Tweak My Workout Routine and...

[JMWarren]

Hi Guys,

I don't have a lot of time, so at this point I'm doing the following. Feel free to suggest exercises that you feel might be more beneficial.

Standing Dumbbell Curls
Flat Dumbbell Press
Flat Dumbbell Flyes
Dumbbell Side Raises

Push-ups

I'm also doing an ab routine that I'm happy with.

What I need to add is a couple of effective exercises for my legs. Anything you suggest needs to be done with minimal equipment, I do have an assortment of dumbbells though.

 

[deamer44]

What are your goals? the best compound exercises for gaining strength are :
- bench press
- deadlifts
-squats (also for legs)

these are usually for barbell but can be used with dumbbells

Hope i helped

 

[JMWarren]

Originally posted by: deamer44
What are your goals?

I'm just looking to put on a little more muscle. Any suggestions on number of reps? Like right now I'm doing 10 reps with enough weight that I couldn't do 11.

 

[KoolDrew]

I'm also doing an ab routine that I'm happy with.

If it's anything like the routine you posted for your upper body, it's far from optimal. Build your routine around the squat, bench, deadlift, OH press, row, chins. One movement for abs, biceps, and triceps can be added, but the emphasis should be on getting stronger on the compound lifts.

 

[Net]

this is a good start. you just fill in the blanks http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/lebrun16.htm

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: net

this is a good start. you just fill in the blanks http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/lebrun16.htm

That's not a very good functional start. Bodybuilding routines create severe weaknesses in function.

OP: Listen to KoolDrew. Do lifts for something like 5 reps. Increase weight each time by like 5 pounds. Check out Stronglifts 5x5 of Starting Strength. This will give you the basic info.

 

[Net]

depends on if his goal is bodybuilding or power lifting.

this is a fun article to read:
article

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: net
depends on if his goal is bodybuilding or power lifting.

this is a fun article to read:
article

No, it doesn't. I said "it's not very functional." Even if he is bodybuilding, muscles that have been trained mainly on isolated exercises will not transfer as well into other things such as sports or other activities.

 

[KoolDrew]

Originally posted by: net
depends on if his goal is bodybuilding or power lifting.

this is a fun article to read:
article

For a beginner, strength work is hypertrophy work.

 

[presidentender]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: net
depends on if his goal is bodybuilding or power lifting.

this is a fun article to read:
article

No, it doesn't. I said "it's not very functional." Even if he is bodybuilding, muscles that have been trained mainly on isolated exercises will not transfer as well into other things such as sports or other activities.

In some cases, the form itself is the function. I agree that there's a place for powerlifting, but that doesn't mean there's no place for bodybuilding.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: presidentender

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: net
depends on if his goal is bodybuilding or power lifting.

this is a fun article to read:
article

No, it doesn't. I said "it's not very functional." Even if he is bodybuilding, muscles that have been trained mainly on isolated exercises will not transfer as well into other things such as sports or other activities.

In some cases, the form itself is the function. I agree that there's a place for powerlifting, but that doesn't mean there's no place for bodybuilding.

I agree, but a balance between performance and looks can be reached without sacrificing functional strength. If you see most people who are serious about their health, diet, and lifting, they look great. This will usually happen regardless of their workout regime (whether isolation or powerlifting oriented). I say it's better to look good and be able to perform well than just look good.

I speak from experience where I did a bodybuilding program (Max-OT) for 12 weeks. I gained 20 pounds, looked great. I then injured my shoulder since it could not convert to the functions of what I wanted to do. On top of that, the program put a larger strain on my joints than a standard program (3x5, 5x5) and resulted in some new aches and pains. If I could do it over again, I would do a 3x5 like SS. It's good for beginners, gets results, increases performance, and everybody wins. I just wanna keep people healthy and performing at their tip top shape.

 

[presidentender]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: presidentender
In some cases, the form itself is the function. I agree that there's a place for powerlifting, but that doesn't mean there's no place for bodybuilding.

I agree, but a balance between performance and looks can be reached without sacrificing functional strength. If you see most people who are serious about their health, diet, and lifting, they look great. This will usually happen regardless of their workout regime (whether isolation or powerlifting oriented). I say it's better to look good and be able to perform well than just look good.

