gym routine?

[terminator]

hay ppl im new to this, im jus wanting any tips ppl have to offer?im looking to get a big upper body,big chest/shoulders/arms etc not to worried about lower body at mo.in saying that i dont really know the routine i sould be doin when goin to the gym to get this goal, i go 4 days a week at the moment.

cheers ppl.

[Luigi]

you should work the legs otherwise youll be playing catchup later on, and an hour and a half is too long try restricting your gym sessions to an hour at max. have a look through the workout journals for a good split and exercises, welcome to the site

[bflchamp]

hi, im fairly new as well but my training has been at least 90minutes, usually - im bodybuilding and do 2 body parts per session. is 90mins really too long?

[teamfatboy]

If you're doing two body parts per routine, and a moderate number of sets per exercise (so maybe three-four exercises for quads or chest or whatever, and three or four sets per exercise, each set of 8-12 reps), then it shouldn't really take 90 minutes.

One of the keys to success is to keep rest times down, well down - one minute but no more than two...

So, if you were doing a normal chest-triceps split (or back-biceps, quads/hams et cetera) your routine would include maybe twelve sets for chest, and twelve sets for triceps. If each set of twelve reps took a minute, then you should be done and out of there in 50 minutes or so (twenty-four minutes of lifting, and twenty-four minutes of resting in between sets).

Do you include any cardio that you do after your weights when you say 90 minutes?

[bflchamp]

cardio - yes always row 5000metres then workout. when i finish the workout (eg chest & back) i then usually do abs and/or forearm curls and/or seated calf raises to kill time as i have to wait for my partner to finish her classes. i do keep an eye on the rest periods usually no more than 90secs if i can help it - im sure when i get fitter i can cut it down to a minute.

About a month ago i was doing barbell curls supersetting with standing barbell tricep extensions...my technique must have been bad as ever since i got really sore left elbow and ive been waiting for it to go away but no joy. its to a point where even with light weights either cable or dumbbell - attempting side laterals/upright rows - my left arm is too sore. would you know of any remedy? - ive booked in to get xray.

[Calvin]

I used to get a extremly sore rotator cuff. I over came it by warming up throughly and doing stretches inbetween sets. Now the pain is gone.

[Mrbig]

cardio - yes always row 5000metres then workout. when i finish the workout (eg chest & back) i then usually do abs and/or forearm curls and/or seated calf raises to kill time as i have to wait for my partner to finish her classes. i do keep an eye on the rest periods usually no more than 90secs if i can help it - im sure when i get fitter i can cut it down to a minute.

About a month ago i was doing barbell curls supersetting with standing barbell tricep extensions...my technique must have been bad as ever since i got really sore left elbow and ive been waiting for it to go away but no joy. its to a point where even with light weights either cable or dumbbell - attempting side laterals/upright rows - my left arm is too sore. would you know of any remedy? - ive booked in to get xray.

you have tennis elbow/tendonitis do 200 reverse wrist curls a day with a 1 kilo weight and stretch it for a good minute then rest and repeat maybe 5 times if you dont get it sorted soon your gunna need surgery and your workout is way to much if you wanna get big

[becbec]

If you're wanting muscle gains then 5000m is probably too much if you're a dude, but if you must.. then do it after your weights

[auck_builder]

i agree do ur cardio last(if u have to do it), eat heaps, compound exercises, rest heaps.

ie

Mon chest

Wed Back

Fri legs

add in bi's,tris,shoulders, abs what days suit you

EASY :grin:

[teamfatboy]

:ditto: yep, what they said... do your cardio afterwards.

If you've got the luxury of having 90 minutes a time for weights-then-cardio, on a four day split you could go:

a. Quads/hams

b. Chest/triceps

c. Back/biceps

d. Shoulders/calves/abs

Warm-up, then compound exercise x 2, isolating exercise x 2, three sets apiece, for each muscle group except the last one (three-four shoulders, two calves, two abs). You might find this helpful.

Why train legs if you want a big upper body?

• - Legs are amongst the biggest muscle groups, so when you work them, you burn more fat than with smaller muscle groups;
  - The more fat you burn, the better everything looks; and
  - If that weren't enough, because lean muscle is denser than fat, lean legs are smaller than fat ones, making upper body bigger in proportion.

[trainharder]

:ditto: yep, what they said... do your cardio afterwards.

