Topic: My workout, looking for critique. What should I add and remove?

[Tony]

Hey, my name's Tony. I'm 14. I've been a small kid pretty much my entire life. I've been into parkour for a little, and I'm now at the point of designing a workout. It doesn't need to be necessarily tailored for parkour, but I want to have that in mind.

I'm 5' 6" and I weigh in at a hefty 110 lbs. Yeah, I'm small. I also need to design a diet soon, but that can wait until I have this figured out.

Okay, I am doing an A/B/C day schedule. Wednesday is my rest day (Cardio probably), and Saturday and Sunday are other rest days. I will be doing ab (core? I'm not quite sure what the difference is) work every other day, though. I'd like to this without lifting as I don't have a subscription to a gym, we have a gold gym home workout thing in my basement though. We also have two 20 lb dumbbells, though. I know it's not much. I don't want to necessarily be going insane at first, if I decide to move up. We will probably get heavier weights and more equipment.
My workout will be based on strength, so it won't necessarily be like 4x10 bench presses at whatever weight I can handle not too difficultly. It will more be 4x1-4 at something that is tough, so I actually build strength.

Note, the things that say “With Dumbbells”, I’m starting using 10 – 15 lbs each arm, depending on the workout. I know it’s a little low, but I’ve never really worked out before.

I have designed a list of a bunch of workouts each day, but if I do them all, the workout really be very extensive. So which ones should I take out?
Also, every other day will be a core workout. Is this a good idea?


My SMART goals:
Working out/exercising:
150 lb chest press (110 now, I'm tiny)
200 lb leg press (170 now)
Faster sprints (I'll get to you on my times soon)
20 Pull ups (Wide and Close grip

Skills:
10 second free standing Handstand
7 ft precision (About 5-6ft now)
Painless rolls (I don't know how you would make this into a smart goal)
Clean palmspins on objects
Bring frontflips to the ground
Learn to backflip on a trampoline or at open gym




A day:
My A day is based on the Chest, Triceps, and Shoulders.
Exercises:

Mostly chest based:
Bench press (Shoulders, Chest, Triceps)
Reps: 3x6-8 to fatigue, increasing weight as I get better
Starting Goal: Be able to bench my own weight (110 lbs, I've never worked out before but I think this is a good starting goal)

Chest fly with dumbells
Reps: 3x6-8 to fatigue, increasing weight as I get better

Push up progressions (Is this more endurance based? My goal is to be able to do a planche push up)
I'm not sure if this is strength based, but I would start out with normal pushups (I can do about 40-50 or so max), then start Pseudo Planches and then eventually real planches. I'm not sure if this is strength based. I would still like to keep this in here so I can eventually do one.
Starting Goal: Be able to do a planche pushup

Mostly Shoulders based:
Front rows
reps: Reps: 3x6-8 to fatigue, increasing weight as I get better
Overhead press (Dumbbells)
Reps: 3x6-8 to fatigue, increasing weight as I get better
Upright row (Dumbbells)
Reps: 3x6-8 to fatigue, increasing weight as I get better

Triceps:
Kickbacks with dumbells
Reps: 3x6-8 to fatigue, increasing weight as I get better (starting  with 10 lbs each arm)
Tricep Extensions
Reps: 3x6-8 to fatigue, increasing weight as I get better (10 lbs sart)

B-day
Legs
Leg extensions on the machine
reps: 4x til exhaustion.
Looking to increase weight fast, so build a little endurance, then move up to a weight I can only do 1 or 2 of, then improve, move up, etc.
Deadlifts (Need to buy a barbell, will dumbbells work until then?)
Heavier weights,  1 – 5 reps. Strength training, increasing weight as I get better

Pistol Squat progressions (Half, to seat, to as far as I can go)

Lunges w/ weight
3x8-16, increasing weight as I get better

Pulsing Squats
3x10-whatever reps, increasing weight. Blahblahblah

Wednesday’s

Rest day and cardio day

Light running, some light sprints, and distance running.


C-day
Back/biceps day
Dumbbell rows
3x10-16 OR 3xtil exhaustion weight increases
Back Extensions
3x10-16
Pull ups/ chin ups
3x7 (I want to increase to 20 reps possible before adding weight)
Dips
3xtil exhaustion, trying to increase reps to 20 before adding weight
Bicep Curls 3x6-8 or fatigue
Lat pull down
3x6-8 or fatigue



Core workout: (Kind of just abs)

Planks
30-60 seconds. Increase by 5 seconds every rep, starting at 30, ending at 60. So 7 reps.

