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Thursday, November 9, 2017

Time to change up the lifting!



Earlier this week, I confessed that I have been in a running rut for a long time. But I have another confession... I've been in a lifting rut for just as long!

I've basically been doing the SAME lifts/sets/reps/weights for a very long time. I always do five sets of each lift. Here's a breakdown of my reps and weights for each exercise...

Band Asst. Wide Grip Pull Ups- 6 reps
Band Asst. Neutral Grip Pull Ups- 8 reps
Push Ups- 10 reps
Chest Press- 10 reps, 30lb
Row- 10 reps, 25lb
Shoulder Press- 10 reps, 20lb
Bicep Curls- 10 reps, 15lb
Tricep Dips- 15 reps

Of course I do core exercises and glute/hip exercises when I lift as well, but these are the lifts I do.

I decided to change things up. I am okay with sticking with the same exercises as they are very effective. But I need to change either the reps, weight, or both. Here's my plan...

Instead of doing band assisted wide/neutral grip pull ups, I am going to do them without the band for all sets. Right now, I can squeeze out between 3-5 pull ups unassisted.

For push ups, I'm going to up my reps to 15. As I get to sets 4 and 5, it sucks and I grunt, but I can do it.

I'm not sure what to do about chest press. 30lb is too light for me as I can easily do 10 reps for all of my sets. But 35lb is too heavy for me to maneuver on my own. I think if I had somebody handing me the weights and taking them from me when I'm done, I could do a couple reps. One option is doing push ups BEFORE chest press so I am tired and the 30lbs seems harder. What do you think? Anyone have any better ideas?

25lbs for row is still a challenge for me, especially after doing all those pull ups, so if anything I will just add a rep or two if I can.

I tried 25lbs for shoulder press and I can do it. It's hard, but I can do 6-8 reps. Shoulder press is one of my last exercises so I am tired by the time I get to them!

That brings me to bicep curls. I have been such a slacker with these! I'm upping the weight to 20lb.

For tricep dips, I'm going to stick with 15 reps. These are a weird exercise for me and I'm not even sure I like them. Maybe I will nix them all together. I use my triceps a ton during the push ups anyway.

Do you like tricep dips?
What lifting exercises do you do?
How often do you switch things up?

8 comments:

  1. Good for you! I lift 4 days per week (split into back/bi/tri for 2 days and chest/shoulder for 2 days). I am all about changing things up lately! For the past few weeks I have taken running out of my routine because my back/hips are acting up a bit as they sometimes do, so instead of running I am walking and I also added in T-25! I am doing it 2 x per week on the days I spin and wow...it's not only difficult for me, it's making me very sore. Normally I kind of just get into my routine but I am embracing trying new things. At least for a month or two, right? Good luck with your new routine!

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    1. Do you plan your sked at the beginning of the week or do you go by feel? What are your fav lifting exercises to do? I'm sorry your back/hips are acting up! Good idea to just walk for a couple weeks.

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  2. I can never remember what the names are for weight workouts... Roger tells me things that I have to do, but if he is not showing me, I mess it up. He is always changing up the stuff we do, we hardly ever do the same thing twice in one week... which reminds me, I need to get back to weights for real this time!!

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  3. I currently follow a body weight strength training on my Runtastic Results app. It gives me a new set of exercises every time I do it. It's nice because it doesn't get boring and switches things up.

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    1. That's cool! Glad you have something that keeps it interesting for you.

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  4. I follow a plan that has the changes built in for me, so I don't even have to think about it. And I like that, because I get bored REALLY easily (not to mention it's good to keep your body guessing).

    I don't mind tricep dips, and it's definitely an area that needs work (just you wait another 20 years or so!), but I also have to pay close attention to how my elbows feel because I've had tendinitis in both elbows.

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    1. That's awesome that it is built in for ya! It's not that I get bored, I just know I was holding myself back with the weights. The reason I am not a fan of tricep dips is because I feel like with all the push ups I do, I already hit my triceps.

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