Critique my Routine

[MrMatt]

It's been a while, so I thought I'd post what I'm doing currently and ask for any advice you can give. I'm 5 10, ~188 and bulking. You know the drill. Anything missing, or in need of tweaking do you think?

Monday: Chest/Triceps/Delts
BB Flat: 3 or 4 sets, 3-8 reps
BB Decline: 3 or 4, 3-8 reps
BB Incline: 3 or 4, 3-8 reps
Cable flyes or cable benching: 3 sets, 8-15 reps
Dips or CG Benching: 3 sets, ~10 reps
Military presses: 1 set, as many as I have left in me.

notes: I rotate what comes first each week. Whatever was last the previous week is done first in the current week. So if I go Flat, Incline, Decline one week, the next week I would go Decline, Flat, Incline, and then the following week Incline, Decline, then Flat. Whatever I do first typically gets 4 sets. I mix it up every few weeks and use DBs on one or more exercises instead of BB's

Tuesday: Legs
Squats: 4 sets, 3-8 reps
Glute Ham Raises: 3 sets, 6-10 reps
Front Squats or Leg extensions (something quad based): 3 sets, 3-8 reps.
BB or Standing Calf Raises: 3 sets, 8-15 reps
Seated Calves: 1 or 2 sets, 8-15 reps

notes: Sometimes I'll do box squats instead of regular squats. I'm still working on activating my hams/ass more on squats. I seem to need to go nearly ass to grass to get that to happen though, which is fine by me.

Wednesday: Cardio
Incline walking: ~3.5 mph, ~12% incline, half hour.

Thursday: Back/Traps/ Biceps/(hamstrings sometimes)

Weighted Pullups: 4 sets, 3-12 reps
Rows (DB, BB, T-Bar, depends on mood): 3 sets, 3-8 reps
BB Rack Pulls, or Deadlifts: 2 or 3 sets, 6-8 reps
DB Curls: 1 sets, 8 reps or so.

notes: I'm following CC's advice on this, Hit it hard & heavy and don't get hung up on volume. My biceps tend to grow like weeds no matter what I do, so I'll even skip the curling 1/2 the time.

Friday: off

Saturday: Cardio
Incline walking: ~3.5 mph, ~12% incline, half hour.

Sunday: Off



So is there anything glaring that's missing, or any suggestions on things to change up or completely overhaul??

 

[brikis98]

The usual questions:

(1) What are your goals? Are you just trying to add muscle mass (hypertrophy)? Are you trying to get stronger? Training for some kind of sport/athletics?

(2) What is your weight lifting experience? The relevant measures here are:

(a) How quickly you can add weight to the bar. If you're increasing the weight on your major lifts just about every workout, then you should be doing a daily linear progression (beginner). If you're increasing the weight on your major lifts only once every 2-3 workouts, then you should be doing a weekly linear progression (intermediate). Finally, if it takes you many workouts to increase the weight on a lift, then you probably can't do a linear progression anymore and need a more complicated periodized program (advanced).

(b) How much weight you're actually lifting. Check out the weightlifting performance standards for a reference.

In general, you should want to stay a "beginner" as long as you possibly can because that's the fastest way to make gains. Don't let your ego get in the way and claim you're at a higher level then you actually are, as you'll just end up with a program that's LESS efficient at achieving your goals.

Looking through your routine, it looks like a typical bodybuilding style split routine. Is this something you put together yourself based on some online template? Do you really think you have enough experience for that? For example, can you justify the following decisions: why are you doing some exercises for 3-8 reps, others 8-15 reps, others 6-10 and still others 3-12? Are you aware of the different training effects of a 3RM versus a 5RM versus an 8RM versus a 15RM? Why are you doing 18 sets of chest exercises? Are you aware that these need to be carefully offset with a roughly equal amount of pulling exercises (rows, pull-ups, etc) to avoid rotator cuff injuries? Why do you devote 2 days a week to upper body, but only 1 day a week to lower body, given that the latter has much bigger muscles? Do you have a clear idea of how to increase weight on each exercise? Why are you not doing any exercises to develop power (ie, o-lifts)? Why are you exercising two days in a row?

I'm not trying to be insulting, but the average person just has no reason to know the answers to the above and is therefore unlikely to put together an effective routine for themselves. Instead, you're far better off using a routine appropriate for your experience level put together by professionals (I can recommend a few if you answer questions 1 and 2 above). It's not that your routine won't work, but rather that it's not as efficient as other routines will be. Since you only have a finite amount of time to train, it should be in your best interests to find the optimal routine.

 

[MrMatt]

Originally posted by: brikis98
The usual questions:

(1) What are your goals? Are you just trying to add muscle mass (hypertrophy)? Are you trying to get stronger? Training for some kind of sport/athletics?

Add muscle mass & strength. Not any sport in particular right now.

