Back to the gym

[Bujingodai]

OK headed back to the gym. Lost as to a routine. I had torn my abdominal muscles months ago and it pulled me away.
I don't want to over do my core. I know they wanted me to work upper back.

Just wondering say a 4 day rotating schedule I am normally in and out in 60-90mins. What muscle grouping would you put those days in? Suggestions

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

How long is your warm-up/cool down?

With 4 days, most basic would be one day full body workout, one day upper body, one day legs, one day core, and make sure that on days 1 and 3 (or 2 and 4) you're getting your upper back workout in as well.

 

[isshinryuronin]

Torn ab muscles (and fascia) take a while to heal, but there are other core muscles you can still work like lower back extensions (but don't stretch abs too far!) and using a pully set midlevel with lighter weights for twisting. You can also work hips by stepping and locking your stance. Most karate kata will develop this. No need to neglect the whole core group IF you feel you're not straining your abs doing these. Breathing exercises with a little ab tension may be a method of giving your abs a low impact activity, again, only if you don't feel strain.

Note - I'm not trainer or therapist. This is just what I would do or have done.

 

[Gyakuto]

Whatever you do, work up to 6 sets of 10-12 reps over a few months. Most people don’t have enough ‘volume’ in their training.

Two different exercises for-

Legs
Triceps
Back
Pecs/chest
Biceps (one for long head, one for short head)
Forearm extensors and flexors

I’ve done this twice a week for 2.5 years and now I have big muscles! Takes about 2.5hrs. I can share my specific exercises with you if you like.

 

[Bujingodai]

I went back to the way I used to a little redacted. The core I am being very cautious of. I can still feel the tear and that had put me out of a lot for a while
I'm doing a 3 day rotation. Chest and arms, Back and shoulders, legs. Generally four sets of 8-10. Right now not over doing the weight just slow proper form

I have to do enough time there for the kids to get a laugh that I am using and Ipod and wired earphones. Dad style as they call it.

 

[Bujingodai]

Whatever you do, work up to 6 sets of 10-12 reps over a few months. Most people don’t have enough ‘volume’ in their training.

Two different exercises for-

Legs
Triceps
Back
Pecs/chest
Biceps (one for long head, one for short head)
Forearm extensors and flexors

I’ve done this twice a week for 2.5 years and now I have big muscles! Takes about 2.5hrs. I can share my specific exercises with you if you like.

That's a big time. I am in and out in just under an hour. I am afraid I couldn't afford that actual time to put that long in. But sharing what you do will of course be helpful

 

[Gyakuto]

After watching Youtube clips on leg press techniques(s) I had a play around with my foot position on the foot plate, moving it back from my usual position with my toes slightly over the edge of the plate to the centre of the plate but not allowing my knees to move beyond my toes. What a difference it made! It shifted the effort slightly away from my glutes and more toward my quads and it made things a little bit more difficult, in a good way. My subsequent sets on the leg extension machine were considerably more challenging.

I’m also going to add a set to all my exercises (making it seven sets of ten) to increase my ‘volume’. The increments on most of the machines are too great for me to maintain good form so I think this might bridge the gap, eventually allowing me to increase the weights a little.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

What muscle grouping would you put those days in? Suggestions

Try to remember "heavy weight" and "speed" don't go together.

If you increase

- weight, you need to reduce speed.
- speed, you need to reduce weight.

IMO, it's more important to train "body unification" than to train "muscle group isolation". The weight pulley is a good one. If you can use your whole body to pull, you will develop "body unification" which is more useful in MA.

The double heads is also a good one. But I don't believe any gym will allow you to train this way.