Your Routine: Need Help, Critique, Suggestions & Advice

[DaFr3aK]

ill try the 5x5 because that increases weight alot i was also gonna go with training routine 5 i believe or 3 i forget

[Nephilim]

I'd deffinetly go with the 5x5 routine for strength building.

[powerhouse]

5x5 mate thaT WILL DO

[Shaffer_515]

5x5 is a good plateu buster I got stuck with pyramiding as well I did 1 week of 10x10 (kinda like german volume training...that is just the name of the article I got it from)...then a few weeks of 5x5 and got over the platue and my strength and size went up alot now for that!

[DaFr3aK]

do you increase weight with each sset with the 5x5??

[gflash77]

Don't go more than 6 weeks with the 5x5. Myself and a few other animals on here found the routine easy to adjust to. Of course, you may adjust differently, but something to look out for.

[Cellerator65]

Sunday: Legs
Front Squats - 3x5x185 (after warmup)
Leg press - 3x8x5 plates a side
Leg extentions - 3x8x rack (285)
Lying Hamstring Curls - 3x8x120

Monday: Biceps/Triceps/Calves
Hammer curls - 3x8x40
Skull Crushers - 3x6-8x100
Barbell curls - 2x8x85, 1x5x95, 1x failure x65
Standing calf raise - 3x8x300
Close-grip bench - 3x6x185
Seated calf raise - 1plate x8, 2plates x8, 3plates x failure

Tuesday: Shoulders/Traps
Seated DB press - 3x6-8x75
DB shrugs - 3x8x90
Upright rows - 3x8x115
Side lateral raises - 3x8x25
Bent over side raises - 3x8x25

Wednesday: OFF

Thursday: Back
Pullups - 2x8xBW
Barbell rows - 3x8x175
Deadlifts - 275x8, 315x5, 365x3 (after warmups)
T-bar rows - 3x8x 3plates

Friday: Chest/ABS
DB bench - 3x6x95
Incline DB bench - 3x8x75
DB flies - 40x8, 50x8
Dips - 1x failure (17-18)x BW
Decline crunches - 3x25
Leg lifts - 3x15x BW+20lb db

Saturday: OFF

Areas for improvement:
Lats - I have no spread what so ever :(
Biceps - weakest body part
Hamstrings - need to catch up to quads
Core - i neglect abs :(
Grip - can't hold more then 365 for deadlift
Calves - Won't grow in size

Diet is in-check, i get 3000+ cals a day from clean foods.

Sups: Animal pak, Animal flex, Animal m-stak, creatine, zma

Goals: Increase overall strength, Increase body mass, proportion myself so i dont look awkward aka fillout biceps, increase calf size to complement legs, increase forearms complement arms

[widdlewade44]

Sunday: Legs
Front Squats - 3x5x185 (after warmup)
Leg press - 3x8x5 plates a side
Leg extentions - 3x8x rack (285)
Lying Hamstring Curls - 3x8x120

Monday: Biceps/Triceps/Calves
Hammer curls - 3x8x40
Skull Crushers - 3x6-8x100
Barbell curls - 2x8x85, 1x5x95, 1x failure x65
Standing calf raise - 3x8x300
Close-grip bench - 3x6x185
Seated calf raise - 1plate x8, 2plates x8, 3plates x failure

Tuesday: Shoulders/Traps
Seated DB press - 3x6-8x75
DB shrugs - 3x8x90
Upright rows - 3x8x115
Side lateral raises - 3x8x25
Bent over side raises - 3x8x25

Wednesday: OFF

Thursday: Back
Pullups - 2x8xBW
Barbell rows - 3x8x175
Deadlifts - 275x8, 315x5, 365x3 (after warmups)
T-bar rows - 3x8x 3plates

Friday: Chest/ABS
DB bench - 3x6x95
Incline DB bench - 3x8x75
DB flies - 40x8, 50x8
Dips - 1x failure (17-18)x BW
Decline crunches - 3x25
Leg lifts - 3x15x BW+20lb db

Saturday: OFF

Areas for improvement:
Lats - I have no spread what so ever :(
Biceps - weakest body part
Hamstrings - need to catch up to quads
Core - i neglect abs :(
Grip - can't hold more then 365 for deadlift
Calves - Won't grow in size

Diet is in-check, i get 3000+ cals a day from clean foods.

Sups: Animal pak, Animal flex, Animal m-stak, creatine, zma

Goals: Increase overall strength, Increase body mass, proportion myself so i dont look awkward aka fillout biceps, increase calf size to complement legs, increase forearms complement arms

Eat even more, drop the arm day, in order to get more rest. Hit the heavy compound movements focusing on a 6-12 rep range.

ala Tiny, "Eat until the scale moves..."

The supps are good, make sure the diet stays clean...

Kevin
widdlewade44

[Pokoritel]

If I was you I would add Stiff Leg Deadlifts as well. Do them right before lying leg curls. Concentrate more on the power movements and the arms will grow.

[krazyassmexican]

If I was you I would add Stiff Leg Deadlifts as well. Do them right before lying leg curls. Concentrate more on the power movements and the arms will grow.

i went to quads gym for a de bench and i came out with 1/2 inch in my biceps LOL

[Chin]

If I was you I would add Stiff Leg Deadlifts as well. Do them right before lying leg curls. Concentrate more on the power movements and the arms will grow.

Pok makes a good case...

In my opinion if you want a better Lat Spread.. bump your back day up in the week and add lat pull down exercises and one armed dumbbell rows...

Also I find with my arms... they respond WAY better to Volume training rather then a straight strength training. I basically pick a decent way I can rep alot and hit up like 15 - 20 reps per exercise. I typically cycle this by dropping it into my workout routines once ever 3 or 4 weeks.

Hope it Helps

Chin

[Dozer]

Sunday: Legs
Front Squats - 3x5x185 (after warmup)
Leg press - 3x8x5 plates a side
Leg extentions - 3x8x rack (285)
Lying Hamstring Curls - 3x8x120

Monday: Biceps/Triceps/Calves
Hammer curls - 3x8x40
Skull Crushers - 3x6-8x100
Barbell curls - 2x8x85, 1x5x95, 1x failure x65
Standing calf raise - 3x8x300
Close-grip bench - 3x6x185
Seated calf raise - 1plate x8, 2plates x8, 3plates x failure

Tuesday: Shoulders/Traps
Seated DB press - 3x6-8x75
DB shrugs - 3x8x90
Upright rows - 3x8x115
Side lateral raises - 3x8x25
Bent over side raises - 3x8x25

Wednesday: OFF

Thursday: Back
Pullups - 2x8xBW
Barbell rows - 3x8x175
Deadlifts - 275x8, 315x5, 365x3 (after warmups)
T-bar rows - 3x8x 3plates

Friday: Chest/ABS
DB bench - 3x6x95
Incline DB bench - 3x8x75
DB flies - 40x8, 50x8
Dips - 1x failure (17-18)x BW
Decline crunches - 3x25
Leg lifts - 3x15x BW+20lb db

Saturday: OFF

Areas for improvement:
Lats - I have no spread what so ever :(
Biceps - weakest body part
Hamstrings - need to catch up to quads
Core - i neglect abs :(
Grip - can't hold more then 365 for deadlift
Calves - Won't grow in size

Diet is in-check, i get 3000+ cals a day from clean foods.

Sups: Animal pak, Animal flex, Animal m-stak, creatine, zma

Goals: Increase overall strength, Increase body mass, proportion myself so i dont look awkward aka fillout biceps, increase calf size to complement legs, increase forearms complement arms

If your biceps are lagging, put the Barbell Curls before Hammer curls, to emphasize working the biceps with heavier weight.

To really work the upper portion of your lats and to widen your spread, I'd definitely say go with wide-grip pullups, and if you can, add some weight, either via a dumbbell between your feet or a plate strung on a weight belt. These are the number one exercise I've used for back width, and I've had great results.

For calves, I'd definitely do low rep work like you are, but throw in some high-rep stuff too--the House swears by high reps, and his calves are enormous.

[DaFr3aK]

but dont know how im training for mass nd strength nd da only days i can train is monday,tuesday,thursday,friday..i know i want chest on monday but idk if i should add more or jus leave acan anybody help??

[Pizzalamp]

but dont know how im training for mass nd strength nd da only days i can train is monday,tuesday,thursday,friday..i know i want chest on monday but idk if i should add more or jus leave acan anybody help??

those are some good days to train

there are many routines
u could try
mon chest bis calves
tues legs
wed off
thurs shoulders tris
fri back

u gotta find what works for u

[DaFr3aK]

actually i like dat one pizza lmao

[REBORN1]

you may want to check out the different splits listed in the training section on the main website, you can piece together different routines to make your own

[widdlewade44]

Have you checked out the AOM (Animal Owner's Manual)? Here's a link to order one and down load the pdf:

http://www.animalpak.com/html/the_manual.cfm


The AOM is awesome and I have had a lot of success both in using routines out of it and tweaking routines from the AOM.

