My training plan, how does it look?

[FireAnt]

After looking around a bit I've decided to make a training plan. Any critiques, comments, suggestions or changes
would be greatly appreciated (I'm pretty new to this.)
(Sorry but this is a long post.)

Sunday: Stretching and HIIT. (was also thinking of making this a rest day, would that be a good idea?)

Monday: Full body workout with streching after the workout.

Tuesday: Kung-fu class at night.

Wednesday: HIIT and Bodyweight workout (Fish #1)

Thursday: Kung-fu class at night.

Friday: HIIT and stretching.

Saturday: HIIT and a full body workout (stretching after workout.)

I want to increase my flexebility with all the stretching and hoping to avoid tight slow muscles by stretching
after workouts.

For full body workout I was thinking ofsomething along the lines of 3 sets at 10 reps (looking mainly for endurance).

These are the exercises I was thinking of:

Benchpress - Chest
Military Press (alternate 1 set infront of neck and one behind.) - Shoulders
Deadlifts - Back,Hamstrings, Glutes
Barbell curls - Biceps
Crunches - Abs
Standing Calf Raises - Calfs
Reverse Barbell curls - Forearms
Squats - Quads
Curl Bar to Forehead - Triceps

The Body Weight workout (This was taken from from Body by Fish and it's workout
number one ( http://www.trainforstrength.com/workout1.shtml )

Regular Push-ups (Pyamid to 12 then back to 1)
Diamond Push-ups until fail
Regualr Pull-ups
Narrow Grip Pull-ups
Wide Grip Pull-ups
(all pull-ups pyramid to two and back to one)
Dips (four sets of 8-10)
Hindu Squats (4 sets of 25)
Boot-Strappers (4 sets of 25)
Lunges (4 sets of 20)
Crunches (20)
Side Crunches (20)
Sit and Tucks (20)
Sit and Tucks (10 on each cheek)
V-Ups (10)
Flutter Kicks (25)
6-inch Crunches (10)

How does it look?

[norther practitioner]

It looks like a lot....

I'd have a rest day in there, but I'm a fat arse.

[Chief Fox]

I'm not a fitness professional and I try to reply to posts based on my own experiences. So keep this in mind when you read my reply.

The routine looks good to me. But it also looks like a lot. I would say yes to the rest day. Give your body some time to recuperate. You may also want to reconsider doing HIIT and a fullbody workout on the same day. If you must do them on the same day I would say do the full body workout first and then HIIT.

Oh and that fish workout is a killer. If you can do a HITT session after that then more power to you!

[FireAnt]

Here's a revised verision of the workout. The HIIT and full body do seem a lot to do on the same day, thanks.

Sunday: Rest.

Monday: Full body workout with streching after the workout.

Tuesday: Kung-fu class at night and HIIT after (the kung-fu class is not too much of a workout.)

Wednesday: Bodyweight workout (Fish #1)

Thursday: Kung-fu class at night with HIIT after.

Friday: Full body workout (stretching after workout.)

Saturday: HIIT and stretching.

May switch the Friday and Saturday around, but I think that a one day break would be nice between the HIITs.

Does this look a bit better?

[Chief Fox]

The thing about workouts is they affect everyone differently. So my advice is try it out and see how you respond. Keep a log of how you're feeling and how well the workouts are going. You'll know if you should change it within a few weeks.

Good luck.

[Reggie1]

I thought the Body by fish workouts were also considered to be HIIT. I could be wrong, this is just what I thought.

If they are, you probably need to cut down on them. 5 HIIT workouts a week are too much IMO.

[Mo Lung]

Originally posted by FireAnt
Here's a revised verision of the workout. The HIIT and full body do seem a lot to do on the same day, thanks.

Sunday: Rest.

Monday: Full body workout with streching after the workout.

Tuesday: Kung-fu class at night and HIIT after (the kung-fu class is not too much of a workout.)

Wednesday: Bodyweight workout (Fish #1)

Thursday: Kung-fu class at night with HIIT after.

Friday: Full body workout (stretching after workout.)

Saturday: HIIT and stretching.

May switch the Friday and Saturday around, but I think that a one day break would be nice between the HIITs.

Does this look a bit better? OK, this is a lot better than the first one. You definitely need a rest day, but there's no reason you shouldn't stretch on this day to work your flexibility. The Fish workouts aren't really HIIT at all, unless you treat them that, and that would likely kill you!

With regards to your full body workout:


For full body workout I was thinking ofsomething along the lines of 3 sets at 10 reps (looking mainly for endurance).

These are the exercises I was thinking of:

Benchpress - Chest
Military Press (alternate 1 set infront of neck and one behind.) - Shoulders
Deadlifts - Back,Hamstrings, Glutes
Barbell curls - Biceps
Crunches - Abs
Standing Calf Raises - Calfs
Reverse Barbell curls - Forearms
Squats - Quads
Curl Bar to Forehead - Triceps
3 sets of 10 is a good starting point, but you may want to thinking about upping the weight and reducing to around 6 reps when you're more used to it. This will improve your strength while the Fish workout and HIIT stuff will improve your endurance.

Military press - don't do behind the neck. It's bad for you and unnecessary. Just do them properly in front.

Drop the barbell curls and reverse curls and put in something like upright row or pullups. For martial arts you want functional strength, not beach muscles.

"Curl Bar to Forehead - Triceps" <-- What's this? You don't need to isolate your triceps (beach muscles again!) Throw in some dips (weighted or not) and get more results.

