Am I doing enough for next season?

[Feicarsinn]

Hey guys,

so I'm going back to playing rugby and it's looking like I'll be at either 12 or 13. I haven't played in a while so I want to get a bit more muscle mass on before we go into pre season. I'm 6'0 and about 188 pounds. I don't really want to gain more weight, more turn my flab back into a bit of toned muscle.

Here's what I'm doing weights wise:
Exercise|Reps|Sets
Dumbbell lunge|12|3
Dumbbell Bench Press|12|3
Shoulder Press|12|3
Core Plank|100 seconds|3
Side Plank|60 Seconds|3
Standing Military Press|12|3
Dumbbell Bicep Curl|12|3

I have Hurling training twice a week and do a bit of running to take care of the cardio side. I do this program about 3 times a week. So, is it enough or should I be looking to do more?

 

[Feicarsinn]

Oh, and it's all done to copious amounts of Australian masterchef.

 

[Peat]

Ain't a bad start, particularly as you're pre-pre-season. I'd continue that for a bit and keep measuring things and seeing how it goes, how you feel.

 

[lhprop1]

Quite frankly, it's a terrible program. Doing the same exercises with the same set/rep scheme 3 times a week will take you nowhere. It lacks any semblance of programming or periodization and it lacks any of the primary lifts. You also claim to want to have a muscular back, yet you don't have a single back exercise in there.

A proper 3 day split would have each day based on one of the 3 primary lifts; Squat, deadlift, and overhead press (I prefer OHP to bench press because it's more practical to sports than bench press) with correlating accessory exercises following the primary lift of the day.

A proper progression would have you increasing the weight as you decrease the reps on the primary lifts. Primary lifts are usually in the 2-5 rep range. Accessory lifts generally stay in the 8-12 rep range.

A proper progam would look something like this:
(Exercise--sets--reps)
Day 1:
Squat 5 x 5
stiff leg deadlift 3 x 8
step ups 3 x 8
some sort of ab exercise

Day 2:
Deadlift 5 x 5
Good morning or glute ham raise 3 x 8
back extension 3 x 12
row variation (inverted, bent over, upright, etc) 3 x 8
abs

Day 3:
Overhead press 5 x 5
seated dumbbell press 3 x 8
tricep pushdown 3 x 15
face pulls or band pull-aparts 3 x 15

Gradually increase the weight on the first lift of the day. When you can't complete the full 5 sets of 5 reps, repeat the same weight the next week and do 5 sets of 3 reps and continue to increase the weight. When you fail to complete that, do 3 sets of 3 reps and continue to increase the weight.

 

[Feicarsinn]

When did I say I wanted a powerful back? TBH, I'm not that interested in bulking up, so heavy weight, low rep workouts aren't really for me. I'm more interested in toning everything up a bit. I really just need a good bit of core strength. I'm probably gonna add a few dead lifts and some bar work, but not for a few weeks yet.

 

[Feicarsinn]

Oh, but thats for the suggested program btw.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

When did I say I wanted a powerful back? TBH, I'm not that interested in bulking up, so heavy weight, low rep workouts aren't really for me. I'm more interested in toning everything up a bit. I really just need a good bit of core strength. I'm probably gonna add a few dead lifts and some bar work, but not for a few weeks yet.

Hey guys,

so I'm going back to playing rugby and it's looking like I'll be at either 12 or 13. I haven't played in a while so I want to get a bit more muscle mass on before we go into pre season. I'm 6'0 and about 188 pounds. I don't really want to gain more weight, more turn my flab back into a bit of toned muscle.

I believe you mistook B for P.

 

[TNT88]

I'd say you're set. Keep that program up and you'll be rugby-fit for sure. The biggest challenge i find is getting back into tackling, but if you have the muscle there it should be easy enough. I guess it depends on how good you want to be, but i'd say that is a great pre season program.