Kevin
widdlewade44

[DaFr3aK]

i think im gonna use some of the exercises from routine 2 but im not sure.

[JarrettS]

How is my workout routine? I am bulking and trying to gain as much mass/strength as possible with minimal fat gain. Also, I am 5'10 and 155 pounds.

Chest & Biceps
Flat BB Press 3x8-10
Incline DB Press: 3x8-10
DB Flyes: 3x8
DB Preachers: 3x8
Overhead Cable Curls: 3x8
Alt Incline Hammers: 2x6
Decline BB: 3x8-10

Legs
Squats: 3x8
Leg Press: 3x10
Leg Curls: 3x8-10
Calf Raises: 3x12
Hammer Calf Press: 3x8

Back & Traps
Weighted Pull ups: 3x8
One Arm Rows: 3x8
Deads: 3x8
BB Shrugs: 3x8-10
DB Shrugs: 3x12

Shoulders & Triceps
Seated DB Press: 3x8-10
Seated side laterals: 3x8
Rear Lateral Raises: 3x10
Close Grip Bench: 3x10-12
Dips: 3x8

The Split
Day 1 - Back & Traps
Day 2 - Biceps & Chest
Day 3 - Rest
Day 4 - Legs
Day 5 - Shoulders & Triceps
Day 6 - Rest

Repeat...

Any suggestions?

Thanks a lot,
JarrettS

[Pizzalamp]

How is my workout routine? I am bulking and trying to gain as much mass/strength as possible with minimal fat gain. Also, I am 5'10 and 155 pounds.

Chest & Biceps
Flat BB Press 3x8-10
Incline DB Press: 3x8-10
DB Flyes: 3x8
DB Preachers: 3x8
Overhead Cable Curls: 3x8
Alt Incline Hammers: 2x6
Decline BB: 3x8-10

Legs
Squats: 3x8
Leg Press: 3x10
Leg Curls: 3x8-10
Calf Raises: 3x12
Hammer Calf Press: 3x8

Back & Traps
Weighted Pull ups: 3x8
One Arm Rows: 3x8
Deads: 3x8
BB Shrugs: 3x8-10
DB Shrugs: 3x12

Shoulders & Triceps
Seated DB Press: 3x8-10
Seated side laterals: 3x8
Rear Lateral Raises: 3x10
Close Grip Bench: 3x10-12
Dips: 3x8

The Split
Day 1 - Back & Traps
Day 2 - Biceps & Chest
Day 3 - Rest
Day 4 - Legs
Day 5 - Shoulders & Triceps
Day 6 - Rest

Repeat...

Any suggestions?

Thanks a lot,
JarrettS

me personally i wouldnt do decline and flat in the same workout i would do either flat OR decline

i also wouldnt hit biceps the day after back bcause they get hit hard in back training

[JarrettS]

The Split
Day 1 - Back & Traps
Day 2 - Shoulders & Triceps
Day 3 - Rest
Day 4 - Legs
Day 5 - Biceps & Chest
Day 6 - Rest

Better?

[DaFr3aK]

i htink cable crossover is better then decline bench or maybe weighted dips nd maybe a T-bar row on back day T-bar is great for strength nd ratgets da middle back which it seems u dont hit in ur back exercises that hard

[Pizzalamp]

The Split
Day 1 - Back & Traps
Day 2 - Shoulders & Triceps
Day 3 - Rest
Day 4 - Legs
Day 5 - Biceps & Chest
Day 6 - Rest

Better?

thats kinda like my split
looks good to me bro
u just gotta experiment and see what works best for you

good luck!!

[WeaponX]

The only thing I would suggest to you to put on mass is to alternate like get out of the habit of everything 3 sets 8-10... dont be afraid to do 2 sets balls out for four reps or 4 sets of 20 reps... just constantly tear into your muscles, and switch it up from week to week, i never do the same excersize twice in a row... if you need advice on different exercises, look around on here or even go get a copy f Arnolds Encyclopedia.... keep them muscles guessing, kep eating, and make sure to check your ego at the door

[Tiny]

How is my workout routine? I am bulking and trying to gain as much mass/strength as possible with minimal fat gain. Also, I am 5'10 and 155 pounds.

Chest & Biceps
Flat BB Press 3x8-10
Incline DB Press: 3x8-10
DB Flyes: 3x8
DB Preachers: 3x8
Overhead Cable Curls: 3x8
Alt Incline Hammers: 2x6
Decline BB: 3x8-10

Legs
Squats: 3x8
Leg Press: 3x10
Leg Curls: 3x8-10
Calf Raises: 3x12
Hammer Calf Press: 3x8

Back & Traps
Weighted Pull ups: 3x8
One Arm Rows: 3x8
Deads: 3x8
BB Shrugs: 3x8-10
DB Shrugs: 3x12

Shoulders & Triceps
Seated DB Press: 3x8-10
Seated side laterals: 3x8
Rear Lateral Raises: 3x10
Close Grip Bench: 3x10-12
Dips: 3x8

The Split
Day 1 - Back & Traps
Day 2 - Biceps & Chest
Day 3 - Rest
Day 4 - Legs
Day 5 - Shoulders & Triceps
Day 6 - Rest

Repeat...

Any suggestions?

Thanks a lot,
JarrettS

Okay - cold truth time - you are fucking around with too much variety here when in your instance and with your desires, variety isn't the key. I know because I was a skinny fuck too - you weigh more than I did when I started and we are the same height. Try Chest - Flat Barbell Bench Press: 1x20 (warm up), 1x15 (still warming), 1x10 (geting a little sumptin goin) 1x6-8 (heavy), 1x3-6 (heaviest), 1x8-10 (lighter but big strain now), 1x8-15 (lighter and all you can achieve). Incline Dumbell Presses: (Steep Incline) 1x15, 1x12, 1x10, 1x6-8, 1x10-12, 1x10-15 That's It for chest.
Par it all back as far as exercise selection and go harder on those basic coumpound movements. Back - deadlift w/ shrugs as described in my "Ask Tiny" thread, barbell row,weighted pull-ups. Legs - Squat, leg press, superset lying leg curls w/ leg extensions Arms - straight barbell curls, two handed overhead dumbell extensions, dumbell preachers, cable press downs, concentration or spider curls, clos-grip smith machine presses. Somewher throw in your calf work as you wish and after your arm workout do some seated military presses with a barbell. That is it. Four days out of seven you lift, other three you rest and grow all day. Hit it hard and fast - get in and out but go with enough intensity that you almost get sick or feel like giving up but don't give up. If you ain't sweating, you aint working. Keep it simple.

[JarrettS]

How many sets and reps should I do for the exercises you listed Tiny?

Thanks.

[widdlewade44]

How many sets and reps should I do for the exercises you listed Tiny?

Thanks.


and check out the AOM (Animal Owner's Manual), here's a link:

http://www.animalpak.com/html/the_manual.cfm

You can order a hard copy (for free) and download the pdf version. Sample routines (that are quite good) are listed in the AOM. Good luck on your Journey, peace.

Kevin
widdlewade44

[Tiny]

How many sets and reps should I do for the exercises you listed Tiny?

Thanks.

Basically, my rep/sets scheme never changes because there is meaning behind the madness. I always open with a few warm-ups, first being ridiculously light - usually just an empty bar. Then, I slowly add weight. During warm-ups I might do 30 reps sometimes, maybe not - depends on how I feel - but I am never really taxing anything yet, just trying to get the joints warm and the blood flowing some more, and stretching muscle. Then I will decrease the reps as I slowly am increasing weight. Let's say 225 is your max weight for performing a 10 rep set, then I might do something like this: Barx20, 95x15, 135x8, 185x6, 225x4, 275x2, 315xfail, 225x10-12, 225x10-12, 135xrep out. Just a rough example but what I do is warm up, merely hit on my 225 working sets weight by doing 4 reps, go beyond that as I drop the reps lower and weight higher, so that at the heaviest 315 mark, I will probably get 2 or 3 reps max - but then, after a rest, I drop down to my working wet set and hit that for two sets. If I had tried for 10 reps with that (225) weight on the way up, I probably would have only achieved 10 reps at the best but since I have gone so much heavier and stimulated other fibres, now I recruit more over all muscle tissue thanks to the CNS response and I will get 12 reps, maybe one or two more. I basically approach all workouts with this sort of arrangement.

[cope_man]

right now me and my lifting buddy are lifting for mens competitive softball. been lifting for about 8 yrs. now, but last couple of yrs caught the pl bug. right now were traing explosiveness on the big 3 and 8-12 range on acc. lifts. bc of schedules we lift in the am @ his place, smith machine for almost everything, pull down, dip rack and vert leg press. im thinking after we start this spring im going back to my pit w/ power rack and free weights. thinking something like a 5x5 on compound and 8-10 on acc. chest/tris/oh press on mon, legs on wed, back/bis on fri. whatcha yall plers out there think? any suggestions throw em at me

[Tampa-Boy]

Hey guys how is it going? I have a question about a new training routine I am thinking about starting up next week to pack on some mass. I was thinkning of focusing on the 3 big mass builder squat,bench,deadlift, so basically mon.(leg day), wed(bench-push day), thrus. (dead-pull day). Do you guys think this will be a good routine to but on some mass? If so what exercises should I add on top of the big 3 lifts and what should my sets, and reps look like. If you think I should follow a different routine can you suggest one. Thanks guys appreciate it.

