What do you think of my workout?

[LittleMG]

So I’m basically someone who hasn’t got a clue about exercise and I’ve been going to the gym for the last 8ish weeks and after initially being shown how to use the weight machines I have devised this workout for myself. Is it what you would expect or am I wildly out with the amount of sets and reps? I’m ok I think with the actual weight I’m comfortable with that but it’s the reps and sets I wonder if I’m doing right. I’ve been doing it for a while and I’m feeling a lot stronger so 🤞

20 fat buster routine on treadmill

Shoulder press
10kg 6 sets of 6 lifts

Leg Curl
20kg 4 Sets of 6 lifts

Lat machine
25kg 5 sets of 12 lifts (this was hard)

Leg Press
55kg. 6 sets of 10 reps

Chest press
15kg 4 sets of 5

I usually do about 30 seconds recovery in between sets. Takes about 20 minutes.

Would appreciate your thoughts!!

Hi OP, I'm not THAT experienced at the gym but I've been using PT for last 6 months and from my experience if you can do that many sets then the weight might not be heavy enough?
I'm absolutely done after 3 sets of 10 reps!

Programme wise you've got a combo of push, pull and legs which is good.

Agree your sets are very high. I'd do more like 3 sets of 8-12. If you are only resting 30 seconds and it takes you 20 mins all in that suggests you're not going very heavy. So then it depends what your goals are if that's ok or not. Everything you've listed for 3 sets 8-12 would take me more than an hour.

Do you not fancy any compounds eg squat, bench or deadlift? That's what I feel you might be missing, again depends on your goals (and I'm a bit biased as I love squat, bench and deadlift)

It's a bit imbalanced.
Cut back the sets for shoulders and add some biceps and triceps.
Lat pulldowns are good, but cut out some of those sets and add some lat rows instead. Add some abdominal work.
The standard rule is that the larger the muscle group, the more sets you do.
I would suggest;

Quads 5-6 sets (any combination of squat, lunge, leg presse, leg extension.)

Hamstrings/glutes/lower back 5-6 sets (combinations of deadlift, leg curls, hip thrust.)

Calves 3 sets calf raises.

Abs 5-6 sets (two at least should be plank type.)

Chest 5-6 sets (chest press, fly, pullover.)

Back 5-6 sets (pulldowns, rows, pullovers.)

Shoulders 3-4 sets (shoulder presses, upright rows, rear delt fly.)

Biceps 3-4 sets curls.

Triceps 3-4 sets various types of extensions.

It totally depends on the person. For example, a bodybuilder can do a huge number of sets with heavy weights.

Agree with what others have said re sets and reps.
I'd do cardio after strength training though. You'll be less fatigued then and be able to lift heavier.

If you only need 30 seconds recovery, you should actually be able to lift a lot heavier (and then require a longer rest).
That many exercises would take me a lot longer than 20 mins, even just doing 3-4 sets? as my movements would be slower due to the increased weight, and longer rests

Can you really do all that in 20 minutes? That doesn’t add up. You’ve got 5 exercises, and high rep high sets. Or do you mean 20 mins each exercise?

I’ve trained with PTs and we aim to perform usually 3 sets of each exercise, with 6-12 reps each set depending on weight. If looking at building muscle and strength you train to failure and your last few reps should be TOUGH.

I’d be looking at doing more exercises for more muscle groups, and doing heavier weights for fewer reps. Do you have access to a PT? If not try downloading an app for a guided workout.

If you fancy REALLY simplifying it, you literally only need pull ups, squats, deadlifts, and bench press. That pretty much covers everything, but your form has to be absolutely on point as injury risk with all four are really high if done wrong.

So forget what I said :)

@Figroll16 thank you that is sooo helpful. That’s exactly the sort of advice I’m looking for. Thank you.

@Sidge yeah it all takes me 20 mins clearly it’s too easy and I’m wizzing through it like I’m doing the can can. 😂 I think my weights need to heavier. I just do 5 lifts, wait 30 seconds, do 5 more like one after the other. I can’t really justify a personal trainer atm so working it out for myself, it’s got to be better than nothing at all.

Great helpful replies thanks so much. Lots for me to think about and change. Just what I was hoping for so much appreciated.

You definitely need to increase the weights if you can knock our 12 reps and 3 sets.

Once you get up to 10-12 reps you should put the weight up and drop down to 6-8 reps. Then build back up to 10-12 again and the weight goes up again.

I use an app called strong lifts which uses the push pull lift format. It makes a plan for you and increases the weight for you. It's mostly bar bell training.

I actually feel embarrassed now 😂 I clearly haven’t got a clue. Thank you all I’m taking this on board.

You don't need to feel embarrassed! This stuff was all new to me not so long ago too. No one taught us. You're doing great

@LittleMG don't be embarrassed!! We all learn somehow.

It's just not a very effective workout that you're doing if your goal is to get stronger. You're using muscles, and moving, which is always a bonus! It's just not a very effective workout in terms of strength and development.

I have an app called FitnessOnline that is quite helpful for planning workouts - I'm easily bored and can no longer afford a PT. You can tailor your gym sessions and adapt the exercises, and there are good clear instructions and walkthroughs on that app.

It can also be worth following some decent PTs on Instagram - ignore the massive posey ones. YouTube is also handy for watching and learning exercises and techniques.

Mix it up a bit or you'll get bored - try adding in some dumbbell stuff, some resistance bands, some core moves like deadlifts and squats. Aim for 3-5 sets of 8-15 reps depending on weight. Think of using all your body - arms, chest, shoulders, back, core, legs, hips. Functional strength as well as fitness.

