Posts by Thomas Stewart5

neonsailor12, thanks for the advice, but when it comes to taking a hit, I’ve got this covered—I spent years training in kickboxing and karate, so I know how to brace myself. My only real issue right now is that my bank account is looking a little thin; if I had been more proactive, I would have picked up a heavy bag ages ago.😉

Sdaa, I’m planning on picking up some 25 or 35-pound dumbbells first, and once I’ve got those settled, the punching bag is definitely next on my list.🙂

By the way, what would you say is the single best shoulder exercise using those dumbbells? Also, I'm trying to figure out my split—is it better to pair shoulders with triceps and forearms, or should I just tack the forearm work onto a bicep day instead?

I’ve been working with some light 11-pound dumbbells lately, trying to focus on muscle definition. Up until now, my routine was basically one massive circuit: 6 sets of 60 reps for biceps, followed by 4 sets of 30 for triceps, and then finishing off with a gauntlet of forearm work—2 sets of 30, plus a 35-rep set, and a final 40-rep set. It was getting a bit much, so I decided to split the workload into two sessions per day:

In the morning, I tackle the biceps: 2x60, 2x70, 2x80, and a final single set of 100.

Then later, I hit the rest:

The triceps get 2x30 and 2 sets ranging from 35 to 40, while the forearms get 2x35 followed by a 40-rep set and a 45-rep set.

Now, I’m wondering if this approach actually makes sense. My main concern is avoiding overtraining or just completely frying my muscles. Was my old way—just smashing everything in one go—actually more effective? I’m really looking for some solid advice on how to maximize definition using just these 11-pound weights.

Thanks!