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Hi all...quick back story: I'm a single dad, work full time and am going to school for my Master's. My free time is very limited due to the above plus having an athletic son. I can typically go to the gym on my lunch (45 minutes +/-) Monday thru Friday and I will usually do a good workout on Saturday or Sunday (and rest one day).
My question is, how can I best utilize my lunch hour to maximize the muscles I hit? For example, should I do arms/chest/shoulders one day and legs/back the other day (alternating between the two)? I guess my problem is that I don't know which muscle groups to work together and which ones to work on the other days.
I don't know much about how to structure a workout and quite frankly I can't see spending the $75 for a personal trainer. Any suggestions or even online resources would be greatly appreciated.
Hi all...quick back story: I'm a single dad, work full time and am going to school for my Master's. My free time is very limited due to the above plus having an athletic son. I can typically go to the gym on my lunch (45 minutes +/-) Monday thru Friday and I will usually do a good workout on Saturday or Sunday (and rest one day).
My question is, how can I best utilize my lunch hour to maximize the muscles I hit? For example, should I do arms/chest/shoulders one day and legs/back the other day (alternating between the two)? I guess my problem is that I don't know which muscle groups to work together and which ones to work on the other days.
I don't know much about how to structure a workout and quite frankly I can't see spending the $75 for a personal trainer. Any suggestions or even online resources would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
What are your goals? Do you want to get bigger or smaller? The exercise choices will stay mostly the same but it does affect a few things
If you want to get bigger, you're best bet would probably be upper body/lower body alternating days. If you want to get smaller, your best bet would probably be full body 3 times and 1-2 days focused less on strength and more on conditioning
When I was lifting and going to the gym I had my best gains and got the strongest I have ever been lifting twice a week. Would usually lift on Mondays & Thursdays. Kept it simple and either did a classic 5x5 routine (Rippetoe's was great) or the other one was even simpler. All I did was deadlifts & presses on one day, squats and presses the next day. Added in a few pullups and loaded carries and I was good to go. Was usually in and out of the gym in 45-50 minutes. On the weekends I would go hiking, running or cycling.
If your are looking for a bit of a comp, i.e weight lose, body comp changes, strength gains, endurance. I would suggest a crossfit box, they usually offer an express session during the lunch period, so only the WOD and no skills work (which you could do on your weekends).
This will give you good programing, done in 30 to 45 minutes max, and will work your whole body, and some very good compound moves as G-fused mentioned.
For my bet it would give the most bank for your buck time wise.
Thank you for the responses everyone. Yes I left that off, I am losing weight and working out. This is all new to me so I'm trying to learn the ropes and get a better routine.
Also sometimes men forget the power of cardio. Just lifting is less effective than mixing it up with running, biking, elliptical, or swimming. Also, it helps keep things from getting boring.
Head over to bodybuilding.com. Go to the workout forums. Check out starting strength, stronglifts, allpros or fierce five. They have it laid out for you. What weight to start with, when to add weight, when to deload, how many reps, rest days etc.
I'm no pro at this and there are many ways to get a good workout, but this is how I've generally broken down my workout sessions. You might do something like this 3x a week:
Day 1: Chest and triceps
Day 2: Back and Biceps
Day 3: Shoulders and Legs
Basically, start with compound sets and work down towards isolated muscle groups. So, for example, Day 1, starting with bench press, you'll work multiple muscle groups (mainly chest and triceps). Same with exercises like dips and pushups. So you might start with bench press and work down towards doing isolated tricep extensions to get the max out of your workout.
Same with working back and biceps. Instead of starting your workout by doing bicep curls, do some pull ups or lat pulldowns which will work back muscles and your biceps. If you choose to do something like bicep curls, save it for the end of your session.
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