If you see someone in the gym that's doing something that you like the look of trying - ask them! Most of us are really friendly and approachable and love to help 😁

With the right guidelines ChatGPT can put you a simple routine together which will be up there with a lot of the gym PT instructors copy and paste routines. It really isnt rocket science. Or as i have suggested many times on here, the Gymshark app has many many gym routines in its database free of charge with videos on how to perform the lifts. It even has the ability to target muscle groups or even work with the equipment available. Its fantastic.

1. Full Body
2. Upper / Lower
3. Push / Pull / Legs

3 different routines which can be done on a 2 or 3 days per week basis. Each has its merits and benefits but essentially they are trying to get the most amount of muscle fatigue into a session whilst allowing you to recover enough to make the next session worthwhile.

Others have said your sets are quite high. I would say you should be doing 3 on average and you really need to build in whats known as progressive overload into your workout. It simply means that whatever you settle on workout wise (Get a nice 10-20 week plan which will allow you enough time to see progress) you start at 3 sets of 8-12 reps on everything. If you can hit 12 reps on any of the exercises on the 3rd set you MUST increase the weight for the next session by an appropriate amount. What you should be aiming for is being able to complete the first set ok. Struggle with the second set. Really have to work hard on the third set on 8 reps. Its a rinse & repeat kind of thing. You get the third set up to 12 reps and again you increase the weight.

The reason you need a longer term plan is that it may take you a few weeks to get to the point it is worthwhile effort wise unless you have a PT who can help set you up properly. Doesnt really matter, doing what i have suggested you will end up at the point where every session is at the right level (and that also includes being able to drop weights when not feeling it) and you are making gains on a regular basis.

@Tessasanderson thats great I’ve taken extensive notes on this and will do this. Thanks very much for replying.

one last Q how long is considered normal recovery? I was doing 30 seconds 😂 clearly wrong

Depends. 90 seconds - 2 mins is pretty normal I think for an average gym goer. Perhaps longer if it's harder work. I lift heavy for less reps, so I rest longer till I'm recovered but I'm working at a high intensity.

Btw, what a lot of people are saying about rest isn't a hard and fast rule. Research shows that muscles grow not just because of the amount of weight you use, but with more time under tension. Time under tension is greater if you go slightly lighter and rest less, which compensates for the lighter weight. If you have to go a lot lighter, though, you need to rest more. You can also use supersets and trisets to keep rest at a minimum. For example, do chest then go immediately to back, then rest. Just make sure you aren't using the same muscle group. Push/pull is ideal for supersets. Personally, I find extensive resting between sets too boring. I find that if I rest more I can only go slightly heavier, not enough to matter, so I'd rather not be bored and prefer to get it done faster. So if you hate resting, try supersets/trisets and remember that time under tension is also important.

Just following this thread with interest to get similar advice but OP you said you feel stronger, just wondered what kind of other physical changes you've seen eg better muscle tone, weight loss etc?

Try not to overcomplicate things. Of course we can discuss supersets, myo-reps, dropsets, partials, integrated partials etc etc etc. But you want to learn the basics safely and in a way that benefits you without the need for a PT.

Focus on form, time under tension (dont swing the weights) and progressive overload. Pick your basic routine and stick to it. With regards to your rest, of course there are scientific reasons for longer/shorter rests and im sure a PT would be able to go into detail with specifics. But anything from 30 seconds-1min is fine. If you need to take a little longer because you really did work hard on the last set and it would ruin the next set, take a longer rest.

Oh and listen to your body. If you are not feeling it, accept there are times you wont be all guns blazing and just getting it done is more than enough. Sometimes you may even have to drop the weight as its too much. There will be times when you are firing on all cylinders and you reap the rewards.

I am a bit further down the line than you but i am just prepping for my next block of training which will be due in about 4-5 weeks.

I decided to go with Upper/lower because it works well for me with regards to recovery. I do a 4 days per week split but you could just work through it session by session.

Here is what i ended up with

Lower A
BACK SQUAT
ROMANIAN DEADLIFT
BARBELL HIP THRUST
SEATED LEG EXTENSION
SEATED LEG CURL
CABLE HIP ABDUCTION
CABLE CRUNCH

Upper A
BARBELL BENCH PRESS
LAT PULLDOWN
OVERHEAD PRESS
DUMBBELL HELMS ROW
DUMBBELL FLYE
DUMBBELL SUPINATED CURL
SINGLE-ARM ROPE TRICEP EXTENSION

Lower B
DEADLIFT
DUMBBELL REVERSE LUNGE
SINGLE-LEG LEG EXTENSION
SINGLE-LEG SEATED LEG CURL
CABLE HIP ABDUCTION
CABLE CALF RAISE
PLANK

Upper B
DUMBBELL INCLINE PRESS
REVERSE GRIP LAT PULLDOWN
ASSISTED DIP
EZ BAR BENT OVER ROW
DUMBBELL LATERAL RAISE
LYING FACE PULL
HAMMER CURL

Now thats just an example of a basic generic programme i ran a few years ago and have modified a little to suit my own equipment and exercises i like. Its simply 7 exercises per session on a 3 sets/8-12 rep basis.

Obviously if your gym hasnt got the equipment or you dont fancy or havent got the experience to do compound lifts & free weights there are alternatives that can be substituted to encompass whatever your gym has with regards to equipment.

Hope this helps

I use the Kim French app-really good for different programmes and learning different moves/the sets to reps ratio. You should be able to get a weeks free trial which would give you a good insight as to how to mix things up/plan your workouts.