Health Club Workout Suggestion

I’ve recently re-joined a health club. I had been working out at home but this new facility opened up in my area and now that the kids are older, it is possible to workout outside the home.

I had been looking at various training methods and workouts but allot of them aren’t club friendly. For example: I can’t do Bench press, rest 60 sec., then do lat pulldowns, rest 60 sec., and then back to bench press, rest 60 sec., and so on. By the time I go back to the lat pulldown, it’s gone and I don’t feel right about tying two pieces of gym equipment while other people are waiting to use it.

Is there a routine that is effective that someone could recommend that is gym friendly and can be done in a timely manor(hopefully less than an hour).

If someone can provide me with links to articles that have been previously written or training articles that they have found useful, I would appreciate it.

Regards,
Paul

Wow, 60 views and not one response.

One thing that helps is to pick your pairs such that you only have to tie up one piece of equipment at a time. You can put dips and chins together, since the assisted machine has both. For squats, deads, and bench, just pick another exercise that uses DBs so you can keep them with you at whatever piece of equipment you’re using.

Otherwise, you can always pick a program that doesn’t use pairings. I can’t tell you what to use because I don’t know your goals, but I’m sure every author here has one such program.

[quote]Paul66 wrote:
Wow, 60 views and not one response. [/quote]

Just don’t do a routine that is circuit based or with super sets?
Just do the exercises in straight set fashion if its a problem

[quote]Paul66 wrote:
I’ve recently re-joined a health club. I had been working out at home but this new facility opened up in my area and now that the kids are older, it is possible to workout outside the home.

I had been looking at various training methods and workouts but allot of them aren’t club friendly. For example: I can’t do Bench press, rest 60 sec., then do lat pulldowns, rest 60 sec., and then back to bench press, rest 60 sec., and so on. By the time I go back to the lat pulldown, it’s gone and I don’t feel right about tying two pieces of gym equipment while other people are waiting to use it.

Is there a routine that is effective that someone could recommend that is gym friendly and can be done in a timely manor(hopefully less than an hour).

If someone can provide me with links to articles that have been previously written or training articles that they have found useful, I would appreciate it.

Regards,
Paul[/quote]

Although these pairings are often considered helpful for muscle growth, I don’t really think gaining muscle hinges on working antagonists quite so strictly. Do straight sets when it’s busy and antagonist sets when you can get away with it.

[quote]Paul66 wrote:
Wow, 60 views and not one response. [/quote]

And 60 people are shaking their head wondering why someone would even need to ask such a question.

At many clubs if you can go early in the morning when the club first opens you will generally have much of the weight area to yourself as many people at this time are doing cardio.

Thank you to everyone who responded with something positive. For California law, well give your head a shake, and let me know what the echo is telling you!

I do agree with California Law to a certain degree. It seems like some people just do not think. I mean were any of the responses so great you wouldnt have thought of them yourself? But here is another tip. When doing antagonist training, only use one high traffic machine or exercise at a time. For example, use a power rack and do bench press and bent over rows. Or do a bench press and 1 arm row. This sort of thing…

[sarcasm]You could also try doing biceps curls and upright rows in the squat rack, alternating each one with long breaks in between.[/sarcasm]

No, seriously, the other advice is better. You really can’t circuit train efficiently when the gym is crowded. If you are going to try to do it, then make the antagonist a DB movement.

You could pair DB chest and DB Rows, Pullups and DB shoulders, Dips with DB curls, etc or try legs in between upper body movements, still using DB’s. Stepups, lunges, DB SLDL’s, etc supersetted with Bench Press, Pulldown/Pullups, Rows, etc. Either way would be fine if you want to circuit train.