I want to do a 4 day split with a pyramid system. On Day 1 I would do Quads and Hamstrings, Day 2 Chest and Tricep, Day 3 Back and Biceps and Day 4 Shoulders and Abs. Now with pyramid training, on Day 1 for example, I would do the pyramid once though for an exercise for the quads and once through with hamstrings correct? Or do I do 2 exercises for each body part so 2 different exercises for the quads and 2 exercises for the hamstrings and follow the pyramid system? I would do a modified pyramid like this:

Set 1, 12 reps say at 5 lbs
Set 2, 10 reps at 8 lbs
Set 3, 8 reps at 10 lbs
Set 4, 10 reps at 8 lbs
Set 5, 12 reps at 5 lbs again and resting 30 seconds between sets

Sorry for all the questions, I just can't seem to find something I enjoy doing and thought maybe this will do the trick. I have to admit I HATE EXERCISE of any type and have to force myself to do it !!!! I actually tried an old Joyce Vedral book this morning *Bottoms Up" and hated it - too long. I want to be able to do my weight training in 30 - 45 minutes. HELP!

Why are you inverting the pyramid and ending with higher reps and lighter weights?

Mel

Hi.

I love lifting, and I don't tihnk it matters. If you are just starting out one exercise for each body part is a good start, but if you have been lifting a while, I would go ahead and do two sets.

I think your pyramid order looks fine!

Putting aside Mel's question about why you're chosen that rep scheme for the moment ...

If you decide to stick with your original plan of five sets per exercise, my opinion is that you definitely need to do more than one exercise for each muscle group. If you stick with just one exercise per muscle group, your workout would only total only ten sets (two exercises X five sets each) and most people wouldn't think that's enough for a workout. You'd also be hitting each muscle group in only one way and missing out on different muscles/angles. For example, let's say you do five sets of side lateral raises for shoulders. You've hit your middle delts hard but have ignored front and rear delts, which are equally important shoulder muscles.

Instead, I'd recommend a minimum of two and perhaps three exercises per muscle group. Personally, I'd do three exercises for the large muscle groups (back, chest, quads, and given your split, I guess I'd throw shoulders in here even though they're not a large muscles) and two for each of the smaller (biceps, triceps, abs, I guess hams). That way you'd be doing five exercises/25 sets per workout.

If that sounds excessive to you, I'd cut back to two exercises per muscle group but try to vary them from week to week so you hit different muscles in different ways.

Hope that helps!

Yep, that was my next question.

How often have your tried to do a particular workout before you decided you hated it? I know for me I will always hate a workout the first time (except yoga - that just clicked with me for some reason). Doesn't matter if it is a new weight exercise or a cardio - my body doesn't like change. So I have promised myself not to make a judgement until I have done it at least 3 times (for a particular exercise, class or instructor) and 3 weeks for an activity (running, or in my case, that combination of walking and jogging called "wogging") before making a "yay/nay" decision. I took a Buns and Thighs class from one instructor at mygym and hated it - after 3, 4, 5 times. Reluctantly took an abs class from him later, and loved it. Who knows why. Give yourself a chance to adjust and keep reminding youirself that your body is learning a technique rather than concentrating on how much you hate it. I'm pretty sure everyone here started out hating working out - look at us now. Give yourself a break and relax and don't worry about loving it. You will find those things that you love. Right Ilene? Oh, she must be running outside rather than the "dreadmill", as she calls it

I'm here Ellen !! Yea, I'Ve been doing the dreadmill rather than outside this week BUT lo and behold the sun is out today and I have to wear my sunglasses just to look out the windo ... kidding of course...

Here's my 2 cents about your workout Gumby: For the sake of time, if you only want to be in there for 45 mins, my workouts usually last 50 max unless I get very ambitious and do extras... I would take one set out, to have only 4 sets and do it this way:
Set 1, 12 reps say at 5 lbs
Set 2, 10 reps at 8 lbs
Set 3, 8 reps at 10 lbs
Set 4, 6 reps at 12 to 15 lbs or as heavy as you can go to failure
I would do 3 to 4 exercises of the large muscle group to hit all the muscle angles, like Meg mentionned, and 2-3 exercises of the smaller muscles...

