Help settup a lifting routine by muscle groups

rows, pull ups, push press,

bench press, back squat, sumo deadlift,

romanian deadlift, calf raises, cross abdominal and dumbbell lunges

I've been getting more serious about lifting than running for a few years now. Here is what I have worked into that works pretty well for me.

Day one

Pull

- Rows

- Pulldowns (including straight-arm to isolate back)

- Biceps curls

Day two

Push

- Bench presses at various angles (including dips)

- Flys

- Tricep

Day three

Shoulders/legs

- Overhead press

- shoulder isolation

- Deadlifts or squats

- calf

- other leg isolation/lunges

Day four

no lifting

Repeat and vary the exercises.

There are several variations on almost all the lifts, including whether you use barbell or dumbbells, angles, cables, etc. I like to do four sets of fewer and heavier reps for the rows, bench and overhead presses and squats/deadlifts, and three sets a little lighter and more reps for the isolation exercises. I usually do seven or eight different lifts in a session and try to keep moving between sets, treadmill jog or something for a minute or so. I think that's my running background, but I can't stand just sitting on the bench, waiting for 90 seconds or whatever to go again. I've also found that stretching is even more important now than when I was a serious runner.

Wish there was an edit function

Day one also includes shrugs to work traps

Day two I do some core since there are fewer lifts

Day three be sure to work delts as a shoulder isolation.

You guys make it too complicated. I am a former serious weightlifter but now do the following:

Pushups - You would be surprised how many you can work up to. Do at home in morning while watching TV. Maybe start off doing 20 to 25 and then work up to sets of 100. Do 500 to 1,000 a day two or three times a week. Your chest will be much better looking than doing any bench or anything else. Perfectly symmetrical. That eliminates so much of the other stuff.

Lat pull down and seated cable row three times a week. Do fairly heavy weights. Back is done - boom! Same day do biceps. Bar and cable and concentration curls. Do triceps on same day. ARm is done - boom.

Abs - 2 choices. Do bicycles - work up to sets of 100 and do about 500 2 or 3 times a week. OR do 500 front kicks or axe kicks 2 times a week. Look up how to do them. This works your abs better than any other ab workout.

My two cents and I could do the rack on the lat machine (270 lbs).

As far as working muscle groups, perhaps you should

consider "The New Rules of Lifting: Six Basic Moves for Maximum Muscle" -

- which identifies six basic movements:

for upper body:

1. push

2 pull (e.g., chin-ups and pull-ups (which are great))

for mid-section:

3. twist (I think this could be torsional as well as a fold, if I recall)

for legs:

4. lunge

5. squat

6. hinge (e.g., deadlift)

For 5 & 6, I use a hex-bar, also known as a trap-bar, and the lift is a hybrid squat-deadlift, but to me it seems much safer than a back squat (weight loaded on the back) and doesn't scrape your shins or anything else the way a traditional deadlift might:

These are basic movements and there are many, many ways to perform them. A trainer once told me he believes there is a seventh basic movement: gait. That can be performed via walking or running.

I try to organize my strength training according to such a framework and work all the basic movements about equally.

New rules for lifting is a great resource that keeps things simple. I also do not back squat nor do I have my students back squat. As for gait I include loaded carries and I do lots of crawling.

Coach wrote:

New rules for lifting is a great resource that keeps things simple. I also do not back squat nor do I have my students back squat. As for gait I include loaded carries and I do lots of crawling.

Please tell more about the loaded carries and crawling: are the carries similar to a farmer's walk, for example? Thanks.

Yes, farmers walks, suitcase carries, waiters carries. Basic bear crawling, forwards and backwards are great for hip and shoulders; backwards is a great shoulder workout for an aging guy.

Why make it so difficult.

500 to 1000 pushups thrice weekly.

Lunges and deadlifts twice weekly.

Lat pulldowns and seated cable rows with bicep work and tricep work thrice weekly.

1000 front kicks and axe kicks or bicycles. There you have it!

The routine is pretty simple, the loaded carries are done between sets of exercises. As for crawling, it's a total body exercise and I like being able to get up and down from the floor easily.