[need2getBIG]

heres my routine
monday chest/ tris
incline bb 4x8-10
flat bb 4x6-10
inclinedb 4x10
flat flyes 3x10
tris
either 4sets of dips or 4x10 overhead tricep extentions
skullies
4x10-12
kickbacks
3x10
tuesday
shoulders
arnold press
4x10-12
sidedelt raises
4x10-12
front lat raise
4x12
shrugs
5x10
wednesday off

thursday
legs
5x10-12 squats
lunges 4x10-12
extension/curls superset
4x10-15

friday
back/bis
bentover db rows/bb rows
4x10-12
sldl
4x10
close grip rows
4x12
bi's
bb curl
4x10-12
seated incline curl
4x12
concentration curls
3x10

im trying to get more mass,i try to get 6-7 meals a day eating every 2 hours
is this to much volume,or to much intensity?

[need2getBIG]

monday
chest/tris
inclinebb 4x10-12
flatbb 4x6-10
incline db 4x10
flat flyes 3x10
dips or over head extensions4x10
skullies 4x10-12
kickbacks 3x10
tuesday shoulders
arnold press
4x10-12
side delt raise
4x12
front lat raise
4x12
shrugs
5x10
wednesday off
thursday
legs
squats
5x12
lunges
4x10-12
extension,curls superset
4x10-15
friday
back/bis
bentover rows db or bb
4x10-12
sldl
4x10
close grips rows
4x12
bis
bb curl
4x10-12
seated incline curls
4x12
concentration curls
3x10

is this to much volume,or intensity,im trying to gain mass,and i try to get atleast a gallon of water,eat 6-7 meals a day,and i get atleast 8 hours of sleep if not 9

[ironshaolin]

I need some more stats, dude. How long have you been lifting? What type of weights are you using? How old are you? I think an intermediate lifter is someone with a 200-250lb bench, and a 300-400lb deadlift or squat. If thats you, I'd definately recommend chillin on the volume. I've seen countless people spinnin their wheels in the gym, because they weigh 175 and are trying to follow 300lb jay cutler's routine. Here's a simple, basic mass building strength workout, that both beginner/intermediate lifters will gain quite a bit of strength on. I believe provided protein intake is high (1.5-2g's per lb), the stronger you get the bigger you get. I've never seen someone incline 300lbs for reps with a small chest, but I've seen countless people 170-180lbs doing arnold press, front raises, side raises, high volume stuff saying you need to bomb the crap out of it to grow. So maybe try this:


Monday
Squat or box squat 2 x 5
Glute/Ham Raises or pullthroughs 3 x 10
Bent Row or Chest Supported row 4 x 6
Barbell or Dumbbell Curl 3 x 8
Calf Raises 3 x 15

Wednesday
Bench Press or bottom position bench 3 x 5, or 3 x 3
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 4 x 8
Military or Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3 x 8
Skull Crushers 3 x 10
Ab work 3 x 10

Friday
Deadlift or rack deadlift 2 x 5
Leg press 2 x 10
Chin or lat pull-down 4 x 6
Barbell or Dumbbell Curl 3 x 8
Calf Raises 3 x 15

Monday
Incline bench press or Incline Dumbbell Press 3 x 5, or 3 x 3
Dumbbell Bench Press 4 x 8
Military or Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3 x 8
Tricep pushdowns 3 x 10
Ab work 3 x 10 Monday

Wednesday
Squat or box squat 2 x 5
Glute/Ham Raises or pullthroughs 3 x 10
Bent Row or Chest Supported row 4 x 6
Barbell or Dumbbell Curl 3 x 8
Calf Raises 3 x 15

Friday
Bench Press or bottom position bench press 3 x 5, or 3 x 3
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 4 x 8
Military or Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3 x 8
Skull Crushers 3 x 10
Ab work 3 x 10

Sets are NOT taken to failure, at least 1 rep short, or to the point RIGHT before form starts to break down. If you do not recover well, reduce 1 set from each of the lifts.

Rotate the lifts to something else every 4-8 weeks or whenever a lift stalls.
Bottom position bench is done in a power rack, with the bar starting on the rack in the bottom position. Makes it harder, and you finish on the negative.
Focus on adding weight WHENEVER possible, hopefully every session. Warm ups aren't included. If you fall below the rep range, stay at the same weight until you get in.

Its often very hard to get people to follow a routine like this, they always feel its not enough. Well, weight lifting really isn't rocket science. The goal should be to LIFT WEIGHT. If you keep getting stronger on key excersises, and eat enough, you'll get huge. I challenge you to follow a routine like this until you add an extra 45 to each side on all your lifts, and tell me you aren't way bigger than you were before.

[Torque757]

ironshaolin has outlined a great routine. Remember to keep a log book, write down everything.

This way, you can look back on your previous workout and make sure you increase weight(2.5's plts will come in handy) and/or reps. You will be able to spot a platuea in a lift almost instantly and not waste any time in swapping it out for something new.

[sanga]

Big, basci exercises IMO all the way, as ironshaolin has pointed out, these are the way forward.

[need2getBIG]

thanks brothers,ill modify it a bit to fit what equipment i have but ill keep it in the same rep range and movements,and as always eat big

[IRBS]

I agree with Iron here, he outlined a solid plan for you.

[need2getBIG]

i knew i had to much volume,im going to look at that routine bro thanks

[need2getBIG]

alright i pieced some things together hows this,comment on anything i need to change
monday
chest/tris
incline bb4x8
flatbb4x8
flatfly3x10
skullies4x8-10
kickbacks3x8-10

wednesday
legs/shoulders
squat4x10
leg extensions4x10
leg curls4x10
rear military press
3x8
side delt raise3x10
shrugs2x8

friday
bentrows(db,bb)3x10
sldl4x10
closegriprows3x10
bbcurls4x10
seatedinclinecurls4x10

and ill do abs on off days before school,please comment on anything i should change,im 17,around 140-145 ive been lifting for about 2 years,and im 5 7

[bigbull52]

alright i pieced some things together hows this,comment on anything i need to change
monday
chest/tris
incline bb4x8
flatbb4x8
flatfly3x10
skullies4x8-10
kickbacks3x8-10

wednesday
legs/shoulders
squat4x10
leg extensions4x10
leg curls4x10
rear military press
3x8
side delt raise3x10
shrugs2x8

friday
bentrows(db,bb)3x10
sldl4x10
closegriprows3x10
bbcurls4x10
seatedinclinecurls4x10

and ill do abs on off days before school,please comment on anything i should change,im 17,around 140-145 ive been lifting for about 2 years,and im 5 7


Give your legs a day all by themselves because if ur training them like a true animal...and don't lie to yourself, then there is no way u can do delts with them....Stick with the compound movements bro, squats, deads, bench, rows, skullcrushers, barbell curls...your the weight of a feather so remember...The real lifting is done with a fork... Reach ur goals my friend, Bull

[need2getBIG]

thanks bro,im really trying to get myself to do the cokpound movements,im use to isolation i cant get my mind to think,but how is the rep range is that good?and the the # of sets?

[need2getBIG]

*compound* i cant type today

[Convery]

ive been looking through and it seems everyone's routine is different (obviously), but ive been bouncing back and forth my routine for a while because i dont know what muscle groups to pair up with another. i tried doing bi's+tri's, chest+back, legs+shoulders, but i was told to switch to bi back, tri chest, leg shoulders. is there a difference or is it all a matter of preference? this is pretty much my schedule

Monday- Tri's + Chest
Tuesday- Bi's + Back
Wednsday- Rest (abs at home)
Thursday- Legs + Shoulders
Friday- Rest (abs)
Saturday- Bi's + Back |or| Tri's + Chest (switches every week)
Sunday- Rest (abs)

because im am not quite old enough to get my license (3 months! :[ ) im stuck getting rides to and from the gym from myt aunt and paraents, and Mondays tuesdays thursdays and saturdays are the only days i can go, is this too packed? or is my routine acceptable?

[sanga]

Mate, pick one of the routines from AOM and stick with it, you can`t go wrong, go for a 4 day split and then concentrate on getting the food down.

