Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Go Back   Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community > Main Forums > The Off Topic Forum
Register Forum Rules FAQ Community Calendar Today's Posts Search

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 01-20-2009, 10:24 AM   #1
arloiginla
#1 Goaltender
 
arloiginla's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Calgary
Exp:
Default Tips for a weight workout regimen

I have a Bowflex blaze and have been using it for a couple months but I have really plateau'd on it and its because I only do the same 10 exercises over and over each time. Does anyone have tips on how to switch it up, what kinds of muscle groups to exercise each time, whether to alternate between 2 different routines or say 3 or 4 different ones, etc.? I currently do

bench press
shoulder press
row
lat bar exercise
biceps
triceps
sitting ab crunch
leg press (only seems to exercise the thighs not the calves)

pretty much in that order. I have a manual liusting the 70 or so differnet exercises I can do but it doesnt mention anything about how to put a plan together that will build muscle evenly aroudn the whole body and avoid plateaus. Suggestions/help putitng osmething together?
arloiginla is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-20-2009, 10:40 AM   #2
Mean Mr. Mustard
Franchise Player
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Exp:
Default

Best thing to do if you can afford it is to get a personal trainer to help you build a schedule that fits your timeframe and your needs and that you will be able to stick with. If finances are an issue talk to the staff at the gym and generally they are more than willing to help with the basics (at least at the gym that I go to). From everyone I have talked to you need to keep changing your workout to achieve optimal results, but that could be a load of crap.
Mean Mr. Mustard is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-20-2009, 11:15 AM   #3
HelloHockeyFans
n00b!
 
HelloHockeyFans's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Exp:
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by arloiginla View Post
I have a Bowflex blaze and have been using it for a couple months but I have really plateau'd on it and its because I only do the same 10 exercises over and over each time. Does anyone have tips on how to switch it up, what kinds of muscle groups to exercise each time, whether to alternate between 2 different routines or say 3 or 4 different ones, etc.? I currently do

bench press
shoulder press
row
lat bar exercise
biceps
triceps
sitting ab crunch
leg press (only seems to exercise the thighs not the calves)

pretty much in that order. I have a manual liusting the 70 or so differnet exercises I can do but it doesnt mention anything about how to put a plan together that will build muscle evenly aroudn the whole body and avoid plateaus. Suggestions/help putitng osmething together?
What kind of bench press? Flat? Incline? Decline? Do you do flys? How many different exercises are you doing for each muscle?

Try switching exercises when you plateau to target a different area of the same body part.
HelloHockeyFans is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-20-2009, 11:22 AM   #4
burn_baby_burn
Franchise Player
 
burn_baby_burn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Chiefs Kingdom, Yankees Universe, C of Red.
Exp:
Default

I don't have a BowFlex so I'm not sure what kind of exercises you can do. I used to find myself plateauing as well in the past. I went to a trainer and now I change my routine every 4-6 weeks.

One thing I notice that your missing from your current routine beside calves, is hamstrings. Also your deltoid muscles have three heads. By only doing shoulder presses you are only working the middle head (unsure of correct scientific term).
__________________
burn_baby_burn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-20-2009, 12:27 PM   #5
burnin_vernon
Powerplay Quarterback
 
burnin_vernon's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Vancouver
Exp:
Default

Sometimes its not the exercises you do but the methods you use.

Try supersetting exercises. For example, do a set of bench, followed immediatedly with flys, no rest. Then rest one minute before you repeat.

Sometimes cheat sets can help too. At the end of a set, when you're at failure, try sacrificing form slightly to push out those extra reps. Don't cheat so much that it could cause injury, just enough to limit the range of motion a little. Don't do these often, I add a cheat set maybe every other week.

And while I've never really got into them, I hear negative reps can be very effective
burnin_vernon is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-20-2009, 12:46 PM   #6
GoinAllTheWay
Franchise Player
 
GoinAllTheWay's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Not sure
Exp:
Default

How are those Bowflexes? I have been tempted for some time but yet to pull the trigger. G/f wants one and want to make sure if we do buy one, it actually does the trick.

Apologies for any thread de-railment.
GoinAllTheWay is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-20-2009, 12:47 PM   #7
CaptainCrunch
Norm!
 