I speak from experience where I did a bodybuilding program (Max-OT) for 12 weeks. I gained 20 pounds, looked great. I then injured my shoulder since it could not convert to the functions of what I wanted to do. On top of that, the program put a larger strain on my joints than a standard program (3x5, 5x5) and resulted in some new aches and pains. If I could do it over again, I would do a 3x5 like SS. It's good for beginners, gets results, increases performance, and everybody wins. I just wanna keep people healthy and performing at their tip top shape.

While it's true that you can hurt yourself by doing a bodybuilding routine wrong, the same can be said of a powerlifting routine. I started with a BB routine my first time in the gym and have had no injuries from the weight room, after switching between bodybuilding and powerlifting several times. As long as a newbie stays humble and lifts what he's capable of, instead of what he wants others to think he is, the chances of injury from a bodybuilding routine are minimal.

OP's goals are his to determine, but based on the program he's outlined above ("doing an ab routine that I'm happy with," the focus on chest and shoulders) it's probable that his goals are to look better. He'll get there with a powerlifting routine, if he diets properly; he'll get there faster and look "much more" better with a bodybuilding routine.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: presidentender
While it's true that you can hurt yourself by doing a bodybuilding routine wrong, the same can be said of a powerlifting routine. I started with a BB routine my first time in the gym and have had no injuries from the weight room, after switching between bodybuilding and powerlifting several times. As long as a newbie stays humble and lifts what he's capable of, instead of what he wants others to think he is, the chances of injury from a bodybuilding routine are minimal.

The problem with bodybuilding routines is that the focus is on appearance rather than strength & performance. Although it's definitely possible to do a BB routine safely, few people do, because the having "a certain look" as your #1 priority almost inevitably leads to the following issues:

1. BB routines typically build a very unbalanced body. That is, certain muscles are more important to "looks" than others: for example, most people doing BB routines are MUCH more concerned with chest, abs, biceps and quads than they are with their back, hamstrings, glutes. The OP's routine is a classic example of this. Building muscles in such an unbalanced way not only looks silly (I always laugh at guys with massive upper bodies and chicken legs) but also sets up the body for injury. For example, having the front of the shoulder being much stronger than the back (which always happens when you focus too much on chest exercises and not enough on OH press and pull-ups) leads to rotator cuff injuries. Having quads that are much stronger than hamstrings (which happens from doing too much leg press and leg extensions and not enough squatting and deadlifting) leads to knee injuries. Having super strong abs but a weak back (from too many crunches and not enough deadlift) often leads to lower back injuries. It is possible to do a well balanced BB routine, but since looks are the #1 priority, few people will. Ironically, a well balanced BB routine will look an awful lot like a standard strength training routine...

2. When looks are the #1 priority, doing an exercise "properly" is not as important. For example, many bodybuilders don't use full range of motion (ROM) for various lifts, such as doing half squats, half bench, etc. Sometimes, this is due to a lack of understanding of how to do the lift properly and could certainly be remedied. However, partial ROM is often used intentionally because it can be more effective at achieving the goal of a certain appearance. Half squats, for example, supposedly hit the quads a lot better. Similar to point #1, this inevitably leads to injuries.

3. As SociallyChallenged indicated, bodybuilding routines rarely build functional strength. That is, the strength you gain from BB typically does not transfer to the real world as well as the strength you gain from proper strength training. This is the result of including too many machines and isolation exercises in the workout, both of which are staples of BB routines. This means that the 800lbs leg press you do doesn't help you lift a couch, tackle a football player or carry your wife up the stairs nearly as much as squatting half that weight would. Worse yet, if you try to do those things after a BB routine, you're once again likely to injure yourself as some of your muscles (the quads) have the raw strength to do them but the rest of your body (hamstrings, balance, neuromuscular coordination) is totally unprepared. Obviously, you can include the major barbell lifts in your BB routine and reduce the number of isolation/machine exercises... but then once again, your BB routine looks an awful lot like a strength training routine.

Originally posted by: presidentender
OP's goals are his to determine, but based on the program he's outlined above ("doing an ab routine that I'm happy with," the focus on chest and shoulders) it's probable that his goals are to look better. He'll get there with a powerlifting routine, if he diets properly; he'll get there faster and look "much more" better with a bodybuilding routine.

First of all, just to clarify terminology, not all strength training is powerlifting. By definition, powerlifting solely consists of the deadlift, squat and bench press and the goal is to maximize how much you can lift in these 3 exercises. The goal of general strength training routines (such as Starting Strength), on the other hand, is to increase the strength of your entire body and not a particular exercise or two. In fact, lifting the maximum weight isn't necessarily even the goal, otherwise every strength training routine would recommend using a very wide squatting stance, very wide bench press grip, etc. The goal is to increase overall body performance and while that's obviously correlated to how much you lift on various exercises (including the deadlift, squat and bench) the two don't always go hand in hand.

