Please help w/a workout routine

[sparrow]

I feel so defeated.
condensed story- I'm female ...55 yr old... 5'5"... 120 lbs.
I've been working out with weights and cardio for 3+ years.

goal was to get rid of flab- firm up, get some definition and be overall healthy.

I changed diet, as well as family's, to clean whole food as much as possible. Hardly any processed food-we still eat bread, some pasta etc... but for the most part we eat very clean. I drink plenty of water.

When I joined a gym 3 yrs ago I hired a trainer and goal was to do one pull up.

trainer was great, kicked butt, but I was never able to get past a certain point. I felt stronger, I looked better but still not what I was hoping for.

I never have been able to achieve one pull up... from a dead hang. I can stand at the bar and pull myself up with a chin up grip and with a neutral grip but never an overhand grip.

I got a shoulder impingement, had cortisone shots, and have never really recovered 100%... but I' can still workout with out pain.

I had to quit the gym after several months and now work out at home. We have a nice home workout room.

I still cannot bench press more than 50 lbs... with 25lb dumbbells (no barbells) and most days it's 2 20lb dumbbells.

The only thing that has really shown much definition and progress are obliques... and now I hate them. I don't like how much thicker I am in waist, but, at the same time I like seeing progress. What bugs me is jeans don't fit well because of this.

I have researched and started MANY MANY different workout routines only too get bored with them after a couple months and still not see much progress (definition)

I am so frustrated. I want to have a workout that I look forward too.
Can anyone help me out? What can I do to progress in weight lifting?
How can I get past 20 lb dumbbells?

I hate cardio. But I will do it a few times a week.

I have available to me:
treadmill

lat machine: (adjusts for tricep pull down work and seated rows) pull down bar, v-bar, rope, straight bar

weight bench
captains (?) chair
dumbbells 5lb-35lb
EZ Bar
plate weights
chin up bar (w/ neutral grips)
AB straps

[cassiegose]

Hi there,

I can understand why you would feel frustrated. Its hard to work so hard and feel like youre not making gains.

A couple of questions for you... What is your diet like? In order to gain/build muscle you must eat enough calories and protein to build that muscle. If youre not eating enough, you will have a very hard time building muscle. I usually shoot for 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight.

Another question... are you constantly trying to lift heavier weights? How many reps/sets are you doing with those 20 lb weights? You could try decreasing the reps and see if you can manage the heavier weights with less reps. In order to get stronger you must consistantly overload your muscles... meaning you must consistantly force them to work harder than they are used to lifting. If you always just grab those 20 lb weights, you aren't forcing your muscles to get stronger. However, if you go for 25 lbs and force yourself to lift that weight, your muscles should adapt by growing bigger/stronger to handle the heavier weight. For years I lifted the same weights, then one day grabbed a heavier set and started lifting with those. Over time muscles adapted and as soon as I started feeling the weight getting a little easier to manage I increased it again to once again force muscles to grow stronger.

Does this make sense?

Cassie

[d0rkyd00d]

Cassie is correct. If you are currently taking in minimal calories to keep the weight off, you're not going to make impressive gains with lifting. Unfortunately, increasing your calories to make gains in lifting might mean you are going to put on some fat as well, so you have to decide what your goals are NOW.

You can always go for strength gains now and take the weight off at a later time once you have made sufficient gains.

Additionally, what exercises are you doing to help with your chins? You need to be implementing other back exercises to build your strength.

[sparrow]

thanks for the replies

diet is good, I think. As far as what type of food, it's all pretty much whole foods. Fresh fruit, veggies, lean meats very little dairy.
Do I eat a lot- I always feel satisfied.
I can't tell you how many calories I eat though- I don't keep track of that.
I 'll have something to eat before I workout and always eat after. I make sure I get protein in at this time also. I'm not trying to lose weight.

With 20lb DB's I can do a flat bench press and incline press 10-12 reps with 3 sets.
But when I grab the 25lb DB's, I can barely do one. I can do up to 7 reps if I lie on the floor and do overhead press there. physical therapist told me to do this when I was having shoulder problem.

