Post your daily exercise routine

Exercise & Fitness Exercise & Fitness: Chat / Discussions
2441

Sunday 27/1/19: Legs “7’s”. 50mins.
(All weights in kgs)

A routine leg workout today was decidedly punishing, due to lack of sleep last night. I was up twice which is the norm for someone who’s continually trying to get into a weekend routine after working the night shift and it never works.
So with a session to do I gave it all I had despite feeling shattered and I ended up with some pretty pleasing results.

Incline press:
25x150, 15x200, 10x250, 6x300, 6x300
12x250, 50x120

Sled leg press:
25x150, 20x170, 15x190, 10x200, 10x200
15x150, 20x120

Seated ham curls:
20x45, 12x55, 10x65, 6x75, 4x85
12x60, 30x30
*I added 5kgs to each stack this week and easily felt the extra weight on my hamstrings. Lifting 85kg for the maximum fifth set was a peak I haven’t reached for a long time.

Extensions:
15x60, 12x75, 10x90, 10x100, 10x100
12x80, 20x40

Feeling really worked I didn’t bother with the abductor/adductor machines. Enough was done.

Thanks for reading.:cool:

2442

Thanks Surfermom & Floydy. I really like mixing up my workouts. It’s fun and challenging plus it’s getting me more comfortable with other people.

Tonight we have a big snow storm going on so before my husband left for work he told me to stay home unless it was an emergency. So I packed my swimsuite and thought it would be a perfect time to go swimming. The roads were crazy bad and I imagined swimming in a pool with very few people.
Well I was right! There were NO PEOPLE being it was CLOSED!!

Unfortunately I’d changed into my swimwear and even rinsed before entering the pool area only to find it locked.:frowning:
I was so disappointed. And here I thought I was being brave and bold. Turns out I was on the daft side :lol:

Your workouts are always so impressive Floydy.
Go grey fox go.
Run Surfermom run. Actually you both have lovely places to run which makes all the difference in the world.

Catch you all later. :mrgreen:

2443

That’s a disappointing ending to something you had obviously been looking forward to, Bratti. At least you had made the effort. next time check the opening times I guess?:cool:

2444

being a quiet night at work I’ve been finalising a great routine for an arms workout which takes in 12 exercises over five sets each. The difference is that they are all based on very light weights but with decreasing reps: 15,12,10,8,6. Sometimes, depending on the actual endurance formulae of a workout, light weights are just as effective as heavy weights in a workout. Can’t wait to give this a go this afternoon.

2445

Thanks Floydy.
Actually I DID check before I left. I checked online but next time I’ll call first. It’s not often they close it down for a snowstorm but they did this time.

I only use 5 and 10 pound weights for my arms and they are very effective:mrgreen:

2446

That’s right Bratti, there’s no need to go heavy. You can keep a very fit and healthy body shape with light weights, high reps and 3-4 sets. Training this way will keep the flab off and make the muscles harder and more defined without getting bulkier. You do need to do enough reps until “failure” sets in - then force out another 2-3 reps. I’ll explain more in my write-up later. :slight_smile:

I’m just normally compelled to test my strength all the time. It’s very difficult to ease off on something you’ve been used to for years.

2447

Lacking sleep, Floydy? You and me both! Today makes three weeks in the hospital - which I think is Latin for “Inn for neither rest nor recovery” :lol:

Bratti, we are about to be hit by the polar front that has hit both of our nations, so I am off to get enough supplies that I can stay indoors for the next few days. The downside is that I won’t be running since I simply do have the gear for the sub-zero temps. Nice job on those 5-10 weights. You know I am a believer in reps to maintain muscles. Maybe the weather will move through quickly enough to get you back to the gym.

Since no package containing a running hat, gloves, or parka has arrived from Yorkshire, I found my way to interior stairwells of the hospital yesterday for an hour of cardio climbing. I was astounded at how quickly my heart rate went up and by the 6th floor on the first round, I was breathing like I had been running a mile .

It is a dark affair, this stairwell running, solid walls to the ninth floor, but the reward of 360 degrees of sun :cool: coming through the glass is the reward. Besides a view of the deciduous forest that frames the university, the top floor also contains the landing pad for the LifeFlight helicopter that was thankfully at rest during my run today.

