Weightlifting

I’m a big advocate for strength training. It’s fun to do, and seeing what your body is capable of can be so rewarding.

Some benefits of strength training include:

- increased strength
- increased metabolism
- better bone density
- looking like you can kick some ass
- fun!

I’ve been lifting weights for about 7 years now and often times my favourite part of the week is my training days when I can just head to the gym and take out all my anger, stress, and boredom on the weight racks. On good days, when I push out more weight than I even think I’m capable of, I feel amazing about my body’s abilities– a definite bikini confidence booster.

My personal favourite workouts involve heavy weights and few repetitions. I find this combination is most effective for me to build strength, plus there’s that added satisfaction of seeing just how heavy you can lift ;)

Fun Facts about Me:

Favourite Muscle Group to Work: Back. There’s nothing I like more than that tight feeling of soreness after a GOOD back workout.

Least Favourite Muscle Group to Work: Biceps– *yawn*

Favourite Exercise: Squats. I’m obsessed with squats.

Weightlifting Goals: 1) To do 5 Military Style Pull-Ups;  2) To bench my body weight.

Favourite Workouts:

4 Day Upper/Lower Body Split #1
4 Day Upper/Lower Body Split #2
4 Day Upper/Lower Body Split #3
3 Day Strength/Endurance/Power Split
Drop Sets
3 Day High Rep Fat Burner Routine
3 Day Marathon Weight Training #1
3 Day Marathon Weight Training #2
2 Day Marathon Weight Training
Strength Conditioning for Football
Supersets

Circuit Workouts:

Upper Body Burn Workout (uses body weight only)
Playground Circuit Workout

Tips and Tricks:

Squat Improvement Strategy
More Squatting Tips
Cable Triceps Extension trick


4 Day Upper/Lower Body Split #1

4 day Upper/Lower Body Split Click image or link for Printable PDF

First 4 weeks: 3 sets of minimum 8 reps but no more than 12 reps (you should be spent if you make it to rep #12).

Second 4 weeks: increase the weights and lower the repetitions to no less than 6 and no more than 8 (or 4-6 reps if you’re comfortable with the movements)

Day 1

  • Bench Press
  • Bent-over Barbell Row
  • Dumbbell Shoulder Press
  • Skullcrushers
  • Barbell Bicep Curl

Day 2

  • Barbell Squat
  • Stiff-Legged Deadlifts
  • Leg Extension (Machine)
  • Lying Leg Curls (Machine)
  • Standing Calf Raises (Machine)
  • Lying Leg Raises
  • Crunches on the Exercise Ball

Day 3

  • Chest Dips
  • Pullups
  • Lateral Raises
  • Cable Tricep Pushdowns (with a rope)
  • Cable Bicep Curls

Day 4

  • Deadlifts
  • Leg Press Machine
  • Dumbbell Lunges
  • Seated Calf Raises
  • Dumbbell Shrugs
  • Decline Crunches
  • Back Extensions

4 Day Upper/Lower Body Split #2

4 day Upper/Lower Body Split #2 Click link or Image for Printable PDF


First 4 weeks:
3 sets of minimum 8 reps but no more than 12 reps (you should be spent if you make it to rep #12).

Second 4 weeks: increase the weights and lower the repetitions to no less than 6 and no more than 8 (or 4-6 reps if you’re comfortable with the movements)

Day 1

  • Incline Bench Press
  • T-Bar Row
  • Lateral Pulldown (Cable Machine)
  • Dumbbell Pullover
  • Machine Chest Flys
  • Barbell Upright Row
  • Barbbell Preacher Curls
  • One-Arm Cable Tricep Pulldowns
  • Pushups to failure (2 sets)

Day 2

  • Stiff-Legged Deadlifts
  • Deep Step-Ups
  • Vertical Leg Press Machine
  • Seated Leg Curl Machine
  • Side Lunge
  • Single Leg Deadlift
  • Ab Roll
  • Dumbbell V-Up

Day 3

Day 4


4 Day Upper/Lower Body Split #3

4 day Upper/Lower Body Split #3 Click link or Image for Printable PDF

4-6 weeks: 4 sets of 6-8  reps.

