routine review - calling on experienced users!

[matt.be]

G'day team

Been training for a few years now, but just got pretty serious this year, with the goal of eventually competing next year. I consider myself relatively informed on bodybuilding but I thought since we've got some pretty knowledgeable people, who are doing pretty well on this forum, I'd see if could get some advice to improve my routine.

My goal at this stage is defintly to put on more muscle mass. My diet is sorted as im seeing a local nutritionist (Dean Geddes @ les mills ak).

Currently doing a 4 day split as follows:

Monday

Bench 3-4 sets, pyramiding up: 60 x12, 70x12, 80x6(failure), 70 x6(failure) .

Incline db: 25x 10 Drop Set 17X5, 25 x8(failure), DS 15 x7, 25x6(failure) DS 15x5.

Cable cross 14, 12, 12, Dropset 10, drop set 8 (both on final set only)

Tricep extensions , 10, 8(failure) ,6(failure)

Skull crusher, 8,6,4

Tues off

Wednesday:

deep squats:60x 12, 70x7(plus 2 partials), 80x4 (plus two partials) Yeah i have a weak squat....

Lying leg curls (hammys) 12 x 110p, 11x130p,9 x 140p .

1 leg hack squat:50x12, 50x9(failure + assisted reps) 50 x 6 (failure plus assisted reps)

Calf raise:110 * 15,12,9

Plus some ab work at the end usually 3 sets of one excercise.

Thursday:

Db press, 25x12 superset front db raise 6x12, 25x12(F) superset front db raise 7x14. 25x11(F) superset front db raise 7x18.

Side lateral raises: 10x12 DS 5x7, 10x10(F), DS 5x7, 10x11(F), DS 5x6

Cable bent lat raise (currently try to work on rear and side delts) 6(actual weight unknown) x11, 6 x 11, 6 x 13(F)

(BB/DB) shrug, alternates each week: 60x15, 80x15, 90x15, 100 x 12 (F)

Upright row: 11x 12 SS, bent over db shrug 22x 18, 11x14 SS bent over db shrug 22x16 12x14(F) SS bent over db shrug 22x 14.

Saturday:

Pull ups 10, 8, 6 all to failure

Tbar/BB row :45 x12, 55x12,65x11 (F),65x10 (F),45 x20 (F)

Lat pulldown:105p x11, 120px11,120p x 14 (F)

Deads:80x12, 90x9, 105x 6(F)

E-Z bar curl, 15x12,SS hammer curls 10x6, 15x12,SS hammer curls 10x7, 15x14,SS hammer curls 10x3.

Sunday off:

At the moment my legs are my weakest point, followed by chest (physique wise).

Would really like to hear peoples thoughts on the routine.

Cheers,

Matt

[GreekAdonis]

Here are a few ideas,

Add some dips in on mondays.

Add some lunges or leg press on wednesdays.

Do deadlifts first on saturdays.

Looks pretty goood though 8)

[Mrbig]

ever thought of seeing a P.T

[matt.be]

Here are a few ideas,

Add some dips in on mondays.

Add some lunges or leg press on wednesdays.

Do deadlifts first on saturdays.

Looks pretty goood though 8)

Sounds good, cheers! I've had the deads at the end as I usually wreck myself on them. I'll switch em around and see how it goes.

ever thought of seeing a P.T

Yeah sure have, but most likely not on the cards till next year.

[musclenz]

Chest - get off the Flat Bench into Incline/Decline DB & BB work. FB recruits too much shoulder, arm & lat to be an effective chest builder. Try contracting your shoulder blades together in chest work where possible to get full ROM

Legs - would use Leg Press & Full Hack Squats for hammies as well as your program. For Hammies I would add in another exercise like Reverse Hack Squat. Like a stiff leg dead on the hack machine. You may want to consider splitting your quads & Hams into defferent days. A bit more dificult on your 4 day split perhaps & maybe something to think about if legs fail to respond.