[Big Wides]

ive been looking through and it seems everyone's routine is different (obviously), but ive been bouncing back and forth my routine for a while because i dont know what muscle groups to pair up with another. i tried doing bi's+tri's, chest+back, legs+shoulders, but i was told to switch to bi back, tri chest, leg shoulders. is there a difference or is it all a matter of preference? this is pretty much my schedule

Monday- Tri's + Chest
Tuesday- Bi's + Back
Wednsday- Rest (abs at home)
Thursday- Legs + Shoulders
Friday- Rest (abs)
Saturday- Bi's + Back |or| Tri's + Chest (switches every week)
Sunday- Rest (abs)

because im am not quite old enough to get my license (3 months! :[ ) im stuck getting rides to and from the gym from myt aunt and paraents, and Mondays tuesdays thursdays and saturdays are the only days i can go, is this too packed? or is my routine acceptable?

Try this one:

Monday - Shoulders and Arms
Tuesday - Chest
Thursday - Back
Sat - Legs

or soemthing similar, there is no need to hit the muscles more than once a week, hit them hard and let it rest till the next time you train them.

[Convery]

Try this one:

Monday - Shoulders and Arms
Tuesday - Chest
Thursday - Back
Sat - Legs

or soemthing similar, there is no need to hit the muscles more than once a week, hit them hard and let it rest till the next time you train them.



i like this routine, im going to stick with it. thank you for the great advice!!

[Big Wides]

i like this routine, im going to stick with it. thank you for the great advice!!

thats not set in stone bro, talior it to your needs but allow at least a days rest between back and legs so that the legs rest from pulling. But keep it to one bodypart per session and for arms would do maybe 9-12 sets for bis and 9-12 sets for tris. Heavy compound movements with proper food and rest and youll grow

[Convery]

thats not set in stone bro, talior it to your needs but allow at least a days rest between back and legs so that the legs rest from pulling. But keep it to one bodypart per session and for arms would do maybe 9-12 sets for bis and 9-12 sets for tris. Heavy compound movements with proper food and rest and youll grow

yeah i tweaked it to look like this

Mon- Chest
Tues- Shoulders & Arms
Wed- Rest
Thur- Legs
Fri- Rest
Sat- Back
Sun- Rest

i think this will benefit me more because it fits into my life a little easier. but quick question, in your opinion should i be doing negatives for bench?

[stronghold]

You could try a proven, basic program like Starr's 5x5 done Tues, Thurs, Saturday. This program has been getting lifters of all training ages big and strong for years now. Definitely something to consider, as it takes a special type of mindset to squat 3x a week and deadlift twice a week and that type of mindset is something that will carry you far if you develop it early. There is an excel spreadsheet in there that you plug your maxes into and it figure out the entire 9 week cycle for you.

http://www.geocities.com/elitemadcow1/5x5_Program/Linear_5x5.htm

[Boz]

5150 and I have been doing this routine for a while with great gains. Gives plenty of rest between each body part. Like Big Wides, its not set in stone but its a great base.

Monday-Chest
Tuesday-Back
Wednesday-Shoulders
Thursday-Off
Friday-Arms
Saturday-Legs
Sunday-Off

[scals17]

Try this one:

Monday - Shoulders and Arms
Tuesday - Chest
Thursday - Back
Sat - Legs

or soemthing similar, there is no need to hit the muscles more than once a week, hit them hard and let it rest till the next time you train them.

I like the set up of the split, just for me personally, I might have issues with doing delts and arms the day right before chest. I personally would re-arrange it like this:

M - Back
T - Chest
Th - Delts & Arms
S - Legs

[pain4life]

I used to pair exercises on workout days, but would rather concentrate on one primary muscle each day. This has cut cut my workout times to 45-60 min and allows me to concentrate 100% on that one muscle.

[LegendKillerJosh]

yeah i tweaked it to look like this

Mon- Chest
Tues- Shoulders & Arms
Wed- Rest
Thur- Legs
Fri- Rest
Sat- Back
Sun- Rest

i think this will benefit me more because it fits into my life a little easier. but quick question, in your opinion should i be doing negatives for bench?

I wouldn't do chest on Monday then shoulders and arms Tuesday. Spread those workouts apart by a few days. Try this:

Monday - Chest and Forearms
Wednesday - Legs and Abs
Thursday - Shoulders and Triceps
Saturday - Back and Biceps

[TheNaturalTank]

I'm pretty happy with the chest and back workouts, just wondering about the rest. Thanks guys.

Chest-
Incline BB Press
Incline DB Flyes
Dips

Back-
Pull-ups
T-Bar Rows
Deadlifts

Off-

Shoulders/Calves-
Clean and Press
Side DB Raises
Upright Rows
Standing Calf Raises
Seated Calf Raises

Arms-
Pushdowns
-supersetted with-
Alternating DB Curls

Straight Bar Skullcrushers
-supersetted with-
Straight Bar Curls

Legs-
Leg Extensions
Squats
Leg Curls
SLDL

[sanga]

Doesn`t look that bad, I`d do Deads and Squats first in the routines myself.

[Carpe Diem P.T]

i would suggest 4 exercises in chest and back.

for chest: throw in something where your balance is jeaporised like cable crossover or db flys on a swiss ball.

and for back: look at some single arm exercises like 1 arm db row or single arm lat pull down, or 1 arm cable row.

[rainwave]

Looks good bro.

Personally for back I would throw in good mornings and/or hyperextensions in there, and for arms I would add in close-grip benchpress for triceps and preacher curls for biceps.

[jarhead316]

Hey, After a power lifting routine and Westside barbell for skinny bastards...I've decided to route back to a bodybuilding routine.

Monday- Heavy: Chest/Tri
Tuesday-Heavy: Back/Bi
Wed- OFF
Thursday- Heavy: Legs/Shoulders/Traps
Friday- Light: Chest/Back
Saturday- Light: Legs/Power or Speed Work

Abs: 3 days a week

A question, my two previous routines where emphasizing total body work outs where chest and legs where hit two times a week, and I like that. I want the similiar thing with this routine but with a max effort day and more high rep type day, is this routine over training? I am on a cut so i will up the nutrients if i need to sustain energy.

In other words on the heavy days, my FIRST lift will be 8 sets but at 3-5 reps. For example, Bench press at 8x3-5 then the 2 next chest exercises will be 3 x 8-12. On the light days all chest exercises will be 3 x 10-12

[Pizzalamp]

Me personally, I would just hit each body part once a week, as hard as you can...if youre on a cut, I would imagine youre doing cardio as well...with reduced calories on your cut diet, that doesnt leave a lot of nutrients to spare.

But again, just my opinion!

[jeff00z28]

i dunno if i like the idea of doing legs w/ shoulders. I used to do that, but tat was before my hardcore lifting days.

[jarhead316]

I dont mind doing legs with another body part, I was doing snatches and cleans with legs in a power lifting routine and it didnt affect me.

[Pizzalamp]

i think if u do legs hard enough u shouldnt have energy left to train anything else

[jarhead316]

maybe ill do shoulders/traps on thursday, chest/back light on friday then legs heavy on saturday...and if im up for the challenge some plyos

[Cellerator65]

yeah i think it would be hard to do heavy legs thurs then light legs 2 days later... not enough rest imo... i know i can barely walk the 2-3 days after legs.

[jarhead316]

yea me niether, i was kinda thinking that wasnt spaced out enough. Maybe ill just hit chest/back twice a week but legs only once

[jarhead316]

monday-chest tri
tuesday-back/bi
wed-shoulder/trap
thursday-legs
friday- light chest/back

i think that is better

[ronald1919]

light days are useless, might as well rest and get some food in.

[jarhead316]

when i say light i mean high rep/endurance training day

[pmug0000]

when i say light i mean high rep/endurance training day

Still though you should just hit each major body part once a week. If you want to add higher rep days, switch off week to week between heavy and light, but I advise against hitting the same body part more than once in a week.

[jarhead316]

Yea I could try that, Do 3 weeks heavy/power, then a week of recuperation with light, high rep exercises. Then back to 3 weeks...u get the pattern. Thanks for the advice fellas

[Jester]

You should definately listen to your body on this one. If you feel that you are wearing yourself out then try slowing up your workouts and doing each muscle once a week. Dorian Yates believed that if he trained his muscles twice a week, the over stress on them would cause them to grow. Just be cautious because training heavy twice a week can be a muscle overload..

[jarhead316]

Yea, i mean i have to see how I react. Like i said my past routines where total body oriented so muscle groups where hit twice a week, however, they obviously where being hit with less sets and reps. I am switching to a body building routine so rather than 5-6 sets of chest on a total body routine, I may be getting 9-12 sets...obviously much more so more strain on the body. Total body routines are much different. Im starting to realize that it may be more beneficial to just hit each body part once a week with a more high intensity.

[Coltman]

I follow a similar schedule, but I would like to see the exact reps / sets suggested.

Consider this: pick a weight you can barely get 10 reps with. Count 15 seconds, then keep lifting until you fail, count 15 again, and then rest until you reach twenty reps total. This works well for almost all excercises. I can sustain this regimin for only three weeks then I switch to regular sets / reps schemes for three weeks or so. I see success when I keep it changing all the time.

