Posted: 6/7/2013 6:03:08 PM EDT
| I would like to get some advice about some basic simple upper body exercises. I am mostly a cyclist and runner and have been working really hard on my running. I am running or biking about 5-6 days a week some where about 8-10 hours a week. My legs and abd tend to get a pretty good workout. But really my arms,chest ,shoulders and upper back dont get much at all. I am a really thin guy but at this time i am not looking to add much if any weight. If a few pounds if ended up adding to my upper body i could live with that. But my running is the priority and i dont need to add weight. But i do want to gain strength and overall better balanced fitness. I do have access to some basic weight machines at a gym at work. I figure i might be able to do upper body two days a week on my "rest" days or my short run days. But my legs need all the rest they can get so no lower body stuff right now. Any advice about a simple basic 2 day a week plan that could help round out things for me? |
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Quoted: Forget the weight machines, get yourself to a CrossFit box. A guy at my gym is an avid mountain biker. He was struggling for years to improve his time in one mountain trail. After a year in the gym he blasted his time. Just do it. Probably not the best idea for someone whose priority is cycling and running. OP- Bench press and overhead press should be the foundation with dips and pullups on the side. It's that simple. No machines. You should also squat on one of those days.
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Forget the weight machines, get yourself to a CrossFit box. A guy at my gym is an avid mountain biker. He was struggling for years to improve his time in one mountain trail. After a year in the gym he blasted his time. Just do it. Probably not the best idea for someone whose priority is cycling and running. OP- Bench press and overhead press should be the foundation with dips and pullups on the side. It's that simple. No machines. You should also squat on one of those days. Agree 100%, and want to emphasize the dips part. It's often overlooked, but has aptly been called "the squat of the upper body." If someone told me I had to choose between dip variations and bench press variations for the rest of my life, I'd choose dips without a second thought. When you work up to doing them with some pretty serious weight added, they'll blast your tris and pecs like you wouldn't believe. |
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Agreed that you can get in great upper body shape with simply pushups, dips and pull-ups. No doubt. Not Olympic strong, but very solid functionally strong. If you can do pull-ups / dips more than 15 reps (good form), time to add some weight. The general rule of thumb for basic weightlifting is 3 sets of 8-12 reps each set. You can do either all the sets of the same 'type' in a row: BP, BP, BP; OHP, OHP, OHP; D, D, D; then PU, PU, PU. -OR- You could do it Set 1: BP, OHP, D, PU; Set 2: BP, OHP, D, PU; etc. I like changing up the order of the exercises personally as it tweaks your muscles differently and keeps them from falling into a routine. I actually prefer the second way if you have the space / ability to monopolize the area. Since you are a runner / biker type, and not focused on building mass, try doing them with minimal rest- no more than 60 seconds rest. You know, entire books have been written about this so its hard to sum up in a short post. Basically you just have to figure out how resistance training fits in with your other sports you enjoy. I used to do MA and currently coach soccer on the side. My strength training definitely has a 'crossfit'-style cardio component because of those interests. Totally different from bodybuilding or powerlifting. Lastly- focus on form and start light. Get the range of motion down rock solid before moving around higher weights. Good luck. 4073 |
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Friel and Carmicheal both have books out with cycling specific workouts. The Cyclists Training Bible and Time Crunched Cyclist are the two I have, and they have some good workouts.
There is also a book called Cycling Anatomy that has a ton of exercise IIRC. Good luck. My mileage has dropped from about 250/week to 40. I haven't touched a weight consistently in months. 
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Quoted: lets say twice a week i do bench press, overhead press, dips and pullups. What would be a good starting point for sets and reps, how much rest between each set and any particular order that i should do these in? I'd follow the basic starting strength reps. At the 12 rep range, you're pushing the hypertrophy, at 5 you're focusing on strength which your goal. I'd suggest reps around 5 then. Day 1: 3x5 Bench press (all sets at same weight, add weight every session. So for example if the first time you do it is 135# for all 3 sets after your warmup, the next time would be 140#) Dips (vary sets and reps, sometimes weighted) Pullups (same as dips) Day 2: 3x5 Press (same as bench) Dips Pullups I'd really consider throwing squats in there one day as well.
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Quoted: Agreed that you can get in great upper body shape with simply pushups, dips and pull-ups. No doubt. Not Olympic strong, but very solid functionally strong. If you can do pull-ups / dips more than 15 reps (good form), time to add some weight. The general rule of thumb for basic weightlifting is 3 sets of 8-12 reps each set. You can do either all the sets of the same 'type' in a row: BP, BP, BP; OHP, OHP, OHP; D, D, D; then PU, PU, PU. -OR- You could do it Set 1: BP, OHP, D, PU; Set 2: BP, OHP, D, PU; etc. I like changing up the order of the exercises personally as it tweaks your muscles differently and keeps them from falling into a routine. I actually prefer the second way if you have the space / ability to monopolize the area. Since you are a runner / biker type, and not focused on building mass, try doing them with minimal rest- no more than 60 seconds rest. You know, entire books have been written about this so its hard to sum up in a short post. Basically you just have to figure out how resistance training fits in with your other sports you enjoy. I used to do MA and currently coach soccer on the side. My strength training definitely has a 'crossfit'-style cardio component because of those interests. Totally different from bodybuilding or powerlifting. Lastly- focus on form and start light. Get the range of motion down rock solid before moving around higher weights. Good luck. 4073 1. The basic rule of thumb is to hit the reps that are in line with your goal. For his goal he should be doing sets of 3-5. 2. He's trying to build strength, not get cardio. He should rest as much as he needs to between sets so that he has no missed reps. 2-3 minutes usually. 3. Mixing up the lifts like that is great if you're looking to get cardio in but for strength training you should complete the "big" lift first, otherwise the accessory work will take away from it.