CaptainCrunch's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Exp:
Default

I've broken down my workouts over three day cycles, then I change the excercise types in those workouts every 6 weeks.

So for example

Day 1

Chest and Legs

3 sets of 10 flat bench press
3 sets of 10 incline bench press
3 sets of 20 leg curls
3 sets of 10 flat flys
3 sets of 10 incline flys
3 sets of 10 decline flys
3 sets of 20 hamstring curls
3 sets of 10 squats
3 sets of 50 crunches

Day 2
Shoulders and back
3 sets of 10 upright rolls
3 sets of 10 bent over xtensions (reverse fly)
3 sets of 10 good mornings
3 sets of 10 flat overhead rolls
3 sets of 10 military bench
3 sets of 10 shoulder extensions (upright vertical flys)
3 sets of 10 3 sets of 10 standing rows
3 sets of 30 jack knife crunches

Day 4
Bicep tricep

3 sets of 10 hanging arm curls
3 sets of 10 hammer curls
3 sets of 10 barbell curls
3 sets of 20 leg curls
3 sets or 10 tricept curls
3 sets of 20 hamstring curls
3 sets of 10 weighted lunges
3 sets of 50 crunches

Every 6 weeks I'll change weights/number of reps or throw in different excercises. I also do 15 minutes on my treadmill before I start.

Then I take a day off and start over.

Don't know if this helps or if it works, but I've had some significant results (lost about 50 pounds)
__________________
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;

Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
CaptainCrunch is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-20-2009, 01:38 PM   #8
Slava
Franchise Player
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Exp:
Default

^ What is a hanging arm curl?
Slava is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-20-2009, 01:40 PM   #9
CaptainCrunch
Norm!
 
CaptainCrunch's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Exp:
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Slava View Post
^ What is a hanging arm curl?
I ratchet my bench into a near upright position think the leaning back position in an airplane seat., sit on it and let my arms hang down naturally and do single arm curls. Its tougher then standing curls because you can't cheat with your body.
__________________
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;

Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
CaptainCrunch is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to CaptainCrunch For This Useful Post:
Old 01-20-2009, 02:07 PM   #10
troutman
Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer
 
troutman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Crowsnest Pass
Exp:
Default

Ron Burgundy: Ohh, it's the deep burn. Oh, it's so deep. Oh, I can barely lift my right arm 'cause I did so many. I don't know if you heard me counting. I did over a thousand.
troutman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-20-2009, 02:08 PM   #11
ok, ok,....I get it
Lifetime Suspension
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: , location, location....
Exp:
Default

tri setting yourself a circiut, mix it up, resistance work them 5 minutes of cardio, or explosive movement.

training is all about varieity
ok, ok,....I get it is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-20-2009, 03:06 PM   #12
burn_baby_burn
Franchise Player
 
burn_baby_burn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Chiefs Kingdom, Yankees Universe, C of Red.
Exp:
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch View Post
3 sets of 50 crunches
I'm not a personal trainer or a fitness expert. But if you are doing that many crunches (150). Your doing something wrong.
__________________
burn_baby_burn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-20-2009, 03:07 PM   #13
CaptainCrunch
Norm!
 
CaptainCrunch's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Exp:
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by burn_baby_burn View Post
I'm not a personal trainer or a fitness expert. But if you are doing that many crunches (150). Your doing something wrong.
Tell that to the pain.

I love the pain and crying and laying in a prone position.
__________________
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;

Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
CaptainCrunch is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-20-2009, 03:10 PM   #14
burn_baby_burn
Franchise Player
 
burn_baby_burn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Chiefs Kingdom, Yankees Universe, C of Red.
Exp:
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch View Post
Tell that to the pain.