Day 1

  • Bench Press
  • Assisted Chin-Up
  • DB Shoulder Press
  • Push-Ups
  • External Rotation
  • Isolateral Low Row
  • Alternating DB Bicep Curls
  • Tricep Pulldowns

Day 2

  • Back Squats
  • Split Squats
  • DB Hang Clean to Push Press to Squat
  • Turkish Get Ups
  • 12″ Box Jumps
  • Wall Sits & Get-Ups

Day 3

  • Machine Chest Flyes
  • Parallel Grip Pullups
  • One Arm DB Snatch
  • Inverted Row
  • Push-ups
  • Upright Rows
  • Close Grip Bench Press
  • Hammer Curls

Day 4

  • Deadlifts
  • Reverse Lunge to Good Mornings
  • Leg Press
  • Turkish Get-Ups
  • Leg Curls
  • Calf Raises
  • Tibia Raises


3 Day Strength/Endurance/Power Split

(guest posted at The Happiness in Health)

3 day Strength/Endurance/Power Split Click link or Image for Printable PDF

Day 1 - Strength
(Beginner: 4 sets of 10 reps; Intermediate 4 sets of 6 reps)

Day 2 - Endurance
(4 sets of 10 reps)

Day 3 - Power
(Perform each exercise for 20 seconds and then rest for 40 seconds before proceeding to the next exercise. Rest for 2-3 minutes at the end of the circuit. Repeat circuit 2 more times)


Drop Sets

Drop Sets -Click link or Image for Printable PDF

Check out my blogs posts on drop sets (here, and here)

The point of a drop set is to hit failure and mutilate the muscles. When I say hit failure what I mean is not honest to God, gun to your head, you cannot lift any more weight.

The sequence:
1-2 warm-up sets (12 reps);  rest 1 minute; 1 drop set.

The strategy:
The drop set is ~22 reps in total and will require 3 different weights.
For the drop set:
1) go to failure (~10 reps) then drop the weight by 25%
2) go to failure again (~8 reps) drop the weight by 25%
3) go to failure one more time (~4 reps). And you’re spent.

The Workout

Warm-Up: ~12 reps
Drop Set: Go to failure (~10 reps), drop the weight 25% to failure (~8 reps), drop the weight 25% to failure (~4 reps)

Day 1: Chest/Biceps

Incline Dumbbell Presses                               2 warm-up; 1 drop set
Incline Dumbbell Fly                                        1 warm-up; 1 drop set
Vertical Bench Press Machine                     2 warm-up; 1 drop set
Cable Crossovers                                               1 warm-up; 1 drop set
Dumbbell Curls                                                   2 warm-up; 1 drop set
Preacher Curl Machine                                    1 warm-up; 1 drop set
Barbell Curl                                                           1 warm-up; 1 drop set

Day 2: Back/Triceps

Lat Pulldown to the Front                               2 warm-up; 1 drop set
Narrow Grip Pulldowns                                   1 warm-up; 1 drop set
Seated Cable Row                                               1 warm-up; 1 drop set
One Arm Dumbbell Rows                                1 warm-up; 1 drop set
Narrow Bench Press in Smith Machine     1 warm-up; 1 drop set
Triceps Pushdowns with Rope                      1 warm-up; 1 drop set
Overhead Triceps Extension Machine       1 warm-up; 1 drop set

Day 3: Shoulders/Abs

Shoulder Press Machine                                 2 warm-up; 1 drop set
Reverse Fly Machine                                        1 warm-up; 1 drop set
Front Raises                                                         1 warm-up; 1 drop set
Lateral Raises                                                      1 warm-up; 1 drop set
Cable Upright Row                                            1 warm-up; 1 drop set
Crunches                                                               2 sets x 15 reps
Roman Chair                                                        2 sets to failure
Sit-ups                                                                    2 sets x 20 reps

Day 4: Legs

Leg Press                                                              2 warm-up; 1 drop set
Deep Squats                                                        2 warm-up; 1 drop set
Leg Extension                                                    1 warm-up; 1 drop set
Lying Leg Curl                                                   2 warm-up; 1 drop set
Seated Leg Curl                                                 1 warm-up; 1 drop set
Standing Calf Raises                                        1 warm-up; 1 drop set


3 Day High Rep Fat Burner Routine

4 weeks, 3 sets of 10-12 reps

-Click Image for Printable PDF


3 Day Marathon Weight Training #1

This is the routine that I`m doing through my marathon training. I only include one lower body day so that I do not exhaust my leg muscles.

4 weeks, 4 sets of 4-8 reps

Day 1 – Upper Body

  • Bench Press
  • T-bar Row
  • Dumbbell Chest Flys
  • Wide Grip Lat Pulldown
  • Barbell Shoulder Press
  • Skull Crushers
  • Barbell Bicep Curls

Day 2 – Lower Body

  • Barbell Squat
  • Stiff Legged Deadlift
  • Dumbbell Lunges
  • 45° Leg Press
  • Calf Raises
  • Plank
  • Dumbbell V-Up

Day 3 – Upper Body

  • Chin-Ups
  • Decline Bench Press Mach.
  • Cable Row
  • Lateral Raises
  • Arnold Press
  • Tricep Pushups
  • Cable Rope Bicep Curls

3 Day Marathon Weight Training #2

3 Day Marathon Weight Training -Click link or Image for Printable PDF

This is the routine that I`m doing through my marathon training. I only include one lower body day so that I do not exhaust my leg muscles. On the second Upper Body day I do Drop Sets

4 weeks, 4 sets of 4-8 reps

Day 1 – Upper Body

Day 2 – Lower Body

  • Stiff Legged Deadlift
  • Curtsy Lunges
  • Vertical Leg Press
  • Good Mornings
  • Lying Leg Curl
  • Leg Extensions
  • Clam Crunches
  • Ab Roll

Day 3 – Upper Body Drop Sets

Go to failure (~10 reps), drop the weight 25% to failure (~8 reps), drop the weight 25% to failure (~4 reps).