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Disagree with the 3-5 reps advice for a beginner. Not what I would recommend that for a newcomer to strength training. If he is not using proper form that is a recipe for injury. I have seen it many times over the years. Better to start lighter as a percentage of his novice 1RM with more repetitions / learn proper form and develop that muscle memory. Technique is what he needs to be learning first. For a more advanced lifter your advice is correct. Low reps / higher weight would be better for a pure strength / 1RM test standpoint. 3 x 3 makes for the easiest training day ever. These discussions are quite like splitting hairs. 3 reps / 5 reps / 8 reps etc, etc. Much depends on your individual goals and standards. Bottom line is get on a safe, healthy, methodical program and track your results. Don't get injured and keep improving. 4073 |
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Disagree with the 3-5 reps advice for a beginner. Not what I would recommend that for a newcomer to strength training. If he is not using proper form that is a recipe for injury. I have seen it many times over the years. Better to start lighter as a percentage of his novice 1RM with more repetitions / learn proper form and develop that muscle memory. Technique is what he needs to be learning first. For a more advanced lifter your advice is correct. Low reps / higher weight would be better for a pure strength / 1RM test standpoint. 3 x 3 makes for the easiest training day ever. These discussions are quite like splitting hairs. 3 reps / 5 reps / 8 reps etc, etc. Much depends on your individual goals and standards. Bottom line is get on a safe, healthy, methodical program and track your results. Don't get injured and keep improving. 4073 Completely disagree with you. Starting Strength has you benching 2 times a week 3x5. That is 30 reps a week on squat not including warm-up. Starting Strength and Stronglifts are probably the two most popular and widely used templates for beginner strength training. They use 3x5 or 5x5. The low reps allows him to work on technique without doing 10-15 reos which would fatigue him and cause his form to breakdown. If he starts with the weight low and adds weight in small increments everyweek there is nothing wrong with it. If he is not using proper for then any rep scheme is a recipe for disaster. Also a novice does not have a 1RM to base training off and if he did it would be changing constantly because it strength would improve almost every trip to the gym. |
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Quoted: Quoted: lets say twice a week i do bench press, overhead press, dips and pullups. What would be a good starting point for sets and reps, how much rest between each set and any particular order that i should do these in? I'd follow the basic starting strength reps. At the 12 rep range, you're pushing the hypertrophy, at 5 you're focusing on strength which your goal. I'd suggest reps around 5 then. Day 1: 3x5 Bench press (all sets at same weight, add weight every session. So for example if the first time you do it is 135# for all 3 sets after your warmup, the next time would be 140#) Dips (vary sets and reps, sometimes weighted) Pullups (same as dips) Day 2: 3x5 Press (same as bench) Dips Pullups I'd really consider throwing squats in there one day as well. How do you determine the proper amount of weight to start with? |
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Disagree with the 3-5 reps advice for a beginner. Not what I would recommend that for a newcomer to strength training. If he is not using proper form that is a recipe for injury. I have seen it many times over the years. Better to start lighter as a percentage of his novice 1RM with more repetitions / learn proper form and develop that muscle memory. Technique is what he needs to be learning first. For a more advanced lifter your advice is correct. Low reps / higher weight would be better for a pure strength / 1RM test standpoint. 3 x 3 makes for the easiest training day ever. These discussions are quite like splitting hairs. 3 reps / 5 reps / 8 reps etc, etc. Much depends on your individual goals and standards. Bottom line is get on a safe, healthy, methodical program and track your results. Don't get injured and keep improving. 4073 Come squat with me on 3x3 day and we'll talk about easy. Stop basing your opinions off of bro-science and poor programming. OP. Listen to RoG. |
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lets say twice a week i do bench press, overhead press, dips and pullups. What would be a good starting point for sets and reps, how much rest between each set and any particular order that i should do these in? I'd follow the basic starting strength reps. At the 12 rep range, you're pushing the hypertrophy, at 5 you're focusing on strength which your goal. I'd suggest reps around 5 then. Day 1: 3x5 Bench press (all sets at same weight, add weight every session. So for example if the first time you do it is 135# for all 3 sets after your warmup, the next time would be 140#) Dips (vary sets and reps, sometimes weighted) Pullups (same as dips) Day 2: 3x5 Press (same as bench) Dips Pullups I'd really consider throwing squats in there one day as well. How do you determine the proper amount of weight to start with? You have to determine that. Use 10 reps as a referense, but only after you have gotten used to the weight. You have to work up to it. |