The concept of getting the most critically ill and injured to the hospital is an excellent one, though I recently found out that a friend who used one for a ten mile flight during a cardiac event was billed the equivalent of £40,000 :shock:. I suppose one can’t put a price on life, but that seems pretty outrageous to me.

With those passing thoughts while I ran past the glossy blue and black fuselage and impressive rotors just outside the door, I made my way back down and up again. Lesson learned was that the stairs were packed with doctors and medical students making their way to and from lunch…which leads to the controversial question…

Why is it that it only doctors, medical students, and a few nurses are taking the stairs in a place that should be valuing measures to keep people from getting sick? My dentist preaches prevention - why doesn’t the medical health community do the same? Were I a hospital administrator I would be giving time off and incentives for employees to workout so they could model good fitness.

But enough of that, here comes the physicians now…

Have a happy, healthy day!

2448

I’m so glad I changed to a gym with heavier machines, because even in a few weeks I can see the difference it makes. I’m testing to see what is practical for me to lift without harm, but most machines I have added 10 kilos to the weights I use and it’s comfortable while still remaining a challenge.

A couple of examples over the last 10 days show an improvement, mostly due to confidence and a little bit to do with a bit of extra muscle. The stomach crunch is now up to 40 kilos. but I only do 5 sets of 30 compared to 4 sets of 100 using 25 to 30 kilos. The pec deck has gone from 22.5 kilos to 32.5 kilos in around 10 days. Other exercises have improved as well so I hope to keep up the good work.

I have found out I have stiff shoulders, as I can’t really manage much weight in the overhead press. It came as a bit of a surprise because in the pull-down I can do 45 kilos, but pressing I can only manage 15 kilos! Must try and do something about that, maybe do light weights on the pull-down to try and loosen them up.

I love reading all your posts, by the way. :slight_smile:

2449

Suzie (+Bratti) – With that inhospitable cold front coming down on you, you’re doing the right thing by keeping out of harm’s way for a while I guess. Maybe a spot of walking to the shops with your respective animals is quite enough to brave that weather. I’d love to send you both a pack of cold weather clothing each – after all it’s what my company sells amongst other things. An SAE in the post, if you please!

You do amazing work at the hospital, Suzie, looking after your daughter. I do hope she is showing some good signs of recovery. My hugs to her and yourself.
Running up and down stairs will keep you seriously fit, and yes, why don’t they encourage that sort of thing more in a place of health and medicinal recovery? Baffles me – must be lack of funds, interest or both!:cool:

Tachyon – I am getting more and more into your posts now that you’re on a similar exercise programme as me. Hitting a ‘proper’ gym and getting used to heavier, more practical workouts is a good leap forwards for you, plus you’re enjoying it immensely so everything is going swell. Your lifts are showing quite remarkable increases too and that will make you stronger, fitter and healthier all round. Good one buddy!

On the subject of shoulders, they are one of the most injury-prone areas when it comes to lifting weights. The trick is not to go too heavy too soon. In fact, you only need light weights to keep them supple and strong, keeping a regime of doing a few multi-rep sets until ‘failure’ point. Also, keep using that pec dec machine (and a fly dec if you have one), the ‘low row’ and dumbbell flys on a bench. Your shoulders will be stronger very soon.:cool:

Bob – Where for art thou matey? I trust you are braving this horrendous Yorkshire gloom to go out a little bud? Keep us posted.:cool:

2450

Tuesday 29/1/19: Arms. 1hr. 50mins.
5 sets; Light weights; pause/hold at end of each set + extra reps.
(All weights in kgs)

Every couple of months or so I do a complete isolation workout solely for the various muscles in the arms: The three tricep heads, both biceps (belly/peak) and the forearms. This ensures I keep the arms built to a standard to enable me to do both heavier lifts for the larger muscle groups and encourages stamina and endurance. Using light weights to gain more reps throughout each exercise, this method of training is just as effective as lifting very heavy weights for muscle tone and strength , if the added reps are present to ‘seal’ the muscle as it has built during the set.

Today’s session was rather more intense than I anticipated. Doing five sets over 11 exercises with failure reps too was incredibly torturous but I carried it all out successfully ending up with the desired extra strength and substantial size on my arms.