Otherwise, not too bad. It's something to be going on with. You will decide to change things as you go, but you have to start somewhere. You'll likely not stick to this regimen anyway, as it is a lot, but why not aim high, eh?

How are you planning to do your HIIT stuff?

[FireAnt]

Thanks a lot :), I changed out those things. Was planing to do the HIIT stuff on the road (lots of hills nearby) or on a long dirt road that's a in a forest behind my house. I also have a stationary bike. Going to get a whatch so I can keep track of how long my jog period goes.

The "Curl bar to forhead" is a thing were you lay down, stick your arms up into the air (holding barbell with both hands) and bend at the elbows until the barbell touches your forehead and go back. I'm pretty sure there not really called curl bar to forhead.

Should I do both pullups and upright rows? Will those do my forearms too? Was wondering too how to do weight my dips?

Thanks for all the help.

[Mo Lung]

Originally posted by FireAnt
Thanks a lot :), I changed out those things. Was planing to do the HIIT stuff on the road (lots of hills nearby) or on a long dirt road that's a in a forest behind my house. I also have a stationary bike. Going to get a whatch so I can keep track of how long my jog period goes.

Cool. Good a way as any to start with. Mix up the road and the bike as you have both options.


The "Curl bar to forhead" is a thing were you lay down, stick your arms up into the air (holding barbell with both hands) and bend at the elbows until the barbell touches your forehead and go back. I'm pretty sure there not really called curl bar to forhead.

No, they're called skull crushers. Or they're a variant of skull crushers. You can do them more safely by standing or sitting and doing the same motion with your arm up, but it's still an isolation exercise.


Should I do both pullups and upright rows? Will those do my forearms too? Was wondering too how to do weight my dips?
You can do both, or you can do one in one session and one in another. You can also really mix up how you do the pullups (pulls, chins, sideways, etc.)

To weight the dips. If you are doing bar dips, use a weight belt if you can get one or wear a back pack full of heavy stuff. If your dips are off the edge of a chair or something, then put your feet up and add weight in your lap.

[FireAnt]

Thank you again. One more question, will my forearms be gotten in there or should I do something else for them?

[IronFist]

I like skull crushers laying down on a bench better than doing it seated in a chair. When you do it in a chair, because the elbow is in a differnet position relative to the body than when you're laying down it stretches the muscles more when you bring the weight down. I find this to be uncomfortable sometimes, and you're in a very mechanically disadvantageous position.

Just my personal preference. Some people may like them seated better. I think if you do it seated or standing they're called french presses.

[Mo Lung]

Originally posted by FireAnt
Thank you again. One more question, will my forearms be gotten in there or should I do something else for them? All the time that you're gripping and lifting/pulling, etc. your forearms will be worked, as will your grip.

If you really want to work them directly, tie a length of string to a bar and tie a birck to the other end. Hold you hands stright out in front of you and turn the bar to roll the string up around it, thus lifting the brick, then unwind back down again. Repeat.

[Samurai Jack]

I predict you'll burn out or get injured on this program in less than two weeks.

It's way to much stuff to be putting yourself through at once. Plus you're actually doing too much of each seperate component as well.

For HIIT, do no more than 3X per week.

For weight training, abreviate your workouts to:

Military Press
Squat
Deadlift
Dip

Do one set of 8-10 reps per exercise, 3X per week. Buy McRobert's "Beyond Brawn", or Tsatsouline's "Power to the People" for more details on training, rest, and recovery.

Drop the bodyweight exercises. You've got endurance covered by doing multiple HIIT workouts. The BW stuff is inefficient use of your time, and will just eat into your limited recovery ability.

On the routine you've listed, even if you don't hurt yourself, it'll be impossible to make gains with HIIT or weights for any length of time. I also doubt anyone on the planet could stick to a routine like that.

[Mo Lung]

No, Jack - you're thinking about this from the point of view of an experienced trainee. The guy is young and just starting out. This way he'll learn all about what he likes and what works. It's not too much, and he's unlikely to do all of it for long anyway. Life's like that.

[Vash]

Indeed, he is just starting out - all the more reason to establish a strong base of super-smart, very effective training. The program he outlined is far too much, especially for a non-veteran of the game.

[Samurai Jack]

Originally posted by Mo Lung
No, Jack - you're thinking about this from the point of view of an experienced trainee. The guy is young and just starting out. This way he'll learn all about what he likes and what works. It's not too much, and he's unlikely to do all of it for long anyway. Life's like that.

Why do you think so many aspiring athletes try routines like this one and give up in a month? It's because it's not even physiologically possible to do this sort of thing for very long. If the guy started a reasonable program, he's actually going to see progress and remain injury free at the same time. Nothing is going to keep someone working out if "it dosen't work."

So do what does work. No reason to listen to keyboard-coaches who tell you to work out twenty times a week.

:rolleyes:

Check this book out. (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/9963616062/qid=1107664582/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/002-1107521-1658465?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) There's a used copy for $12.99.


Originally posted by Vash
Indeed, he is just starting out - all the more reason to establish a strong base of super-smart, very effective training.

Word.

[FireAnt]

Thank you. I'll tone it down a bit and see how it goes. Thank you all for the help, by the sounds of it my original one would have killed me or something.

[Vash]

please keep us posted on your progress.

your original program would have been too risky, as injury would most certianly have resulted.

scan through the archives, you'll find many great martially-applicable weight training and energy system training routines.