Food Plan - not all Nutritionists are up with BBer Food Plans, so make sure they understand your requirements. Anything above 4500 Cals ED is getting close & the macro split depends on your body type & intensity work load in the gym & in cardio + normal daily life requirements.

[Optimass]

Chest - Try contracting your shoulder blades together in chest work where possible to get full ROM

Amazing how many experienced trainers you see out there that don't get their clients to focus on this. :nod:

[xen]

Monday:

Bench with dumbells and replace inclines with dips. Drop Tricep extensions altogether; your triceps are getting fried anyway. I'd also get rid of the flyes, but I know how people love that crap so keep it if you like.

If you do get rid of them and feel like more, do some ab work and stretches. Also keep in mind that I'd add your DB presses here, after chest and before triceps (see Thursday below).

Wednesday:

Focus on your squatting, it'll make the biggest difference to your physique. You may want to add a set. Also don't ever do partials. Read the squat thread if you think I'm confused. Drop the leg curls and hack squat and learn the Romanian Deadlift instead. 3 good sets should do it.

Thursday:

Drop your Thursday workout altogehter, but keep the DB presses, and do them on Monday before triceps. Perhaps replace this day with cardio or some other fat burning activity. Remember if this activity is intense, e.g. hill sprints, you run a real risk of overtraining.

Saturday:

Drop the lat pulldowns (you're doing pullups anyway). Then add 5 sets of 3 reps of the Power Clean. It'll give you all the trap/back/rear delt work you could want. Do this first, and do the pullups second to last, before your biceps work. Also, consider dropping the deads and squating again instead.

Just my opinion.

[matt.be]

Great stuff, cheers boys.

I might do quads am, hammy's pm, or even split it out onto another day.

Droped the flat bench and started off with incline bb - upper chest is needs develpment anyway.

Added lunges and leg press in to my quad day-totaly punished them!

BB lunges are my new favorite leg excercise.

More to come with the next few workouts.

Matt

[matt.be]

Monday:

Drop Tricep extensions altogether; your triceps are getting fried anyway.

Just wanted to say props for this advice bro! Droped my ancillary tricep work last week, and my bench is up 10kgs this week.

A great lesson in the effects of overtraining.

Cheers

[xen]

Nice work

[roadie]

just wondering if i am reading this thread right.....cos i do not have a routine like this.....

there is not a lot of volume.......can you really get good growth out of about 9 sets on most upper body muscles and 6 sets for quads..???

also with this level of excercises can triceps really be overtained with 6 sets to effect bench 7 days later???

ty

[poos_n_wees]

Saturday:

Drop the lat pulldowns (you're doing pullups anyway). Then add 5 sets of 3 reps of the Power Clean. It'll give you all the trap/back/rear delt work you could want. Do this first, and do the pullups second to last, before your biceps work. Also, consider dropping the deads and squating again instead.

That's a pretty technical lift.. tricky unless he has someone to teach him the proper form :?

[xen]

Very true. I think there are enough videos and training material out on the net to learn a passable PC, or he can ask people at his gym. It just seemed to be a nice way to tie up a few of his goals all at once. If he doesn't want to learn it, then what can you do?

[xen]

Roadie: Seems like he has more volume than that in a week. But I'd say, even with so few sets, if they were multi-joint compound excercises, e.g. squat, dealift, bench press, military press, and done intensely, then sure, you can get good growth, assuming you're a beginner and are eating well. You may wish to up the volume a little more.

Check out the routines here: http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/ ... ength_Wiki

They are about this volume or a bit more, and I haven't read a bad thing about them. However, I'd say many people here would disagree with me on this score and would recommend higher volume training, so learn what'll work for you by reading everything you can. Using Starting Strength however is a good way to build a foundation for your lifting, IMO.

Re: triceps, remember every pressing excercise he does involves his triceps. I'd only recommend focused triceps work if you identify it as a sticking point in one of your staple lifts, e.g. your lock out is poor on benches.