My Workout Plan

[DuchessOfDork]

I got this from a bodybuilder website and was assured by a few trainers that if I stick to it, by July, I -should- have a bikini body. I've been sticking to it pretty hard-core, so far.. so here it is, if anyone else wants to give it a go!

Monday 1: Upper Day One

Bench Press - 2 sets of 8-12
Military Press - 2 sets of 12
Skull crushers - 2 sets of 15
Chins - 2 sets to failure (add weight if you can get over 15 reps)
Barbell Rows - 2 sets of 10


Wednesday 1: Lower Day One

EZ Bar Curls - 2 sets of 12
Hammer Curls - 2 sets of 15
Seated Calf Raises - 1 set of 15 (with 5 second pause at the bottom of each rep)
Stiff-Leg Deadlifts - 2 sets of 15
Hack Squats - 1 set of 8 and 1 set of 20


Friday 1: Upper Day Two

Incline Dumbbell Press - 2 sets of 8-12
Dumbbell Military Press - 2 sets of 12
Dips - 2 sets of 12 (add weight if necessary)
Wide Grip Pulldowns - 2 sets of 10
Deadlifts - 1 set of 8 and 1 set of 4


Monday 2: Lower Day Two

Alternate Dumbbell Curls - 2 sets of 12
Plate Twists - 3 sets with as much weight as possible
Leg Press Calf Raises - 1 set of 15 (with 5 second pause at bottom)
Lying Leg Curls - 2 sets of 12
Squats - 1 set of 8 and 1 set of 20


Wednesday 2: Upper Day Three

Decline Bench Press - 2 sets of 8-12
Machine Shoulder Press - 2 sets of 8
Close Grip Bench Press - 2 sets of 15
Chins - 2 sets taken to failure
T-Bar Rows - 2 sets of 10


Friday 2: Lower Day Three

Preacher Dumbbell Curls - 2 sets of 12
Zottman Curls - 2 sets of 15
Standing Calf Raises - 1 set of 15 (with 5 second hold at bottom)
Sumo Squat - 2 sets of 15
Leg Press - 1 set of 20 taken to failure


Abs

Weighted decline situps - 2 reps of 10
Weighted knee raises - 2 reps of 8
Swiss ball crunches - 2 reps of 8


Cardio

45-60 minutes at 3.5MPH or higher on an incline, done daily (except on days when weight lifting with legs), before breakfast.

[Brook]

Re: My Workout Plan

With that lifting schedule, I'd cut the cardio down to no more than 3 days a week. You risk over training, Duchess. Your body needs time to rest and recover, especially lifting like that. Without that time you risk injury and burn-out.

Awesome schedule though. I'll be following along to see how you come with it!

[DuchessOfDork]

Re: My Workout Plan

3 days a week for cardio?? I was doing it twice a day.. once in the morning and once after lifting.

[julirama723]

Re: My Workout Plan

It's important to have enough energy and focus for your workout. By doing cardio so much (along with the weight training), you're at risk for injury and burnout, or at the very least, your form and posture during lifting will suffer. And if your form suffers, it's a waste of time. It's not the quantity, but the QUALITY of the reps.

It's best to concentrate on one "type" of workout each day. Do pure strength training workouts, and do pure cardio workouts. Alternate days, so if you do weights one day, do cardio the next.

[DuchessOfDork]

Re: My Workout Plan

Well what my workout does is target specific muscle groups every other day, so that I have two days in between each muscle. One day is arms, then abs, then legs, ect. I was doing the cardio after my weight lifting because I felt kind of lame driving to the gym just to lift for half an hour and then leave. I'll probably be cutting down my morning cardio to every other day from now on, since I shouldn't be doing it on the days I work out my legs anyway.

[julirama723]

Re: My Workout Plan

Why not use heavier weights and fewer reps? That'll give you more bang for your buck. Or add another set? I usually do 3 sets. Another thing you can do is a pyramid workout or a reverse pyramid workout. Do 12 reps at a lighter weight, 10 reps at a heavier weight, 8 reps at the heaviest weight. For the reverse, do the heavy weights/fewer reps first.

If you do decide to do cardio, do it AFTER your weights--you want all of your focus and energy to be used for weight lifting.

[Brook]

Re: My Workout Plan

Why not use heavier weights and fewer reps? That'll give you more bang for your buck. Or add another set? I usually do 3 sets. Another thing you can do is a pyramid workout or a reverse pyramid workout. Do 12 reps at a lighter weight, 10 reps at a heavier weight, 8 reps at the heaviest weight. For the reverse, do the heavy weights/fewer reps first.

If you do decide to do cardio, do it AFTER your weights--you want all of your focus and energy to be used for weight lifting.

ITA!!!

Form is *everything* Duchess. You need to make sure you're eating and supplementing like you should be and not over training. It's really important because if your form is suffering, you're wasting your time. It's better to do something right 5 times than to do it wrong 20 times.

[DuchessOfDork]

Re: My Workout Plan

I suppose I could up my reps from 2-3, but I do already lift heavy, which is why I thought the two reps were good. I always do my cardio after weight lifting, except in the morning. I was told by the bodybuilding community that cardio in the morning on an empty stomach help to burn fat throughout the day.

[julirama723]

Re: My Workout Plan

Well, I'm no expert, but I think that advice is geared towards glucose-burners. We're fat burners and aren't we burning fat all day long? As for the empty stomach thing...if I go first thing in the morning, sometimes I'm hungry and sometimes I'm not. If I'm not hungry, I don't eat, but I'll usually eat a larger dinner the night before a big workout so I have enough fuel. If I'm hungry, I eat, then go an hour or so after. It's all about having enough fuel for the job at hand.

[julirama723]

Re: My Workout Plan

2 sets, you mean? If you're doing 15 reps of something, you're not lifting heavy weights! You should barely be able to do 12 with your base weight for each exercise. Your heaviest weight should only allow you do to 6-8 before exhaustion.

[DuchessOfDork]

Re: My Workout Plan

I was told that lifting to failure was not a good idea, as it fatigues muscles too fast. I was also told to find a heavy but managable weight that I could do around 10 reps with, and then work my way up each week.