To clarify, each exercise was performed with the same weight for each set in it’s routine, with several added reps following a pause in each set. This ensures the muscles contract at the top and are under tension for the final reps which are the all-important ones which sees muscle get stronger and harder. The final short set of 6 reps had a ‘plus’ of as many reps I could squeeze out. Here’s how it went:

DB press:
15x22 +3, 12x22 +3, 10x22 +3, 8x22 +3, 6x22 +4
=67 reps total.

Smith incline bench press, close-grip:
15x30 +3, 12x30 +3, 10x30 +3, 8x30 +3, 6x30 +10
=73 reps total.

Rope pushdowns:
15x15 +2, 12x15 +2, 10x15 +2, 8x15 +2, 6x15 +4
=63 reps total.

Triceps bar, standing:
15x23 +2, 12x23 +2, 10x23 +2, 8x23 +2, 6x23 +4
=63 reps total.

Pinwheel curls, standing, alt.:
15x12.5 +2, 12x12.5 +2, 10x12.5 +2, 8x12.5 +2, 6x12.5 +2
=61 reps total.

Concentration curl, seated, alt.:
15x10 +2, 12x10 +2, 10x10 +2, 8x10 +2, 6x10 +3
=62 reps total.

Barbell forearm reverse curl, standing:
15x10 +2, 12x10 +2, 10x10 +2, 8x10 +2, 6x10 +4
=63 reps total.

E-Z bar curl, standing:
15x18 +2, 12x18 +2, 10x18 +2, 8x18 +2, 6x18 +8
=67 reps total.

E-Z bar preacher curl, seated:
15x28 +2, 12x28 +2, 10x28 +2, 8x28 +2, 6x28 +2
=61 reps total.

High-pull double biceps cable curl:
15x15 +3, 12x15 +3, 10x15 +3, 8x15 +3, 6x15 +4
=67 reps total.

Tricep extensions:
15x35 +5, 12x35 +5, 10x35 +5, 8x35 +5, 6x35 +8
=79 reps total.

Next time I do something like this I’ll amend things slightly, perhaps omitting a set or two but adding more of the “plus” reps instead. I’m at work tonight of course and this has destroyed my arms. Hopefully I’ll be desk-bound or I may jump on a forklift for most of the night!:100:

My next session will be Thursday when I’ll be concentrating on heavier lifts: Chest, shoulders and back.

Thanks for reading.:cool:

2451

Thanks Floydy
I’d be interested to know exercises you are doing including sets and reps. I’m doing my exercises in sets until exhaustion and I can feel the difference.

Well sculptured arms look fabulous on men and women. I find well defined arms very sexy

Surfermom…We’ve been getting crazy weather here too, like -23 , feels like -35. Today’s not as bad . It’s not so bad and it’s warming up but we had a couple of weeks where walking the dogs wasn’t being done. Both my girls were lifting their paws looking back at me. Of course I’d scoop them up and walk back. They own me. :lol:

Stay warm Surfermom. The stairs sounds practical but I’d rather be outside like I’m sure you would but what a great mom you are. :hug:

Note: if I hadn’t taken my gym shoes out of my gym bag , last night wouldn’t have been wasted. Tonight the pools closed but I’d like to do some weight lifting and bicycling tonight so will go back. I have to wait until my husband leaves or my girls cry and wake him up. They are incredibly spoiled :blush:but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Have a great day everyone. :mrgreen:

2452

I guess! :shock:
My muscles ached just reading it. :lol:
That’s intense but takes such dedication.
Good stuff. :mrgreen:

2453

Haha! I should be okay, my arms usually recover very quickly, unlike my legs which do take a couple of days :confused:
I’m certainly feeling the effects now in my arms though. They’ve expanded pretty well but they’re looking rather heavy and useless, just hanging like fence posts at my sides lol!:shock:

My write-ups list all my exercise routines Bratti but if I get time tomorrow I’ll post an update on the training I’m doing currently. List of exercises with sets, reps, weight etc…although it does change constantly as I alter my programme :cool:

Enjoy your swim/cycling/gym work tonight! :026::026:

2454

I like the sound of “well sculptured arms”, but doesn’t that mean arms like Madonna? :confused:

2455

what A delicious string of moments I am reading here. It has been months since I have read through this wonderful thread and I am both saddened and delighted about what has been going on. I have been jogging almost every day and spending a lot time doing yoga it really does strengthen the legs and putt you in a good frame of mind.