I love the pain and crying and laying in a prone position.
You should be in pain at 12 reps.
__________________
burn_baby_burn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-20-2009, 03:15 PM   #15
Tron_fdc
In Your MCP
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Watching Hot Dog Hans
Exp:
Default

I like to spice it up every once in a while with reverse weights. Instead of doing 4 sets od 8 reps, and starting with a low weight and going up, I start high and go down.

eg: for a bench workout it would be
4-6 reps of max weight
6-8 reps of max weight
8-10 reps of max weight
10-12 reps of max weight

"max weight" being whatever I can lift for that many reps. I toss this set up in every once in a while, and you get a pretty serious burn. It's a good change up, and I've seen some pretty good gains on strength.
Tron_fdc is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 01-20-2009, 04:10 PM   #16
burn_baby_burn
Franchise Player
 
burn_baby_burn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Chiefs Kingdom, Yankees Universe, C of Red.
Exp:
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tron_fdc View Post
I like to spice it up every once in a while with reverse weights. Instead of doing 4 sets od 8 reps, and starting with a low weight and going up, I start high and go down.

eg: for a bench workout it would be
4-6 reps of max weight
6-8 reps of max weight
8-10 reps of max weight
10-12 reps of max weight

"max weight" being whatever I can lift for that many reps. I toss this set up in every once in a while, and you get a pretty serious burn. It's a good change up, and I've seen some pretty good gains on strength.
I do similiar things. For instance this morning I did 4 sets of T-bar rows.
12 reps to failure
6 reps to failure
6 reps to failure
8 reps to failure
__________________
burn_baby_burn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-20-2009, 04:21 PM   #17
arloiginla
#1 Goaltender
 
arloiginla's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Calgary
Exp:
Default

bench press is seated, as is shoulder press, lat bar is a pulldown, biceps and triceps are both standing curls, the ab crunch is resisted - think the airplane position whle holding the handgrips and then crunching.

I'm looking for something I can do every other day and takes me about an hour. Not sure if that's enough time apparently - bowflex says you can train 3 times a week for 20 minutes each time but it always takes me about an hour to get thru my routine.

Help appreciated.
arloiginla is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-20-2009, 04:28 PM   #18
JiriHrdina
I believe in the Pony Power
 
JiriHrdina's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Exp:
Default

For me its been more effective to focus on one or two major muscles similar to what Captain describes.

When you are starting off working out - or getting back into it - its good to start with a daily routine that covers all muscle groups. But once you've hit a plateau - starting focusing your workout onto specific muscle groups.

In fact how Captain breaks it down is almost identical to what I do.

I do 12-15 sets per muscle group. The key for each set is to do it to exhaustion. If you are doing 15 reps and finding your muscle isn't tired -up the weight.


I might also suggest that by investing in some free weights you could really add some more variety to your routine. You wouldn't need a ton of them a couple 15s, 25s, 35s, maybe 40s...and you could do a ton of different things with them. A good set of free weights gives you an endless supply of possible exercises.
JiriHrdina is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-20-2009, 04:37 PM   #19
CaptainCrunch
Norm!
 
CaptainCrunch's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Exp:
Default

I'd like to buy a set of those kettles and try them out.
__________________
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;

Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
CaptainCrunch is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-20-2009, 04:56 PM   #20
Mike Oxlong
Got Oliver Klozoff
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Exp:
Default

I've been reading a book put out by Men's Health about High Intensity Training.

They really encourage you to work out your entire body every session rather than a few body parts every session. Like someone else said use supersets as well.

One of the keys to muscle gain is to make sure you really get rest and the proper amount of sleep in between workouts. Your muscles aren't growing while you work out, they grow while you are resting.

The book claims that you shouldn't workout any longer than 45 minutes per session. After 45 minutes your body quits producing testosterone and starts producing cortisol (I think that is the name) and apparently that causes fat storage.

It seems like everyone has a different opinion on what works best, and it seems like there are new studies out all the time that tell you the newest most efficient way to work out.

I have been using this Mens health program for a while and I do think it is pretty good. Mind you I am likely not working out at quite the intensity they reccomend. They say you really need to go all out for that 45 minutes lifting as much as you can with minimal rest between sets.

Here is an example of mine:

12 reps Squat presses
12 reps Incline Bench press
12 Reps Lunges with Shoulder press
12 reps barbell rows
No rest between these sets.
Then rest 1-2 minutes and repeat

Rest another 1-2 minutes
12 reps dips
12 reps bulgarian split squats
12 reps pullovers
12 reps curls

Rest a minute and repeat.

I mix some ab work in as well before and after. When you aren't resting between sets it really works your cardio as well. You heart gets a good workout.

I think everyone needs to find their own style that works for them, but so far I have been getting good results from this.
Mike Oxlong is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 04:24 PM.

Calgary Flames
2024-25




Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright Calgarypuck 2021 | See Our Privacy Policy