Gym rats unite!

For I have nothing to lose but my lard!!!


So a couple of years ago, a doctor told me that I need to spend more time on the treadmill, walking at 70% of max HR for 45 minutes a day. Good advice, maybe. But 45 minutes on a treadmill is a loooooong time.

So a couple of weeks ago, I switched it up. I still get on the treadmill, but only for about 15-20 minutes. That’s my “treadmill attention span”. Then after that, I go to the weight room. On Monday-Thursday, I do chest & triceps. On Tuesday-Friday, I do upper back & biceps, and on Wednesday-Saturday I do lower back & legs.

M-Th - 4x10 on bench press (barbell), incline press (barbell), gorilla press (dumbbell), and 4x10 chest flys (machine).

Tu-F - 4x10 on lat pull-down (cables), 4x10 on lateral row (cables), 4x10 upright row (barbell), and 4x10 shrugs (dumbbell).

W-Sa - 4x10 squats (barbell), 4x10 deadlifts (barbell, sumo-style w/reverse grip), 4x10 prone leg curls (machine), and…I can’t really think of anything else. (Honestly, this workout kills me, so I haven’t expanded it yet.)


So here’s my question–can anybody suggest something to help fill in the time on the leg days? I need to develop some more core muscles, and I figure it’s only natural to do it the same day you do squats and deadlifts. (Core is definitely my weak spot.) And any advice on the other days would be helpful, too.

Remember, I’m not looking to be John Cena or the Governator or anything. Just looking to get in shape while doing a workout that’s fun enough to do it consistently.

Planks are great (aim for about 2 minutes a set and don’t let your form slack), as are hanging leg raises on the dip machine if your gym has one.

The lying leg raise and throwdown is also awesome, especially because it has a bit of a competitive side with your partner trying to actively break you. The throw downs should be randomized rather than simply a pattern so you have to react to the throws rather than anticipate them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2owf3NTjGzk

^You’re the second person today to suggest planks. Hmm…

Throwdowns probably aren’t going to happen, since I’m a lone wolf on the workout thing. So I don’t lift very heavy for that reason, either.

That’s another consideration–I don’t spend a lot of time actually lifting. But maybe once I start adding weight (to the exercises, that is), this will take a little more time than it takes right now. I can go in and do these workouts in just a little over 30 minutes. (Just the weight part, that is. Walking 20 minutes on the treadmill takes…about 20 minutes.)

long walks are great for you. why not walk around your neighborhood with the kid(s?) to make it more interesting?

you’re already getting good core work with bench, squats and DLs. if you want to mix it up, do some other stuff with the barbell every once in a while - push presses, overhead squats (killer if done to full ROM), thrusters, and cleans. maybe mix in a sprint day. all that stuff is great for your core and simultaneously works other muscle groups.

i don’t like doing exercises that specifically target abs or core but sometimes do 4x flutter kicks, leg raises, or 4x waive offs. might be tough at your build but hanging knees to elbows and toes to bar are killer.

do the p90x ab ripper x, it is legit and it will make your abs burn for days but it feels so good. SO GOOD.

I am only suggesting this because it seems like you have a focus on the core:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/kettlebell-one-legged-deadlift

If your gym doesn’t have kettlebells, you can use a dumbbell. Don’t let the how-to video fool you – this move is very different from a regular deadlift and hits the hams hard, and the next day you’ll feel it getting up out of chairs. More importantly, it looks easy but the average person can’t keep their balance for a set of 12-15 of these, so the balance helps with your core objective.

You are doing way too many things. Rather I think you’d be better off keeping it simple and doing this 3x a week:

Workout 1:

Squats 3x5

DL 3x5

Upper body accessory 3x5

Workout 2:

Squats 3x5

Bench 3x5

Barbell Rows 3x5

^Agreed. Stronglift 5x5 is a good program and is very similar to what Palantir posted above.

I’m doing it now and enjoy it a lot more than the kind of lifting I did in the past (which was similar to the OP.)

^ Yea I do SL 5x5 as well, but the volume is painful.

+100

For the treadmill, what I used to do is go when a game, or show I wanted to watch was on, so I’d have no issue staying on there for an hour. Or when I would travel for work, I’d take my ipad with me and just stream netflix. But I guess most gyms don’t have wifi, unlike hotels.

I second planks,I suggest you learn to use a suspension trainer,that is when you are really getting an ab work outs.However planks are a great move by themselves

Planks are nothing in difficulty when compared to barbell abs rollout (if you do it properly of course and completely push your upper body out).

Plus I’ve read a few articles about potential downsides of plank exercise.

Nice trick, I remember using it a few years back when I was struggling to motivate myself.

for core- deadlifts squats barbell rows do the crunch of the work from functional point of view…if u want isolation-crunches using cable machine,planks and crunches using ab wheel thing(dont remember the exact name of the machine) other advice-lifting 6 days a week is too much…at max 4 days a week and since your AF persona is some1 who is around their 40s, 3 days a week is what’s ideal

Is there a rower at your gym ?

IMO it’s a much better time investment than slow jogging on a treadmill.

If you do it fast enough and long enough it is a valid aerobic exercise, will exercise your muscles, and is definitely a great tool for core health and stability.

Lastly, the pulling motion is good for your back and shoulders, especially for desk jokey white-collar pussies like us who tend to have bad posture.

TL;DR : get on the rower instead of the treadmill.

+1 for strong lift or 5x5.

I’ve just started a new regime one 2 day split, upper and lower body 2x per week spread over 4 days.

Also, kettlebells swings are good for core. Have a look at Barbell hip thrust too…

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=barbell+thrust&espv=2&biw=1038&bih=371&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=HGwuVbulEIrnasGUgKAO&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&dpr=0.9

Here’s a program to give a go too:

https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/building-a-bigger-yoke

+1

This is a real question, not snark.

How is the rower better when you spend that time sitting down? Same concern with cycling (spinning).

I would think that for aerobics, it would be a better workout if it involves lifting your legs more - walking, stairs, steps, maybe elliptical.

TL;DR: good aerobics = ass hangs free.