Gym routine (muscles, lifting, pushups, benching)

[clover_nev]

How do you start your routine in the gym? after warm up, should you go heavy workout right away or alternate light to heavy?

[Suburban_Guy]

Heavy bro.

There's a reason why the term "light weight" has negative connotations.

[Kings Gambit]

Originally Posted by clover_nev

How do you start your routine in the gym? after warm up, should you go heavy workout right away or alternate light to heavy?

Depending on what I am there to do that day, I dont goof around with light weights first. I go right to the heavy stuff after warmup. This is for both my Crossfit heavy days, and my HIT (High Intensity Training) routines where I train to failure of each exercise by rep 6-8 of each exercise.

But my warmup is probably different that your (or most people's warmup).

Again, depending on what my workout for the day is, my warmup will be on of these:


WARM UP #1
Sampson Stretch
15 Double Unders jump rope
15 empty bar (45 lbs) overhead squat
15 situps
15 pullups
15 squats
15 pushups
15 Good mornings with empty bar (45 lbs)

This is done for three rounds.


WARM UP #2
Vinyasa Sun Salutation A - 10 times
Vinyasa Sun Salutation B - 10 times
10 Minutes double under jump rope

NOTE: The Sun Salutation hits/activates every muscle in the body.


WARM UP #3
30 Minutes of mixed jump rope - doubles, crosses, high knees, etc.

[rose88]

Unfortunately I'm very moody, I don't have a specific workout as I do what I feel like doing. This is why I don't see much progress also

[villageidiot1]

Originally Posted by clover_nev

How do you start your routine in the gym? after warm up, should you go heavy workout right away or alternate light to heavy?

I'm not sure what you meant by "alternate light to heavy," but some serious lifters believe in warming up for each different exercise with a set with very light weight. That is not the same as alternating light to heavy. There is no reason for doing that.

[Jobster]

I believe warming up is a good idea. It's not a good idea to start lifting cold. Also, many studies show that working out in the 70-85% range is ideal. That's heavy, but it's not that heavy.

[Jobster]

Originally Posted by villageidiot1

I'm not sure what you meant by "alternate light to heavy," but some serious lifters believe in warming up for each different exercise with a set with very light weight. That is not the same as alternating light to heavy. There is no reason for doing that.

I've been on some athletic programs in the past that had a waviness aspect to it, where you had light days and heavy days. They justified by giving your body some recovery from the heavy days on the light days, especially since you'll be spending time training for your sport, which is both time and energy consuming.

[villageidiot1]

Originally Posted by Jobster

I believe warming up is a good idea. It's not a good idea to start lifting cold. Also, many studies show that working out in the 70-85% range is ideal. That's heavy, but it's not that heavy.

What I was attempting to say was that some people recommend lifting the first set extremely light, like for example, benching the bar only or maybe up to 30-35% of your 1-rep max.

Originally Posted by Jobster

I've been on some athletic programs in the past that had a waviness aspect to it, where you had light days and heavy days. They justified by giving your body some recovery from the heavy days on the light days, especially since you'll be spending time training for your sport, which is both time and energy consuming.

I understand what you're saying, but I don't think that is what the OP meant when he asked, "after warm up, should you go heavy workout right away or alternate light to heavy?"

[ukrkoz]

Alternating weight is another way to bypass a plateau for advanced lifters.
Personally, I always do initial set with about 60% weight to get muscles going. 12 reps. I consider that decent warm up.
I ALWAYS start with abs.