[d0rkyd00d]

thanks for the replies

diet is good, I think. As far as what type of food, it's all pretty much whole foods. Fresh fruit, veggies, lean meats very little dairy.
Do I eat a lot- I always feel satisfied.
I can't tell you how many calories I eat though- I don't keep track of that.
I 'll have something to eat before I workout and always eat after. I make sure I get protein in at this time also. I'm not trying to lose weight.

With 20lb DB's I can do a flat bench press and incline press 10-12 reps with 3 sets.
But when I grab the 25lb DB's, I can barely do one. I can do up to 7 reps if I lie on the floor and do overhead press there. physical therapist told me to do this when I was having shoulder problem.

If it's that drastic a difference between five pounds, maybe it is a physical health issue? Somebody else might be able to comment on that one, because if you can do 10x with 20lbs, there is no reason you can't do more with 25 than one rep.

You need to count calories to figure out if that's the problem. If you're only taking in 1500 calories a day, and your body is burning 2000 a day, you're not going to gain strength. Most people looking for significant strength gains eat many more calories than what their body burns each day (as in 3K, 4K, or even 5K calories per day). I know a lot of weightlifters who even get sick of eating they have to eat so much to make gains.

[swanso5]

- where do you fail on pull ups? bottom, middle or top?
- pull ups are way harder then chin ups but chin ups are better for that very reason
- search these articles and read them:

shoulder savers by eric cressey
push ups, face pulls and shrugs by mike robertson
getting a training effect when injured by tony gentilcore

- 1 week from today you will easily do 1 rep with those 25pders...everyday until then tell yourself out a loud that you will do this, look yourself in the mirror and say,,ALOUD, not in your mind...do it and find out
- also are your db's adjustable? why not try 22.5pds?
- good prgrams should not go on for months and months doing the same thing...they should be periodised and contain "phases" that vary training stress so if a program says to do 3 x 10 for 12 weeks for the same exercise, it's worthless
- why do you have to "cardio"? it's a pretty broad term...anything that gets your hrart rate up can be considered carduio...oh wts do that don;t they? and (if you do it right)? yes a very broad term


http://www.uponlinetraining.com/services.html

[sparrow]

Thanks swanso.

If I'm at a dead hang- I can't do anything.
chin bar is in door way so it's not too terribly high like at the gym.
But it is over head enough that arms are almost straight- I do have a slight bend in elbows.

I can just stand at the bar and pull myself up and get chin to & over the bar.
But if I extend arms all the way and cross feet off the floor- at a dead hang- I can't move an inch.

dumbbells are not adjustable.

I walk at a high incline and jog on the treadmill for cardio... I'm able to sustain heart rate by doing this.

[cassiegose]

thanks for the replies

diet is good, I think. As far as what type of food, it's all pretty much whole foods. Fresh fruit, veggies, lean meats very little dairy.
Do I eat a lot- I always feel satisfied.
I can't tell you how many calories I eat though- I don't keep track of that.
I 'll have something to eat before I workout and always eat after. I make sure I get protein in at this time also. I'm not trying to lose weight.

With 20lb DB's I can do a flat bench press and incline press 10-12 reps with 3 sets.
But when I grab the 25lb DB's, I can barely do one. I can do up to 7 reps if I lie on the floor and do overhead press there. physical therapist told me to do this when I was having shoulder problem.

I would definitely start a food journal and track your diet for a week or so. Saything that you eat "a lot" is misleading as "a lot" means different things to different people. You might not be getting enough calories, or you many not be getting enough protein. By writing down what you eat you will get an idea of how many calories your taking in, as well as how many proteins/fats/carbs.

As for the 25 pounds.... If you only do one then do that and rest... then do another... and so on. You must overload those muscles and force them to work harder. If it is extremely hard you might have somebody spot you while youre doing them to make sure you dont drop the weight on yourself (just to be safe).

Hope this helps!

[swanso5]

lots and oots of lat work work (pulldowns, inverted rows that sort of thing)..also jump up the top position and hold there as long as you can...as you get tired you'll start to lower down which is fine juast fight it all the way until you get to that dead position

http://www.uponlinetraining.com/services.html