[Mizzarler]

im with pizzalamp

[colossul]

Monday: Chest

Flat Barbell 5x
Incline Dumbbell 4x
Flat Flyes 4x
Pullovers 3x
Crossovers 3x
Decline 3x


Tuesday: Back

Chins (warm up) 1-2x
T-bar Rows 4x
Barbell rows 4x
Nautilus Rows (plate loaded back machine pretty cool) 4x
Pulldowns 3x
Cable Rows 4x


Wednesday: Shoulders

Bent over laterals 5x
Military press of some sort (smythe, dumbbell, barbell, etc) 5x
seated side laterals 4x
front raises 4x
up the rack laterals 2x
shrugs 3x


Thursday: Arms

Close-grip E-z bar curls 4x
Incline Dumbbell Curls 4x
E-z bar 21's 3x
rope hammer curls 3x

skull crushers 4-5x
Close grip bench 3-4x
dips 4x
pushdowns 3x


Friday: Legs
Squats 5-6x
Leg Press 4x
Extensions 4x
leg curls 4x

[ShaqFu]

I like the split you got going, but I would decrease your upper body sets (Chest, Back, Shoulders) by one or two sets, they're getting pretty high. You might wanna crush more weight in less time to get a better stimulus on the muscle, but if that has worked for you in the past, then it looks solid to me.

Show us your rep range brotha, you looking for power, strength, or endurance?

[colossul]

rep scheme is usually 12,10,8,6,4 or something along the lines of that, going to failure every set

[ShaqFu]

Nice dude, seems to me like you'll get some heinous pumps with that range. I dunno, when I do it like that, steadily decreasing reps, I get a pretty sick pump and simultaneously work on strength, even though, because of the high reps to start out with, I can't push as much weight if I did 5x5 or something like that. Looks pretty solid.
ShaqFu

[pmug0000]

I'd say eliminate Cable Crossovers and Pull-overs from chest day - you don't need those if you do declines and flyes. Also you can eliminate cable rows from back day - you already have plenty of rowing movements. And I'd start out with a compound movement like military press on shoulder day instead of starting out with bent lateral raises. And I'd take out the 21's from arm-day - too many movements for bi's.

You can take this or leave it, but from what you have written I think most people will agree that you are doing too much.

[AllSheWrote]

What I have always done for legs is split it into 2 separate days, well spaced apart I might add. So that I can do squats (quads) on thursday for instance and be all healed up for deadlifts (hams) by sunday... Cause anytime I do squats, my whole lower body is sore, meaning lower back, quads, hams, calves... And the same goes for deadlifts when I do em'...My whole lower body gets hit

My routine goes something like

Day 1 - Chest and Tri's

Day 2 - Back and Bi's

Day 3 - Quads/calves/abs (Squat day!)

Day 4 - Shoulders (rear delts/trapz/front delts)

Day 5 - Hams and calves (Deadlift day!) and arms if I have the energy to throw in a couple of sets

One thing I would make sure to do is DIPS. Always do dips, either on chest day or shoulder day, I have heard people tell me its crap to do dips on shoulder day, but someone try telling me that when you throw a weight between your legs and start leaning forward for dips that you don't feel it in your rear delts and traps. Hell! I even start to feel it in my front delts if I do them slow and controlled.

The main advice I have is work to your full potential!
No matter what exercises you are doing, do em' hard! Make sure you push yourself every day in the gym and no matter what your routine looks like (granted it's not complete crap, which yours definitely isn't) you will see results and you will see muscle packin on!

[rhane]

A few suggestions...(1) you going to do calves at all? (2) You do a lot more rowing movements for back that you do pullup movements, I'd personally even it out a little bit.

You seem to have a disproportionate number of exercises for the different heads of the biceps and the brachialis...I'd add another exercise (the reverse geip curl) so that in conjunction with the hammer grip you adequately get the brachialis.

The legs are a huge muscle group, far bigger and more complicated than the chest and yet you are doing almost twice as much for the chest as legs. I'd pre-exhaust legs with the extentions and curls, then do squats, lunges, hack squats, and leg presses to finish...

[bigtsala]

heres my routine...suggestions/comments would be great...i change up my routine every 3 months and do 20 min of cardio every day

Mon-Biceps/Triceps
BICEPS
standing dumbbell curls-4 sets
hammer curls-4 sets
straight bar preacher curls-4 sets

TRICEPS
single arm pull downs-3 sets
close grip bench-5 sets
straight bar push downs-4 sets

Tues-Shoulders/Chest
SHOULDERS
dumbbell flys-4 sets
shrugs-5 sets
military press-4 sets

CHEST
Dumbbell Bench-4 sets
Incline bench-4 sets
Incline fly-4 sets

Wed:Legs/Back
BACK
Lat Pull down-4 sets
upright pulls-3 sets
dead lifts-4 sets

LEGS
leg press-5 sets
calf raises-5 sets
leg curls-3 sets
leg extentions-4 sets
(just had knee surgery so thats why i dont squat yet)

Then i repeat that again through saturday and take sunday off

peace.
-Tsala

[train.eat.supp.sleep]

personally i would split the arms day up instead of combining chest with shoulders...they really have no business being worked together IMO...they are pretty important...so id go with chest and tris or bis(whatever u prefer) and then back and whatever u didnt choose with chest...

[Thetasteofink69]

Assuming those are in order, I'd do military press first.. Make it your really heavy sets.. And why is dummbell flyes put with shoulders? I'm assuming you mean the chest exercise.. If military press is your only shoulder exercise then it's not enough in my opinion.

I'd change it up and put back and legs on different days.. They're the two biggest muscle groups in your body.. How can you possibly have enough stamina to hit both of them hard enough?

And when you say you "repeat it through saturday and take sunday off", you mean you do this routine twice a week? If so you'll definitely wanna switch it up.. Train your muscle groups once a week (except for abs and calves).. That's overtraining and you won't see nearly as good of results as you would if you trained each muscle group once a week

If this is the case, then that should give you a few extra training days (assuming you take my advice and only train each muscle group once a week).. If you do then I would split everything up and you'll have a perfect split, with each group receiving their own days and you won't have to combine anything (Except for Biceps and Triceps)

Good luck

[bigtsala]

yeah i meant lateral dumbbell raises not flyes...so im gonna try the one muscle a day thing for now and see if i get any results, should i be doing more exercises if im just hitting it once a week? Thanks for your advice...ill def be taking it.

[gjn5002]

i would do the bigger muscle groups earlier in the weke and save arms until friday. you also need ot split up legs and back. those are the two biggest muscles and they cosnume lots of energy so you wont maximize your efforts by pairing them together. Id say so back and bis together and chest and tri or shoulders and tri's together/ legs and back on their own day.

[Thetasteofink69]

yeah i meant lateral dumbbell raises not flyes...so im gonna try the one muscle a day thing for now and see if i get any results, should i be doing more exercises if im just hitting it once a week? Thanks for your advice...ill def be taking it.

Yeah you'll need more.. You shouldn't double it, but you're still gonna need more..

Here's my opinion on it:

Arms- Looks good.. If I were you I would add skull crushers to my tricep routine.. But you said you switch it up every 3 months, so you could add it next time you change the routine if you'd like.. It's your call

Shoulders- Like I said make military press your heaviest exercise and hit it hard.. If i were you I would add some dumbbell shoulder presses also.. Keep doing the side lateral raises, those are good.. Also consider adding front lateral raises.. I would do more than 5 sets for shrugs.. I would probably hit 4 sets of barbell shrugs and then another 3 of dumbbell shrugs.. You also don't have anything for rear delts.. I prefer to do rear delts on back day because after all, it's part of your back.. But that's up to you


Chest- Looks good to.. You could add one more exercise in there if you'd like, but it's not essential.. Again, that's your call

Back- What exactly is an upright pull? I would add wide grip chin ups in there someplace.. Like I said though your back is your second biggest muscle group, so it can take a beating.. also consider adding bent over rows or dumbell rows in there, and maybe some hyper-extentions for lower back

Legs- Looks good.. I would do at least 4 sets of leg curls.. And if you can do something like lunges then I would throw that in there to

Find a place for abs in your routine also

[zanderfever]

IMO, you shouldn't have an arms day before chest/shoulders, both of which have triceps as a secondary muscle involved. Also, why lock yourself into certain exercises? Don't wait 3 months to switch, keep the split the same and never do the same exercises in back to back workouts.

[bigtsala]

so with all ur advice this is what im thinking of starting since i do want to change things up now...
mon:chest
tues:bi
wed:tri
thurs:shoulders
fri:back
sat:legs
sun:off


and if that doesnt sound good, can someone help me out with putting them in order, thank you all so much for ur help...

[zanderfever]

so with all ur advice this is what im thinking of starting since i do want to change things up now...
mon:chest
tues:bi
wed:tri
thurs:shoulders
fri:back
sat:legs
sun:off


and if that doesnt sound good, can someone help me out with putting them in order, thank you all so much for ur help...