(2) What is your weight lifting experience? The relevant measures here are:

(a) How quickly you can add weight to the bar. If you're increasing the weight on your major lifts just about every workout, then you should be doing a daily linear progression (beginner). If you're increasing the weight on your major lifts only once every 2-3 workouts, then you should be doing a weekly linear progression (intermediate). Finally, if it takes you many workouts to increase the weight on a lift, then you probably can't do a linear progression anymore and need a more complicated periodized program (advanced).

I've been lifting 10 years. If I'm eating right I add weight to my major lifts pretty much weekly.

(b) How much weight you're actually lifting. Check out the weightlifting performance standards for a reference.

According to that I'm advanced on Deadlifting, between intermediate and advanced on Squat, advanced on press (military I assume?), between intermediate and advanced on clean, and a tad under advanced on bench press. I'm also 'excellent' in my vertical jump rating http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/VerticalJump.html

In general, you should want to stay a "beginner" as long as you possibly can because that's the fastest way to make gains. Don't let your ego get in the way and claim you're at a higher level then you actually are, as you'll just end up with a program that's LESS efficient at achieving your goals.

Completely agree

Looking through your routine, it looks like a typical bodybuilding style split routine. Is this something you put together yourself based on some online template? Do you really think you have enough experience for that? For example, can you justify the following decisions: why are you doing some exercises for 3-8 reps, others 8-15 reps, others 6-10 and still others 3-12? Are you aware of the different training effects of a 3RM versus a 5RM versus an 8RM versus a 15RM?

Yup, I usually start with lower reps/higher weight on an exercise and then by the 3rd or 4th set I hit a weight that's just low enough to crank out a shitload of reps. I don't actually do it on purpose, but it's like even a 5 lbs. decrease in a weight sometimes makes the effort i need to move it fall off a cliff.

Why are you doing 18 sets of chest exercises? Are you aware that these need to be carefully offset with a roughly equal amount of pulling exercises (rows, pull-ups, etc) to avoid rotator cuff injuries?

I'm thinking of reducing that by 4 sets or so, maybe hack a set off the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th exercise I do. Also thinking of doing something like changing it from barbell pressing movements on 2nd & 3rd to DB's on one, and flyes on another, and changing the angle week to week. Good suggestion though. I love rowing, so that's good. I've actually never had a problem with my rotators in my life. Although I didn't bench press for the first 3 years that I went to the gym.

Why do you devote 2 days a week to upper body, but only 1 day a week to lower body, given that the latter has much bigger muscles?

I'd agree with this usually, except the back/bicep day usually ends up with a shitload of hamstring in it. Especially if I deadlift.

Do you have a clear idea of how to increase weight on each exercise? Why are you not doing any exercises to develop power (ie, o-lifts)?

This is the main problem I have. It seems like I can easily add weight on some exercises (flat/incline benching) and not others (squatting for instance). I don't do o-lifts because I have NO idea where to put them in my rotation. None. I like doing them, cleans are actually my favorite exercise, but I'm clueless as to where I should do them.

Why are you exercising two days in a row?

Old habits I guess

I'm not trying to be insulting, but the average person just has no reason to know the answers to the above and is therefore unlikely to put together an effective routine for themselves. Instead, you're far better off using a routine appropriate for your experience level put together by professionals (I can recommend a few if you answer questions 1 and 2 above). It's not that your routine won't work, but rather that it's not as efficient as other routines will be. Since you only have a finite amount of time to train, it should be in your best interests to find the optimal routine.

It's not insulting at all, it's why I'm posting! I usually avoid pre-made routines because they call for X amount of weight increase week to week. If you miss the weight one week out of 20, the whole routine is blown.

 

[GenHoth]

The two big things I noticed that Brik didn't post about were the Decline press and the multiple sqaut/leg presses in a day? Decline is generally considered superfluous, so when already doing flat and incline I think cutting it altogether would be an effective way of cutting down your workout.

How do you find the energy to do so many squat/leg press variation in a day! I'm dying after just my back squat!

 

[KoolDrew]

Way too much pushing, not enough pulling, and you're only hitting everything once a week. Since what you're basically trying to do is a push/pull/legs routine I would stay with the same concept, but go four days a week. For example, M-T-Th-F so the first week would be Push-Pull-Legs-Push and the next would be Pull=Legs-Push-Pull. If you only want to workout 3x a week, you would be best off doing a full body routine with lower volume or a lower/upper/full body routine. The latter can actually be very effective. Hit lower body and upper body with a more hypertrophy oriented rep range and then do a lower rep strength oriented full body day.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: MrMatt
Add muscle mass & strength. Not any sport in particular right now.

Is one more important than the other? If you are beyond beginner levels, most routines are tailored towards either strength or hypertrophy. Obviously, there is significant overlap between the two, but you should pick the type of routine that most closely achieves what you want.

