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Decent fitness workouts

X3pilot

Texans fan - LOL
Aug 13, 2007
5,860
1
SoMD
Post up your different general fitness routines to share around. Mine get stale and I'm looking for some new routines and gym work for the winter months.
 

reflux

Turbo Monkey
Mar 18, 2002
4,617
2
G14 Classified
I had been toying around with a simple routine I found at t-nation.com. It was okay, but it didn't give me the full body workout that I had been looking for. My goal has been to improve my overall strength. I hurt my back doing one legged squats last June and I can feel that my body hasn't quite been the same.

My routine was something like this

T, R - run (normally ~5 miles, slow pace)
S, S - bike (road, mountain - whatever I was feelin)
M, W, F - lift

I recently picked up a book called Power Training, written by Coach Dos. I'm still in the process of flipping through it, but I'll be happy to post my routine up here once I put it together.
 

X3pilot

Texans fan - LOL
Aug 13, 2007
5,860
1
SoMD
I've been trying to do Tabata workouts, but just doing the squat motion things kill my knees. Yeah, please post up what you find out in the book!
 

dhmike

Turbo Monkey
Dec 20, 2006
4,304
43
Boise Idaho
my workouts are normally ,
mon. chest
tues.arms
wed.legs
thurs.cardio [biking around my neighborhood]
fri.nothing
sat.dh
sun.dh or road bike but most of the time it's road bike
i don't have a gym membership i have alot of free weights.i mostly stick to this routine and i'm in good shape.
 

reflux

Turbo Monkey
Mar 18, 2002
4,617
2
G14 Classified
I've been trying to do Tabata workouts, but just doing the squat motion things kill my knees. Yeah, please post up what you find out in the book!
Okay.

Based on what Coach Dos suggested on his website, I am going to do a 12 week total fitness cycle based on a 3-day push-pull workout week. This will give me a chance to work in some cardio on T and R. My first time at the gym looked like this.

1) Warmup
a) 5 minutes of cardio
b) Dynamic stretching
c) Dumbbell Complex, 5 reps each exercise(high pull, snatch(?), squat press, dumbbell row, pushups, pushups rows)
2) Jump squats. 4 x 5 (bodyweight)
3) Split Squat. 4 x 80/6
4) One arm dumbbell press 4 x 40/6
5) Overhead press 4 x 55/6
6) Rotational/Core work. Windshield wipers and walkup planks(?)

I think that's all.

1 and 2 will be the same each workout, as each workout contains a warmup and explosive component. My workout tomorrow will be a pull sequence.
 

urbaindk

The Real Dr. Science
Jul 12, 2004
4,819
0
Sleepy Hollar
I've been doing circuits lately. The idea is to build both cardio endurance and muscle strength focusing mostly on core and larger muscle groups.

I start with a 10 min cardio warm up, and without resting between stations, do the following:
12-15 Bench presses
12-15 leg presses
12-15 Lat pull downs
12-15 upright Rows
20 elevated situps.
Followed by 5 minutes of intense cardio
Rest 1-2 minutes. Repeat the circuit three or four times.

Once you get good at it, instead of increasing weight or reps, try to do each circuit faster or add more circuits. It definitely keeps you moving.

Anybody else have any input? I'd love other ideas.
 

SilentJ

trail builder
Jun 17, 2002
1,312
0
Calgary AB
My current overall structure is pretty standard, but I've always been all over the map as far as goals. Focus is broken into 3 days, but isn't really that strict.

1 - Arms / Shoulders
2 - Chest / Back
3 - Core / Legs

Day looks like this:
5-10min warmup / light stretching
some random variant of a core type exercise.
1,2, or 3.
intervals on some random cardio machine or running on the treadmill.

All my standing exercises are done on an upside down (flat side up) Bosu Ball. I use dumbells for most things like presses, but throw some barbell stuff in once in a while just to change it up.

I vary my rep/weight combos quite a bit and usually set random monthly goals to keep myself entertained. My goal for Jan 31 is to dumbell incline press 3x100/12.

One good one that I've done is to do all your sets without ever putting the weight down.

Currently my Sundays are filled with BMX racing...highly recommended for anyone that likes to be on 2 wheels.
 

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,647
1,116
NORCAL is the hizzle
I have a pretty loose program. I ride when I can and hit the gym 2-3 times a week for an hour or so. I find that cycling gives me all I need in terms of cardio and leg work so I use the gym to supplement it with ab and upper body muscle work. (I know I could benefit from leg work but I've got a pretty limited capacity for the gym and am naturally a bit soft in the core, so that gets more focus in the gym.)

