Can you critique my circuit? Multiple suggestions wanted.....
I recently upped my weights after being on my plan for 2 months and dropping 20 pounds. That got me to thinking I should check in with this great forum and make sure I'm on track.
OK, so disclaimer first, I set up this routine myself by consulting my Weider wall chart, focusing on my major muscle groups, and trying to pick an hour's worth of exercises. I do complete body 3 nites a week, and because of time limitations, I really don't want to get into upper / lower body splits of doing ubody on two days and lower on other days (unless that is, you can convince me of the need to!) I do this on a home gym of the stack weights.
OK, so in about 45 minutes, I do 3 sets of 12 reps each of these:
Leg Adduction, 12 lbs
Leg Abduction, 12 lbs (even tho my inner thighs are much stronger than my outers, I try to keep this balanced, but I could probably do more with my inner. Is balancing a myth or something I'm right to be doing?)
Front Kick with cable around ankle: 20 lbs
Rear Kick with cable around ankle: 20 lbs
Tricep extension: 32 lbs
Bicep curl: 10 lbs (tried 15 on my first set today, but went back to 10 on last 2 sets)
Leg extension: 22 lbs (sitting with ankles tucked under pulley atchd to cable)
Military press: 22 lbs (I vary my hand position on the machine so it's really military press, chest press, mp)
Then I do 100 variations of sit-ups between 20 each of:
Stability ball situps
Frogleg situps on floor while holding stability ball and bringing it up over head to legs
Bicycles, 40 of these
Lower ab leg lift
I try to do 30 min treadmill walking cardio (3.5/3.8/3.5) 4 times a week.
So, am I on the way to seeing great results if I eat clean and get enough protein, or am I missing any big components?
Oh, wanted to add too, that I was also trying to work my hamstrings too to balance the quad work, but when I try to do the hamstring curl and lean against the machine, it rocks. So then I tried lying on the floor and doing it with dumbbells. Well, the weight I could balance felt like it wasn't even hard enough work for me, and trying to do a heavier one in that position that felt heavy enough made me really nervous about one day dropping the weight on my lower back, so I stopped doing that. Is there another good way to work the hamstring? I may just wait til I drop more weight and go back to the machine hamstring curl and hope that being lighter, I won't rock the machine so much.
Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but I really don't see any quad exercises in there, or back or chest. Those are your major muscle groups
You can do hamstring curls with the cable attachment. If you have some dumbbells, I'd add some dumbbell squats and deadlifts and skip the adductor and abductor work for a while. You'll hit those muscles with some good heavy, deep squats or lunges anyway.
Not only do you need to up the weights, but you need to change the exercises every 4-6 weeks to keep progressing
Thanks Mel. OK, clearly I am not on the right track if I can't even identify my major muscle groups. I do believe the leg extension works the quads. I will add in some squats and deadlifts, bc you are right, I am not doing any glutes work other than the back leg kick with cable. I have trouble with my knees on lunges though, I feel like my knees are going to break at any point, so I'll wait on those until I lighten my load I think. I will also use a bench that I have to do the hamstring curls; I saw that in a mag last nite and that would help I think.
True, I'm not working back, and chest is only what I'm getting on the presses. I didn't realize back was a major muscle. See, I think this is called knowing just enough to be dangerous.
Ah, I didn't read carefully. You're right, the leg extensions do work your quads. However, most trainers and physiotherapists agree that leg extensions, unless done with a limited range of motion for your particular knee, cause a lot of knee problems. If you have problems with lunges, I would be hesitant about doing extensions. How about doing weighted step-ups onto the bench?
I'd add some more chest exercises- flys, flat presses, pushups or modified pushups. Add some back exercises: do you have a lat pull down on the gym? if you have a cable you can do one arm rows with the cable (kind of like starting a lawnmower.) Do them standing in a squat position and you get some quad and glute work there too. Or do them standing on one leg and you get some balance work.
I have trouble with my knees on lunges though, I feel like my knees are going to break at any point, so I'll wait on those until I lighten my load I think.
I agree about the lunges. I do them, but I don't go down very far, and I'm very very careful not to twist my leg while I'm down (i.e. I come back to standing before assuming another position). Squats and deadlifts on the other hand are really helping my knees!
Can you critique my circuit? Multiple suggestions wanted.....
I do believe the leg extension works the quads. I will add in some squats and deadlifts, bc you are right, I am not doing any glutes work other than the back leg kick with cable. I have trouble with my knees on lunges though, I feel like my knees are going to break at any point, so I'll wait on those until I lighten my load I think. I will also use a bench that I have to do the hamstring curls; I saw that in a mag last nite and that would help I think.