2456

No. :shock: It just means well defined arms.
Not butch. Not manly. Just defined.:mrgreen:

2457

Tonight I worked out again at the gym and it was a great workout BUT I think I overdid my last workout. My recovery time took much longer and my shoulders and back hurt some. I think the 10 pound weight was a bit too much especially since I was doing so many reputations. Today I only used 5 pounds weights.

I also used a different machine today instead of the bicycle I normally use. It’s one of those ones that look like you’re cross country skiing or something. You don’t sit down. It burns more calories so I did 15 minutes .

I also used some other weight lifting machines. One was for stomach crunches and I used 50 pounds. I also used the rope machine for my arms on the highest setting. The most I do is 4 minutes . It’s effective.

Then I did my regular floor workout for my legs and even that was tough. I think I overtrained last time and I’ll keep note of it.

Floydy? Do you think from what I’ve written that I started with weights too heavy for me? I’d like an experienced opinion. I used to do weight lifting and I think I always pushed myself too much ; would hurt myself and stop.

2458

Hi Bratti :slight_smile:
Firstly, that sounds like a great workout you did there. Well done :023:

The secret to keeping oneself fit, toned and even defined is to use light weights but with plenty of resistance on the final few reps. My arms workout on Tuesday was typical of a workout I do which isn’t predominantly for building or bulking the muscles, but can actually increase strength and stamina.

You need to begin with a weight which feels too light but do as many reps as you can until you feel the muscles ‘burn’, then pause but hold the weight without putting it down whilst you catch your breath and physically force another 2-3 reps out. It CAN be done and this will seriously keep the muscles toned. Today, after a day of rest, my biceps and triceps are a little painful but I can definitely see an improvement to the definition and hardness without being any bigger.

My problem is that being an (ex)bodybuilder I cannot stop myself ‘going heavy’, which really isn’t necessary for maintaining fitness, size and strength, but I do love to test myself all the time still. At 54 I’m still fit and pretty well muscly and showing no signs of any decrease in muscle as yet!

So I’d say to you, Bratti, to set yourself up for three sets with reps of 12, 10 and 6.
Use a light weight for the first set, another couple of pounds (or kilos) for the set of 8 and a little more for the final set.
Following each set, add another 2-3 reps after the ‘failure point’, which is when you think you are beat and you will feel the ‘burn and pump’ in your muscles.
Give these particular muscle groups a few days’ rest whilst they grow back again stronger. On opposite days, train different body parts such as legs in a similar way.

Anytime I can help you Bratti, please give me a shout on here :slight_smile:

2459

Hello, Cedromella! Nice to see you on this part of the forum again. It’s good to hear that you are running everyday. Has the weather been an issue at all for you this time of year? Nice work on the yoga too. Thanks to some encouragement, I’ve added some light yoga to my evening routine. :039:

Bratti, a little muscle ache is good :023: - a sign that you are building muscle. Floyd’s advice is to be respected; he knows more than most, on or off the forum! Like him, I realize that as we get older, maintaining muscle strength that was once accomplished with heavy weights can be managed with lots of reps with lower weights. I keep my arms sculpted using 3 pound weights doing an aerobics routine for 45 minutes.

Floydy, your advice is appreciated :038:and you are right about changing expectations as we get older. The secret is finding a sweet spot and not trying to compare our bodies to our own twenty-something selves.

We have a polar vortex that has put our temperatures into subzero wind chill factors even as far south as North Carolina, so it’s stair climbing for me today. I made the mistake of going up and down the hospital’s nine stories during the lunch hour, which meant the stairwell was filled with doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff who wisely chose steps over elevators, but it made for an uneven climb in the narrow space. I think I’ll try later in the day.

Fitness life is as good as it can be here. We are now in a bigger room so I can really spread out and do my aerobics, weight routine, and yoga in the room, and then follow up with the stairs climbing :041::069:. Temperatures will warm up by Saturday making it possible to run four days in a row! I can’t wait/weight :lol:!