V-sits progressions (So I can do them with good technique)
Any suggestions for time/reps?

L-sit progressions



So that’s it? What should I add/remove from my workouts?

[Steve Low]

I see one of your goals is planche pushup, but you aren't training planche at all in your routine. This makes no sense at all.

Thus, I would recommend,

Don't do a split.

Read this and come up with a routine based on your goals.

http://www.eatmoveimprove.com/2010/03/the-fundamentals-of-bodyweight-strength-training/

[Tony]

I see one of your goals is planche pushup, but you aren't training planche at all in your routine. This makes no sense at all.

Thus, I would recommend,

Don't do a split.

Read this and come up with a routine based on your goals.

http://www.eatmoveimprove.com/2010/03/the-fundamentals-of-bodyweight-strength-training/

Yeah, I don't really know what I was thinking. I was thinking I'd just work my way up to it with push up progressions. But it is better to do what you said.

I'll try and read it after I finish my homework

[Tony]

I'm reading that link now. I think I want to stick to lifting until I get some solid gains as I'm pretty small right now. I'm not weak, but I'm not very strong. I'm also very skinny and weigh very little.


I think I'll try bodyweight training after 6 months or so I can switch it up on my body and it will be easier to learn when I'm stronger.

I'm making a list of SMART long term and short term goals right now, I'll edit the original post when I'm done

[Tony]

I've been really wanting to get into this workout, but I've been sick and really sore all week. I know, I'm a wimp. But I want to get off on a good start.
I'm going to start the workout on Monday (for real this time), any suggestions?

[Steve Low]

What is your goals and new workout?

[Tony]

What is your goals and new workout?

My goals:
150 lb chest press (110 now, I'm tiny)
200 lb leg press (170 now)
Under 7:00 mile (7:30 now)
20 Pull ups (Wide and Close grip)
10 second 100m time (11 or so now) I'm dumb..

My workout:
I thought I was just going to throw around all the exercises I have listed here and choose 2 for each muscle group and supplement with core work.
I don't really know what to pick out of all the ones I have listed, so I'm going to experiment with them.

I'm going to try to stick what I have listed here with the schedule and general exercises and such, but I'll experiment with different exercises.

Any suggestions?

[Joe Brock]

Seriously, strip it down to Bench and Overhead Press (or planche progression...if you're into that kind of thing), Squat, Deadlift, a Row Variation or Power Clean, and pull-ups/chin ups.

All but one of your goals are strength related, so this huge body-part split is going to be a much slower way to get to what you want that a full-body routine would be.

[Steve Low]

Seriously, strip it down to Bench and Overhead Press (or planche progression...if you're into that kind of thing), Squat, Deadlift, a Row Variation or Power Clean, and pull-ups/chin ups.

All but one of your goals are strength related, so this huge body-part split is going to be a much slower way to get to what you want that a full-body routine would be.

This sounds pretty good to me based on what your goals are.

Your will have to prioritize your sprint (100m) or endurance (mile goals) though because they are opposed.

One requires a lot of running, the other requires focused sprint work.

Also, 10s is unrealistic.... that's ELITE sprinting speed. And unless you have been blessed with extreme genetics I doubt you could run 11s at 5'6" 110 but hey maybe you can...

[Rafe]

10 second 100m time (11 or so now)

I don't think you have any idea how just fast that is. Just for comparison sake I train with one of the top ranked high school sprinters in the country, he ran a 10.68 pr as junior tyson gay former world record holder ran a 10.6 as a senior. 10.3 is considered world class, a 10.00 flat could get you to the starting line of the olympic final depending on the year. If you are running anywhere near 11 seconds as a 14 year old you could have world class potential  and should be seeking out a good track coach.

BTW any sprinter approaching an 11 sec hundred should have 9 foot broad jump at least.

[Tony]

Oops, with the 100m, I was obviously thinking of something else. I don't think I knew what I was talking about, so I'll prioritize the sprint. Because like Joe said, the split would be weird. I think I was thinking of something else when I posted that. Now I look stupid :p

Seriously, strip it down to Bench and Overhead Press (or planche progression...if you're into that kind of thing), Squat, Deadlift, a Row Variation or Power Clean, and pull-ups/chin ups.

All but one of your goals are strength related, so this huge body-part split is going to be a much slower way to get to what you want that a full-body routine would be.

