LITTLEBLACKDOG.COM

For you weight lifting puppies, I have a question.

On my website, I just posted the workout I tend to do after time off (in this case, no regular lifting for 3 months while I trained for and ran a marathon). The idea is to get myself back into lifting mode and to remind my muscles what to do without taxing them so that I don't get hurt when I start targeting.

What suggestions might you have to expand upon/improve the workout? The original post is at:
Workout Tip: Resuming weights after time off
The workout in question, minus all of the details, is 3 circuits of 15 reps each of:

I wrote:

1. Jumping Jacks: I do 50, because it is an easy number to remember. These will accelerate your heart rate and give you a good base to jump off of.
2. Leg Press
3. Chest Press: I use a vertical chest press machine, but bench press is fine. If possible, use a machine; if not, use dumbbells.
4. Leg Curl
5. Lat Pulldown
6. Leg Extension
7. Lat Raise
8. Standing Calf Raise
9. Machine Row
10. Crunches: I usually do 30. If your abs are in good shape, then do your crunches on a swiss ball. If you want a more advanced move, then find a sit-up board and do full-motion situps. Those are the best for you anyway.
11. Seated Dumbbell Biceps Curl
12. Back Extension: Easy-hands on chest, Medium-hands on head, Hard-SUPERMAN!
13. Triceps Pushdown

Feel free to comment here or on the website. If you post here but not there, then let me know if you prefer I not copy your post there if I think it might be useful for my readership. Thanks.

Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2005 10:00 pm Post subject:

OK farmboy has a few things to say.

Rowing machine + stretching beats jumping jacks every day. Seriously. It targets all muscle groups. Jumping jacks may well raise your heart rate but does little to ready your muscles for the coming workout. 5-10 minutes on a rower will have your heart racking while warming all of your muscles up. Stretching is critical to any workout regime. Farmboy is sure that you dont warm up for a marathon just doing a few sprints to speed your heart rate up.

Secondly, whether a seasoned pro or just getting into weights, your program is too much for one session. Farmboy would consider splitting it over 2 days. Chest and back one day. Legs and arms the other. Or you could split the routine you have and superset both workouts. In all farmboy has found that a workout that is no longer than 90 minutes including warmup amd cooldown is as about as long as you would want to go. Any longer and there is a higher risk of mental fatigue which leads to poor form which leads to injury.

Farmboy would also prefer to use free weights where possible as they work "stabilizing" muscles as well as the targeted major muscle group. For example, Dumbell presses > bench press > machine chest press. Squats > leg press > leg extension. Machines are best used for strength training and bulking up as they allow you to use heavier weights than you could using free weights.

Farmboy would also argue that crunches are far superior to sit ups as thay better target your abs and are a lot less stressfull on your lower back. Likewise back extensions should not go past horizontal for the same reason. Neither should hands be behind the head or outstretched superman style. Both cause a hyperextension of the back which is a bad thing. Instead, farmboy suggests that you hug a barbell weight to your chest or hands beside the head with the elbows pointing slightly down.

In summing up:
Your routine feels to farmboy more like an aerobic circuit than a weights session. Split it over 2 days.
Proper warm up and cool down including stretches.
No longer than 90 minutes.
Lighter free weights are better.

PS only posted here. Sorry.