Having an entire day devoted to biceps or triceps is not a smart move. If I were you, i'd say consolidate to something like this-

Chest, Triceps
Back, Biceps
Shoulders
Legs

Next question is traps and calves. Where do you include those in your workouts?

[Thetasteofink69]

so with all ur advice this is what im thinking of starting since i do want to change things up now...
mon:chest
tues:bi
wed:tri
thurs:shoulders
fri:back
sat:legs
sun:off


and if that doesnt sound good, can someone help me out with putting them in order, thank you all so much for ur help...


I would combine biceps and triceps into one day, and I would put that day at the opposite end of the week that you train chest and back.. And take the extra day that you gain and devote it to training your abs.. Calves can also be trained more than once a week, so throw that into there to.. something like this:

Mon: Back
Tues: Chest
Wed:Shoulders
Thurs: Abs and Calves
Fri:Biceps and Triceps
Sat: Legs
Sun: Off

[zanderfever]

I would combine biceps and triceps into one day, and I would put that day at the opposite end of the week that you train chest and back.. And take the extra day that you gain and devote it to training your abs.. Calves can also be trained more than once a week, so throw that into there to.. something like this:

Mon: Back
Tues: Chest
Wed:Shoulders
Thurs: Abs and Calves
Fri:Biceps and Triceps
Sat: Legs
Sun: Off

I'd say thats good, but you don't have to lock yourself into a monday, tuesday, wed, etc schedule. Maybe this could work better-

1 Back
2 Chest, calves
3 Legs
4 Shoulders, abs, calves
5 Biceps, Triceps
6 Rest

[forumname05]

So I've been hitting the gym for about a year now and in the process have put on about 20lbs.+- onto my once smaller size (5'10.5" previously 155lbs). I'm am now just under 180lbs. and am pretty pleased with my gains and progress, although I'll admit some of that weight is unfavorable poundage in my mid-section as a result of bing sidelined from the gym for about 3 months after an injury this past fall...

Despite that, I enjoy every minute I am in the gym and love pushing myself further and further ahead...reaching those limits, getting in that zone and just fukin' pushing through it!

I am in law enforcement and am trying to do as much OT as possible in the hopes of buying my own place next year, so my routine has been getting thrown off a bit lately. Because of this, I think I am now looking for more of an entire body routine vs. working specific muscle groups. My goal has never been to be HUGE (sorry guys) but instead to have a great overall and decently sized physique (190-200lbs?)...

My routine gets thrown off in that some days I do not come home from work at all and don't get to workout, I fell that when I have a M/W/F routine in which I work specific muscle groups, that if I miss a day it throws off the entire week and screws me all up. I think something like a Workout A & B done 3 days a week which I'd alternate every week would suite me better. Week 1 would be Mon/A Wed/B Fri/A, Week 2 would be Mon/B Wed/A Fri/B etc. This way if I ever need to miss a day I can just jump right back into it the next day.

I want something that will keep me motivated, keep me pushing further and further, pack on quality muscle/size, rip up and build a solid core, have me working toward an overall great physique and continuously adding size...
Can you guys help me build a routine as such????

Besides the A/B routine I'm also going to start adding in some interval training on my 'off' days' such as: Sprint for 1 minute - Jog for 2 minutes - Repeat x 4


My current routine (and soon to be old routine)...
What was once a 4 day routine has now been brought down to 3 days and is as follows as of the past few months:

Monday:
Flat Bench
Dumbbell inlcine
Dumbbell fly's
Dumbbell pull over
EZ Bar curl
Dumb bell hammer curls

Wednesday:
Squat
Deadlift
Chin-up's
Barbell row
Pulldown

Friday:
Barbell military press
'Up to nose'
Dumbbell military press
Dips
Pushdown

2 Ab workouts are mixed in between sets randomly from the following:
Leg raisers from flat bench
Leg raisers hanging
Decline sit-ups

[Torque757]

Check out the routines under the training section, you will have to make a few changes probably to personalize it, but its a great place to start.

Im on either 3 or 4 right now... cant remember, its the intermediate one... had to tone the volume down a bit, but a great routine.

[dyskee]

pm me with your email bro will send u what u want

[Barker]

Do a search for high intensity training (HIT) methods. there may not be much on the Forvm but if you go through the rest of the internet you might find some more. I've come across some 2-3 days a week routines with full body workouts with high intensity, lower volume. sounds like what you might be looking for. Best of luck.

[bigtsala]

so ive been following this program now for a week or so...

1 Back
2 Chest
3 Shoulders
4 Abs and Calves
5 Biceps, Triceps
6 Legs
7 Rest

i could not love it anymore...i feel like i can just totally focus on one muscle at a time and put all my effort into just killing it. Usually I would get tired and lose focus towards the end of my work outs and maybe "half-ass" parts of it, but not now...i love this program thank you all so much!!

[AntM1564]

Whats up guys. I come from the bb.com forums. I have only been using Animal/Universal products for a couple of months, now but will not look back.

I need advice on a new routine. Currently I am bulking. I am looking for a routine that will hit my muscle groups more than once a week. My recovery has been a lot quicker so I think I can do this. I am not a complete beginner to lifting, but I am not a seasoned vet either. I have been lifting for about 3-4 years but only the past 8 months or so I have been serious about lifting and dieting. Since being serious I've seen the best gains of my life.

I am looking to get as big as possible and increase my strength. I know size comes from eating and rest which I have down, I just need the routine. I was thinking of either Stronglifts 5x5, Madcows 5x5, or even WSFSB. I was also looking at Layne Norton's routine which is this

1. Power Upper (Compounds, low reps, heavy weight)
2. Power Lower (Compounds, low reps, heavy weight)
3. Hypertrophy Chest/Arms (Higher reps, more sets)
4. Hypertrophy Shoulders/Back (Higher reps, more sets)
5. Hypertrophy Legs (Higher reps, more sets)

It looks to be a different variation of WSFSB.

I am open to other routines but these were the few I've been lokking at the most.

If any oter information about me i needed, just let me know.

[InkdMuscle]

Whats up guys. I come from the bb.com forums. I have only been using Animal/Universal products for a couple of months, now but will not look back.

I need advice on a new routine. Currently I am bulking. I am looking for a routine that will hit my muscle groups more than once a week. My recovery has been a lot quicker so I think I can do this. I am not a complete beginner to lifting, but I am not a seasoned vet either. I have been lifting for about 3-4 years but only the past 8 months or so I have been serious about lifting and dieting. Since being serious I've seen the best gains of my life.

I am looking to get as big as possible and increase my strength. I know size comes from eating and rest which I have down, I just need the routine. I was thinking of either Stronglifts 5x5, Madcows 5x5, or even WSFSB. I was also looking at Layne Norton's routine which is this

1. Power Upper (Compounds, low reps, heavy weight)
2. Power Lower (Compounds, low reps, heavy weight)
3. Hypertrophy Chest/Arms (Higher reps, more sets)
4. Hypertrophy Shoulders/Back (Higher reps, more sets)
5. Hypertrophy Legs (Higher reps, more sets)

It looks to be a different variation of WSFSB.

I am open to other routines but these were the few I've been lokking at the most.

If any oter information about me i needed, just let me know.

check out this routine: http://www.animalpak.com/html/article_details.cfm?ID=45&section=training%0A

There are a lot of factors in tweaking a routine. My suggestion is take a look at the training section on the top of the forvm and read all the routines and pick the one that you would think would suit u better. Try one out like the one i gave u the address on a tweak it to your style.

[twisted_steel]

Training Routine 2 is awesome. Thats pretty much my evaluation of it. If you follow this routine as a base guideline, you will get great results.

[shizz702]

Welcome to the forvm bro. Any one of those routines should work great for you as long as your eating and sleep are in check, which you seem have laced up. Just pick one of them and get to training! Personally out of all of them I think the stronglifts 5x5 would build a great foundation for you.

[twisted_steel]

Welcome to the forvm bro. Any one of those routines should work great for you as long as your eating and sleep are in check, which you seem have laced up. Just pick one of them and get to training! Personally out of all of them I think the stronglifts 5x5 would build a great foundation for you.

amen!

[Kludwig64]

i typically hit the gym about 4 days a week and for about 6-7 weeks now my split has consisted of

Monday= Chest/Bis/abs/cardio
Tuesday=off
Wednesday=Legs/abs
Thursday=off
Friday=Back/calves/abs/cardio
Saturday=off
Sunday=Shoulders/Tris/abs/cardio

plus i might run a little at night when i feel up to it.

my main concern right now is both size and definition, if that's even possible. does it make sense to work those muscle groups the way that i have them together? ive seen people have different types of routines where they'll do bis and tris on the same day or stuff like that. so im just wondering if i should try to reorganize my split.. plus im not sure if i'm over doing my abs. i mean i only do two small ab routines each time i work em out, but im not sure if its too much. plus i was wondering if i should cycle my split routines and switch em up every now and then. and if so, what kind of intervals would u recommend? every 8 weeks? 10 weeks?

