Hyper extensions

Seated cable row

Single arm DB row

 

FOREARMS

Wrist curl (Pronated/Supinated)

Pron. cable curls

Wrist rotation

 

Thursday

 

SHOULDERS

Front cable raise

Machine press

Free weight press

Band rotation

Lateral raise

Standing rotation

 

CHEST

Bench press

Single arm

Bench fly

Machine press

Single cable fly

 

BICEPS

Concentration

Chin ups

Preacher

Hammer

 

Friday

 

THIGHS

DB squat

Leg press

Leg extensions

Leg curl machine

Leg curl ball

Band hip extension

Band hip

adduction

Band lunge squats

 

CALVES

Balance board

Calf raises

Calf press

 

TRICEPS

Cable pulldown

Dip

Overhead press

"Side crushers"

Kickbacks

Push ups

 

Saturday

 

BACK

Cable pullover

DB pullover

Reverse fly

Pronated pull-ups

Cable deadlift

Hyper extensions

Seated cable row

Single arm DB row

 

ABS

Crunch machine

DB twists

Ball exchange

Hanging leg raise

Ball crunches

 

FOREARMS

Wrist curl (P/S)

Pron. cable curls

Wrist rotation

 

I know it seems like a lot of lifting to be doing in one week, and I am sore after the first week, but bear in mind that my sets are usually 18-24 reps and I'm not using a lot of weight. Whenever I take days off that I shouldn't, I feel more aches and pains than if I had just worked out and circulated my blood a little. I'm really wanting to know if you guys think I should switch any muscle groups around d/t any imbalances in the things I'm working together, or the recovery times for certain muscle groups. I know my chest recovers more slowly so I tried to space that out more.

 

If you think I should condense my split to 3 or 4 days, and cross train in the evenings with kickboxing, more active yoga, dance-based chick aerobics, HIIT, etc., let me know. I have plenty of workout tapes and am open to that as well. Currently, I just do one of those on Sunday, my rest day. I think that I may eventually transition to less lifting and more aerobic-style exercise as my marathon date approaches, or I may just push harder with the running while maintaining strength once I've built a good lifting base with this split.

 

Thanks if you made it this far and I hope to hear your thoughts soon. Peace, love and health, Haz

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Hey there.

 

Seems like you're overkilling it. I noticed you do a lot of single joint /machine exercises and a few compound lifts. Perhaps a reverse approach might do it? As in more compound lifts and fewer single joint lifts/presses. I only have one day where I do a plethora of single joint exercises (arms day) and even then I try work several muscles out at the same time. The rest of my training days I try to include as many several joint/free weight exercises as possible and finish it off with some machine/single joint exercises as icing on the cake. I currently split my training in a back, thigh/legs and arms day with intermittent abs exercises and this 3-split program gives me as much, in fact more, than my previous work out program that consisted of a lot of single joint exercises.

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Vegan Aspirant, I have been thinking the same thing lately. Since the weather is warming up here in Chicago, I will start going on 6-10 mile runs, and just the thought of lifting every day, with a beat-down, caloric-deficit-fighting body is unbearable.

 

Ironically, when I decided to get slimmer, I mainly did the basic power-lifting stuff: bench press, shoulder press, deadlift, squats, rows, and pull-ups. Somewhere along the way I transitioned into more of an instinctual, visual aesthetics-based lifter... and now I've lost the instinctual part with my rigid split, and I no longer even sweat when I lift, so I'm not helping myself in the fat-burning department much. So I am going to take your advice 100%.

 

I will do a 3-day split, on any which day depending on how I feel, as long as I give myself a day of rest in between lifting workouts. I will not keep written track of my sets (seems to kill my momentum) but I will focus on lifting heavier, with 6-12 rep ranges, and build up how much weight I'm pushing once I can do 3 sets of 12 comfortably. This should bring back my intensity and sweat. I will train my abs, and bust out sets of push-ups, more intermittently... occasionally between sets, after a run, before bed, as study breaks, etc. As I'm sure you know, it's hard to keep the vegan energy bottled in sometimes!

