A couple more weight lifting questions

[Snezy]

I've got a couple of area's I'm a little under educated about, if you can help answer any of these, it would be very much appreciated.

So my gym routine has me hitting two muscle groups a day.

Is it better to alternate exercises for each muscle group or do them all together. For example, should I do all my chest exercises first and then do all of my tricep exercises, or should I alternate between the two exercises? Are supersets a good option, it would cut down on time at the gym which would be helpful .

Secondly, how long should my rests between sets be? Is it better to take a shorter rest and lift lighter/ less reps. Or should I wait enough time to continue doing the same weight/reps.

Thirdly, I don't have my abs in my workout routine, I kind of just work them whenever. Is it okay just to work them everyday, or should I treat them more like the rest of my muscle groups and just work them about 2 times a week?

Lastly, how often should I be doing cardio? I'm working on toning my body, especially my back and chest, and also losing the little bit of belly fat I have left. I've been trying to do cardio 3-4 times a week, is this too much? I guess my question is more along the lines of what is an ideal cutting workout routine? I'm 176lbs and 6' 1" so I shouldn't lose too much weight but I wanna see my lower abs and need to burn the fat to do that!

 

[RadioActive]

I have always read and been told that Abs = Clean diet...not just clean but REALLY clean diet. Losing weight is obviously about juggling both carido and strength training but to get or see abs....gotta have a good clean diet.

Although some people are naturally gifted (damn them! lol)

 

[GoofyNewfie]

I've got a couple of area's I'm a little under educated about, if you can help answer any of these, it would be very much appreciated.

So my gym routine has me hitting two muscle groups a day.

Is it better to alternate exercises for each muscle group or do them all together. For example, should I do all my chest exercises first and then do all of my tricep exercises, or should I alternate between the two exercises? Are supersets a good option, it would cut down on time at the gym which would be helpful .

Secondly, how long should my rests between sets be? Is it better to take a shorter rest and lift lighter/ less reps. Or should I wait enough time to continue doing the same weight/reps.

Thirdly, I don't have my abs in my workout routine, I kind of just work them whenever. Is it okay just to work them everyday, or should I treat them more like the rest of my muscle groups and just work them about 2 times a week?

Lastly, how often should I be doing cardio? I'm working on toning my body, especially my back and chest, and also losing the little bit of belly fat I have left. I've been trying to do cardio 3-4 times a week, is this too much? I guess my question is more along the lines of what is an ideal cutting workout routine? I'm 176lbs and 6' 1" so I shouldn't lose too much weight but I wanna see my lower abs and need to burn the fat to do that!

1/ Some muscle groups interfere with each other in some cases. When you perform a bench press you are performing a compound movement which involves some lat, front delt, chest, and tricep. So if you enter the gym and do several tricep exercises and then go to do chest things that involve triceps can be affected. Isolation movements wouldn't interfere ( i.e. do a tricep workout and then do flys, cross-overs, etc for chest). Personally I prefer to do chest first and then finish off my triceps afterwards. Another example is wearing out your biceps with exercise(s) and then doing pulling motions for the back (rows, pulls ups, etc); your tired biceps can affect your back workout.

Super sets, drop sets, pyramid sets, and all the other intensifying styles are cool and have their place but they can be tough on muscle groups and on your nervous system. Do them when appropriate and don't over-do it, you know?



2/ The amount of rest between sets, the amount of weight (light vs heavy), and the number of sets/reps/exercises should suite your goals. If you want to get in to the specifics of what your goals are maybe I can chat back and help you lay out something that works. Generally speaking I don't like to take too much of a break between sets, it is better to keep the heart rate up a little and only take 0.5 - 2 min between sets. Taking time between will have you hanging around the gym for hours. You should be able to have an effective weight workout in a more reasonable time frame. Obviously there are limitations to what is "reasonable" there because everyone is unique and what works for some won't work for others.



3/ It is safe to train your mid-section 2-3 times a week. A strong core will add great functionality to your body strength and help with things like posture. As you know, it is the fat tissues covering the mid-section that determines how VISIBLE/toned the muscles are.

4/ 3-4 times a week isn't too much. I say do 10-15min for a warm-up before your weight resistance training and then complete any more cardio afterwards. Weight training can be tough on the body but cardio is relatively good-to-go (again depending on the person). I usually only take 1 day a week OFF from cardio. Even on days when I don't hit the weights a walk/jog/hike/whatever is cool or even just heading back in to the gym for the good ol' dreadmill

 

[Snezy]

Hey thanks a lot!

@RadioActive Yeah my diet's been pretty decent, couple of bad days here and there but for the most part good. Maybe I should go into overdrive and really monitor my diet even more. We'll see.

@GoofyNewfie I guess I'll continue to keep my chest workouts together, with a pretty minimal rest. I think I'll try for 30-45 seconds. I was definitely working my core too much if you should only work it 2-3 times a week, I used to do it nearly everyday. Tapered off a bit since then. I'll continue to do my cardio then! I actually love the feeling I get after doing cardio, satisfaction mixed with endorphins, good mix .