My workout is pretty basic. I try to do mostly compound lifts because they are the most time efficient and have given me the best results! Isolation exercises can be used if you want to focus on a specific muscle because it is lagging behind the others, if you want to switch your routine for a week or two to break through a plateau, or if you have injured a body part and need to stay off of it for awhile.
I go to the gym 3-4 times a week and lift weights on 3 of those days. Cardio has been a problem for me in the past because it doesn't give me the endorphin rush that lifting weights does ;) But it's still very important! See my cardio page for more detailed information.
Stretching is very important. Especially for getting below parallel in squats and to decrease muscle "tightness" on other lifts, but I always leave the stretching for after my workouts.
I try to keep my workouts under one hour and warm up/cool down before and after each workout. I warm up on the treadmill with some brisk walking. On my first few exercises, the first set I do is low weight high reps to ensure my muscles are ready for the pounding they are about to receive.
I like to have lots of variety in my workouts so I mix it up on different days, although there are certain exercises that I always do (like different variations of squats and deadlifts).
A typical Leg day consists any of the following :
Squats
Deadlifts
Leg press
Lunges
Cable kickbacks
Good mornings
Lying leg curls
I hold very little body fat in my arms, shoulders and back so I do not have a split for my upper body...I do most of those muscles all on the same day and I rarely work my chest.
A typical Upper body day consists of:
Closed grip chinups
Lat pull downs
Seated Rows
Upright Row
Shoulder press
Bicep curls
Tricep pushdowns , Dips , Kickbacks
Frontal Lat raise
Dumbbell shrugs
My main goal is to increase muscle mass while decreasing body fat. And for that reason I don't cut calories drastically or overdue it with cardio because those are two ways to eat up your muscle and fat, which leaves you looking flabby or too skinny!
Whenever I get bored of a certain workout, I go to this website and find new ones! It is always a smart idea to change your workouts every 4-6 weeks to make sure your body hasn't adapted to it.
Exercise Directory