For this,would I supplement those with a core workout? Or is that all in one session? Or what would I work together? I'm new to working out. (Obviously)
I just think I really need a good idea with what I should be working together, how long my workouts should be, and what exercises I should do. I know my workout was very extensive, but do I just go for a full body workout with all of those or do I split them up into different groups on different days?
Sorry for being new to thise, I really have no idea what I've been talking about. Well, I kinda did, but you know. Not enough :p

[Scott Eustice]

You can't squat 2 times your bodyweight with a weak core. Squats and deadlifts will handle your core training pretty well. If you really feel the need to do core work, L-sits, ab wheel rollouts, and hanging leg raises are good.

You should go to the weight room 3 times a week. Squat every time. Deadlift every other time. Alternate between overhead press and bench (or handstand pushups and planche). Do pullups/ chinups every other session, preferably on overhead press days. Do rows on bench days. Do power cleans when you aren't deadlifting.

Decide if you want to focus of the mile, or shorter sprints. This will dictate your workouts for the rest of the week.

[Tony]

You can't squat 2 times your bodyweight with a weak core. Squats and deadlifts will handle your core training pretty well. If you really feel the need to do core work, L-sits, ab wheel rollouts, and hanging leg raises are good.

You should go to the weight room 3 times a week. Squat every time. Deadlift every other time. Alternate between overhead press and bench (or handstand pushups and planche). Do pullups/ chinups every other session, preferably on overhead press days. Do rows on bench days. Do power cleans when you aren't deadlifting.

Decide if you want to focus of the mile, or shorter sprints. This will dictate your workouts for the rest of the week.

I have a home gym so most of this I can do at home. I don't have access to a barbell, and I don't have very many weights for our dumbbells. If I was doing both arms at the same time, I could only have 20lbs of weight on each. If I only did one, a maximum of 40. There is a weight room at my school, though. So I can check that out sometime.

And also, how long should these workouts take on average?
I'm assuming sets/reps should be 3 or 4 sets of 6 - 8 reps. Or 4 sets of something that is higher weight and have lower reps.

[Scott Eustice]

Yeah, unfortunately 40 lbs is not going to be enough weight for the movements you need to preform. However, your school's weight room should be good enough, at least for a few years.

As for sets and reps, stick with 3 sets of 5 reps, except for deadlifts and power cleans. Do 1 set of 5 reps for deadlifts, 5 sets of 3 for power cleans. However, you should have 4-5 warm-up sets with a lighter weight before your work sets. Rest in between sets should be at the very least 3 minutes, ideally 5-7.

If you are efficient, you can get in a full weight workout done in about 1-1.5 hours.

[Tony]

I'm looking at the article Steven posted about Integrating BodyWeight and Barbell training (Linky) and I think I should do something like that, but instead integrate it with my machine rather than a barbell (because I don't have one). I'd much rather do a routine at home rather than a gym as my parents won't have time to run me out 3-4 times a week.

I'm thinking 3 times a week (MWF) and switching off between these two routines.

Machine day:
Upper push: Chest press + Dips
Upper pull: Pull Ups + Lat Pulldown
Legs: Explosive Squats (10-15 lbs dumbbells), Single-leg Calf raises 3 sets of 10-12 reps (each leg) Inward calf raises 3 sets of 10-12 reps Outward calf raises 3 sets of 10-12 reps, Jump Squats (5-10lb dumbbells)

Does this seem good? Is it too extensive? My leg exercises are based on jumping higher and being "explosive". Here's a really good example of the workouts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e17IYFUaqwQ

Bodyweight Day:
Upper Push: Planche Progression + Pushup Variations (Any good suggestions?)
Upper pull: pullups + (any suggestions?)
Legs: Pistol Squats (I can do 1-4 with bad form before I almost fall over. Should I stick with say 3 sets of til exhaustion, or try something easier?) + Jump squats (5-10 lb dumbbells)

Are these good workouts? Should I supplement with a core workout, or will this be fine?

Here are my goals:

Be able to do a planche pushup
5 good close grip pushups (Can do like half of one now)
15 in Vertical Jump (9 or 10 now)
5 good dips (Can only go halfway down now)
Be able to do a front lever pull up

Those seem like good goals for now. Suggestions?

[Joe Brock]

For your goals, your bodyweight day is far superior to you machine day.  You've switched up the goals, so I'd make sure that these are what you really want before you find yourself frustrated with not knowing what you want.

That being said, they're good goals.  They're not balanced (as 5 dips is WAY easier than the full-front-lever pull-up or a planche push-up), but they're goals.

I'd just forget your "weight machine" day.  Calf raises are pretty useless.  Squats work better when trained bilaterally under heavy loads, and with just a set of dumbbells, you're not going to get much out of them.  Progress to adding weight to the pistol, as that would be a more advantageous goal.  You'd be better off figuring out a second day to work more body-weight progression.