Secondly, especially for a beginner, everything else being equal, I think he'll look just as good from a proper strength training routine as he would from a BB routine. If you've been lifting for years and have a significant muscle base to work off, then yes, a specific BB routine may provide better results in the looks department. But for someone just starting out, either routine will produce the kind of hypertrophy gains a bodybuilder wants. The difference is that the strength training routine will do it in a healthy and functional way whereas the BB routine, almost inevitably, won't.



EDIT ---> forgot to mention to the OP: per the above, I always recommend folks pick up Starting Strength and do the routine outlined in it. Alternatively, the stronglifts 5x5 routine is very similar and the website is a great (free) resource.

 

[presidentender]

Originally posted by: brikis98

Originally posted by: presidentender
snip, see above for context

The problem with bodybuilding routines is that the focus is on appearance rather than strength & performance. Although it's definitely possible to do a BB routine safely, few people do, because the having "a certain look" as your #1 priority almost inevitably leads to the following issues:

1. BB routines typically build a very unbalanced body. That is, certain muscles are more important to "looks" than others: for example, most people doing BB routines are MUCH more concerned with chest, abs, biceps and quads than they are with their back, hamstrings, glutes. The OP's routine is a classic example of this. Building muscles in such an unbalanced way not only looks silly (I always laugh at guys with massive upper bodies and chicken legs) but also sets up the body for injury. For example, having the front of the shoulder being much stronger than the back (which always happens when you focus too much on chest exercises and not enough on OH press and pull-ups) leads to rotator cuff injuries. Having quads that are much stronger than hamstrings (which happens from doing too much leg press and leg extensions and not enough squatting and deadlifting) leads to knee injuries. Having super strong abs but a weak back (from too many crunches and not enough deadlift) often leads to lower back injuries. It is possible to do a well balanced BB routine, but since looks are the #1 priority, few people will. Ironically, a well balanced BB routine will look an awful lot like a standard strength training routine...

2. When looks are the #1 priority, doing an exercise "properly" is not as important. For example, many bodybuilders don't use full range of motion (ROM) for various lifts, such as doing half squats, half bench, etc. Sometimes, this is due to a lack of understanding of how to do the lift properly and could certainly be remedied. However, partial ROM is often used intentionally because it can be more effective at achieving the goal of a certain appearance. Half squats, for example, supposedly hit the quads a lot better. Similar to point #1, this inevitably leads to injuries.

3. As SociallyChallenged indicated, bodybuilding routines rarely build functional strength. That is, the strength you gain from BB typically does not transfer to the real world as well as the strength you gain from proper strength training. This is the result of including too many machines and isolation exercises in the workout, both of which are staples of BB routines. This means that the 800lbs leg press you do doesn't help you lift a couch, tackle a football player or carry your wife up the stairs nearly as much as squatting half that weight would. Worse yet, if you try to do those things after a BB routine, you're once again likely to injure yourself as some of your muscles (the quads) have the raw strength to do them but the rest of your body (hamstrings, balance, neuromuscular coordination) is totally unprepared. Obviously, you can include the major barbell lifts in your BB routine and reduce the number of isolation/machine exercises... but then once again, your BB routine looks an awful lot like a strength training routine.

Originally posted by: presidentender
snip, see above for context

First of all, just to clarify terminology, not all strength training is powerlifting. By definition, powerlifting solely consists of the deadlift, squat and bench press and the goal is to maximize how much you can lift in these 3 exercises. The goal of general strength training routines (such as Starting Strength), on the other hand, is to increase the strength of your entire body and not a particular exercise or two. In fact, lifting the maximum weight isn't necessarily even the goal, otherwise every strength training routine would recommend using a very wide squatting stance, very wide bench press grip, etc. The goal is to increase overall body performance and while that's obviously correlated to how much you lift on various exercises (including the deadlift, squat and bench) the two don't always go hand in hand.

Secondly, especially for a beginner, everything else being equal, I think he'll look just as good from a proper strength training routine as he would from a BB routine. If you've been lifting for years and have a significant muscle base to work off, then yes, a specific BB routine may provide better results in the looks department. But for someone just starting out, either routine will produce the kind of hypertrophy gains a bodybuilder wants. The difference is that the strength training routine will do it in a healthy and functional way whereas the BB routine, almost inevitably, won't.