Notes:

1. Masterchef is a cult
2. Don't plank on a roof: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/16/planking-death-australian-prime-minister

 

[Teh Mite]

Need more cock pushups.

 

[Feicarsinn]

Need more cock pushups.

D'oh. Knew I forgot something. Guess I'll never be a rockstar.

 

[lynam1104]

find the ball of destiny? might work

 

[lhprop1]

Hey guys,

so I'm going back to playing rugby and it's looking like I'll be at either 12 or 13. I haven't played in a while so I want to get a bit more muscle mass on before we go into pre season. I'm 6'0 and about 188 pounds. I don't really want to gain more weight, more turn my flab back into a bit of toned muscle.

When did I say I wanted a powerful back? TBH, I'm not that interested in bulking up, so heavy weight, low rep workouts aren't really for me. I'm more interested in toning everything up a bit. I really just need a good bit of core strength. I'm probably gonna add a few dead lifts and some bar work, but not for a few weeks yet.

Fact #1: High rep routines result in sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, which is an increase in the volume of the non-contractile muscle cell fluid, sarcoplasm. This fluid accounts for 25-30% of the muscle’s size. Although the cross sectional area of the muscle increases, the density of muscle fibers per unit area decreases, and there is no increase in muscular strength.

Fact #2: Low rep, high weight routines result in myofibrillar hypertrophy, which is an enlargement of the muscle fiber as it gains more myofibrils, which contract and generate tension in the muscle. With this type of hypertrophy, the area density of myofibrils increases and there is a significantly greater ability to exert muscular strength.

It sounds like you don't know what you want. Trust me, doing the program I laid out is not going to bulk you up in the short amount of time you do it. You may gain 3-5 lbs of muscle in the few months you do it, but that is wholly dependent on how much you eat. If you want to gain functional strength for sport, the program I laid out is perfect for a beginning weight lifter in the off season.

If you simply want to shed a few pounds, clean up your diet.

 

[lhprop1]

Just to be clear, high rep routines make you big. Low rep, high weight routines make you strong. There's a reason 82kg lifters can deadlift 300kg while 150 kg bodybuilders can barely deadlift their own bodyweight.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

It's a good point - people don't just bulk up by accident
I've out on about 3lbs since Easter and that's from working my arse off in the gym and eating a bomb load

 

[lucky number 7]

I have gained 2 stone in the last two years guys...my secret ? Puberty.

On a more serious note however I am looking to get to somewhere in the region of 14 stone without getting the awful overly muscular look with no toning and without putting on any fat........preferably with as little work as possible also I must add.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

On a more serious note however I am looking to get to somewhere in the region of 14 stone without getting the awful overly muscular look with no toning and without putting on any fat........preferably with as little work as possible also I must add.

Pizza. Lots of pizza.

 

[Easdon]

I have gained 2 stone in the last two years guys...my secret ? Puberty.

On a more serious note however I am looking to get to somewhere in the region of 14 stone without getting the awful overly muscular look with no toning and without putting on any fat........preferably with as little work as possible also I must add.

I wish it was that easy!!

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Ah I missed the no fat bit - melt down some lead and coat yourself in it

 

[lucky number 7]

I like that lead idea Olyy...almost as good as the time one of the lads suggested putting thumb tacks in my shoulderpads

 

[dullonien]

This last 6 months in uni have killed my workout routine. I don't think I managed to get to the gym once in that time as I was overloaded with work. My course finished last week though, and I finally got back into the gym on Monday. It was a bit disapointing to see how far I'd fallen though, instead of benching 32.5 kg dumbells, I was down to 25's and struggling even then. I was also wrecked for a good 3 or 4 days, the day after was ok, but the day after that I was in pain and couldn't lift my arms above the horizontal, I might have overdone it a bit! Hopefully this muscle memory thing is all it's cracked up to be, because I don't want to go through all that work again to get back to where I was. I'll also add that I work out for purely cosmetic reasons, I'm not currently playiong any sports that would require much strength.