I need help with a routine!

alewisdvm

Member
Hello,
35 year old, male, 5'9" 176 pounds.
Probably about 25% b.f. If sitting, I can pinch about an itch off belly.
Have dislocated shoulder 5 times, but not in 10 years. Can't really do anything heavy overhead like military press. Did have surgery to stabilize shoulder. Unfortunately, as a result of injuries I did have some nerve injury that caused loss of a lot of anterior deltoid.

Currently I try to do following:
Chest/Biceps
For chest:
1. Machine press. I can do about 135 to 150 pounds to give you an idea where I am at.
2. Cable press
3. Machine flyes
4. sometimes dumbbell press and/or decline dumbbell press

Biceps:
Machine curls with kind of a V-bar
alternating dumbbell curls
cable curls

-------------------------------------------------

Back/Triceps
For Back:
1. Seated Row
2. Lat pulldown
3. bentover one arm row
4. lower back extension

Triceps:
1. machine tricep extension
2. cable extension
can't do anything overhead

-------------------------------------------------
Shoulders:
1. Lateral raises
2. front raises
3. ??not sure what else to safely try..24 hour fitness has some machines for shoulders?

-------------------------------------------------

Legs:
Haven't been doing much.
1. Hamstring curl
2. Quad extension machine
3. Calf raises

I try to do at least 20 minutes on elliptical when I can...can't jog due to flat feet. Hurts after awhile if jogging.

Sorry if names of exercises is all messed up. Try to keep laughing to a minimum.
Any help appreciated.
 
Whats your exercise experience? I think a couple things guessing you are untrained.

First, you need to do less machine work and more body weight exercises. Pushups, supine rows, assisted pull ups/dips (if shoulder allows), etc. Body weight squats, squats with dumbbells, traveling lunges, split/pitcher squats, Rumanian dead lifts, etc. All these can progress either by adding weight, lowering assistance, or moving to a free weight exercise (ie: push ups to bench press).

Also, you need to focus on core work: planks, glute bridges, rotation, etc.

Finally, I would suggest going to a specialized running store, having your gait analyzed and getting a pair of sneakers that fit your foot profile. You may not run now, but you may want to in the future, and the right (individualized) sneakers can make a world of difference.

Br
 
Thanks for reply.
A few questions and comments.
1. Pushups. Definitely. Would I do these everyday, on chest days and off chest chests?
2. I have been doing side planks, planks, bicycle crunches, and leg lifts. I just started trying to do everyday. I do each plank for 30 seconds, and a set of 3 for each.
3. I get nervous with bench press since I don't have a spotter. I can do a little more weight with the machine, or I guess I could do the bar with a plate on each side without much assistance.
4. I will look up glute bridges
5. rotation?
6. I do have good shoes (Asics beasts and orthotoics for supports). I can try some short jogging.
7. The gym does have the assisted dips, so i'll incorporate that as well.
8. No reason why I can't do traveling lunges or squats with dumbbells. Why are the machines so bad? For starting, I liked the machines, as they helped me to focus on form a bit (kept dropping elbows, etc...)

Any other tidbits you could throw in or anyone else?

Thanks. Much appreciated
 
Machines build the primary movers without building stablization muscles. They also reinforce poor motor programming if you've never worked with free weights before ie. does not translate into strength or coordination off the machine as a free weight would. If anything, use free motion cable machines, not ones that run along a fixed ROM.

I'd suggest doing a full body workout 3 days a week.

Rotational core exercises - wood chops, med ball tosses, etc.

Br
 
Would the following be suitable exercises to pull from. I will try to focus more on core and non-machine:
I used to do a chest/bi and back/tri split, but it sounds like you are suggesting do total body 3 times weekly if possible?

CHEST
Bench Press
Machine Press
Cable Press
Decline dumbbell press
Machine Flyes

BICEPS
Bicep Curl Machine
Standing Barbell Curls
Standing Dumbbell Curls
Standing Hammer Curls


SHOULDERS
Lateral Raises
close grip Barbell upright row
Bent-over lateral raises
Front raises

BACK
One arm dumbbell row
Shrugs
Wide-Grip lateral pulldown
Seated Cable Rows
Glute Bridges
Machine Lower Back Ext

TRICEPS
Pulley Pushdowns
Tricep Dumbbell kickback
Assisted Dips
Machine Tricep Extension

LEGS
Forward Dumbbell lunge
Dumbbell squats
Calf raises
Standing Heel Raises
Resistance Ankle flexion
Machine Leg Extension
Machine Hamstring Curl

ABDOMEN
Plank
Side Plank
Leg Raises
Bicycle Crunches
Some rotational exercises (medicine ball)
 
Last edited:
TRX

Also,
In addition to above post, if trying to do full body training 3 times weekly, could I possibly be better off doing TRX training.
My 24 hour fitness has the big steel arch with all the straps.

Perhaps, a combination of TRX and free weights?

Thanks
 
I am suggesting a full body workout 3x a week for the first 3-4 weeks. Then, as you improve conditioning and resistance training exercise tolerance, you can switch to an upper/lower body workout. (Personally) there is very little reason to use a single body part split workout, especially at such an early stage in your lifting career and with major goals of body composition.

The TRX and free weights I think are a great plan. You can also use free-motion cable machines as well to supplement.

From now on, I want you think along the lines of movements, not muscle groups.

For the upper body there are 4 major movements:

Vertical pull (pull ups and variations of it)
Vertical push (over head press..)
Horizontal pull (supine rows, bent over barbell rows ...)
Horizontal push (push ups, bench press ...)

Focus on balance of movement. Every push movement should be complimented with a pull movement along the same plane of motion.
Arms would be considered ancillary
And, don't forget to add in several rotator cuff and scapula fixator movements.

Lower body is a bit more complicated, but you can think along these lines

Deadlift
Squat
DL Ancillary - traveling lunges, rumanian dead lift, split squat, hamstring and glute work
Squat ancillary - pitcher squat, lunge, sissy squat, quad work, etc.

And, don't neglect your core.

br
 
good info

Thanks
I'll have to modify a bit things like the dead lifting and anything overhead due to the shoulder injury. In fact, the 5 shoulder dislocation several years ago was actually military press.

I do see the point.

Last night I did try the full body workout and have to admit it was pretty damn hard. I think I screwed up a bit because I had too many different sets for different body parts, using the list I mentioned above. So, i'll continue to modify it using the principles you just added.
 
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