[Thetasteofink69]

It looks fine to me.. The only thing some people might do differently is put triceps with back rather than shoulders, but it really won't make a difference

If you could give biceps and triceps their own training day then it would be better, but it's not essential

Of course diet and cardio is what determines definition but as far as training goes, as long as you don't have some completely ridiculous routine, then size and definition is going to be determined by your rep range.. Aim for somewhere between 8-15 reps per exercise

[BryanSmash!]

I think that by training Shoulders and Tris on Sun, then Chest on Mon, you are over training your Shoulders and Tris, and under training your chest. Here's a split I'd suggest:
Mon: Rest
Tue:Chest, Bi's
Wed : Legs
Thurs: Rest
Fri: Back, calves
Sat: Shoulders, Tri's
Sun: Rest
Throw in waist work and cardio when you feel like it. Listen to your body for signs of over or under training, and adjust accordingly. I'd recommend that if you can, do cardio on your off days, first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. If you can't then the next best time is after weight training like you were doing.

[Kludwig64]

thanks for the help boys

[camp]

after how long should i change my schedule? or should i simply keep it n vary reps and exercises while throwing some rest in there?

-also whats the best way to increase you flat barb bench?

[brandona]

after how long should i change my schedule? or should i simply keep it n vary reps and exercises while throwing some rest in there?

-also whats the best way to increase you flat barb bench?

do you mean how many days a week you train?
most keep that the same and change up the reps and movements every now and again. Some as soon as every 3-4 weeks. Gotta keep the body guessing..

as far as your flat bench, there are a few threads on that..did you try a search?

-B

[cviewmike851]

Workout looks good to me. when its starting to feel stale dont hesitate to change it up

[Northeasterner]

Good morning, Animals.

I am going to try Training Routine 6 starting tonight. I've changed it a bit and would like your feedback. The goal, of course, is to gain mass and strength.

Monday: Chest/Biceps

Dumbbell presses: 3 Sets
Bench Presses: 3 Sets
Dumbbell Flyes: 3 Sets
Cable Flyes: 3 Sets
Dips: 3 Sets

Barbell Curls: 3 Sets
Seated Dumbbell Curls: 3 Sets
Concentration Curls: 3 Sets
21s: 3 Sets

ABS and 30 minutes of cardio

Tuesday:
Legs
Stationary bike, 10 minutes, warm up
Leg Curls: 4 Sets x 10 Reps
Leg Extensions: 4 Sets x 10 Reps
Leg Presses: 4 Sets x 12 Reps
Squats: 4 Sets x 12 Reps
Stiff Legged Deadlifts: 4 Sets x 12 Reps

ABS


Thursday:
Back
Wide-grip pull-ups (on machine that subtracts poundage from your weight), 3 Sets
Barbell Rows: 3 Sets
Seated Rows: 3 Sets
One-Arm Dumbbell Rows: 3 Sets
Deadlifts: 3 Sets
Barbell Shrugs: 3 Sets

ABS and 30 minutes of cardio

Saturday:
Shoulders
Standing Front Barbell Presses: 4 Sets
Rack-running Dumbbell Laterals, 4 Sets (total 16 sets – 4 sets per weight, i.e. 30/15/8/5 lbs.)
Seated Bent-Over Dumbbell Laterals: 4 Sets
Front Dumbbell Raises, 4 Sets

Triceps
Cable Pushdowns ("V" Bar): 4 Sets
Close-Grip Bench Presses: 4 Sets
Seated Tricep Pushdown Machine: 4 Sets
Overhead rope extensions 4 Sets

ABS and 30 minutes of cardio

----------

Too much cardio? Do I have too much on chest day?

All constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Animals.

[Ir0nClad]

Hey, wanted to know how well my routine is. A little background info, I just started working out about 4 months ago and in that time I went from about 138lbs to about 150lbs, I'm only 5'7" and 18 years old, and probably about a month ago I found out about dieting and now I eat 6 times a day, and Im currently in a cutting phase. My bf% was about 11 probably about a few weeks ago and now its probably down to about 10 or 9%. I plan on clean bulking once I start college or a couple months after. So far I have been really impressed with my gains and the definition that I have, even more so in the past week since I started switching up my rep scheme, I plan on doing 3 - 4 weeks of lower reps 4 -8, less sets and more rest time, following that 3 - 4 weeks of higher reps 8 -12 with slightly more sets and less rest time. My routine has changed since I started but I wasn't aware that it was good to switch up the sets and reps since your body will adapt to your workout after a while. I think that happened in terms of my benching, I started benching about a month and a half ago and I could only do 100 pounds a few times, now I can max out at about 140 but the thing was I did the same routine of 5 sets, 10 8 6 4 2 the whole time and the last three chest days I wasn't able to increase past 140. But since I found out about varying the reps I did a workout with the bench press of 15 12 10 8 8, and for the first time in a while I was actually sore.

In terms of my workout out, I will usually wake up and go running on an empty stomach except for some water for 2 miles, which comes out to be somewhere between 15 - 20 minutes. As soon as I get home I'll have a protein shake and some oatmeal, animal pak, and then I'll rest an hour before going to the gym.

Chest/back/abs

Bench Press 5 sets
Incline or decline 3 sets
pull overs 3 sets
butterfly chest machine 3 sets

3 sets of pull ups, 10 reps
3 sets of wide grip pull ups, as many as possible
Bent over rows 3 sets
T bar rows 3 sets

chrunches, 3 sets of 25
reverse chrunches, 3 sets of 25

bi's/ tri's/ forearms

5 sets of barbell curls
4 sets of incline curls
3 sets of concertation curls/ or hammer curls ( swap each time)

4 sets of overhand grip cable press downs
4 sets of underhand grip cable press downs
4 sets of laying barbell press ups
3 sets of seating dumbell extentions/ or lying extentions across shoulder

4 sets of underhand seated barbell curl
3 sets of overhand dumbell wrist curls

shoulders/ legs

4 sets of arnold presses
3 sets of standing lateral raises
3 sets of bent elbow raises
3 sets of shrugs
3 sents of upright rows

4 sets of squats
3 sets of thigh leg machine
3 sets of inner thigh and groin machine
4 sets of seated calf raises
3 sets of standing calf riases

This is the ideal set up and order but sometimes I'll go chest/back/abs day and have to take a rest day, and then continue the cycle. Or I might throw a rest day after bi's/ tris/ forearms day. If not I continue the cycle once and then will take a rest day, since i started doing slightly higher reps and will continue for the next 3 - 4 weeks I have felt more sore and needed an extra rest day, in the past I basically did 10 8 6 rep scheme for most of my exercises with the exception of benching which I said before. But it had started to get old and boring and I wasn't able to keep increasing the weight any more. Even though I know im in a cutting diet I think I should be able to increase my strength as well, I know I wont be gaining any mass but because my routine is changed up, my nervous system should have to adapt and I'll get strength through that, especially when I switch to my lower rep cycle. I always used to think that it was the size of the muscle that determined your strength.

[Ir0nClad]

Since Im starting college soon Im gonna change up my routine which follows:

Monday: Chest/back
Tuesday: off
Wednesday: Bis/Tris
Thursday: Shoulder/ legs
Friday: off
Sat: Chest/back
Sunday: off

and my new routine will be based off the training split routine number 3, with some changes

Monday: Chest/Bi's
Tuesday: Legs/calfs
Wednesday:off
Thursday: Back/Tri's
Friday: off
Saturday: Shoulders/ Traps
Sunday:off

Ill throw in abs and forearms everyonce in a while, just wanted to know if this slight variation seems good. I wanted to change it to seperate chest and back days since Ive been doing squats and just yesterday did some deadlifts, I want to start doing more deadlifts and training chest and back together with benchpress and deadlifts might be too taxing and take too long in the gym.

[In Flames]

Looks fine to me. I prefer to keep my rest periods shorter for more intensity and it keeps your gym time alot shorter. 1 hour tops in the gym, usually 30-45 minutes, depending on how many people are in the gym doing same exercises. 30 seconds to 1 minute max.

But I would change the split to something like this..this is just my preference.

Monday - Chest/Triceps
Tuesday - Legs/Calves (Squats)
Thursday - Shoulders/Traps
Saturday - Back/Biceps (Deadlift)

3-4 exercises for bigger body-parts and around 2-3 for smaller body-parts such as Arms/Calves.

Sample of Chest/Tricep day.

30 seconds rest max between each set.

4 x 8-15 Incline BB Bench
3 x 8-15 Flat DB Bench
3 x 8-15 Incline DB Fly's
3 x 8-15 Cable Cross-overs

3 x 8-15 Rope Pushdowns
3 x 8-15 Close Grip Bench

[Ir0nClad]

I was thinking of changing to a chest/tri and back/bi in a few months or so, to keep the body changing.

In terms of my rest what Im doing for the next 3 - 4 weeks is slightly lower volume, more rest time, and heavier weight between 4 - 8 reps. I just finished 4 weeks of higher volume, less rest time, and lighter weight with 8 - 15 reps per exercise, I rested between 30 sec to a minute for that time period and now Ill rest for about 2 - 3 min with my new cycle.

