I need some variation in my program and thought about doing the next few weeks dumbbells only. Is the following a good program?
1a) DB bench press
1b) DB bent-over double row
2a) DB upright row
2b) DB shoulder press
3a) DB stiff-legged deadlift
3B) DB sumo front squat (spares my bum knee)
Antagonist training, 2min rest between sets. 4x10 sets/reps since I probably can’t use the heavier weights being new to them (but still want to keep volume).
Am I missing anything major?
Follow-up questions:
When doing DB bench presses and shoulder presses I notice that failure is caused by triceps instead of the targeted muscle. Not so when using barbell. Normal?
When doing stiff-legged deads the burn is located behind the knee (upper calves/lower hamstring). Same with DB and BB. Normal?
Regarding your Bench Press question this was a cool tip on 11/28:
Today’s tip comes from Ian King:
DB Vs. BB Benching
Dumbbell bench pressing tends to have a narrower line of pressing than barbell benching. It allows you to rely more on your triceps. If you’ve been doing this, you may have lost some pec strength and size. Many with superior triceps strength fall into a trap by using the closer grip bench press too often. It builds great triceps but it’s not the best for chest development. I believe you need to spend as much time with an extra wide grip as you do with the extra narrow grips for chest development, which is where wide grip benching comes in.
[quote]Brogan wrote:
I need some variation in my program and thought about doing the next few weeks dumbbells only. Is the following a good program?
1a) DB bench press
1b) DB bent-over double row
2a) DB upright row
2b) DB shoulder press
3a) DB stiff-legged deadlift
3B) DB sumo front squat (spares my bum knee)
Antagonist training, 2min rest between sets. 4x10 sets/reps since I probably can’t use the heavier weights being new to them (but still want to keep volume).
Am I missing anything major?
Follow-up questions:
When doing DB bench presses and shoulder presses I notice that failure is caused by triceps instead of the targeted muscle. Not so when using barbell. Normal?
When doing stiff-legged deads the burn is located behind the knee (upper calves/lower hamstring). Same with DB and BB. Normal?
Thanks![/quote]
I wouldn’t consider 2a and 2b to be antagonistic exercises. Granted they are in opposite directions, but they are both hitting the delts. It’s a good superset, but does not fall in line with the rest of your thinking. If you are hitting delts for 2a then you should be hitting lats for 2b.
A pullup or some variation would be ideal here, but since you are looking for DB alternatives, you could throw in a DB pullover instead.
2a) DB shoulder press
2b) DB pullover
If you are feeling the stretch behind the knee with SLDL’s you may be keeping your knees locked straight. Remember, they are stiffleg, not straight leg, deadlifts. Put a slight bend in you knees and then maintain that position. Keep your back arched and initiate the movement by pushing your hips backwards as you lower the weight. Keep the weight close to the thighs and shins throughout the range of motion.