Originally posted by: MrMatt
I've been lifting 10 years. If I'm eating right I add weight to my major lifts pretty much weekly.
According to that I'm advanced on Deadlifting, between intermediate and advanced on Squat, advanced on press (military I assume?), between intermediate and advanced on clean, and a tad under advanced on bench press. I'm also 'excellent' in my vertical jump rating http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/VerticalJump.html

It sounds like you're still in the intermediate stages, especially if you can add weight to your lifts weekly. At any rate, it would be worth trying an intermediate level routine and see how you do with it. If it works, it'll be the fastest way for you to increase strength/mass. If not, then you can switch to an advanced periodized routine later.

Originally posted by: MrMatt
Yup, I usually start with lower reps/higher weight on an exercise and then by the 3rd or 4th set I hit a weight that's just low enough to crank out a shitload of reps. I don't actually do it on purpose, but it's like even a 5 lbs. decrease in a weight sometimes makes the effort i need to move it fall off a cliff.

What you need to understand is that the number of reps you do is not an arbitrary decision. Take a look at this chart that shows the training effects of different rep ranges. To make your training as efficient as possible, you should use the rep range that most closely coincides with your goals. For strength and power development, that's usually 1-5 reps. For hypertrophy, you'll often want to include a lot more higher rep sets in the 8-12 range (although building strength is also essential to hypertrophy). Moreover, it's worth mentioning that doing one muscle group per week is a pretty inefficient way to train for most people. It might work for very advanced lifters who are moving enormous loads (or are bodybuilders on steroids), but for the average person, you can usually increase your gains by working each muscle group 2-3 times per week.

Originally posted by: MrMatt
I'm thinking of reducing that by 4 sets or so, maybe hack a set off the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th exercise I do. Also thinking of doing something like changing it from barbell pressing movements on 2nd & 3rd to DB's on one, and flyes on another, and changing the angle week to week. Good suggestion though. I love rowing, so that's good. I've actually never had a problem with my rotators in my life. Although I didn't bench press for the first 3 years that I went to the gym.

In the world of weight lifting, more sets and more exercises does not always mean better results. Only a certain amount of stimulus is necessary to achieve a training effect and unless you have a specific need for handling huge exercise volumes (ie, Navy Seal training) doing more is only going to slow recovery and therefore be counterproductive. Doing 18 sets of chest exercise is usually no better than 6 sets done at a very high intensity.

Originally posted by: MrMatt
This is the main problem I have. It seems like I can easily add weight on some exercises (flat/incline benching) and not others (squatting for instance). I don't do o-lifts because I have NO idea where to put them in my rotation. None. I like doing them, cleans are actually my favorite exercise, but I'm clueless as to where I should do them.

Your lower body is arguably more important to train than your upper body, especially if strength is your goal, but even if upper body looks are your goals. This is because the lower body has the biggest muscles in it and the exercises that work them (squats, cleans, deadlifts, etc) produce the biggest hormonal/endocrine responses. This leads to huge gains EVERYWHERE and is why most effective routines include a whole lot of heavy lower body exercises. Also worth mention is that as far as practical, real world strength goes, the typical muscles most bodybuilders care about & train - namely the chest & biceps - are relatively unimportant. If you want strength that you can apply to every day activities, sports, etc then working your legs & back should be the primary focus.

Originally posted by: MrMatt
I usually avoid pre-made routines because they call for X amount of weight increase week to week. If you miss the weight one week out of 20, the whole routine is blown.

Not sure what pre-made routines you're looking at, but the ones I'd recommend typically have simple recommendations such as "if you finish X sets and Y reps at weight Z, increase the weight to Z+5 next week. If you don't, try X by Y two more times and if you're still stuck, deload to 90% of Z". Therefore, "missing the weight" is expected and easily handled.

Having said all that, I would recommend scrapping your current routine and trying one of the ones below:

Intermediate strength training routines: the focus is obviously strength, and to achieve that, these routines are built around the squat. This is desirable because the squat is almost unmatched in its ability to strengthen the entire body and produce an enormous hormonal response. They look quite different than typical split routines, and include far less volume than you're used to, but there's no way around it: these type of routines produce awesome strength gains. Just make sure you get your squat form perfected before trying them:

Bill Starr 5x5
The Texas Method

Intermediate bodybuilding style routines: these routines place a bigger emphasis on hypertrophy by including more high rep sets and more isolation exercises:

Push/Pull Upper/Lower Split
Hypertrophy Specific Training

 

[Deeko]

My thoughts -

-doing flat, decline, incline, and flies all on the same day is overkill. Rotate the exercises.

-Don't bother with leg exercises. They "shape" your quads but build very little strength/muscle.

-Switch your Tuesday and Wednesday workouts

-Switch your Thursday and Saturday workouts

-No real issues with your back workout

 

[MrMatt]

Originally posted by: brikis98

Originally posted by: MrMatt
Add muscle mass & strength. Not any sport in particular right now.

