Push Ups

Ninja1200 · Supporter Joined: 24 Jul 2007 Posts: 274 Location: USA

You are probably doing everything right, the problem you now have is that your chest is larger and therefore takes more work to make it sore. The triceps are smaller and will hit failure before the chest. I had the same problem and had to do a super set using a pec-deck flye movement immediately before doing my set of push ups. If you have access to a peck deck you should do a set of 18-20 reps, then go straight to your push ups. If that won't work a set of dumbbell flyes will substitute the pec deck.

Failing that I'd consider doing your wide hand position Push Ups first to failure and then immediately continue with a more narrow hand position until failure again.

Hope this works for you...

Soul Walker · Newbie Joined: 24 May 2007 Posts: 100

thx for all your advice, but i have just one more question, is it better to work all your areas in one, like, i exercise my abs first, them arms, then a little on my legs, it all comes to around 45 minutes, or is it better to spread it out, like work your arms in the morning, then abs later on, and legs later etc etc, or does it not matter? i'm just curious

Ninja1200 · Supporter Joined: 24 Jul 2007 Posts: 274 Location: USA

I guess it really depends on your goals and your own physiology. Typically, for better muscle growth you need to allow for rest and recouperation to allow the muscle to repair itself and grow. Individual recovery intervals will vary depending on your age, eating plan, amount of sleep you get at night, and how much damage has been done to the muscle fibers from the training. Generally larger muscles will take a longer period of time for complete recovery than smaller ones. Calves seem to recover the fastest (maybe becuase we walk with them and they are accoustomed to high volume???).

I've spent years chasing my magic recovery interval windows but as I age and my training evolves, the magic wondow remains elusive. A great rule of thumb is to track all your training and then compare your workout to the previous. If you made progress than you are doing things right. If you remained the same, something needs to be changed and if you didn't go as good there is definately a problem. My basic recovery intervals dictate my program is broken down like so:

Day 1 Chest/Delts
Day 2 off
Day 3 Lats/Bi's
Day 4 off
Day 5 Quads/calves
Day 6 off

Day 7 Chest/Tri's
Day 8 Hams/hips/lower back
Day 9 off
Day 10 Lats
Day 11 off
Day 12 Quads/calves

At a glance it may appear pretty random but this is the result of 15 years of evolution in my program and learning to respond to what my muscles are telling me. Remember when you are training chest your shoulders and triceps are working too so they don't need a lot of subsequent work. Since the triceps are smaller than either the chest or delts, I actually skip specific training on them every other week. This also applies to my biceps after training lats. They get a ton of work with any upper body work so they don't need as much specific training to grow, muscle grows during REST not training.

I train my hams and hips with specific movements every other week becuase they get plenty of work during my quad training. The weeks I skip hams and hips, I'll be doing more lunges and overall leg training than involves the entire leg group.

I didn't list abs seperately in my list becuase I've started training my CORE with every body part. I sustained a herniated disc in my lower back last year from never training my core and always isolating my abs. I belive this was bad for me and left my lower back vunerable to injury and it happened. Now I do all my weight training with a focus on my core first and the rest of the body secondary. It's incredibly difficult and taxing on my heart and lungs and I've had to step up my cardio training to stay with it. I'm still fighting my back injury but with my new program I'm able to continue working out and was back in the gym only 3 weeks after surgery.

Also, when you see an "off day" that just means no weight training. Depending on how I feel, I'll either do cardio only or cardio and core training if I was too sore to complete it the previous day.

Let me know what gray areas to clear up for you at this point or if you have any further questions.

Soul Walker · Newbie Joined: 24 May 2007 Posts: 100

so if you dont exercise everything in one day, and exercise one section one day then another the next and repeat, that would work better for building musicle? coz it allows growth, what i'm thinkg about doing, is, work my abs monday, then arms tuesday, and then legs wednesday and repeat, but i dont have any weights, does this effect anything in anyway? also, if i spread them out like that, i will only be exercising for about 15-20 minutes a day on one section.

Soul Walker · Newbie Joined: 24 May 2007 Posts: 100

Ninja1200 · Supporter Joined: 24 Jul 2007 Posts: 274 Location: USA

I do believe you'll realize better muscle gains by spreading out the work over a few days to a week long period. Think of it this way, if you were going to race someone on foot for say 100 yards. After you streched and warmed up the very first race will likely be your best effort. Any subsequent race afterwards will likely be not as fast. If you return the very next day and try again, you probably will be too tired or sore from the previous days' effort so you won't be able to give it your best shot or make any progress. Now, what if you rested for 4 or 5 days then tried again? You'd likely make a slight improvement or at least tie your best effort right?

-How many days per week do you want to workout?
-How much time do you want to spend in each training session?

There are a million different ways to break it all down and I'm sure together we can figure out a good starting point and breakdown of bodyparts to train together.

