Gym training schedule: trying to work something out...

[scott76]

I'd like to work out some sort of schedule for my training - I'm hoping you guys can help.

At the moment I've got as far as listing out the exercises I can / will be doing and sorting them into key muscle groups (which I think are about right). They aren't necessarily the 'usual' groups, but I think they're workable. What I'm really not very sure on is how often I can safely work the various muscles, which groups I might be advised to maybe repeat twice in a week, or which muscle groups I could 'pair up' and hit together in the same session.

Bear in mind I'm ultimately training for strength for the gymnastic rings so upper body is key, but equally I want to look fairly balanced, so there'll need to be a good bit of work elsewhere too.

For information, I get the the gym for about 50-60 minutes five times a week, but it's nice to keep one or two of those sessions as CV work. I'm open to the possibility of of doing mini CV sessions thrown in with a shorter set of strength work. The advantage of a 'pure' CV session is it keeps my training flexible (ie. I can miss one if I want to - *if* I decide to use a 'weekly' timetable). I'm not sure there's any reason for me to use a weekly rota. If I can work out a schedule of seven or eight sessions and just cycle through them - I don't see why that wouldn't work. I'm tending to work three or four sets at 12 reps (weights nothing terribly major - only going to failure on bodyweight exercises [chins / dips / press-ups etc]).

If a weekly rota sounds sensible then this might be useful:

Monday: 8-9pm
Tuesday: 8-9am
Wednesday: 8-9pm
Thursday: 8-9pm
Friday: none
Saturday: 10-11am(ish)
Sunday: none

Anyway - this is what I have:

CV sessions (a mixture of the following according to how I feel on the day):

• X-trainer
• Rower
• Treadmill

Trunk:

• Cable Front Pulldown
• Lever Seated Rows
• Chin-ups / Pull-ups

Chest:

• Bench Press
• DB Flyes
• Dips
• Press-ups

Shoulders:

• Lever Lateral Raise
• DB Shoulder Press
• Cable Upright Rows

Arms:

• Lever Triceps Extension
• DB Curls
• Triceps Cable Pushdown

Legs:

• Lever Leg Extension
• Deadlift (with very minor weights!)
• DB Weighted Squats
• Lever Seated Leg Press

So there we go. It's a bit of a jumble and I haven't really a clue where to go from here (aside from just turning up at the gym and doing a few of them that I haven't done for a while and where the muscles aren't too tired) - but I've not ever gone through this planning process before.

One last thing; I'd like to fit in some inverted weight training with dumbells at home somewhere along the line. It's good training for the rings. basically you hang upside down with the dbs and lift them from 'hanging' above your head to down by your side - keeping your arms straight. Not sure quite where that would fit in?

Anyway... any help / advice welcome! Thanks.

[Jonathan]

Right, I think you need to include a bit more back work. I'd ditch the lever rows for bent over rows with a barbell.

For chest, dips and bench are great, but going to failure with press ups will undo some of the work you do with those exercises as I imagine you fail at around 30-40reps, and at these reps its purely endurance. Just stick to bench and dips.

For shoulders you only need two exercises, overhead press (either push or strict) and power cleans. I guarantee they will slap lots of mass and strength on there.

For arms, try close grip bench instead of isolation stuff. Seeing as your goal is the rings, I think you would benefit more from compound stuff, as rings are (and I am no gymnast, so I'm only assuming) a full upper body exercise. One tricep specific exercise and one curl is enough.

For legs, just squat and deadlift mate Simple as that!

Good luck with it - feel free to PM me with any questions

Jonathan

[surfstak]

I dont like it scott. Too many sessions with not enough rest between.

Dont you fancy a P/P/L? - M/W/F Cardio Tues & Thurs.

[scott76]

Noooooo, Surf, this isn't a list of sessions - this is just a list of exercises I 'can do' in some sort of grouping. I'm kinda hoping you lot can help me knock them into session format.

Jonathan: Very much BB work is a bit of a problem for reasons of space at the gym (and the fact that I don't know how to do most of them).. I'll look at what bent over rows are - I've heard them mentioned on here pretty frequently and they seem to be popular. I kind of like the seated rows - I'd be reluctant to ditch them. I feel like I'm fully working on that but it's not technically difficult - I just yank the thing!

[surfstak]

I would Choose from:

Chest:
Weighted press ups
Dips
DB Inc Press
Flys

Legs:
Squats
Leg Extension
Good Mornings
Stiff Leg Deadlifts
Calf raise

Shoulders:
Oly BB Press (standing will help with core strength)
Rear Delt work
Rotator cuff work

Bi's:
BB Curl
DB hammer curl
Chins

Tri's:
Dips (focussing on Tri's)
Close grip bench
Skullcrushers

Back:
Deadlifts
Pull ups
Bent over rows
hyperextensions

Ab work:
Crunches
Side bends

Grip work:
Plate pinching
Farmers walks
Static holds

[scott76]

Oh crumbs, I think I've explained myself badly here and made a bit of a mess. Sorry!

