[buckettgirl]

I started strength training in spring of 2005, and I saw a personal trainer once a month for about 3 months who gave me some good lists of exercises that I can do.... however, here it is a year later, and I need some variety, and I don't know what to do. I don't do personal training sessions anymore because it is too expensive.
I try to keep my strength workouts pretty varied with regard to free weights, machines, and the exercise ball (body weight exercises). *When I'm feeling lazy, I do the machines* LOL

I don't even know where to start to tell you what I do (shoot, I don't even know the names of everything I do).
For lower body, I LOVE the inclined leg press, and am lifting 360lbs on that - I get a good workout, but I think my muscles are too used to doing that. I do ball-wall squats and calf raises - which I know I need to be using DBs with it, but I can't get into position and hold my DB! LOL I use the theraband (the circle with ankle straps) for my abductors, and waddle around like a duck with those. I use a small exercise ball to squeeze my adductors. I do side lying leg raises with an ankle weight. I do back extension mostly on the machines (but I'm almost maxed out on the weight for that), and I do those on the exercise ball. I do crunches on the ball and on the machine, but I don't know how to work my obliques very well. I don't do all these every time I work my lower body, I switch them around, but it is usually the same.
For upper body: I am very bad about working my shoulders - I can't lift very much (under 10lbs with DB), and they get very tired very fast (not sore) and I don't know why. I do bicep curls on the machines and with DB and barbells. I do the over the head tricep extension, and tricep pushdown (i think) on the machine. I do lat pulldowns. I do seated bench press on the machine and with DB; pectoral fly with DB (not usually machine).
I think that is most of what I do regularly....
It is becoming not as challenging as I would like it to be. OH, and with my shoulders, is it odd that if I do a shoulder press, that I can't lift more than 10lb DBs but then I can lift 40lbs (with BB) on my biceps? It bothers me because it seems, I don't know, kinda out of whack....

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!!!!

[nelie]

I don't know the proper term for shoulders but they are a quick tiring muscle. It is hard to build up shoulder strength and they tire easily.

For general ideas, try exrx: http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html

Your muscles do get used to do specific exercises so you need to mix them up and rotate. Some people rotate monthly or weekly, I generally try to mix it up every time I go to the gym.

I'd also recommend looking at Body for Life. It has made my exercise routine so much easier and quicker. You work 5 muscle groups on upper body days, 4 on lower body days. You do 5 sets total for each muscle group with the last set being a different exercise than the 4 sets prior to it.

[northernbelle]

Don't worry about not lifting heavy on shoulder exercises. Shoulders are the most fragile joint you have, and the muscles are small. Avoid injury rather than worrying about weight. The other day, I was doing light weights, so I grabbed 5 lb for lateral raises. My shoulders did NOT want 5 lb that day, so I had to go down to the 3 lbs to do the sets.

For some of the exercises, like squats and calf raises, hold the dumbbells on your shoulders. I don't use a bar on my back, and that's what I do.

Search around for different free weight exercises. There are a ton of them; then plan to change them around. For example, I do squats for a few weeks, then switch to lunges. I do lat pulldowns for a while, then do bent over barbell rows.

Hope this helps...

[artmaker]

For a change with squats, you might want to try using the squats with a step bench, squatting with both legs together next to the bench, then squating with one leg on the bench, the other on the floor, then squating with legs spread on either side of the bench, then the other leg on the bench, and finally both legs together on the other side of the bench. This works different muscles than regular squats, and will get at those inner ones when you have one leg on the platform.

Try concentration curls for biceps as a change from regular bicep curls, or crazy 8's. You should find instructions on line for these.

Use resistence bands for a change of pace, since as neli indicated, your routines need to change occasionally. There are a number of ways you can change your routines...change the intensity, change the exercise, or change the number of repetitions.

Good luck!

[fikustrees]

A fun thing to do is look at fitness magazines like Shape, Self, and Fitness they always have a new 1 month plan in each issue. It is fun to follow along when you find a good one. The one in Self this month was designed by Tracie Long and it has tear out cards that you can take to the gym and I think it is fun.