Soul Walker · Newbie Joined: 24 May 2007 Posts: 100

my goal is at least 4 days a week, and about half an hour a day for each section mabe, i've already added some of the push up exercises you told me about, so so ill probably do those until i cant do anymore and then mabe put a number on them and try and beat that number or something mabe, i've mainly been werking on my stomach more than anything for the past year, but i wonna even things about abit, youve alrwady helped me alot on werking on my chest and arms, but i dont have much for legs, i just do 45 squats and 45 lunges

Ninja1200 · Supporter Joined: 24 Jul 2007 Posts: 274 Location: USA

For a 4 day per week split, I'd suggest a Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday breakdown or better yet Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. Either one will work fine for you and it will depend on your own schedule and preference.

For muscle groupings, start with something like this:
1. Chest/Shoulders/Triceps
2. Quads/Hams/Calves/Abs
3. Rest
4. Lats/Biceps/Forearms
5. Rest
6. Core (abs) training only
7. Rest
Repeat

I like to keep chest and shoulders together becuase anytime you are doing a pressing movement with your chest, you will be working your shoulders anyway. By the time you finish your chest, your shoulders will be mostly finished so you only need a couple of shoulder specific work sets and you are finished. The same rule applies to the triceps. Keep in mind, after working chest and shoulders to failure, your triceps are probably beyond failure so you might alternate 1 week skipping shoulder-specific work and the next week skip triceps-specific work.

I like to keep the entire lower body grouped together becuase of balance of muscle groups. Lunges are great overall leg developing exercises and I'd continue with them. You could also get a 12" to 18" block or chair to step up and down on for 1 legged work to increase the workload if you don't have access to weights. You can also load a backpack with some books and wear while you do your squats and lunges to increase the resistance.

For your hamstrings you could add some stiff-leg deadlifts super-setted with "Frog Squats". Here's a quick overview:

1 Stiff Leg Deadlifts. Start with your heels together and toes pointing slightly outwards (whatever is comfortable for your individual stance). Keeping your knees straight, bend forward at the waist and try to reach your hands as far down towards your feet as possible. You should feel a tremendous strech in your hamstrings and try to keep your hands as close as possible to your legs to keep your back from doing too much of the work. Don't bounce with the movement, strech your hamstrings as your lower your body. When you reach the bottom of the strech, try to tighten your hamstrings and use them to pull your body back up. If you tighten your glutes as you do this it might make it easier to plug in your mind-to-muscle connection. Keep the rep range higher (15-25) and use a slow tempo. As soon as you finish this movement go straight to "Frog Squats".

2 Frog Squats. Starting from a squat position where your feet would be about shoulder width apart, step both feet outwards so that they are pretty wide. Squat down keeping your knees in line with your feet and try to get your thighs parallel to the ground. When you start to move upwards, squeeze your glutes as hard as you can and try to stand up from the back of your legs instead of using your quads. This is another learned movement but once it clicks in your mind, you'll able to make your hams extremely sore.

For your calves just do any sort of seated and standing calf raises you can. Use a scrap peice of wood or some stairs to get a deeper stretch at the bottom of the movement.

For lats, bis and forearms, I suggest "Total Rep Sets" with pull ups. Basically do as many reps as you can at each set until you can't complete 1 rep. Rest no more than 1 minute between sets. When you are finished, add up the total number of reps you did and that's your "Total Rep Set". Try to use that as your goal for the next workout and see if you can improve on that number. This movement will greatly tax your biceps and fatigue them so after you finish your lats, you only need a set or two for biceps. A good way to train the forearms, biceps, and brachii muscle groups is to go a set of close grip pull ups. Grab the bar with your palms facing you and keep your pinkie fingers within 6 inches of each other. Pull yourself up focusing on your biceps and squeeze them for 1 second at the top of each rep. Lower yourself under control and repeat. Take this set to failure. To finish the arms, complete a set of alternate biceps curls using anything you have handy for resistance. A set of dumbbells is perfect but you could also use a milk jug, backpack full of books, bucket with handle full of water, etc... Just find something to give you resistance. Start with just 1 set of around 15-20 reps with light weight and adjust as necessary.

For your core training, it's basically doing abs but trying to do them as an entire muscle group instead of isolating ab groups. I also include lower back in my core training as they all seem to work together. As an option, you could also train calves again on this day since those muscle fibers are accustomed to higher volume and frequency of training.

OK, my fingers are tired so I'll stop for now. Let me know what to clear up if I got too confusing.

Soul Walker · Newbie Joined: 24 May 2007 Posts: 100

theres a few things i'm not sure about, i dont know what lats are or quads. What could i do to seperait my chest and shoulders routine and triceps, when werking on my arms and chest, mainly what i have is differant variations of push ups, should i seperait which ones werk on the triceps and which ones work the biceps more and do them on a differant day like you posted? i'm just not 100% sure one which ones werk the tri and biceps

i'm wanting to get some dumbells, i might order some off the net, is there anything you'd recomend?

thx for all your help btw, i really apprisiate it

Soul Walker · Newbie Joined: 24 May 2007 Posts: 100

also does it not really matter how long you work out in one day, since i used todo everything in one, it lasted 45 minutes, but since i'm seperaiting them out now, it'll probably only be about 15 minutes, as long as i exercises till i cant do anyore it should still be effective right?

Push Ups

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