At the gym my usual routine is to warm up by stretching/yoga (not sure what "dynamic stretching" is), then repeated sets of pushups and ab work. (50 push-ups, a set of crunches, hip extensions, and leg raisers, then repeat the cycle for a total of three sets.) Then hit the weights for triceps, biceps, shoulders, etc. I'm naturally pretty bulky and I respond to weights quickly, so I keep the weight down and the reps up - I want lean muscle, not an extra ten pounds of pipes to drag up the hills.

Who has go a killer lower ab exercise that doesn't require equipment? No matter what I do I can't seem to get rid of the lower gut. Maybe it's just beer...
 

TBFKAHG

Monkey
Aug 11, 2005
165
0
I've been doing circuits lately. The idea is to build both cardio endurance and muscle strength focusing mostly on core and larger muscle groups.

I start with a 10 min cardio warm up, and without resting between stations, do the following:
12-15 Bench presses
12-15 leg presses
12-15 Lat pull downs
12-15 upright Rows
20 elevated situps.
Followed by 5 minutes of intense cardio
Rest 1-2 minutes. Repeat the circuit three or four times.

Once you get good at it, instead of increasing weight or reps, try to do each circuit faster or add more circuits. It definitely keeps you moving.

Anybody else have any input? I'd love other ideas.
Well, I don't want to write a whole dissertation on the subject but I will throw in a couple of thoughts.
1) For starters ditch leg presses and replace them with some real lower body exercises (and do more than 1 leg exercise).
2) that you need ot vary your routine some. If you want to stick with total body cirtuit training that's fine but you don't want to do the same workout all he time because your body adapts.
Here are 2 sample circuits that you could cycle through.
Workout 1:
Squat
Dumbell Bench presses
Upright Rows
Wide grip Lat pull downs (and make sure you do these in front of the chest, not behind the neck)
Barbell Push Press
Bulgarian split squat
Step ups

Workout 2:
Deadlift
Incline Dumbell bench press
Barbell bent over row
Underhand grip pull down (or pull ups)
Dumbell shoulder press
Romanian deadlift
Lunges (walking, static, dynamic, whatever you feel like)
Hanging leg raises
3) Last I would not necessarily recommend doing them faster to increase the intensity but would indeed reccomend varying the weights and rep counts.

Regardless of what type of program you do you shouldn't do any particular workout more than 6-8 times before you switch to something else otherwise your body adapts and you won't get as good a result.

We cycle through Strength, Hypertrophy, and Fat loss routines to constantly confuse the body.
 

urbaindk

The Real Dr. Science
Jul 12, 2004
4,819
0
Sleepy Hollar
TBFKAHG, thanks for the input.

I have a knee issue that prevents me from doing squats and lunges. (Osteochondral defect on the right patella, hurts like an SOB) I do leg presses, leg extensions, and leg curls on machines because using the various adjustments, I can safely limit the range of motion to prevent aggravation to the knee. Basically I have to do what ever I can to work around the defect (as perscribed by my PT). It's not ideal, but it's the best I can do.

I do at least two different circuits in alternation, I only posted one, but I dig what you are saying about your body adjusting. I noticed it right away. I'll try mixing it up a bit more and throw in what I can from your list and try some of your other suggestions as well.

Thanks!!!
 

stevew

resident influencer
Sep 21, 2001
40,494
9,524
Who has go a killer lower ab exercise that doesn't require equipment? No matter what I do I can't seem to get rid of the lower gut. Maybe it's just beer...
Unfortunately, it is the beer.

Look up hanging knee raises on youtube.
 

nh dude

Monkey
May 30, 2003
571
16
Vt
cardio twice a week, lift twice a week, snowboard weekends. do 25 push ups before and after every shower, or sit ups. mix of everything above, plus some static postion crap, single sided stuff, some stuff that mickey gave me last year. when spring rolls around hill climbs on the road bike. sprint ****ty flat trails on the dh bike finally get to ride a lift.
last year was the first year i put in a serious effort and it worked.
the hard part is getting on the road bike in july through september and keep it goin.
 

ultraNoob

Yoshinoya Destroyer
Jan 20, 2007
4,504
1
Hills of Paradise
Week 1-3:
Mon- bowflex focusing on chest, back, bicepts, tricepts, lats
Tues- road ride (flats with 1 mile sprint/2mile rest/1mile sprint...)
Wed- dirt drills (front-back-go, flutter kicks, dive bombers)
Thurs- road ride (hill repeats)
Fri- muscle failure (pushups, unweighted squats, bicycle crunches)
Sat- rest
Sun- Ride
(intensity, reps, and resistance increase every week)

Week 4:
rest and stretch