 

The reduced time commitment to resistance-based exercise will free me up to get mean-lean as I much prefer getting well-defined abs to hypertrophied muscles.

 

Thank you. Your advice is much appreciated!

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Hey Haz

 

Am glad if anything I said has been of help to you. The great thing about multi-joint exercises is -as you correctly point out- that they not only act as strength training 8provided that there is sufficient resistance) but that your heart right goes significantly higher up thus giving you decent hypertrophy and cardio at the same time Also the quickest way to build more overall mass, which - although may not be what you're looking for- will give you a better physique in the long run.

 

In terms of cardio you can go light on days where you lift and full out on your restitution days from lifting. However if you plan on doing a 3-split (which sounds great!) you won't have sufficient rest days from lifting to go full out on the cardio, so "cardio at morning, lifting at evening" might be the way to go.

 

Also try to look through the training logs og other members in here, you will find that people fi in their cardio in different ways. Personally I fit it in by way of dance, typically right before lifting. Although to be honest I don't do it for the cardio, I just love dancing, so for me it's kind of a "two flies with one stone" scenario.

 

Activities that require a good cardio, but surpasses simple motoric acts like running or cycling actually give you more both in terms of fat burn and agility. So my advice to you would be to perhaps find some high pulse activities that are a little more challenging (and fun :-P) than simple motoric cardio like running, cycling etc. For some it's dancing, for others it's football (or other sports) and others dig martial arts. Maybe you already have done this or maybe you haven't found your niche yet?

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I failed to consider where my chest would fit in with the 3-day split, but I think a "100 push-ups a day" requirement would take care of that. I can do 35 in one go without dying, and I don't really get sore from push ups like I would benching 185. So I will make every day a "chest day" in that sense, and stick to working arms, back, and legs once a week in the gym. I will hit my abs hard after my morning runs with crunches, side bends, weighted twists, and roll-outs.

 

For arms I will focus on pull-ups for my biceps and various isolated extensions for my triceps. My triceps will already be getting hit pretty hard from the 100 push ups a day.

 

For my back, I will focus on deadlifts, pull-overs, and reverse fly.

 

For my legs, I will focus on squats, and use the balance board and leg press machine to strengthen my calves.

 

Right now I'm unfortunately nursing a tendon issue with my left EHL due to getting back into running 5-6 miles a day too fast after a two month break. So I am going to approach this new regimen VERY slowly once my foot has healed.

 

The type of non-motoric aerobic exercise that challenges and frustrates my coordination the most, yet also seems to benefit me the most per minute invested is kickboxing. I have a few kickboxing tapes that I will incorporate into my post-lifting routine once I get up and running again. Right now the main thing I'm focusing on is rest so that I can make the most improvement I can. and work out all the kinks in my program, over Spring Break in a couple of weeks.

 

Thanks again for your help!

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  • 2 weeks later...
Hey everyone. I am a new member here -- see my introduction if you'd like to learn more about me! Or watch the vid below:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDPQ7zQVrXw

 

SO... I'd like some input on this training regimen that I've adopted to help me bust out of this plateau of mediocrity. Here is what I've done for the past week:

 

20-minute yoga stretch first thing in the morning followed by 1 hour aerobic exercise (running, cycling, elliptical). Then I have a protein drink and some fresh fruit. I eat a lot of steamed veggies, beans, and grains, big salads, grilled tofu, raw fruits, etc. I tried to go 100% raw but it was not a possibility for me, however I am HIGH raw. Anyway, I've got the nutrition under control and am definitely getting enough calories, protein (about 100 g/day), complex carbs, etc. I take a little bit of creatine, free form aminos, and I'm a novice herbalist who likes to try different herbs on myself for circulation and hormonal balance; I definitely have the "what goes in my mouth" part covered. After giving the eating a break for an hour or two while I study, I end my day with some gentle stretching and meditation.