Ill keep cycling these off and probably take one week to deload after 12 weeks.

[Ir0nClad]

Hmmm, I just thought about it and if my schedule is too tough then I might have to do the gym between classes where I have an hour and 45 min, so what I'll have to do is maybe do only one muscle a day. Somethin like

back
chest
legs
arms
shoulders
rest

Now since Im new to deadlifting will that strain my shoulders at all if I do that the day before bench, Ive learned not to workout my tri's or delts before a bench day so I just wanna make sure.

[Mizzarler]

i would do shoulders before arms

[RK]

With at tight schedule i would def recommend a body part a day. I'm a full time college student as well right now and trying to throw a Chest/Tri then post workout drink/food and shower then make it to class on time is extremely difficult. But you might just want to test it out and see what times and for how long you can get in the gym.

RK

[Ir0nClad]

Yea, I'm leaving for college tommorow actually so I don't know how the schedule and everything is going to workout. If things are good then I'll use the bodysplit number 3 variation above, but like you said if things get too hectic Ill have to do one body part a day, the training split number 9 actually looks really good, it goes

chest
back
shoulders
off
arms
legs
off

[CreatineAD]

My routine is 3 on and 1 off. I wanna kno if Im overdoin it...

Day 1
Shoulders, Arms, Abs, Calves, Cardio (20 sets per body part)

Day2
Thighs,Calves, Abs, Cardio (20 sets per body part)

Day 3
Back, Chest, Abs, Calves, Cardio (20 sets per body part)

Day 4
Rest

[RepItOut]

My routine : -

Monday = Chest
1. Flat bench dumbells
2. Dumbell flys
3. Incline press straight bar
4. Decline press straight bar
5. Pullovers

Tuesday = Shoulders
1. Shoulder press dumbells
2. Front delt raises dumbells
3. Side delt raises dumbells
4. Rear delts (cables)
5. Shrugs straight bar

Wednesday = Legs
1. Sqauts Back
2. Squats Front
3. Leg extensions
4. Calve Raises
5. 45 degree Leg press

Thursday = Back
1. Lat Pulldown
2. Seated row
3. 1 arm row
4. T Bar
5. Deadlifts

Friday = Arms
1. Dips
2. Skullcrushes
3. Pushdowns
4. Close grip Bench
1. Standing dumbell curls (with drop set)
2. Concentration curls dumbells (with drop set)
3. Seated dumbell curls (double) (with drop set)
4. Hammers dumbell (with drop set)

Monday, Wednesday, Friday are my cardio days.. Mostly interval training or running up a 1.6 track/hill.. Abs same thing Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or whenever I can..

I try to drop set most of my later workout to really give me that pump.. Current weight about 78kg in the morning 80kg at lunch and 82.5kg after training.. trying to get to bout 90kg before cutting up .. @ 12% body fat now..

[cstewart_52]

My routine is 3 on and 1 off. I wanna kno if Im overdoin it...

Day 1
Shoulders, Arms, Abs, Calves, Cardio (20 sets per body part)

Day2
Thighs,Calves, Abs, Cardio (20 sets per body part)

Day 3
Back, Chest, Abs, Calves, Cardio (20 sets per body part)

Day 4
Rest

CreatinAD, yea ur overdoin it. I'm 20 years old now and in the last two years I have put on about 50 pounds of lean mass. I lift four days a week heavy with no more than 15 sets for any bodypart. I have found I grow best when liftin fewer reps with heavier weights. I do 8-12 reps per set and I rarely change exercises. Its like the old saying, "if it aint broke, don't fix it." Stick to the Bench, Squat, and Dead like a religion. Most importantly, follow Ronnie Coleman's two biggest rules. 1. Eat, Eat, and Eat. 2. Eat some more

[CreatineAD]

CreatinAD, yea ur overdoin it. I'm 20 years old now and in the last two years I have put on about 50 pounds of lean mass. I lift four days a week heavy with no more than 15 sets for any bodypart. I have found I grow best when liftin fewer reps with heavier weights. I do 8-12 reps per set and I rarely change exercises. Its like the old saying, "if it aint broke, don't fix it." Stick to the Bench, Squat, and Dead like a religion. Most importantly, follow Ronnie Coleman's two biggest rules. 1. Eat, Eat, and Eat. 2. Eat some more

yea i figured lol...i was doing that for 2 months and the last 2 weeks i've been hittin everything jus once a week. I actually wanna pick up dumbbells whenever i go to the gym...

[cstewart_52]

yea i figured lol...i was doing that for 2 months and the last 2 weeks i've been hittin everything jus once a week. I actually wanna pick up dumbbells whenever i go to the gym...

there are nothin wrong with dumbells but barbells allow you to use more weight and tax the muscles more. And besides theres no cooler feeling than pullin 500 lbs on deads for reps.

[jaredlee5]

I suppose this would be an overtraining post or at least dealing with soreness. For as long as i can remember the majority of my soreness shows up the second day after I lift, and doesnt hurt at all the day after i lift. And I am looking for an explanation.

Another instance I have a question about, happenned last week. I had done shoulders and triceps and demolished them both for 4-5 exercises each and had a great workout. But I only had minimal soreness the next day. And then on the Friday of that week I did power snatches and snatch technique followed by tricep dips, dips and pullups and abs for some bodyweight exercises. And my triceps have been sore for a full two days! how does this happen? i did tri dips, and normal dips in my tricep workout earlier in the week and it barely phased them. Thanks for anybody's help, cant wait to read some responses.

[cstewart_52]

As far as why your tris arent sore bro I don't know. That just has to be somethin about your own body. But the fatique thing is just science. Its a proven fact that fatique takes two days to show symptoms. When I played football we weren't allowed to lift heavy or run hard 2 days before games so we would be fresh.

[JeanT]

Hey there guys I know this is probably one of the most asked questions in bodybuilding but I would like to know what results I would get of doing sets with reps ranging from15 to 20 and sets incorporating 12 sets... I've been training for a couple of months and put on 20kg's and want to get good shape def an still keep my size. Thanks guys... RESPECT THE WAY OF THE ANIMAL!!!!!

[JeanT]

sorry guys i mean sets incorporating 12 reps.
Respect..

[XjusticeX]

Yea the Corps makes you run a shit load making it harder for gains since all i do is run or we strap all our gear on and run forever and a day. I will take your advice and run with it (see i am brainwashed to say run).....


SEMPER FIDELIS (ALWAYS FAITHFUL)

HaHa I know what you mean brotha, It is kinda hard for me to gain mass cause i shed all that hard work away with the running. but at least were in better shape..

[shotzie]

Mon-Chest and triceps
Incline Barbell Press: 4x12-8
Incline Flyes: 4x12-10
Pushdown: 4x12-10
Close Grip Bench Press: 4x12-10
Skullcrushers: 4x12-10

Wedns.-Shoulders and legs
Side Lateral: 4x12-15
Shoulder Press: 4x12-10
Shrugs: 5x12-10
Leg Extension: 4x15-12
Leg Press: 4x12-10
Barbell Squat: 4x12-10

Fri.-Back and biceps
Wide Grip Pulldown: 4x12-10
Bent Over Barbell Row: 4x12-8
Dumbbell Row: 4x10
Deadlift: 3-4x12-10
Straight Bar Curl: 4x12-10
Preacher Curl: 4x12-10

This routine i am just starting so please Critique the shit out of it.

[jayanticoli]

i need help figure out a new routine....my work schedule changed and it is as follows....
Mon 730-4...tues 1130-8...wed730-4...thurs 730-4...fri 730-4...and i'll work every 3rd saturday 730-4....so my problem i'm having is that i used to have a rest day on w3ednesday but with working tuedsy night i dont think i could.....my curent lifting schedule was...mon chest..tuesday quads and gripwork...wed off....thurdsday back....friday arms and calves....sat shoulders and hammys......help me out fellas

[cyrin203]

Hmm… I'll try to do some of these exercises too.

[mk53220]

http://forum.animalpak.com/showthread.php?t=22106

Also my diet is posted below in 2 threads. Thanks

[TwztedElegance]

I'm a very skinny guy (125 lbs @ 6'2") and will be starting this routine in January once I am back in college to bulk up.

Monday-Wednesday-Friday around 9 PM

Stretches
OH Press 3 x 12
Squats 1 x 20
Pullovers 1 x 20
Dips till failure
Chin ups till failure
Bench Press 3 x 12
Pullovers 1 x 20

I am gonna start with low weights, probably just the bar for squats and add 5 lbs every workout. Also, any suggestions about pre and post-workout food for bulking up?

[Littlefry]

Twiz, you might want to check out the squats n' milk program for bulking. It would be a perfect start for someone like you. I dont remeber the link to the program right now,but I know there are peolpe on this forvm who have it. Ill try and find it later for you and post it up here.