Legs / moar weights / time to split stuff up?

[denny]

On top of the upper-body weights I have been doing...

Pecs: 3 x 12 reps x 35-40kg (machine)
Biceps: 3 x 12 reps x 10kg (dumbbells)
Triceps: 3 x 12 reps x 25kg (machine)
Deltoids: 3 x 12 reps x 10kg (dumbbells)
Lats: 3 x 12 reps x 40kg (cable) / 50kg (machine)
Abs: 3 x 20 reps x 30kg (machine)

...I've also started thinking about my legs, which I'd been ignoring up to now. Given that my body seems to be losing fat off my legs faster than anywhere else, I figure it would be nice to work on the thigh muscles as it might actually show up quite quickly. Plus, they're fairly big muscles, which means increasing their size will burn a useful amount of fat even when I'm not using them. So, I've added these to the routine the last couple of visits:

Leg press machine (Quads/Hamstrings/Glutes): 3 x 12 reps x 30kg (per leg - I have to do this one leg at a time because otherwise my good leg tries to protect my weak leg by taking all the weight)
Abductors machine (outer thigh): 3 x 12 reps x 45kg (I used to have awesome abductors, from ice-skating - I want them back!)
Adductors machine (inner thigh): 3 x 12 reps x 40kg

At this point, I'm starting to think I'd be better off breaking this up into two routines, and doing them on alternate days (instead of alternating with cardio-only days). I figure my body would do a better job of repairing/building muscle if it didn't have to repair/build them all at the same time. Whether I can actually keep track of two different routines is another matter! I need to group them in some vaguely logical way that will be easy-ish to remember... maybe put the abs with the legs and keep all the other upper-body stuff together for now.

I had it in my head that doing this many sets of weights meant spending ages in the gym, but in fact I've timed it now and my weights take much less time than my cardio - so that's not a huge factor after all. I was considering stepping up the amount of cardio I do to an hour a day to try to drive down my body-fat a bit faster, but as I'm starting this new job soon I guess I'm probably not going to want to spend too much time in the gym for the next couple of months, as I'll have to squeeze it into the evenings. If I want to keep up daily-ish visits then life is going to consist largely of work, gym, eat, sleep, which sounds pretty tedious. It's a good job I can spod from the gym now, otherwise it'd never work!

In other news, I'm planning on going flying at Airkix at some point next week, to celebrate my imminent increase in income. It'll be interesting to see whether the upper-body muscle I've gained so far helps with flying.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Hello, EasternPromise here. :-)

Splitting workouts is a definite yes. The additional focus is excellent and you will build muscle much faster.

For legs add things like squats, lunges, hamstring extension and leg extension. Your quads are getting quite neglected if all you're doing is leg press (glutes) and thigh machines. The adductor and abductor muscles are the smallest groups in the leg, whereas quads, glutes and hamstrings are the largest, so those are the better ones to hit if you want to bulk up.

You could also add farmer's walk and step ups onto a deck if your leg would cope with that.

You don't seem to be doing much core strengthening - probably a good idea to rethink that. Also worth adding some variety - you're not doing shoulders at all, and you'll find if you add things in like supersets and dropsets you'll get further faster. Additionally, exercises which use your own body weight are really effective - press-ups for chest, bench dips for triceps and pull ups for back. Plank and side plank and suicide press ups for core.

Cardio-wise, do hiit. Can you use the rower? Hit tabata if so - hard and fast as you can for 20 seconds, stop for 10, repeat 7 more times then two min break then do the 8 reps again. You can do this on any machine and with any exercise, but for cardio running and rowing are by far and away the vest options.

[mr_magicfingers]

Good advice here, seconded.

Also, I have some friends doing tabata workouts which they recommend highly. The short bursts of very high intensity have been shown to be just as effective as longer slower workouts but you gain the time efficiencies although they can leave you wanting to throw up ;)

[(Anonymous)]

Try an entire hour of tabata on various exercises. You go right through wanting to throw up and into the world going all grey and fuzzy.

It's AMAZING.

[denny]

My flatmate was raving about dropsets for a while, but seems to have stopped now... I might give it a go at some point. I hadn't heard of supersets before, but I don't really leave a gap between exercises anyway - just however long it takes to walk to the next machine/weights (as long as something is available).