I agree with you on most points. I did abuse the term "powerlifting," (I thought about standing by my definition, since increasing your totals on these exercises is best served by increasing strength in general, but thought better of it) but then, I'm going to accuse you of abusing the term "bodybuilding." It may be different in practice by those who call themselves bodybuilders, but this book advocates full range of motion, use of compound lifts, avoiding injury (especially to the shoulders) and makes much mention of the fact that you can get a great workout from just squats, deadlifts, and bench press.

I agree, too, that doing 800 lbs on leg press is no good without the core strength to back it up. I've also never met anyone I'd willingly call a bodybuilder who doesn't squat and deadlift.

Muscle and Fitness (which I pick up about once a year to see who's who at the top level) frequently mentions things like getting full depth on squats to develop "that nice round butt women love." It's a bodybuilding magazine. They had an interview with Scott Meldelson, who holds the world record in bench press, advocating a very different form than what most bodybuilders use.

In competitive bodybuilding, you won't get very far with unbalanced deltoids and chicken legs. The type of body you're talking about makes me laugh, too. I don't see anything wrong with a bodybuilding routine that looks much like a strength training routine, but if it includes isolation exercises, the folks on this board insist on calling it bodybuilding.

My point is that both camps have their uses, but strength trainers and powerlifters who post pictures of themselves on message boards and want feedback on how they look or ever engage in "cutting" ought to bodybuild from time to time for appearances, and bodybuilders who want to brag about their lifts ought to do some powerlifting training from time to time. I'm not a fan of the holy war that seems to exist.

The OP is obviously a new lifter who's more interested in his appearance, especially the size of his chest and shoulders, than his strength. I've had better luck getting my friends excited about lifting after giving them routines designed to do what they tell me they want, and allowing them to see results, than by trying to make them do what's best for them long-term. Of course, he's going to do whatever he wants, and Stronglifts or Starting Strength would help him build a base from which to work. Just don't see the need to hate on bodybuilding.

Marius Pudzianowski, World's Strongest Man (and most ripped of the strongman competitors).

Johnnie O Jackson, regarded as the world's strongest bodybuilder.

Those men have very similar routines and very similar appearances (Pudzianowski, of course, carries a bit more fat and water weight than Jackson at competition), but one is characterized as a powerlifter and the other as a bodybuilder.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that both types of lifting are legit, and a lifter doesn't suck just because he does isolation lifts. Now, if he neglects his back or his legs or becomes disgustingly unbalanced, then he does suck indeed. But that's not a consequence of being a bodybuilder, that's a consequence of being a poor lifter.

(For the record, my routine right now is strictly powerlifting, based around improving my squat, bench, and deadlift.)

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

i think periodization is good. also some guys don't care about strength or aren't interested in functionality. they just want to look good naked.

 

[brikis98]

presidentender - I think we're mostly in agreement. Just a couple last points:

Originally posted by: presidentender
I agree with you on most points. I did abuse the term "powerlifting," (I thought about standing by my definition, since increasing your totals on these exercises is best served by increasing strength in general, but thought better of it) but then, I'm going to accuse you of abusing the term "bodybuilding." It may be different in practice by those who call themselves bodybuilders, but this book advocates full range of motion, use of compound lifts, avoiding injury (especially to the shoulders) and makes much mention of the fact that you can get a great workout from just squats, deadlifts, and bench press.

That's fair. The "bodybuilding" I speak of is the kind that I see 99% of the time at the gym: guys concerned only with their "beach muscles", doing partial ROM bicep curls in the squat rack, and getting their advice from Men's Health and Maxim. It's not the kind that most professional bodybuilders use and it's not the kind that produces good results, but in my experience, it's overwhelmingly popular. For every guy that does a full ROM squat at the gym, there are 20 that think squatting is bad for your knees. The OP's routine looks a hell of a lot like this and therefore, I would discourage him from continuing on this sort of track. Unfortunately, with bodybuiling routines, and the focus on appearance over performance, it's really hard to get on the right track. Hence, a strength training routine is, IMO, a much better idea.

Originally posted by: presidentender
I guess the point I'm trying to make is that both types of lifting are legit, and a lifter doesn't suck just because he does isolation lifts. Now, if he neglects his back or his legs or becomes disgustingly unbalanced, then he does suck indeed. But that's not a consequence of being a bodybuilder, that's a consequence of being a poor lifter.

