Question:

I have finally decided to start working out. For me to succeed in this endeavor I need to have a plan to follow to ensure my continued progress. What are your recommendations to beginners on a workout plan? For equipment, my apartment complex has a lat pull down, a bench, and two sets of dumbells, 15 and 30 lbs.

Answer:

Way to go in making the decision to start working out and seeking a plan. These two steps are absolutely crucial.

If you’re looking for a quick starter routine, do this:

A1. Pushups, 3X10-12

A2. DB Squat to Bench, 3X10-12

B1. One Arm DB Row, 3X10-12

B2. Stationary Lunge, 3X10-12

C1. Lat Pulldown (medium underhand grip), 3X10-12

C2. DB Bench Press - See how many reps you can get with your 30 lb db’s. If it’s in the 12-15+range, do 2X12-15. If it’s in the 6-12 range, you can do 3-4 sets.

D1. Bent over DB row, 3X10-12 (reps will depend on weight of DB’s)

D2. Plank - 3X30 sec.

With movements under the same letter, alternate between the exercises with a 30-45 second rest period. For example, for A, perform a set of 10-12 push-ups, rest 30 seconds, and do a set of squats. Alternate between these two movements three times and then move on to B.

Make sure you’re progressing and keep the weight as heavy as possible for the designated number of reps. With the dumbbell movements, you’ll likely have to use higher reps due to your lack of heavier weights. The key is to constantly try to set new records for yourself - whether in the amount of weight (preferable) or the number of reps.

With this method of grouping your exercises, you’re optimizing your rest of each body part and making the best use of your time. (Notice you’re not wasting any time standing around).

You should be able to get through this workout in under 20-30 minutes. This doesn’t mean it will be easy. Do this 3 days a week and you’ll get stronger, and your conditioning should improve as well due to the short rest periods.

If you need demos of the various movements, you can browse this site or check out you tube. Good luck!

Have a specific question related to strength training or program design? Ask Doug!

Technorati Tags: bodyweight-training, exercise for beginners, exercise selection, Program Design

I’ve been itching to experiment with some video on here so here you go! An explosive clap push-up, a standard medicine ball push-up, an explosive medicine ball push-up, and an elevated feet push-up.

Enjoy!

Related Posts

How do I increase my push-ups for the military?

9 Ways to Increase the Difficulty of a Push-up (Part 1)

9 Ways to Increase the Difficulty of a Push-up (Part 2)

Technorati Tags: bodyweight-training, exercise demo, push-ups, pushup progressions

In Part 1, I wrote my first four ways to increase the difficulty of a push-up. Now I’ll include the next five:

5. Use a narrow grip: This one is simple, but effective. Try putting your hands closer together. This increases the difficulty, while also putting more emphasis on your triceps. A side effect of performing a push-up with a close grip is that it allows you to get more flexion at the elbow join, which automatically increases your range of motion. And we already know from my previous list that a greater range of motion increases the difficulty. That makes the close grip push-up kind a double threat.

6. Elevate your feet. In a conventional push-up, you are lifting about 2/3 of your overall bodyweight. When you elevate your feet, this percentage goes up. Like all bodyweight exercises, the greater percentage of your weight that you’re lifting, the more absolute weight you’re lifting, making the movement more difficult. Start by placing your feet on a something fairly low like an aerobic step. To increase the intensity, slowly add height to the step. As you become more advanced, you’ll progress to placing your feet on a bench. Before progressing to this harder version, make sure that you can keep your legs, torso, and neck in a straight line without letting your hips sink. Once you can perform 10-15 reps with perfect form at a certain height, you can raise your feet to the next level.

7. Place more emphasis on one arm. The one-arm push-up is an extremely difficult variation that most people won’t be able to perform. It requires an extremely strong core along with adequate upper body strength. Until you can do the complete one-arm version, you can progress by simply placing more emphasis one one arm when you go up. An easy way to do this is to come down normally, shift your weight at the bottom so that one hand is supporting a greater percentage of your weight, then come up, pushing mostly with the “working” arm. As you get better, you can put less of your weight on the “non-working” arm.

8. Place only one foot on the ground. This makes the push-up more difficult by narrowing your base of support. This version isn’t going to increase the loading on your upper body, but it will greatly intensify the use of your abs in keeping your body in a straight line. If you’re pressed for time, try this variation is especially useful as you’re killing two birds with one stone in that you’re working your upper body and your core.

9. Place your hand(s) on an unstable surface. It has been shown that placing your hands on an unstable surface during a push-up increases muscular activation. You have a few options here - I suggest starting by using two medicine balls, with your hands at shoulder width. To keep it fun, you can experiment further some more variations. Here are some to get your started:

• Change the width of your grip by putting the balls closer or further apart.

• Place one hand on a med ball and the other on the ground (This puts more emphasis on one arm).

• Place both hands on the same medicine ball in order to get a close grip effect (very challenging).

• Perform explosive push-ups one one ball by exploding from with one hand on the ball with your body on one side, up and over so the hand that was on the ball is now on the ground and your body is on the opposite side.

• Use one or more stability balls instead of a medicine ball.

If you haven’t checked out Part 1, go check out the first four variations there.

Do you have any other push-up exercises that you’ve tried and would like to share? Post a comment and let me here them!

And make sure you check out the podcast below.

Have a specific question about strength training, fat loss, or nutrition? Ask Doug!

Technorati Tags: bodyweight-training, exercise selection, push-ups, pushup progressions, strength training