If you've got the luxury of having 90 minutes a time for weights-then-cardio, on a four day split you could go:

a. Quads/hams

b. Chest/triceps

c. Back/biceps

d. Shoulders/calves/abs

Warm-up, then compound exercise x 2, isolating exercise x 2, three sets apiece, for each muscle group except the last one (three-four shoulders, two calves, two abs). You might find this helpful.

Why train legs if you want a big upper body?

• - Legs are amongst the biggest muscle groups, so when you work them, you burn more fat than with smaller muscle groups;
  - The more fat you burn, the better everything looks; and
  - If that weren't enough, because lean muscle is denser than fat, lean legs are smaller than fat ones, making upper body bigger in proportion.

i think you might find that training legs even just doing squats benefits the upper body growth hormones will be released that will induce upper body growth i dont agree that by training legs you will burn more fat either.

[trainharder]

aim to get your waist smaller if possible will make your upper body appear bigger

remember bodybuilding is an illussion.trying to appear bigger

if you can add width to your shoulders heavy shoulder exersizes and side lat raises etc are necesary and adding width to your back and having a narrow waist you will look much bigger than someone who is bigger but roundish and maybe weighs 20kgs more than you.

good luck

[terminator]

ok sounds good, whats going to help make my shoulders bigger and waist smaller?what kind off workout etc?

im going to cut my time down to an hour max now, but i still working and trying to find out what exactly i sould be doin in that hour etc..

cheers

[trainharder]

i dont think you will be able to do both at the same time

spend a few months going heavy with your shoulders back and chest.

eat more calories but nice and clean so you gain some size

keep working on your abs and core too

then try cutting and reducing the fat afterwards.

hopefully you will have more size overall and try and work off the excess fat when you cut back the calories.

dont go overboard with your eating at first because you might gain too much extra weight especially in the mid section which for some people is hard to loose.

and although you will get bigger all round eating a lot looking like a round ball is less impressive than a narrow waist and wider shoulders.

maybe talk to a personal trainer at your gym someone who has done comps to get some advice.

and remember go heavy and eat more than your maintenance level calories to gain weight.

[roadie]

hey just some input on workout length...maybe 90m of hardout session is too much but 90m from enter to exit is not so bad.....by the time you get in the door and get a decent warm up in it all takes time, also if your adding 10min of abs at the end then really you have probably only spent 45-60 on the real part of the workout.

as many people recommend here 12 sets per muscle - 2 muscles a day - 1 min rest then your having 24mins of rest per session......thats over half of your 45 minutes.

theres no way i get through in 45min, i am normally 90.......enter to exit with a shower......wife says 2 hrs.....i gotta travel a bit...lol

[trainharder]

yes if you can aim to train all body parts seperate if you can manage 5 days

chest one day

shoulders another

legs another

back another

and bis and tris another

or add tris with chest and bis with back to take it to 4 days remember to have rest days as well

try 3 to 4 exersizes per bodypart maybe 3 for each tris and bis

3 sets each

give the body part you are doing everything so your not focusing on the next bodypart or other muscles and throw in abs at the end a couple of days a week they need rest days too maybe 2 exersizes for your abs when you do them 3 to 4 sets of each

seperating the body parts is for people who have been training a while though and can focus individually on each for a beginner you might respond better to a 2 day split

i would still recomend chatting to someone at your gym who can look at you and determine where your at and what areas you should focus on more as well

[terminator]

ok will do that going to set me a plan for my workout and just stuck at that and see what happens,i have been doin 2 sets off everything when going to the gym but more have been focusing on my chest/shoulders/arms.

whats the quickest way to gain big chest/shouldres?like benchpress etc

[boostinggtir]

don't forget legs mate. For chest just start with barbell flat bench, dumbell flat bench and also dumbbell flys. Make sure you use/learn good form.

[1day]

Make sure you use/learn good form.

yea, dont be like boosting :wink: . remember its not so much about the weight u lift, its about how u lift it

[boostinggtir]

Make sure you use/learn good form.

yea, dont be like boosting :wink: . remember its not so much about the weight u lift, its about how u lift it

don't be like 1day in any aspect of your life.

[1day]

don't be like 1day in any aspect of your life.

owch! thats cuts deap bro

[boostinggtir]

Sorry g, your really an inspiration to me, I'm hoping to be as cut as you by 2012. :pfft:

[Calvin]

Terminator where do you train?

[terminator]

at IPC in palmy?

[Luigi]

don't be like 1day in any aspect of your life.

owch! thats cuts deap bro

you two need to get a room !