True. However, for a beginner, I'd still argue that a strength training routine like Starting Strength is almost always going to be a better choice than even a good BB routine. Namely, the number of reps, sets, focus on compound barbell movements and the overall simplicity of the program are different from most BB routines and are, IMO, essential to build a proper and healthy strength base for the novice. After this beginner period, do as you please, but when starting out, the proper approach is a big advantage.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

I guess I don't really need to reply since it has been thoroughly discussed, but brikis pretty much pointed out everything I wanted to say. You can look good naked and be a powerlifter, just keep the diet in check. Also, I keep in mind that I wanna be great on the basketball court, soccer field, pool, track, weight-room, everything. Bodybuilding may promote (as brikis said) imbalanced areas for greater aesthetics. We all seem to be in agreement that both are valid options. I simply wanted to stress functionality and simplicity. Thanks for the discussion, guys.

 

[gramboh]

Bodybuilding as a term seems to get bastardized quite a bit.

Real bodybuilders of course do heavy compound lifts, no way around it.

People who go to the gym and do curls/bench press 4 times a week are not bodybuilders since they have on legs/back and look ridiculous.

Total novices really shouldn't waste time with BB style routines that have lots of isolation accessory work on arms and other small muscles. Without the base muscle there, there is nothing to refine, just go heavy on the compound exercises and eat a lot of protein, once you build up the muscle then get into BB style.

 

[SlitheryDee]

If you want two leg exercises to add I think I would go with dumbbell squats and lunges. Also, do you do that exact routine every time you lift? You might try throwing a little variety in there. There's a lot more to lifting than biceps and chest. I don't really do the stronglifts or SS routines but I've been integrating some of their ideas into my own and I've got to say that I'm becoming a huge fan of exercises like the overhead press and bent over row.

 

[presidentender]

Originally posted by: brikis98
True. However, for a beginner, I'd still argue that a strength training routine like Starting Strength is almost always going to be a better choice than even a good BB routine.

I think this is the only place we disagree, and I don't think either of us is likely to be convinced, partly because of difficulty reconciling our differences in terminology (maybe I'll post my ideal beginner workout for you guys to tear apart). I assert that doing reps reinforces the form that is used to do the reps. If a light weight is used, it's easier to have good form.

Furthermore, hitting all the little muscles with light isolation exercises early on reduces the risk of injury by taking possible imbalances into account: by strengthening the separate heads of the deltoids individually, we avoid the danger of a rotator cuff injury when the new lifter starts adding more weight. By strengthening each part of the core individually early on, we account for the fact that most people have only done sit-ups their whole lives, and completely neglected their obliques and erector spinae, making it safer to add weight quickly (after an introductory period, of course) on squats and deadlifts.

This does mean that it's difficult to add weight to the big compound lifts right away. To me, that's okay, because it means avoiding injury and getting complements from others. The pump after a routine with lots of little isolation exercises is stronger and more noticeable than the pump from a high-weight-low-reps exercise, which provides a not-so-subtle psychological boost when viewed in the mirror just before or after a post-workout shower.

OP: sorry for threadjack

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: presidentender

Originally posted by: brikis98
True. However, for a beginner, I'd still argue that a strength training routine like Starting Strength is almost always going to be a better choice than even a good BB routine.

I think this is the only place we disagree, and I don't think either of us is likely to be convinced, partly because of difficulty reconciling our differences in terminology (maybe I'll post my ideal beginner workout for you guys to tear apart). I assert that doing reps reinforces the form that is used to do the reps. If a light weight is used, it's easier to have good form.

Furthermore, hitting all the little muscles with light isolation exercises early on reduces the risk of injury by taking possible imbalances into account: by strengthening the separate heads of the deltoids individually, we avoid the danger of a rotator cuff injury when the new lifter starts adding more weight. By strengthening each part of the core individually early on, we account for the fact that most people have only done sit-ups their whole lives, and completely neglected their obliques and erector spinae, making it safer to add weight quickly (after an introductory period, of course) on squats and deadlifts.

This does mean that it's difficult to add weight to the big compound lifts right away. To me, that's okay, because it means avoiding injury and getting complements from others. The pump after a routine with lots of little isolation exercises is stronger and more noticeable than the pump from a high-weight-low-reps exercise, which provides a not-so-subtle psychological boost when viewed in the mirror just before or after a post-workout shower.