Is one more important than the other? If you are beyond beginner levels, most routines are tailored towards either strength or hypertrophy. Obviously, there is significant overlap between the two, but you should pick the type of routine that most closely achieves what you want.

Originally posted by: MrMatt
I've been lifting 10 years. If I'm eating right I add weight to my major lifts pretty much weekly.
According to that I'm advanced on Deadlifting, between intermediate and advanced on Squat, advanced on press (military I assume?), between intermediate and advanced on clean, and a tad under advanced on bench press. I'm also 'excellent' in my vertical jump rating http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/VerticalJump.html

It sounds like you're still in the intermediate stages, especially if you can add weight to your lifts weekly. At any rate, it would be worth trying an intermediate level routine and see how you do with it. If it works, it'll be the fastest way for you to increase strength/mass. If not, then you can switch to an advanced periodized routine later.

Originally posted by: MrMatt
Yup, I usually start with lower reps/higher weight on an exercise and then by the 3rd or 4th set I hit a weight that's just low enough to crank out a shitload of reps. I don't actually do it on purpose, but it's like even a 5 lbs. decrease in a weight sometimes makes the effort i need to move it fall off a cliff.

What you need to understand is that the number of reps you do is not an arbitrary decision. Take a look at this chart that shows the training effects of different rep ranges. To make your training as efficient as possible, you should use the rep range that most closely coincides with your goals. For strength and power development, that's usually 1-5 reps. For hypertrophy, you'll often want to include a lot more higher rep sets in the 8-12 range (although building strength is also essential to hypertrophy). Moreover, it's worth mentioning that doing one muscle group per week is a pretty inefficient way to train for most people. It might work for very advanced lifters who are moving enormous loads (or are bodybuilders on steroids), but for the average person, you can usually increase your gains by working each muscle group 2-3 times per week.

Originally posted by: MrMatt
I'm thinking of reducing that by 4 sets or so, maybe hack a set off the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th exercise I do. Also thinking of doing something like changing it from barbell pressing movements on 2nd & 3rd to DB's on one, and flyes on another, and changing the angle week to week. Good suggestion though. I love rowing, so that's good. I've actually never had a problem with my rotators in my life. Although I didn't bench press for the first 3 years that I went to the gym.

In the world of weight lifting, more sets and more exercises does not always mean better results. Only a certain amount of stimulus is necessary to achieve a training effect and unless you have a specific need for handling huge exercise volumes (ie, Navy Seal training) doing more is only going to slow recovery and therefore be counterproductive. Doing 18 sets of chest exercise is usually no better than 6 sets done at a very high intensity.

Originally posted by: MrMatt
This is the main problem I have. It seems like I can easily add weight on some exercises (flat/incline benching) and not others (squatting for instance). I don't do o-lifts because I have NO idea where to put them in my rotation. None. I like doing them, cleans are actually my favorite exercise, but I'm clueless as to where I should do them.

Your lower body is arguably more important to train than your upper body, especially if strength is your goal, but even if upper body looks are your goals. This is because the lower body has the biggest muscles in it and the exercises that work them (squats, cleans, deadlifts, etc) produce the biggest hormonal/endocrine responses. This leads to huge gains EVERYWHERE and is why most effective routines include a whole lot of heavy lower body exercises. Also worth mention is that as far as practical, real world strength goes, the typical muscles most bodybuilders care about & train - namely the chest & biceps - are relatively unimportant. If you want strength that you can apply to every day activities, sports, etc then working your legs & back should be the primary focus.

Originally posted by: MrMatt
I usually avoid pre-made routines because they call for X amount of weight increase week to week. If you miss the weight one week out of 20, the whole routine is blown.

Not sure what pre-made routines you're looking at, but the ones I'd recommend typically have simple recommendations such as "if you finish X sets and Y reps at weight Z, increase the weight to Z+5 next week. If you don't, try X by Y two more times and if you're still stuck, deload to 90% of Z". Therefore, "missing the weight" is expected and easily handled.

Having said all that, I would recommend scrapping your current routine and trying one of the ones below:

Intermediate strength training routines: the focus is obviously strength, and to achieve that, these routines are built around the squat. This is desirable because the squat is almost unmatched in its ability to strengthen the entire body and produce an enormous hormonal response. They look quite different than typical split routines, and include far less volume than you're used to, but there's no way around it: these type of routines produce awesome strength gains. Just make sure you get your squat form perfected before trying them:

Bill Starr 5x5
The Texas Method

Intermediate bodybuilding style routines: these routines place a bigger emphasis on hypertrophy by including more high rep sets and more isolation exercises:

Push/Pull Upper/Lower Split
Hypertrophy Specific Training

Great post!! I'm going to go through those routines and pick one out, thank you!