Fancy helping a novice?

[Hoddo]

Fancy helping a novice develop a home work-out? I own a pull up bar and 2x 15kg dumbells.

Currently I run twice per week (1x quick 3km + 1x normal pace 6km), cycle 1x per week (40k - 50k) and soon I shall start 1x outdoor swim per week (1.5k). This is in preparation for my second triathlon in August.

I would like to be stronger, develop upper body and core strength, with this in mind I want to add 3x strength sessions at home. I have little ambition to be massive or ripped, I just want to be stronger than I am now.

I know variations of pull-ups, dips, press-ups, planks etc can be bunched together to form a good routine but as I have little experience I don't know what is best, how often I should be doing it, how many of each exercise etc.

Thank you for your help.

[mu0n]

This will probably help you out:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/wotw2.htm

[Hoofy]

Exercises I would consider given the limited kit but may not be useful for your training purposes, in no particular order:
-hanging knee raises
-hanging leg raises (like above but tougher)
-wide and standard pull ups
-chin ups
-hanging headbangers
-flyes
-renegade rows
-lateral raises
-front raises
-bent over DB rows
-standing shoulder presses
-DB swings
-Bulgarian squats
-one foot calf raises
-crunches with DBs held above you
-lying floor wipers
-bench press
-one hand bench press
-one hand shoulder press

Some may be too easy for you depending on your strength - or may be too difficult in which case, remove some plates from the DB or just use one DB held in two hands.

[Hoddo]

mu0n said:

This will probably help you out:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/wotw2.htm

There are some interesting things in there, thank you.

[AnonSpoilSport]

Hoddo said:

Fancy helping a novice develop a home work-out? I own a pull up bar and 2x 15kg dumbells.

Currently I run twice per week (1x quick 3km + 1x normal pace 6km), cycle 1x per week (40k - 50k) and soon I shall start 1x outdoor swim per week (1.5k). This is in preparation for my second triathlon in August.

I would like to be stronger, develop upper body and core strength, with this in mind I want to add 3x strength sessions at home. I have little ambition to be massive or ripped, I just want to be stronger than I am now.

I know variations of pull-ups, dips, press-ups, planks etc can be bunched together to form a good routine but as I have little experience I don't know what is best, how often I should be doing it, how many of each exercise etc.

Thank you for your help.

So many things that could be recommended but given the small amount of equipment it might be worh noting how heavy/useful they are for you now.

For example if 15kg is heavy right now then flat floor press (assuming no bench, or even if you had) including single armed - good for recruiting more stabilisers and reckoned by many to be safer for the shoulders than traditional bench press), standing shoulder press, dumbbell rows, chins and push ups, including decline ones with feet raised and varying hand spacing etc. would all help.

If you're stronger than that and the rep count would be higher than usually recommended for strength work, or get there you could increase the effect by doing stuff like pre-exhausting the back before chins (if too easy?!) with rows, make rows harder by doing them lying on a bench/bed etc. and rowing up or doing the press up to row variation - much harder than it sounds and 15Kg may well be taxing, supersets etc.

A chinning bar and a body - and the odd floor! - is good though, even with no weights!

[LordGrover]

Use the dumbbells as grips/handles for press ups, vary the width/angle regularly. Both pull ups and chin ups again vary the width and grip often, adding weight when applicable. That and various squats will give you a pretty good basis for a home workout.