2460

Hey Suzie! I have a great idea.:115: I realise you are pretty well restricted to the hospital looking after your daughter at the moment, but when you eventually get out running and gym training again, perhaps you and Bratti could work out some sort of “cyberspace exercise routine” together. Set yourselves some exercises with goals and targets, go to the gym and do your stuff then return here with your results. Like a bit of competition with one another over the internet. How about it? :cool:

I know we in Britain are whingeing about the weather constantly and the nation is up in arms when a touch of freezing frost hits our cars and roads, but we should be thankful we don’t have to suffer what you do out there. I saw Chicago on the news and they were ‘basking’ in temperatures of -30° yesterday!! Stay indoors, keep warm and pending those nuisance doctors and nurses chatting on the stairwell, keep that climbing going…you’ll have bigger thighs than ol’ Floydy soon! :026:

Thursday 31/1/19: Major muscle group tension training. 1 hour.
3 sets; Pause/hold at end of each set + extra reps (noted after each set).
(All weights in kgs)

Following Tuesday’s mega-strenuous arms workout which has seen some excellent (i.e. pretty much instant) development on those limbs, I adapted a routine on a similar theme today. Due to the heavier weights used I trimmed my programme down to three sets apiece for a standard 6-exercise format but adding more reps for the initial exercises to create a suitable “burn”. As with Tuesday’s session, the “hold” reps are the most important aspect here as they “seal” the muscles making them not only stronger but harder and more defined.

Incline Smith press, close-grip:
12x35 +5, 10x45 +3, 6x55 +1
*Performing the bench press on the Smith machine with a 15° incline and with the hands positioned very close together ensures maximum tension for the chest muscles, not to mention the triceps having to work harder.

Incline chest press:
12x40 +5, 10x50 +3, 6x60 +2
*The free weights version of the chest press pushing up at a ‘diagonal’ angle works the shoulders also.

Seated row:
12x41 +5, 10x47 +3, 6x53 +2

Lat pulldown, underarm grip:
12x35 +5, 10x45 +3, 6x55 +2

DB flys, lying on bench, 15° incline:
12x24 +5, 10x28 +3, 6x32 +2

E-Z preacher curl, close grip:
12x28 +5, 10x33 +3, 6x38 +2
*With my hands at the close grip position on the curved bar this caused more work to be done on the inner ‘belly’ of the biceps.

I wanted to put in an hour’s work, so I added three exercises for the legs. I kept the hold position but instead of doing individual sets, I did one continuous set but held the weight at the top for a few seconds then carried on until all the sets were done. So in effect, it’s virtually a continuous massive set of reps, the pausing only increasing the tension on the legs until I carry on again, powering the weight some more. These exercises are designed as part of a total bodybuilding workout and are extremely difficult to accomplish, though the end results can be well worth the pain and torture.:shock:

Sled leg press:
20x120 – hold - 20x120 – hold - 20x120 – hold - 20x120 – hold - 20x120 = 100 reps.
10x200 – hold - 10x200 – hold - 10x200 – hold - 10x200 – hold - 10x200 = 50 reps.
*Incredibly difficult to complete but I closed my eyes and simply thought of nothing else but pushing, pushing that weight even though my thighs were in spasm on the holds towards the final sets now lifting the full weight stack. Walking with jelly legs, I moved onto the next machine…

Seated hamstring curls:
10x50 – hold - 10x50 – hold - 10x50
5x60 – hold - 5x60 – hold - 5x60
*Again, holding the legs curled under the machine for a few seconds without the weight forcing them forwards was extremely hard work, the backs of the hams pumping out like steel girders!:100:

Leg extensions:
10x100 – hold – 10x100 – hold – 10x100
*A nice(?) addition. Full stack lifts for the inner knee quad muscles and the tops of the thighs. Trying to maintain the resistance on the extended legs for a few seconds pauses was a nightmare.:022:

At the end of this session I felt like I was blown up and expanded, my legs were especially wobbly. I now need a good rest but if all is well I may do my cardio session tomorrow – depending of course if my legs are still functioning. All good fun!:107:

Thanks for reading.:cool: