[Closed] Gym for upper body only?

Nah, just mix it up. I do lots of front squats, deadlifts, kettlebell swings. I lift heavier around Nov-Feb when i cycle less, then switch to maintence mode for spring and summer. I have some nice routines if interested

Stronglifts is great , but it hammers you and doesnt leave room for anything else IMHO

aye, just do what you feel like, that way its more enjoyable. unless youre into serious bodybuilding you wont accidentally turn into johnny bravo by missing out leg exercises.

My legs and core feel really satisfyingly strong but my arms are crap and it bothers me. When working in the garden or something I can compensate for weak arms with strong legs and core, but not in the gym.

All routines welcome, thanks. I need simple and possibly spreadsheet orientated. The main reason for using Stronglifts was the app that just told.me what to do without having to think about it. I've got enough things to think about, lifting would very much be a side thing.

mebbes do a push/pull/legs routine then but dump the legs? just push/pull?

Stronglift is good for starting out for the first 6-12 months, but once you have reached a level of strength you are happy with, training legs to try and get stronger every session is just too much, especially of you are training to compliment/support another sport.

I an currently lifting weights 3 times a week, but I only do heavyish squats or deadlifts once a week, usually Tuesday to give maximum recovery time for my long ride at weekend. I still do a full body workout every session including squats or deadlifts but the other 2 sessions per week I back off at least 20% and concentrate of form and speed. I have also started to to include either power cleans or dumbbell cleans into every session, I think these are very good for any sport, and again I am not going at all heavy as I learn proper form and will never be really interested in going to max.

StrongLifts has way too much squatting in, IMO.

I found I got a much better balance with running and cycling when I switched to a 531 programme. I deadlift Monday, bench Tuesday, squat Thursday, and overhead press Friday. Each session has the main lift for strength, then the main lift for volume, then some accessories (currently pulls ups and chin-ups as I want to get better at them.

With this pattern of lifting, I’ve found I can run Tuesday night at club and Saturday, and ride on Sunday. Wednesdays are a complete rest day.

All routines welcome, thanks

I plan two weeks in advance, I been following the basic schedule below, when I go for "heavy" lifts it is usually with a safety squat bar for squatting, an open trap bar for deadlifts, barbell for bench press and either bent over rows or cable rows for back. For lighter work I mix it up, try and use dumbbells and kettlebells more.

I just spend 10 mins each week and plan exactly what I want to each session and always know what I will do for every session. And I like to keep the intensity high and only have 1 minute rests between sets.

1.
squat 5x6 Heavy
Shoulders 5x6 Heavy
Chest 5x12
Back 5x12
Dumbbell clean 5x12
Kettlebell swing 5x20

2.
deadlift 5x12
Chest 5x6 Heavy
Back 5x12
Barbell clean 5x12
Kettlebell swing 5x20

3.
squat 5x12
Back 5x6 Heavy
Chest 5x12
Dumbbell clean 5x12
Bulgarian bag 5x20

4.
deadlift 5x6 Heavy
Shoulders 5x12
Chest 5x12
Back 5x12
Barbell clean 5x12
Kettlebell swing 5x20

5.
squat 5x12
Chest 5x6 Heavy
Back 5x12
Dumbbell clean 5x12
Kettlebell swing 5x20

6.
deadlift 5x12
Back 5x6 Heavy
Chest 5x12
Barbell clean 5x12
Bulgarian bag 5x20

So my first workout from that, including warm up sets, would be something like-

Safety bar squat
6 reps x 20kg x 2 sets
6 reps x 40kg
6 reps x 60kg
6 reps x 80kg
6 reps x 100kg x 5 sets
Trap bar shoulder press
6 reps x 25kg x 2 sets
6 reps x 35kg
6 reps x 45kg x 5 sets
Dumbbell Bench press
6 reps x 10kg x 2 sets
6 reps x 15kg
12 reps x 20kg x 5 sets
Dumbbell Clean
6 reps x 10kg x 2 sets
6 reps x 20kg
6 reps x 25kg x 5 sets
Seated cable row
6 reps x 20kg x 2 sets
6 reps x 40kg
12 reps x 60kg x 5 sets
Kettlebell Swings
10 reps x 16kg x 2 sets
10 reps x 24kg
20 reps x 32kg x 5 sets

All routines welcome, thanks

mine at the moment is pretty simple, almost the push/pull that i suggested earlier, however i do squats at the start of each session to warm up, you could drop those if you want.

i warm up with as many slow press-ups as i can manage
25 rotator cuff exercises holding a light plate
20 squats. i do 20 so that its a bit lighter and better form.

PUSH
(all X 3 or 4 sets to failure til i reach at least 30 reps, weight goes up when i can hit 13 reps on 1st set)

bench press
weighted tricep dips
incline db press
skullcrushers
lat raises

PULL
pull-ups
chins
supported incline db row
reverse flyes
seated db curls
standing hammer curls

finish all workouts with weighted calf raises.

no set days, sometimes i can do 2 or 3 days on the trot, sometimes i can be a few days off, maybe even a week, its just whatever suits what im doing. i just alternate the push/pull each time.

i just log 1st sets on my phones notepad app, so i know what weight i used and how many reps so i can monitor progress.

shimples.....

If your main sport is cycling then you really need to complement it with either an impact sport (such as running) or a compound lift (squat or deadlift) to maintain bone density. You don't need to do 5x5, just one set of 5 lifts at a weight around your 8-10 rep max is enough to maintain density in your bones.

As for following stronglifts, it's a protocol for people with power lifting as their main sport, so trying to be a power lifter and a cylist at the same time is never going to work well. Just drop the weights volume significantly and do fewer sets at moderate weights to complement cycling and accept that your 1RM will drop if you do a lot of cycling. I can do a 2xBW Deadlift or cycle 300km a week, no way can my body do both! Since getting back into cycling my deadlift 1RM has dropped to 1.5 BW, which is fine by me.

For me...
Pull ups and dips once a week
Pull ups and pushups on knuckles once a week.
Flutter kicks and crunches at various points.

Would like to be at the gym for free weights, but not at the moment and I have wrist issues that I've not been able to get injections for for a year for some strange reason....

Other than that it's cycling, hiking and a small amount of sea swimming.

If your main sport is cycling then you really need to complement it with either an impact sport (such as running) or a compound lift (squat or deadlift) to maintain bone density.

Running will be making a comeback, especially as (if) I get back to travelling for work. It just didn't appeal at 93kg.

When I'm in no rush to get home after a ride I like to do some leg work straight after I get off my bike. Pre exaused and warm.
Jump squats, jump lunges, a few 50 sprints. All in super hero mode so the jump up is maximum effort!!! I guess the impact side of things kinda follows what footflaps is about.

Then push pull twist throw etc whenever.

Stronglifts (and Starting Strength, which I prefer) are full-body programs (programmes?) where the foundation exercise is the squat, so yes you can go to the gym and focus on upper-body/core only but it won't be Stronglifts!! Just be aware that even lifts like the bench press are full-body if you're doing it right, personally I'm not a fan of & can't be bothered with isolation exercises.

FWIW I had exactly the same problem, so now only lift once or twice a week at lower weights as "maintenance".

You could always add in bodyweight stuff to focus on the upper-body like yoga or even the humble press-up and if you're not already doing them (which you should be!), lots of chin-ups!!

Well.. gyms aren't open anyway. So I could rig up a pullup bar in the garage and possibly something on which to do dips. Plus I own kettlebells.

I started back on press-ups - they fixed the niggling shoulder injury I'd had since I pulled a muscle getting my daughter out of a car seat from the wrong side of the car a decade ago!

I got a cheap doorframe pull-up bar from Argos which is much stronger than it looks and has served me well for years! Make sure you have a good read up on dips if you haven't already, if you do them wrong it puts way too much stress on your shoulder joints which is potentially very bad news!!

I bought some gymnastic rings!

Running will be making a comeback, especially as (if) I get back to travelling for work. It just didn’t appeal at 93kg.

Ha! You should try it at 115kg! I really must cut back to 100kg.

@molgrips I got some gymnast rings for the shed too, pull ups are fine on them, but dips are a whole other learning level. I just use a table and workmate in the shed for dips and used to use the shed rafter with gloves on before getting the rings for pullups. China (palms facing) always knackered my wrists before they were properly knackered. Atleast with rings they can be at a comfortable rotation.

In my yoof before people really could buy climbing holds I just had chocks of wood screwed on my dad's garage rafters for pullups.Hard to believe back then I could do 30 just on my finger tips, but I was about 5 stone lighter both fat and general frame wise 😂

The reason why squatting impacts cycling performance so well in the long term and so badly in the short is that it’s the same movement pattern as pedalling give or take. I would never drop squatting as the benefits far out weigh the perceived costs not just for cycling.