I tend to do one set on each machine at a time, moving along until I've done them all, then go back to the first machine and start my second set, etc - is that a bad idea, do you think? Should I stay on one exercise for the 3 sets, then move along?

I can't do the rowing machines, one of my legs doesn't bend up as far as the other one and it gets weird very quickly. Tabata stuff sounds tempting though, to save time! I guess on the cross-trainer, the equivalent would be turning the resistance right up for short bursts? I could try that, although again I'd be worried about my knee flaring up.

Shoulders: I'm doing shoulder press (deltoids), with dumbbells. Anything else you'd recommend? I'd like to have nicer shoulders, that and upper back are my main goals. :)

[(Anonymous)]

Tabata on the cross trainer would mean going as fast as you can at as high a resistance as you can. I assume you're strapping the knee if you're worried about it going bang? And have you talked to a physio or sports injury specialist? They might be able to help with strengthening the joint some?

Timing wise, what you're doing (one circuit of the machines then back to the start) is completely valid, but not strictly a superset.

To give you an idea, this is my legs workout - each superset separately grouped and done three times although sometimes I superset in circuits and go all the way through three times:
Leg press 1 x 12 @ 135
Walking lunges w/ 2 x 8kg dumbbells x 12 each side

Leg extension 1 x 12 @ 55
Hamstring extension on stability ball x 15

Step ups onto deck with 2 x 8kg dumbbells x 10 reps each leg
Calf raises with weight, 20 reps

Hip adductor drop set starting @ 145
Hip abductor drop set starting @ 145

Clean and press with double squat 3 x 12 with 12.5 bar

The essence of the superset is to hit the immediately opposing muscle group straightaway - this gives balance and continues using both muscle groups throughout both exercises.

Shoulder wise try some of these - I have ludicrously awesome shoulders so they must work...

Standing shoulder press with dumbbells x 12 superset with cable side raise (start on v. Light weight, stand side on to the pulley, handle in the far hand with cable in front. Raise arm out straight to side x 12 then bring cable behind and repeat for 12. About face and repeat)

Dumbbell lifts - stand with feet shoulder width and knees slightly bent. Hold the weights so your knuckles are facing away from you and bring weights up to the front to shoulder height. Return to start position and bring weights up to the side, again to shoulder height. Return weights to start position and clean & press. That's 1 rep - do as many times as you can.

Again with dumbbells and in the same stance, bring the arms up and out to the sides in a circular motion finishing above your head. You'll need to rotate the weights as you go so you finish with the backs of your hands facing behind you.

And rotator cuff - on the cables set the pulley to around shoulder height. Take the handle in one hand and stand facing the pulley, in an Indian 'how' pose. Rotate the shoulder so your arm moves through 90 degrees, bring it back to start position and repeat x 12 plus other arm.

For upper back go for pull ups, bent over row, seated row machine, back extensions with rear fly, rear cable fly and lat pull down.

[mr_magicfingers]

Doing different body areas on different days is a very normal practice in weight training and recommended once you start upping your workloads. Most people are surprised that you can do efficient weights workouts in quite short periods of time. There are some methodologies that use very short breaks between exercises to increase cardio as part of your workout too. You see lots of people standing around at gyms, in between exercises and this leads to much longer workout sessions. When I was weight training more regularly I rarely spent more than 30 minutes in the weights room but worked pretty hard during that time.

If you're doing an hour of cardio a day, remember to take some days off occasionally, your body only builds muscle when it's resting and you also need to make sure you're not wearing yourself out. Periodization is important too, for example, in a month you might do 3 weeks of gradually increasing workloads but in the 4th week you scale it back. Over 4 months you might increase those workloads monthly but in the 4th month scale it back, you might also do this in a week, having an easier workout towards the end. Your body needs recovery time so remember to factor that in.

I'm very impressed with what you're doing, and quite inspired by it.

[denny]

I'm hoping that the days when I don't get to the gym because I'm in Rye, or I'm too busy, or I just can't be bothered, are enough rest time - I'm averaging 5 days a week at present, I've yet to manage a week where I got to the gym every day (although I've had a few days where I've gone twice, early and late, for extra cardio).

[(Anonymous)]

One rest day out of every 7 is usually sufficient, unless you're doing what I do and kicking the bejesus out of yourself on a regular basis. I normally have the weekends off completely, although have just started playing badminton on Sundays. It is, however, different enough from my usual hiit and heavy weights to still count as rest! :-)