OP: sorry for threadjack

Bold part is not quite right. Unless you isolate nearly every muscle group, that won't be the case. Deltoid doesn't have much effect on rotator cuff movement. Strengthening of the back through rows and pullups would be a much more effective way to prevent rotator cuff movement since it is a compound movement involving the back muscles that will take much of the weight and stabilize the rotator cuff at the same time (rhomboid, traps, lats, teres major).

This is the reason why all rotator cuff injuries work the back with simple rowing techniques that utilize the back. Near to no beginning PT program will involve lateral raises, but will instead involve rotator cuff exercises, compound rowing, scapula stabilization, stretching, etc. As you get more advanced, deltoid work may be introduced to check for impingement or to strengthen against such as a preventative measure, but it isn't that common.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: SlitheryDee
If you want two leg exercises to add I think I would go with dumbbell squats and lunges. Also, do you do that exact routine every time you lift? You might try throwing a little variety in there. There's a lot more to lifting than biceps and chest. I don't really do the stronglifts or SS routines but I've been integrating some of their ideas into my own and I've got to say that I'm becoming a huge fan of exercises like the overhead press and bent over row.

BB squats would be a better choice since you can go heavier much easier. DB lunges are a fairly good idea though, but aren't really necessary if you squat 3x a week.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: presidentender
Furthermore, hitting all the little muscles with light isolation exercises early on reduces the risk of injury by taking possible imbalances into account: by strengthening the separate heads of the deltoids individually, we avoid the danger of a rotator cuff injury when the new lifter starts adding more weight. By strengthening each part of the core individually early on, we account for the fact that most people have only done sit-ups their whole lives, and completely neglected their obliques and erector spinae, making it safer to add weight quickly (after an introductory period, of course) on squats and deadlifts.

I can't really agree with this. I have always found that for beginners, properly executed compound exercises produce much more rapid gains in all the necessary muscles than using isolation exercises to hit each one at a time. That is, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. For example, the bench press produces MUCH better gains in the pecs, triceps and deltoids than you would get from using a combination of the pec dec, tricep extensions and front raises. Hitting all the muscles at the same time in a single compound motion lets you use more weight and produces, in my experience, a far better response in terms of strength and neuromuscular coordination. As long as you keep proper form, don't increase the weight too quickly, and are doing a balanced routine, this is as safe and effective as a routine can get. Moreover, for a beginner, adding in isolation exercises on top of the compound movements is rarely helpful, typically only leading to overtraining. If you do add any assistance exercises to the main exercises, they should still be compound movements, such as pull-ups and dips, and they are only necessary for a lifter with some experience under his belt.

The one exception to this is if the lifter has a particularly severe weakness in some area that prevents him from doing the compound motion at all, even with light weight. For example, a severe lack of flexibility and very weak glutes (common to people with sedentary lifestyles) may make it impossible to squat properly. In this case, time should be taken to do lots of stretching to build flexibility and do lots of glute activation exercises which, I suppose, are largely isolation exercises by design.

Originally posted by: presidentender
The pump after a routine with lots of little isolation exercises is stronger and more noticeable than the pump from a high-weight-low-reps exercise, which provides a not-so-subtle psychological boost when viewed in the mirror just before or after a post-workout shower.

True, the psychological factor can't be denied and if all it takes to motivate someone to lift properly is a couple extra isolation exercises, then it's probably no big deal. Having said that, seeing your strength skyrocket just because you squat 3 times per week is a nice boost as well

 

[presidentender]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged
Bold part is not quite right. Unless you isolate nearly every muscle group, that won't be the case.

Which is why you isolate nearly every muscle group.

Edit: you're right about rows being good for rotator cuff. They engage the posterior deltoids, which are tough to isolate. However, I know for a fact that light laterals are assigned as beginning PT in some cases (a buddy of mine has shoulders which have been known to pop out after a vigorous sneeze. Makes me grateful for my problems). All the other stuff you listed is valid as well. Still no reason that type of work can't be part of a BB program.

 

[SlitheryDee]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

BB squats would be a better choice since you can go heavier much easier. DB lunges are a fairly good idea though, but aren't really necessary if you squat 3x a week.

Of course if he has a barbell BB squats are far superior to DB squats, but I was under the impression that he only had access to dumbbells. I'd say lunges would become more important for a full leg workout when you are limited to only what you can to with DBs.