2 Day workout plan...

[JLad10687]

I have a plan to work all my muscle groups over the period of two days. This is to work muscle A and then the next day work muscle B, allowing A to heal.

Now, here is the plan...

Day 1:

Upper back: Compound row and pull-ups.
Biceps: Curls, compound row.
Forearms: Wrist curls
Upper and Lower abs: Crunches, crunches with weight resistence
Quads: Leg press, seated leg press, leg lift
Calves: Calf raises.

Cardio

Day 2:

Shoulders: Military press.
Chest: Flies, Bench press.
Lower back: Not sure what the machine is called but I only know of one machine and the free weight exercise.
Triceps: Tricep extensions
Hammys: Leg curls.
Hip flexors: Hip adduction
Groin muscles: Hip abduction

Cardio

My questions to you guys, is it ok to work the abs and do cardio everyday? Am I forgetting and other key muscle groups? And what other exercises do you know of for these muscle groups(some freeweights are fine but keep in mind that I do not have a spotter so that can cause a problem sometime)?

[Igovert500]

Well, lots of comments here.

1) yes, cardio every day is fine, as well is working out the abs multiple times a week. I wouldn't say 7x a week, but I do them 4 or 5 times a week, and was taught by my trainer that this is perfectly fine. Keep in mind 5 mins of cardio before a workout is good to get your muscles warmed up, however 20+ mins of cardio is now into the fat burning stages, and will reduce the effects of any subsequent weight lifting. So decide if your goal is weight loss, or muscle gain.

2) It's good that you have your workout split up, and allowing your muscles to rebuild, however a few comments. First off, you get a better workout when you work opposing muscles back to back. For instance, you have biceps one day, and then triceps the next. Do them together, back to back is even better. You will get much better results by taxing one, and then switching over and taxing the opposing muscle.

I like to alternate chest/arms/abs Day 1, with Back/shoulders/legs/abs Day 2.
1 intense workout, and 1 moderate workout for each group a week, then the fifth day of the week, I'll just do cardio, and day 6 and 7 are rest. Not saying that is the only way to go about it, there are many ways to put together a great plan, I'm just saying that was mine.

3) Machines are nice, in that you don't need a spotter, but keep in mind they aren't as good for 2 reasons A) freeweights require balance, which means you are working alot of smaller stabalizing muscles, not just the large muscles. B) freeweights allow even lifting, you cannot favor your stronger arm or leg. So I try to use freeweights as much as possible. I find many people are more than happy to spot for you in between their own reps.

4) Do workouts that hit major/multiple muscle groups before the ones that focus in on one muscle. For instance, bench before doing curls and tricep extensions.

5) Looks to me like you have all the muscles accounted for in your plan, there are a few more exercises I could recommend for variety, but that is a solid workout.

Some others that you may want to try: incline and declining bench for chest;
Lat pulldowns for your Lats and Traps;
Upright rows ( I do it with a 45lb bar and liek 10-25lbs on each end, grab teh bar in the middle with both hands, let them hang down in front of you, and then lift the bar up along your body to chest/chin level. Also dumbell raises, take a dumbell and just lift it with one arm, straight out in front of you. Both are good for your deltoids and traps.

The cable crossovers, preacher curls, isolated curls, etc are great for biceps.

Dips for triceps and chest

squats are a great alternate to leg press, I like to switch it up often, so I don't favor the Hamstrings over the quads or vice versa.

And the capt. chair knee raises are good for your abs and legs as well.

Good luck.

[beef_bourito]

you should deffinitly start up with a bit of cardio before your workout, it'll help get the blood flowing so you can lift more effectivly and it'll help prevent injury. make sure you remember to stretch afterwards 2, it'll keep your muscles from becoming stiff and can speed up recovery time.

also, dont do the same workout for many weeks in a row, you want to switch it up every few weeks so your body doesn't adapt to the workout. this will give you better results.

as for the healing time, some muscles require more time than others, and some people take longer than others. your quads will take a long time to heal, one day MIGHT be fine but for many people it take 2 or 3 days. the same goes for your chest, lats, traps, and any other big muscles that i might be forgeting. for me, i can work my traps every day or every otehr day, but my quads will need a day of rest, so it's different for everyone.

It would help if you told us your goals, are you trying to bulk up, lose fat, etc? you can seldom do both at the same time, i say that but that's exactly what i'm trying to do over the summer. if you are trying to do both, i've read that alternating weeks helps if you don't have time to do a bulking cycle followed by a cutting cycle.

another thing is your diet, what are you eating, are you taking any supplements, etc. you need to make sure your body is getting all the nutrients it needs. this includes protein, vitamines, and anything that would help your body perform better like omega-3, 6 and 9, to clear out those veins and get the blood flowing properly. your workout could be great but if you aren't eating properly you wont get the best results you can get.

I like to keep my workout fast paced, it helps to cut fat and it helps me stay motivated because i'm always doing something. during your rest periods jog or hop on a bike, or you can do circuit training like i do, so you start with cardio (running, biking, or my favorite, rowing) then you do a circuit where you do one set of everything you're doing, then you do cardio, then one circuit, etc. do this for as many sets as you have. this won't be particularly usefuil if you're trying to bulk up alot but it''ll help for cutting and building a bit.

the rest of the info above is good, check websites or look around your gym for new excercises to do so you don't adjusst to your workout.

[JLad10687]

Im trying to bulk up. I seem to burn alot of calories from just lifting because I lose weight from just lifting. The cardio is more for the heart and just getting in better shape then it is for losiing weight.

I try to eat decent, especialllly of late I've been trying to eat well balanced meals and ive been getting plenty of protein. And carbs on workout days.

[beef_bourito]

another thing is it's better to have 6 smaller meals than 3 big ones. instead of having a big breakfast, a big lunch and a big dinner, have a few eggs or something in the morning, a protein shake a few hours later, then lunch, then another shake, then maybe another snack and dinner.