New compound focused split

[quadrant6]

I've found better eating key to putting some weight on my hardgainer bod but I also want to change to a simpler compound focused routine.

My chest, shoulders and arms are really the weak point and somewhat out of proportion with lower body!. I'd like to work up to doing dips and pullups but can't manage more than 1 or 2 at the moment

I also find heavy/light to work for me especially in increasing strength, which I need

So this is my plan..

3 days. 1 week heavy (h) then 1 week light (l)...

flat press (dumbell) h: 5x5 l: 3x10

incline press (dumbell) h: 3x7 l: 2x14

shoulder press (dumbell) h: 5x5 l: 3x10

lying tricep overhead extension (ez-curl) h: 3x7 l: 2x14

front squat h: 5x5 l: 3x10

deadlift h: 5x5 l: 3x10

leg curl machine h: 3x7 l: 2x14

standing calf raise machhine h: 3x7 l: 2x14

t-bar row h: 5x5 l: 3x10

lat pulldown h: 5x5 l: 3x10

front pulldown (in prep for pullups) h: 3x7 l: 2x14

ez-bar bicep curl h: 3x7 l: 2x14

Do abs on a few of my off days.

Is the db bench as good as the normal barbell bench? I find it easier whereas I seem to get stuck on the normal bench.. If it's superior then I'll go back to it though...

Likewise should I look at bar or dumbell rows instead of the t-bar? I just find that with those, the lower back is worked, which isn't needed considering the lower body workout

[Blake]

If you are using dumbbells as apposed to the barbell for bench press you will be using a lot more of the supporting muscles around the shoulder and if one side is weaker than the other this technique will help to balance out the imperfection.

Same with your back workout – doing a bent over dumbbell row will allow you to isolate a lot more, work on imbalances and help you to push through any sticking points. But like anything you should mix things up so your body doesn’t get accustomed to what you are doing. Perhaps try a single armed dumbbell or shoulder press. You’ll notice how much your abs come into the exercise to stabilise you.

[nzmusclemonster]

If you are using dumbbells as apposed to the barbell for bench press you will be using a lot more of the supporting muscles around the shoulder and if one side is weaker than the other this technique will help to balance out the imperfection.

Same with your back workout – doing a bent over dumbbell row will allow you to isolate a lot more, work on imbalances and help you to push through any sticking points. But like anything you should mix things up so your body doesn’t get accustomed to what you are doing. Perhaps try a single armed dumbbell or shoulder press. You’ll notice how much your abs come into the exercise to stabilise you.

Spoken like a true personal trainer :roll: He should be doing his squats on the swiss ball, right.

Quadrant your program looks good. Good volumes, no overtraining gonna happen and by doing basic movements like that your sure to pack on some beef.

[Blake]

You don't like my suggestions?

[nzmusclemonster]

You don't like my suggestions?

No.

[Josie]

You don't like my suggestions?

No.

Well there's a surprise.

[haydz0r]

You don't like my suggestions?

No.

why not? you cant leave us hanging like that!

[Blake]

He should be doing his squats on the swiss ball, right.

You tell me oh mighty guru.

[Pseudonym]

Spoken like a true personal trainer :roll: He should be doing his squats on the swiss ball, right.

NZMM, a lot of your posts come across as having a pretty snakey tone. That's not how we do things here. You're perfectly entitled to disagree with people, but as Haydz0r says, you need to give us the reasons why as well.

[FastFreddy]

hi quatrant6

i think you have some good movements in that program.

but theres a lot to get tho,and with all that volume i can t see you pushing 100% intensity.

also, the order in witch some of what your doing is what id call counter productive.

dead lifts,squats, id tend to put and the end of a workout and not both on the same day.

i dont think bicep curls,leg curls eg.. are needed in there either.

big arms and made by big pulling or pushing movements,

[FastFreddy]

sorry one other thing i forget,

i also dont think you need to do balancing type movements ,

i can t see anyone training to 100% with two d/bs in hand doing any press type movement,

shore,do a warm up set or two with them,but when you ready to do those working sets ,use machines or a bar with a spotter ready to help ya,

[Blake]

also, the order in witch some of what your doing is what id call counter productive.

Maybe you could be so good as to explain to the man about pre-fatiguing.

[FastFreddy]

why dont you Blake?

[Blake]

why dont you Blake?

It was your idea that was leading to it.

But in case you are struggling this may help you:

Prefatiguing a larger muscle with an isolation, single-joint movement so it can be even more exhausted by the compound movements to follow. When you do an exercise like the bench press that works not only the chest, but also smaller muscles, one of the smaller muscles might fail before your chest is fully exhausted. By doing a chest isolation exercise beforehand, you can fatigue your chest so you can do bench presses to chest failure, which is what you want.

“Jay Horowitz”

[FastFreddy]

struggling??only struggling i did today was with weights blake.

pre-exhaust sets is more the way id put it,

it is also a great way of working your leggs hard with out braking your back with super heavy squat.by pre-exhausting your frontal thigh muscles with leg extentions(alway get to top part of movement)the top 16% of leg extentions is the most productive part of the movement ,where all 4 heads of your quads come into play,then jump into the smith machine or hack squat and go for gold!,your legs should blow out before your lower back.

[quadrant6]

thanks for the feedback and info there on pre-exhausting.

What about putting the deadlift and squat on different days though? I just thought they should go together because they are both lower body.

[FastFreddy]

hi quad,

all good m8y.

with ya dead lifts and squats,

i would split them up.

say mon:chest and back.

warm up with some d/b incline press.

then get into flys or pec deck and finsh with bench press machine or dips.

warm back up with bent rows or cable rows.

then into rev-grip pull downs or chins.

and finsh workout with dead lifts.

wens: legs,

warm up on leg press or light squats,

then hit the leg extention and then hack squats or smith squats.

then calve raisers,one light abd one set

super heavy!

finsh with some cable crunchers super setted with sit ups.

fri:shoulders and arms.

warm up with seated d/b press,

then hit rev;facing pec deck or rear delt machine or bent over lat raisers.

then behind neck smith shoulder press.

shrugs then standing rows with cable. then

bicep curls seated with d/bs or a machine if ya got one.

then tricep push downs and finsh on dips.

keep it in that order dude(days and movements

[quadrant6]

Cheers, I'll give it a go

So I guess because the deadlift works upper back as well, it makes sense to put it with the back routine. That and doing deadlifts/squats on the same day can be brutal!

But when i hit the legs on wed, won't the lower back still be recovering from the dlifts on mon? or is that ok because the lower back can take more and it's only being worked indirectly by squats?

[FastFreddy]

good question,

hopfully your lower back has recovered because you pre-exhausted your legs first,and it wasnt the weak link anymore,

one think you can do if ya lower back is getting a little over trained is do heavy smith machine shrugs every other week,so your still dealing with big weights ,but not using your back as much.

[quadrant6]

Cool, I'll see how it goes. thanks