[Tony]

For your goals, your bodyweight day is far superior to you machine day.  You've switched up the goals, so I'd make sure that these are what you really want before you find yourself frustrated with not knowing what you want.

That being said, they're good goals.  They're not balanced (as 5 dips is WAY easier than the full-front-lever pull-up or a planche push-up), but they're goals.

I'd just forget your "weight machine" day.  Calf raises are pretty useless.  Squats work better when trained bilaterally under heavy loads, and with just a set of dumbbells, you're not going to get much out of them.  Progress to adding weight to the pistol, as that would be a more advantageous goal.  You'd be better off figuring out a second day to work more body-weight progression.

Alright, I just actually got done doing the bodyweight day a few minutes ago.

It felt pretty good.
Here's what I ended up doing:

Crappy Tuck Planches (Meaning I just kind of tried to push down on the ground and hold myself, I was pretty much just hopping up and coming back down. It'll happen over time, hopefully)
I did 3x12 for those

Pushups with feet higher than the ground (On a bench): 2x10
Wide grip Pushups: 1x10

Pull ups:
3x7

Inverted Rows:
N/A. I couldn't find a place to do them, I couldn't find a place to mount my pull up bar.

Jump Squats:
2x10 with 5lb dumbbells in both hands

Pistols:
2x10 on each leg to about half way down (A little above what I using as a bench)

Plank:
30 seconds, then 35 seconds, then 40 seconds, then 45 seconds

Leg Raises:
2x35 seconds

[Tony]

What I did today:
Crappy Tuck Planches (Meaning I just kind of tried to push down on the ground and hold myself, I was pretty much just hopping up and coming back down. It'll happen over time, hopefully)
3x12

Pushups with feet higher than ground(On a bench): 2x10
Wide grip Pushups: 2x10

Pull ups:
3x8

Jump Squats: (with 5lb dumbbells)
2x10
1x7
1x5

Pistols:
2x10 on each leg to about half way down (A little above what I using as a bench)
1x12 Each leg

Plank:
1x30 seconds, 1x45 seconds

Leg Raises:
1x30 seconds, 1x45 seconds

Situps:
1x30

Situps with twists on the way up:
1x30
1x20

[Steve Low]

Be able to do a planche pushup
5 good close grip pushups (Can do like half of one now)
15 in Vertical Jump (9 or 10 now)
5 good dips (Can only go halfway down now)
Be able to do a front lever pull up


Crappy Tuck Planches (Meaning I just kind of tried to push down on the ground and hold myself, I was pretty much just hopping up and coming back down. It'll happen over time, hopefully)
3x12

Pushups with feet higher than ground(On a bench): 2x10
Wide grip Pushups: 2x10

Pull ups:
3x8

Jump Squats: (with 5lb dumbbells)
2x10
1x7
1x5

Pistols:
2x10 on each leg to about half way down (A little above what I using as a bench)
1x12 Each leg

Plank:
1x30 seconds, 1x45 seconds

Leg Raises:
1x30 seconds, 1x45 seconds


Situps are a waste of time. Do more work with planks or leg raises if you have more energy. In fact, do RKC plank instead.

Pistols work deeper ROM, and less reps. Aim for 5 that are difficult to do. Ify ou can do more than that start weighting them with a backpack.

Jumping squats are not very good for what you want to do, work on sprinting or box jumping or something else.

Pushups you want a harder progression and aim for 5-8 reps. Do frog stand if you can't get quantifiable time in the tuck planche right now.

And findsomewhere to do those inverted rows!

[Tony]

Situps are a waste of time. Do more work with planks or leg raises if you have more energy. In fact, do RKC plank instead.

Pistols work deeper ROM, and less reps. Aim for 5 that are difficult to do. Ify ou can do more than that start weighting them with a backpack.

Jumping squats are not very good for what you want to do, work on sprinting or box jumping or something else.

Pushups you want a harder progression and aim for 5-8 reps. Do frog stand if you can't get quantifiable time in the tuck planche right now.

And findsomewhere to do those inverted rows!

I'll start doing planks more than situps then.

For pistols, I want to be able to get farther down that I am getting before I start adding weight.

Pushups, I'm going to look into some harder variations that I can only do 5-8 reps of like you said, any suggestions?

For the frogstand, I tried a few. But I'm not getting much time in the air, too. It's more than what I was doing. I was just kind of throwing myself up in the air in a ball trying to hold myself up.

And I'm looking!

I'm also about to start designing the second workout that will alternate with the current one.