[Long Post][Help Needed][Newbie] Preparing for a new cycle of training, I need help to modify my program. - sh.itjust.works
Hello, a few weeks ago I started my training journey and I am still training,
which is a record for me. I’m finishing my first cycle this week and next week
and I am planning the next cycle. However, I have a lot of questions and need
some help. # Context I am a 37 yo male that did a lot of sports when I was in my
teens/early 20s, but I became sedentary and my diet was shit. I had my second
child in October and from October to end of December, I lost 25lbs by changing
my diet which motivated me to start training. On Youtube, I found Jeff Nippard
and Renaissance Periodization which gave me a lot of information on how to
change my diet (which is ongoing still, but since the end of December, I lost
another 5 lbs without trying) and also a lot of information on how to train. And
that is how I started weight lifting. I have two young kids, so it was important
to me that I could train at home with minimal equipment, and that is why I
bought the Dumbbells only 3 days training from Renaissance Periodization. I only
had to buy a set of 10lbs dumbbells (already had 5lbs) and I could start working
out. I wasn’t able to properly finish the whole cycle (I’ll describe why later),
but I am still very proud of what I accomplished. I worked out when sleep wasn’t
great (won’t be for a while with a 3 months old), even if time was short, or if
the motivation wasn’t there to begin with. I stuck with the training and diet
changes, and my body started changing and it was/is a great motivator to
continue. Since I did a lot of sports that require leg muscles (Volley-Ball and
Soccer), my legs are a lot stronger than my arms and my core is decent. #
Training Program The Renaissance Periodization 3 day trainings with dumbbells
only is as follows : Each day is 3 exercices + 3 SuperSets of 2 exercices. 1 or
2 days rest between each Day to make sure that the body is completely healed and
ready for training. The program is a 6-weeks program. The first week is 2x sets
of myo reps (5-30 reps). Each week, a new set is added. Week 6 (the last week)
is deload week, so only 1 set. Day 1: - Medium Push-ups - Chair Shoulder Press -
Upright rows - One-arm rows / Goblet Squat - Alternating Curls / Stiff-Legged
DeadLift - Crunches with top hold / Sumo DeadLift Day 2: - High Bent Rows -
Supinating Curls - Paused Side Raises - Reaching Sit-ups / Double-legged Glute
Bridges - Two-arm standing extensions / Sumo Stiff-Legged DeadLift - Narrow
Push-ups / Sumo Squats (shoulder rack) Day 3: - Bent Upright rows - Sumo Squats
(shoulder racks) - Good Mornings - Forward Lunges in place / Slow down reaching
situps - Hammer Curls / Two-Arm standing extension - Medium Push-ups / Elbows
Out bent row # My issues with the program 1) This week was my week 4 of the
program and I hit a big wall. I started strong in my two last training, but
halfway through the training, I was out of energy. The compound exercices + the
number of sets killed me. The progression is too much for me, so I will be
deloading a week sooner because I won’t be able to do more progression next
week. So the program gets too tough for a newbie like me, especially considering
that my sleep is not great with young kids. My strength grew a lot during this
cycle, but my systemic fatigue is really high right now. 2) Since my legs are
stronger, I can do more reps/load, but it also means that it needs more time to
heal. My legs are the limiting factor in the frequency of the trainings because
they always take 2 days to heal, while my arms are usually good to go after a
day of rest. I was hoping to do 3 trainings a week, but it was 3 trainings every
9 days because I had to take 2 days of rest between 3) Lots of compound
exercices, which sometimes limited my reps for other exercices. For example, on
day 2, after the supinating curls and Side raises, my arms are dead. So when I
do the Reaching sit-ups, I am limited by my ability to raise the weights over my
head. I have to stop because my arms can’t hold the weight anymore, not because
my abs are grilled. Same thing on Day 3 with the push in the last SuperSet. My
arms are done, so I can’t do a lot of push-ups. # Why I need help I would like
to start a fat loss phase soon, and I would like a sustainable training program
to accompany that fat loss phase. I plan on doing a 6 weeks phase, so I would
like a 6 weeks program that will end on week 7 with a deload. The current
program doesn’t work for me, because of the reasons above # What equipment do I
have? - 5lbs, 10lbs and adjustable up to 20lbs dumbbels - I bought a workout
bench, without a barbell rack - Pull-up door bar. - Gym rings - Movable dip bars
# What exercices I don’t like in the current program - One arm rows : They feel
extremly awkward. I tried different variations, they always feel out of place. -
Reaching Sit-ups with heavy arms : As I mentionned above, the limiting factor in
the current program for this exercises is my arm fatigue. - Push-up is fine, but
every workout, with two days where the exercise is in the last SuperSet, it
takes its toll # What kind of help do I need? I would like to start from the
program I already have, and modify it to fit my needs. I would like to put
emphasis on my arms and on my core. I would like to add exercises to build my
strength to do pull-ups. I would like to remove the pain points that I have of
the current program and mix straight sets with myo reps. I am open to also try
myo matchs. I would like my weight training days to be Monday, Wednesday and
Friday. The weekend is always chaos, and that way, I can have 2 days to heal on
the week-end, and go harder on fridays. # Conclusion So this is why I came here
to post. My first thought was to remove the exercises I don’t like, and replace
them with other exercises. However, I don’t know how to reorganise the sets and
progression to reach my goal. I was thinking of keeping one or two SuperSets per
training days and separate the other supersets into single exercises. I was also
thinking of keeping the myoreps for the arms and core exercises and going
straight sets for legs exercises. The only thing I know for sure is that I don’t
want to keep the one-arm rows in the program. Thank you for reading, and thank
you for your help.