 

As far as lifting goes, I am NOT concerned with poundage. I really don't care how much I can lift. Been there, done that. What I'm after is a defined physique, meaning decent lean muscle mass and low body fat. I am a runner and I would like to look more like one. I am training for my first marathon this fall, so endurance is my athletic goal. I frankly could not bulk in any capacity while racking up 40-50 miles a week. Anyhow, I want to hear what you guys think of this 6-day split, which I will do in the evenings:

 

Monday

 

SHOULDERS

Front cable raise

Machine press

Free weight press

Band rotation

Lateral raise

Standing rotation

 

CHEST

Bench press

Single arm

Bench fly

Machine press

Single cable fly

 

ABS

Crunch machine

DB twists

Ball exchange

Hanging leg raise

Ball crunches

 

Tuesday

 

TRICEPS

Cable pulldown

Dip

Overhead press

Side crushers

Kickbacks

Push ups

 

BICEPS

Concentration curl

Chin ups

Preacher

Hammer

 

Wednesday

 

ABS

Crunch machine

DB twists

Ball exchange

Hanging leg raise

Ball crunches

Standing rotation

 

BACK

Cable pullover

DB pullover

Reverse fly

Pronated pull-ups

Cable deadlift

Hyper extensions

Seated cable row

Single arm DB row

 

FOREARMS

Wrist curl (Pronated/Supinated)

Pron. cable curls

Wrist rotation

 

Thursday

 

SHOULDERS

Front cable raise

Machine press

Free weight press

Band rotation

Lateral raise

Standing rotation

 

CHEST

Bench press

Single arm

Bench fly

Machine press

Single cable fly

 

BICEPS

Concentration

Chin ups

Preacher

Hammer

 

Friday

 

THIGHS

DB squat

Leg press

Leg extensions

Leg curl machine

Leg curl ball

Band hip extension

Band hip

adduction

Band lunge squats

 

CALVES

Balance board

Calf raises

Calf press

 

TRICEPS

Cable pulldown

Dip

Overhead press

"Side crushers"

Kickbacks

Push ups

 

Saturday

 

BACK

Cable pullover

DB pullover

Reverse fly

Pronated pull-ups

Cable deadlift

Hyper extensions

Seated cable row

Single arm DB row

 

ABS

Crunch machine

DB twists

Ball exchange

Hanging leg raise

Ball crunches

 

FOREARMS

Wrist curl (P/S)

Pron. cable curls

Wrist rotation

 

I know it seems like a lot of lifting to be doing in one week, and I am sore after the first week, but bear in mind that my sets are usually 18-24 reps and I'm not using a lot of weight. Whenever I take days off that I shouldn't, I feel more aches and pains than if I had just worked out and circulated my blood a little. I'm really wanting to know if you guys think I should switch any muscle groups around d/t any imbalances in the things I'm working together, or the recovery times for certain muscle groups. I know my chest recovers more slowly so I tried to space that out more.

 

If you think I should condense my split to 3 or 4 days, and cross train in the evenings with kickboxing, more active yoga, dance-based chick aerobics, HIIT, etc., let me know. I have plenty of workout tapes and am open to that as well. Currently, I just do one of those on Sunday, my rest day. I think that I may eventually transition to less lifting and more aerobic-style exercise as my marathon date approaches, or I may just push harder with the running while maintaining strength once I've built a good lifting base with this split.

 

Thanks if you made it this far and I hope to hear your thoughts soon. Peace, love and health, Haz

That's overkill. I wouldn't even be able to function doing a routine like that. If I was a marathon runner training for endurance, I'd just do a 2 day upper, lower split and I'd stick to compound movements. I'd lift weights 3 days a week so I'd do something like mon-upper, wed-lower, fri-upper, following mon-upper, etc. As far as routine, do something like this

 

Upper

Bench Press

Row

Shoulder Press

Pull up

Dips

Curls

 

Lower

Squat

Deadlift

Leg Press

Leg Curl

Leg Extension

Calf Raise

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