As I was traveling, I took last week off from Body For Life. Not sure what my gym options or plans would be in Dubai, fitting in workouts was the last I wanted to worry about. As much as I enjoy the BFL workouts, playing it by ear was definitely a refreshing change. However I’m back to it this week and am recharged to finish the final 6 weeks with a bang. Although I am not going to continue the plan once the 12 weeks are over, I am going to continue with some of the weight lifting principles I’ve learned from BFL…ones that I tried to incorporate into last week’s workouts:
1) Train larger muscle groups first: The smaller muscle groups often support larger muscle groups during certain exercise. Therefore if smaller muscle groups are fatigued first, completion of the larger muscle group exercise will be less effective later on in the workout.
2) Choose 1-2 exercises per muscle group: Before BFL, my weight training days would consist of a mish mash of any exercise that involved dumbbells/barbells/machines: it had no structure and the exercises I completed were merely down to chance. Or in other words, moves which I either found easy or remembered!
In order to optimize my workouts and balance muscle strength between muscle groups, I now set up my routines to include exercises which surely target all muscle groups. Although the same muscle group can be worked with a variety of moves, here are some of my current favorites:
**For a better idea of how to complete each move, click on the exercise name**
UPPER BODY
- Chest: Dumbbell Chest Flyes
Back: Bent-Over Dumbbell Row
- Shoulders: Barbell Upright Row
- Biceps: Concentration Curls
Triceps: Seated Overhead Extensions
LOWER BODY
- Quads: Bulgarian Split Squats
Hamstrings: Good Mornings
Calves: Seated Calve Raises
Abs:Plank a.k.a. “king of abs moves”. In one single exercise, you target your abs, back, arms and legs.
What have you been workin’ recently? I’m all for trying new moves!
Yay for weights! Great choice of moves too, I love upright rows 🙂 I’ve been obsessed with drag curls lately, they really give me serious bicep doms haha
I need to check those out: I seem to keep falling back on hammer curls and concentration curls so a change will be welcomed!
my favorite machine at the gym is the butt machine. i’m always working my ass… cause i love it round and lifted. 🙂 a bit explicit, sorry. it’s the one where you do a leg curl at the back. and then i work on any other machine available, usually biceps, legs, free weights.
Haha agreed- I want me some junk in my trunk 😉
I love squats every which way. And I love this move: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hg3yPTTMyk8 Great upper body/core/everything.
Awesome thanks for sharing the link- will let u know how I get on with it!
Great ideas here! I am loving the renegade rows- pushup position while holding DBs and single rows for a total of 15 or so on each side. I recently upped the weight and enjoy feeling the burn on pretty much every part of your body!
Love compound moves like that- thanks for reminding me about it!
great exercises and easy to understand, like the ones with a picture. I often do the bridge for strength based exercises.
Love using my body weight for some exercises too!
Excuse my lack of proper terminology but I’ve been doing 3-4 “sets” of a 2 minute plank routine (forward, right side, left side, and backwards), and I’ve seen a slight difference in my stomach and arms. Loving it so far! Thanks for sharing all of this info, K. I am definitely going to incorporate some of these moves into my strength training. You’re the best!
Haha I think you nailed the terminology :)! I’m glad you found this post useful…and agreed about the different plank positions: do them long enough and youllreally feel the burn!
This is really useful! I know literally NOTHING about weight lifting and pretty much go into strength training blindly. I love when the blogs I like post about it because I’m much less likely to go about searching for info myself! Thanks!
No problem, Tracy- glad it is helpful! I used to steer clear mainly due to lack of knowing what moves to do!
Ahh Bulgarian split squats – those kill me! 😛
I just tried doing a Swiss ball jackknife yesterday as a part of a core routine and I loved it! I will definitely be making that a regular move.
Ooh I’ve never heard of the Swiss Ball Jackknife…checking it out now!
These look like great exercises. I’m trying to do more weight training too by taking up classes at the gym, I find it much easier when someone’s literally walking me through the moves. Might try some of these, though!
Not sure if your gym offers body pump but if so, that’s a great weights workout!
Ok I admit I am terrible a the gym…and that’s for the rare times I normally go ;). I do like to work the derriere and thighs though particularly in squats and lunges, plus I do them at home and challenge myself to wall sits while waiting for the microwave…that counts, right?
Those split lunge things get me EVERYTIME. Ohhh man. I did lower body yesterday, and my butt is feeling it today 😉