Keep those knees rigid. Jerk that lower back.
March 27, 2015 10:45 AM Subscribe
Can you provide feedback on my dumbbell-centered weightlifting routine?
I work out at home with just a bench and dumbbells. From what I can tell, I'm hitting the major muscle groups, but I'm not entirely sure. Here's my 4-day rotation. I warm up with a set of 5 at a lower weight, then 3 sets of 5 at regular weight, and then a cooldown set of 10 at a lower weight.
Day 1:
Flat bench press
Flat bench dumbbell fly
Concentration curl
One-arm bent-over row
Tricep extension
Seated shoulder press
Pull-ups/push-ups
Day 2/4:
Goblet squat
Weighted lunges
Stiff-legged deadlift
Russian twists
Day 3:
Incline bench press
Front raise
Lateral raise
Seated Bent-over raise
Zottman curl
Tricep kickback
Pull-ups/push-ups
Any feedback would be great!
I work out at home with just a bench and dumbbells. From what I can tell, I'm hitting the major muscle groups, but I'm not entirely sure. Here's my 4-day rotation. I warm up with a set of 5 at a lower weight, then 3 sets of 5 at regular weight, and then a cooldown set of 10 at a lower weight.
Day 1:
Flat bench press
Flat bench dumbbell fly
Concentration curl
One-arm bent-over row
Tricep extension
Seated shoulder press
Pull-ups/push-ups
Day 2/4:
Goblet squat
Weighted lunges
Stiff-legged deadlift
Russian twists
Day 3:
Incline bench press
Front raise
Lateral raise
Seated Bent-over raise
Zottman curl
Tricep kickback
Pull-ups/push-ups
Any feedback would be great!
A few thoughts:
1. A major muscle group underrepresented here is the core, both abdominal and lower back. Really important for all athletics and general orthopedic health. Situps, leg raises, leg circles...
2. I think two leg days spaced only one day apart is not optimal. Legs are big muscles that constantly support your weight and need ample recuperation. Failure to do so can lead to overuse injuries of the knees, hamstrings, groin, Achilles, etc. Also, be sure to do a thorough stretching session a day or two after leg workouts. I think a leg strengthening day and then saving your legs for a cardio day (running, jogging, biking) in place of an additional strength day is a better use of time and energy.
3. Your upper body days are each like mixtures of shoulder, pectoral, and back muscles, so you wouldn't ever be resting a single muscle group for very long after a workout. I personally think grouping pectoral/tricep and shoulder/bicep/back in separate days makes more sense. You then have a predominantly "push" day with time to recover and then predominantly "pull" day and then time to recover those muscle groups afterwards. I might rearrange your day 1 and 3 as follows:
Day 1:
Flat bench press
Flat bench dumbbell fly
Incline bench press
Tricep extension
Tricep kickback
Day 3:
Seated shoulder press
Front raise
Lateral raise
Seated Bent-over raise
Zottman curl
Concentration curl
One-arm bent-over row
Pushups and pullups after both days is redundant. Under this scheme, pushups on day 1 fits and pullups on day 3. A universal truism is that recuperation is one of the most important factors in strengthening the body. Of course the exact way everyone goes about this and feels works optimally for them will vary.
Just my two cents. Good luck and I hope you have success!
posted by incolorinred at 11:45 AM on March 27, 2015
1. A major muscle group underrepresented here is the core, both abdominal and lower back. Really important for all athletics and general orthopedic health. Situps, leg raises, leg circles...
2. I think two leg days spaced only one day apart is not optimal. Legs are big muscles that constantly support your weight and need ample recuperation. Failure to do so can lead to overuse injuries of the knees, hamstrings, groin, Achilles, etc. Also, be sure to do a thorough stretching session a day or two after leg workouts. I think a leg strengthening day and then saving your legs for a cardio day (running, jogging, biking) in place of an additional strength day is a better use of time and energy.
3. Your upper body days are each like mixtures of shoulder, pectoral, and back muscles, so you wouldn't ever be resting a single muscle group for very long after a workout. I personally think grouping pectoral/tricep and shoulder/bicep/back in separate days makes more sense. You then have a predominantly "push" day with time to recover and then predominantly "pull" day and then time to recover those muscle groups afterwards. I might rearrange your day 1 and 3 as follows:
Day 1:
Flat bench press
Flat bench dumbbell fly
Incline bench press
Tricep extension
Tricep kickback
Day 3:
Seated shoulder press
Front raise
Lateral raise
Seated Bent-over raise
Zottman curl
Concentration curl
One-arm bent-over row
Pushups and pullups after both days is redundant. Under this scheme, pushups on day 1 fits and pullups on day 3. A universal truism is that recuperation is one of the most important factors in strengthening the body. Of course the exact way everyone goes about this and feels works optimally for them will vary.
Just my two cents. Good luck and I hope you have success!
posted by incolorinred at 11:45 AM on March 27, 2015
I think we need some more information to really help.
How much do your dumbbells mass, and what weights are you using now? How long have you been doing this, or is this new—in which case, what were you doing before? What's your plan for using heavier dumbbells over time, in order to continue challenging yourself? Do you use rest periods, or is this a circuit? What's your goal: looking good naked, being healthy, improving sport performance, or something else? What's your set and rep scheme for pull-ups and push-ups, and can you do those well?
Personally I would flag this routine as too varied with exercises. It also doesn't have any pure rest days, nor running or sprints or cardio. Most of all I'm worried (purely on the basis of conjecture) that your dumbbells are simply too light. If I knew what you were shooting for, I might recommend something like alternating a strength day (maybe pull-ups 3xMax, goblet squat 3x5, 10 singles each side of Turkish get-up, push-ups 5 sets to failure) with a circuit day where you do 2 to 4 exercises fast with no rest for 5 to 10 minutes (varying the exercises every session, but using things like burpees, dumbbell swings, and standing overhead presses). But I don't know what you're trying to do so I can't recommend anything.
posted by daveliepmann at 8:56 PM on March 29, 2015
How much do your dumbbells mass, and what weights are you using now? How long have you been doing this, or is this new—in which case, what were you doing before? What's your plan for using heavier dumbbells over time, in order to continue challenging yourself? Do you use rest periods, or is this a circuit? What's your goal: looking good naked, being healthy, improving sport performance, or something else? What's your set and rep scheme for pull-ups and push-ups, and can you do those well?
Personally I would flag this routine as too varied with exercises. It also doesn't have any pure rest days, nor running or sprints or cardio. Most of all I'm worried (purely on the basis of conjecture) that your dumbbells are simply too light. If I knew what you were shooting for, I might recommend something like alternating a strength day (maybe pull-ups 3xMax, goblet squat 3x5, 10 singles each side of Turkish get-up, push-ups 5 sets to failure) with a circuit day where you do 2 to 4 exercises fast with no rest for 5 to 10 minutes (varying the exercises every session, but using things like burpees, dumbbell swings, and standing overhead presses). But I don't know what you're trying to do so I can't recommend anything.
posted by daveliepmann at 8:56 PM on March 29, 2015
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You could do single leg squats if you wanted to up your goblet squats (I love goblet squats for encouraging upright form).
posted by ldthomps at 11:22 AM on March 27, 2015