I put my heavy squatting (currently I work up to a 5 rep max which is generally about 140kg) session in the middle of the week away from bigger rides. If nice weather midweek rides are impacted by the previous night’s squatting it really doesn’t matter, at least to me.

I pull and press on other nights, Monday and Friday generally.

Could I go back and only do upper body and core?

Yes. Cyclists all have monster legs anyway, according to the various trouser threads on here. Just doing various sorts of body weight press-ups and pull-ups with some abs and lower back, plus lunges and jump squats is fine for a home workout. For arms just do close grip palms facing pull-ups, hands together elbows to sides press-ups. If it gets too easy just do one armers...

The reason why squatting impacts cycling performance so well in the long term and so badly in the short is that it’s the same movement pattern as pedalling give or take. I would never drop squatting as the benefits far out weigh the perceived costs not just for cycling.

Yes, I agree and it's one of those balance things. At the moment I can fit in lots of real riding, and I'm trying to lose weight so I need to be active regularly.

Now I've mentioned the W word people are going to say how good weights are for fat loss, but I seem to have a problem here. When I do too much weights or high intensity cycling (e.g. Zwift crits) I get incredibly hungry to the point it's unmanageable. It really boosts my power and helps with speed on the bike but I don't lose weight. So when I get down to a decent weight maybe I'll change the mix to get the power benefits but as of now I'm trying to avoid switching into ravenous mode.

I have to say johnx2's vision feels like something achievable for me right now. I mean I'd love my own weight rack but I don't actually enjoy going to the gym all that much.

Anyway, I'm off for a bike ride 🙂

Cyclists all have monster legs anyway,

With Stronglifts I got to 1xBW back squat fairly easily without any failures, and just under 1.5 deadlifts (my favourite one to do) but I only got about 0.75 bench press with a lot.of struggling and 0.5 overhead press. The overhead one was always a mess, it felt awful, like I just couldn't get what little strength there was out of my arms. In complete contrast to the legs and core where it felt really good and I had loads of power. So I must be very bottom heavy!

What are people’s recovery times from training heavy (ish)?

I ask because I see programs like MSP posted above with the same muscle group trained every other day, there’s no way I can recover in time (maybe biceps/triceps). If I go heavy on legs or chest for instance, there’s no way I can train it again in less than 4 days. I can hardly walk after 3 days following legs!

I’m 51 and trained since 20 and it’s always been the same.

My programs have always been along the lines of:

Day 1 - Chest/Tris
Day 2 - Back/Biceps
Day 3 - Legs/Shoulders
Day 4 - Rest

Repeat

I used to go low reps and heavy to failure just twice a week with a super abbreviated full body routine. That was plenty for me and was pretty draining on my CNS. I wasn't cycling then,just the weights and walking.

Ha! You should try it at 115kg! I really must cut back to 100kg.

The weird thing with ultra runners is once you get into the really silly distances (like 100 miles), the women are tiny but the men are quite often massive. Guy I ride with a lot is into ultra marathons (done over 100), he's 100kg - no idea how his joints manage....

Thought I'd jump in. Have been doing Stronglifts 5x5 and later my own adaptation of it for a good 6 years now. I'm a skinny guy and these compound exercises seem to suit me. About 2 years ago I'd hit a plateau yet still could not squat and bench my body weight. So i hit the Osterine which I'd never heard of before I'd watched a BBC documentary about a fatberg in the sewers and how the sewers were full of these chemicals. It had the desired effect upon which I stopped the and kept the gains. I've not been to the gym much over the past year due to lock down. In the last window the gyms were open I found I'd lost a lot of muscle mass. So, If I don't manage to get back to lifting my body weight by say the autumn I may cycle the Osterine again. I'm guessing this is a bit of a taboo subject... who else has used SARMS and what do you think?

For the record I'm male but started with a half dose daily (female dose) which gave me headaches so I dropped down to a half dose every other day.

Ostarine is on the UKAD prohibited list.

https://www.ukad.org.uk/ostarine

I’m not anti-performance enhancers, certainly in powerlifting they’re very prevalent, and some lifting federations openly don’t test. But any cyclist or runner in the UK should be aware for prohibited substances. Personally I want to keep my UKA qualifications.