Thank you for your willingness to help so far; I think there's a need to me to make some bits clearer / start over with my explanation...

As you know (...some of you ), I've been going to the gym for about 2 weeks. The list up top is what I've 'learned' since I've been going. I'm looking to get some sort of structure into my training now - so I know roughly what I'm doing and so that I don't over/underwork any particular muscle groups.

I'd very much like to work out a plan using the the exercises I've listed above. Later on I'm sure I'll rework this thing and put in some new things based on what I've learnt on here. I'm reluctant at the moment to 'learn' too many 'new exercises' - I'd like to do what I can with what I've got. Walk before I can run, so to speak. If there appears to be something really key missing then I guess I could learn one or two new things, but I'd like the core of my program to be based on what I've gone through in my inductions.

My uncertainties are concerning things like:

• how often can I train certain muscle groups?
• which muscle groups can I sensibly 'pair up' and train together?
• have I got too many exercices for any particular muscle group and not enough for another?

etc...

Sorry I'm making a mess of this, but it's all deeply new to me. I realise that the vast majority of you have BB backgrounds as far as training goes. Ideally I'd be asking for advice on a site for gymnasts that train in a gym - but there aint no such thing! Pioneering times for us all!

I hope that makes things a bit clearer. Ask away if I'm not making myself very well understood.

And cheers for the help guys!

[scott76]

OK, I've come up with what I think is a plan.

A few of key points:

• Arms and shoulders are getting done twice weekly, but I've split them so as to be Tuesday AM and Saturday AM (3 days rest and 4 days rest). I've split the exercises a bit so they get slightly different work on the two sessions.
• I've added in some 'formal' rowing on the back day as back work was a bit lacking but I'm reluctant to add any 'new' exercises at least initially.
• Most of the sessions are limited to about four exercises. That sound OK?

MONDAY (Trunk / Back):

• Cable Front Pulldown
• Lever Seated Rows
• Chin-ups / Pull-ups
• 20-30 mins cardio (rowing)

TUESDAY (Arms + Shoulders):

• Triceps Cable Pushdown
• DB Curls
• DB Shoulder Press
• Lever Lateral Raise

WEDNESDAY (Chest):

• Bench Press
• DB Flyes
• Dips
• Press-ups
• 20-30 mins cardio (x-trainer)

THURSDAY (Legs):

• Lever Leg Extension
• Deadlift (with very minor weights!)
• DB Weighted Squats
• Lever Seated Leg Press

SATURDAY (Arms + Shoulders):

• Lever Triceps Extension
• DB Curls
• DB Shoulder Press
• Cable Upright Rows

Does that sound workable?

[surfstak]

Im still not fussed mate, I think you falling into the new gym guy trap of caning it 5 days a week.
Less is more mate, stick to the compounds and add a few of your fav isolations in at this stage.
I would start as you mean to go on and dont be reluctant to change it, knock down that wall you have put up and learn the basics of tried and tested compounds.
sorry if it soudns extreme but I would rethink it the routine, e.g. Deadlifts are the main exercise in a back session you have them on your leg day.

[Resurrected]

I've got agree with surfstak. Your new to weights so just go with a 3 day (4 max) routine. Try this for 10-12 weeks then change if its doing nothing.

Drop the isloations you don't need them IMO even if your training for gymnastics. You still need strength and muscle. Your not going to turn into Ron Coleman overnight (in case even over 30 years!!!).

Train with compunds and train heavy! Take a look at Finlee's journal

http://www.myprotein.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=1672

But if you only do one thing drop the bloody isolation movements!

[scott76]

Don't you hate it when people tell you stuff you know is right, but you didn't want to hear. You lot... grrr.

Damn you for being so helpful.

I just can't bring myself to drop most of / all of my (already) beloved isolations surf, 43. I know I should, but ...but

This may sound stupid but... seeing how I'm clearly so afraid of change I think I'm going to do the routine above for one week as it is (crappy though it may be - I'm having fun with that stuff at the moment).

Then (this is the bit I hope you'll like better), each week after that I intend to learn one new compound exercise and introduce that while phasing out some isolation stuff. That way I'm not throwing myself in at the deep end so much with the unknown stuff and I'm not just 'carrying on regardless'.

As I increase the range of compound exercises I'm using and get on to 'proper' weights I may also cut down on my strength sessions and turn a couple of 'em to pure cardio.

I know this isn't the ideal plan, but bearing in mind my apparent love of isolation stuff and fear of change, would this at least go some way to getting me on the right track in the next month or two as I get more serious?

Cheers for the advice guys. I know I'm an ungrateful little sod, but I am appreciating all the help (even if I don't really want to put it into action).