But at Ellen said, give it a chance, change it up in 2-4 weeks, as you may know change is good and keeps you muscles guessing and it's just plain fun to change things up, I get bored very easily...

HTH...TTFN...

Gosh, now I am really confused In BFL, do you not do one exercise for biceps with the same pyramid style and then immediately drop the weight and do another set of 12 but a different exercise for biceps such as hammer curls? Wouldn't this just be the same? Then why would I need to do 3 or 4 different exercises for each body part? My goodness, one day I promise I will stop asking so many questions and quit being a pest!!

Gumby Confused? Good that's the way we like it !!

I can't remember the BFL workout it's been so long. But do you do just 2 excercises for the smaller muscle groups only? or is it for the large ones too? If it is for the smaller muscles only then it would go with what Meg said about just doing 2 exercises for the those smaller muscles. I'm not sure myself....

Have you always just done BFL, because IMHO, BFL is not the "be all end all" of the exercise world, it's just ONE way of doing things. Like I said earlier I like to change things up and when I did try BFL, 3 years ago I think it was, I got bored with it quickly...

You're not a pest, so keep asking those questions...

P.S.: Just wanted to add here also that BFL is a very basic weight workout, geared IMO towards beginners...Once your body gets used to weight training you need to change things up to build muskles

Hey Ilene! No, I have never really stuck with BFL - too rigid with the diet. I love my food! I have done the basic 3 sets of 12 reps, high reps and low weight, etc... I just am not sure what the way to go is. I don't want to build bigger muscles but just emphasize the ones I do have

Oh dear, when will that myth ever die Women cannot make big muscles because we do not have the testostorone to do so... OYE!!

Gumbygirl, if you like Joyce and want a shorter workout try her Definition book. You can work out you'll whole body in 30 mins. No need to get crazy with splits. I love Joyce, I do either Weight tranning made easy or the fat burning work out on Mondays. Wed. I do definition and fri. I do her longer ones when I have more time, either bottoms up or fast forward. But I will be honest with you I just did her definition work out 3 days a week for more than 6 months and I am completely addicted to a short work outs. I am building great lines of definition and I look forward to my lifting days now. I started to switch things up for a change, I was getting bored with my same routine day in and day out. Now the other 3 days I really mix it up for my cardio. Biking inside or out, step videos, low impact aerobics, or kickboxing.

Ilene, perhaps what women mean when they say they don't want bigger muscles is that they don't want to look like female bodybuilders?? I don't know--just thinking "out loud." I saw a woman trainer on fitTV the other day who had what I consider large, built-up muscles and a build that made me think she competed. Now, perhaps those women do take testosterone, but I'm betting they don't. I do realize, however, that getting to that point takes an incredibly intense workout routine and highly developed diet to reduce BF significantly. You can't do that unless you really try hard to do so, and that I understand.

I prefer a muscle definition look, like, for example, Linda Hamilton in the Terminator. She had really defined muscles, but not a bodybuilder look, IMHO. Given my age and build, I'm never going to look like that, but I'm striving for defined, non-jiggly arms, and hopefully calves that you can actually see.

Sheila -- The thing is that we, everyday average women, cannot get big even if we decide to use heavy weights. The "bodybuilders" workout several hours/day, follow a really clean diet, then an even stricter diet during the weeks before a comp. As for Linda Hamilton's arms, well I am almost positive that she didn't get those arms using light dumbells and working out a couple of times per week. She had a trainer and I'm sure he put her through a rigorous workout and like a bodybuilder was following a very strict diet. I love her arms too and strive to workout out to get arms like that but no matter what I do it still hasn't happened yet. I lift as heavy as I possibly can with a fairly clean diet and still no arms like Linda Hamilton's ...



There is a saying that Love2Lift's -- a great gal who used to post at Ladies Who Lift -- husband said to her when he started training with her and I've saved it because it's so dang true


So anyways, I'll get off the now, all I'm really trying to advocate is that muscles are good, they burn more fat for you, lifting heavier prevents osteoarthritis. And in order to have more muscle you need to lift heavier

Hello all

It's been a while since I've posted, but I thought I would post the link to Linda Hamilton's workout. I hope it is ok to post this link.

best,

Jennifa

http://www.lhow.com/longevity93.html