  • Wide Grip Pulldown
  • Chest Press Mach.
  • Cable Low Row
  • Cable Cross Overs
  • Front Raises
  • Upright Row
  • Machine Preacher Curl
  • Cable Triceps Pushdowns
  • Captain’s Chair

2 Day Marathon Weight Training

2 Day Marathon Weight Training -Click link or Image for Printable PDF

Day 1

  • Push Ups (4 sets)
  • Dumbbell Squat with Shoulder Press (4 sets)
  • Dumbbell Row with Tricep Kickback (4 sets)
  • Decline Bench Press (3 sets)
  • Cable Upright Row in Sumo Squat Pos’n (3 sets)
  • Incline Bench Dumbbell Bicep Curls (3 sets)
  • Leg Extensions (2 sets)

Day 2

  • Deep Back Squat (4 sets)
  • Pull Ups (4 sets)
  • Bench Press (4 sets)
  • Lateral Raises (3 sets)
  • Tricep Dips (3 sets)
  • Barbell Bicep Curls (3 sets)
  • Leg Curls (2 sets)

Strength Training for Football

Strength Training for Football

I don’t play football, but I got this routine from a Strength Conditioning for Football book that my brother-in-law lent to my husband who coaches high school football.

Each exercise has 3 to 4 sets in a Descending Pyramid (ie. increase weight and decrease reps). There is not a lot of core conditioning here so I also do the Core portion of Jackie Warner’s DVD twice per week.

Day 1

Bench Press       10, 8, 5, 2 reps
Back Squat       10, 8, 6, 5 reps
Incline Press      10, 8, 6, 5 reps
Shoulder Shrugs  10, 8, 8 reps
Bent-Over Rows  10, 8, 8 reps
Bicep Curls         10, 8, 6 reps
Calf Raises         10, 8 reps

Day 2

Power Clean                  5, 4, 3, 3 reps
Behind-the-Neck Press    10, 8, 6, 5 reps
Walking Lunge                10, 10, 10 reps
Dumbbell Flyes               10, 8, 8 reps
Shoulder Shrugs             10, 8, 8 reps
Tricep Extensions           10, 8, 6 reps
Leg Curls                      10, 8 reps

Day 3

Back Squat 10, 8, 5, 3 reps
Power Clean                    5, 4, 3, 3 reps
Bench Press                    10, 10, 6, 6 reps
Bent-over-rows               10, 8, 8 reps
Alt Incline Dumbbell Press 10, 8, 8, reps
Bicep Curls                     10, 8, 6 reps
Oblique Twists                10, 8 reps


Ultra Super Sets

Ultra Super Sets -Click link or Image for Printable PDF

Super Sets helps with developing muscular endurance and will get you in-and-out of the gym a lot faster.

These are ultra super sets with 3 back to back exercises each. Perform exercise 1 then exercise 2 then exercise 3 with no break in between. Then rest for 1 minute. Repeat 4x.

Chest/Triceps

  • 1. Incline Dumbbell Press
  • 2. Push Ups
  • 3. Dumbbell Flyes
  • 1. Cable Pushdowns
  • 2. Cable Extensions
  • 3. Bench Dips

Back/Biceps

  • 1. Narrow Grip Pulldowns
  • 2. Cable Low Rows
  • 3. Back Extensions (or Superman)
  • 1. Barbell Curls
  • 2. Hammer Curls
  • 3. Preacher Curls

Shoulders/Abs

  • 1. Lateral Raises
  • 2. Front Raises
  • 3. Upright Rows
  • 1. Leg Raises
  • 2. Side Bends
  • 3. Crunches

Legs (superset 2 exercises)

  • 1. Walking Lunges
  • 2. Leg Press
  • 1. Leg Curls
  • 2. Leg Extensions
  • 1. Standing Calf Raises
  • 2. Seated Calf Press

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Samantha Angela is a food and workout fanatic who loves pumping serious iron and baking loaves of bread.

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  • Training Plan

Samantha’s Workouts this Week:

  • Mon: Spinning
  • Tue: Lower Body Weightlifting
  • Wed: Upper Body Weightlifting
  • Thu: Lower Body Weightlifting
  • Fri: Upper Body Weightlifting
  • Sat: Rest
  • Sun: Yoga

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