Weightlifting, HT, and Bone Health

Thanks as always

if we had 30 minutes i could show you a good routine to get you going.  i notice new guys like to do lots of curls .  if you can't get 10 reps on any exercises you're using too much weight.

i have two weight days a week.  the first day is chest.  the seconds is arms.

i do four chest exercises.  five sets of each exercise. i can do my chest in less than 30 minutes.  on chest days i also do two shoulder exercises.  five sets each, 10 reps.  the entire routine takes 45 minutes, tops.  then i do 30 minutes of bike.

i then do two more days of bike, 45 minutes each and on the fourth day i rest.  all my chest exercises are on machines.  one shoulder exercise is with light dumbells.  i shrug with 65 - 85 lb dumbells (usually at the lighter end).

on arms days i do three backarm and three biceps exercises.  five sets each, 10 reps or more.  i use dumbells for one curl exercise and sometimes i'll do french curls with a bar for my backarms.  otherwise i use all machines.  after arms i do two back/lat exercises.  the entire workout usually takes 45-minutes to an hour.  then i do a half hour of bike.  then two days of bike and rest.

at first go really light and do maybe only two to three sets of each exercises, and take more rest days.  you want to slowly work out the soreness so you don't hurt yourself.

good luck.

ed

I used to lift regularly.  Few of tips I’ve always employed are:

Get rest.  Don’t use the same body part on consecutive days.  I used to lift every day (chest, shoulders, triceps, abs on one day, Legs, Back and biceps on the next)

Vary your routine.  Do lots of different exercises for each body part.  Especially if you use machines, don’t get stuck in the rut of doing the same exercise day after day (switch it up, better physically, and mentally)

Use different techniques. Such as pyramiding the weights (increasing the weight within the rep, until you can only do 2 or 3 reps at that weight, then bring it back down) , doing negative reps (‘cheat’ going up, and then slowly let it down), or other variances.

Go Slow.  both in how fast you change weights, and in each movement.  ( concentrate on the muscle, not just on jerking the weight up.

Big muscles before small ones.  Back before Bi, Chest before Tri.  Otherwise the little muscles will get tired, and the bigger ones will not get a workout. 

And here’s one very few trainers will tell you.  Don’t count.  Do your sets until you “feel it”.  Depending on the day, and your energy level, and other factors, such as whether you just raised the weight. You may wind up only doing 8 reps, or 15.  (If you find you are consistently at the top range, time to change the weight.   

Good luck.

Rich

Michael