Pick apart my workout routine

[TallBill]

I eat... a lot.

 

[j00fek]

day1
back/bi's

day2
chest/tri's

day3
legs

day4
shoulders/neck

thats how i do it

 

[GeneralDisarray]

I've looked into the perfect split many times, tried new groupings, changed days, but I keep coming back to this one:

Monday: Chest
Tuesday: Back
Wednesday: Legs
Thursday: Shoulders
Friday: Arms

After monday and tuesday you rest upper body by doing legs, then by Thursday you hit shoulders (by this time, you should only have minor chest DOMS), then by the time Friday hits you have a triceps that havent really worked since Monday (3 full days) and biceps that havent barely worked since Tuesday (2 full days), which is great because in my experience biceps recover more quickly (makes sense doesn't it? They're used so often in everything).

After Friday arms you have 2 full days to recover before hitting chest again, giving you the optimal 7 day growth cycle for each group.

I also throw in abs, in season, as alternating days between upper and lower, such as:
Monday: upper
Tuesday: lower
Wednesday: upper

Obliques can be done during each, but kept to a small amount.

Thats my favorite, hope it helps.

 

[purbeast0]

Don't do your abs 3 times a week or anything. Do them once a week just like you do with your other muscles, and dedicate some time to it.

Most people just throw abs in and do a quick 10 minute workout for abs, and do it like 3 times a week. That's not the correct way.

Your abs are a muscle just like any other muscle in your body and should be treated as such. Your abs need just as much rest as any other muscle group, which is 48 - 72 hours.

 

[purbeast0]

Originally posted by: GeneralDisarray
I've looked into the perfect split many times, tried new groupings, changed days, but I keep coming back to this one:

Monday: Chest
Tuesday: Back
Wednesday: Legs
Thursday: Shoulders
Friday: Arms

After monday and tuesday you rest upper body by doing legs, then by Thursday you hit shoulders (by this time, you should only have minor chest DOMS), then by the time Friday hits you have a triceps that havent really worked since Monday (3 full days) and biceps that havent barely worked since Tuesday (2 full days), which is great because in my experience biceps recover more quickly (makes sense doesn't it? They're used so often in everything).

After Friday arms you have 2 full days to recover before hitting chest again, giving you the optimal 7 day growth cycle for each group.

I also throw in abs, in season, as alternating days between upper and lower, such as:
Monday: upper
Tuesday: lower
Wednesday: upper

Obliques can be done during each, but kept to a small amount.

Thats my favorite, hope it helps.

No offense, but that's horrible advice for working your abs.

 

[GeneralDisarray]

Originally posted by: purbeast0

Originally posted by: GeneralDisarray
I've looked into the perfect split many times, tried new groupings, changed days, but I keep coming back to this one:

Monday: Chest
Tuesday: Back
Wednesday: Legs
Thursday: Shoulders
Friday: Arms

After monday and tuesday you rest upper body by doing legs, then by Thursday you hit shoulders (by this time, you should only have minor chest DOMS), then by the time Friday hits you have a triceps that havent really worked since Monday (3 full days) and biceps that havent barely worked since Tuesday (2 full days), which is great because in my experience biceps recover more quickly (makes sense doesn't it? They're used so often in everything).

After Friday arms you have 2 full days to recover before hitting chest again, giving you the optimal 7 day growth cycle for each group.

I also throw in abs, in season, as alternating days between upper and lower, such as:
Monday: upper
Tuesday: lower
Wednesday: upper

Obliques can be done during each, but kept to a small amount.

Thats my favorite, hope it helps.

No offense, but that's horrible advice for working your abs.

No offense taken, we disagree on your point above that abs should be done in the same way as any other muscle group. Although I agree that no or low resistance training is almost pointless for abs and that they should be done in a resistance routine like other groups, I also beleive that abs are perhaps the smallest, more crucial, and fastest recovering group of muscles in the body. Like it or not they play a role in everything you do, from bench press to curls to squats, the abs are made to be worked non-stop. So the routine I stated takes this into account, and works well for me and many others.

 

[Nutdotnet]

And I disagree with both of you.

I'm one of the many, many people who don't workout their abs...at all. By this I mean I don't ever focus on them. Why? Because abs get worked with so many exercises (squats, deadlifts, etc.) that I don't believe it is necessary to do so. If you're worried about never getting that "6-pack"...change your diet...go run more...the 6-pack comes from being lean.

If you're a fatty with a pot-belly...don't do crunches...run! We need to remember that there is no such thing as spot-reducing. Get rid of the fat and I'm pretty sure you'll have a nice little six-pack underneath.

 

[Nutdotnet]

Originally posted by: TallBill
Alright guys, I think I'll switch over to.

Chest + Tri's
Back + Bi's
Legs + Shoulders

With Abs still done on random days.

I think you guys keep focusing on the 7. I've probably only worked out 7 days in a row once in the last few months. Its almost always really 5-6, with the rest days completely random, or I'll jus throw in a total cardio day if I feel overworked.

But yes, I do burn a crapload of calories. I'm eating 4500 a day to maintain, and going to increase it to 5000. But yes, my cardio is fairly decent.

Anyways, as far as soreness goes, I'm only slightly sore for 1-2 days in each group.

I usually end up doing 3-4 excersises on each muscle group with 3 sets of 6-10.

5-6 is still too much. I wouldn't work out (weight training) anymore than 4 days per week, unless I broke down my days even more.

I've never done this, and this could be overworking as well but here's a thought:

Day 1
Chest (yes, only chest, say 3-4 different exercises, 3-4 sets, 4-8 reps per). Go big here, focus on bench.

Day 2
Legs (yes, only legs, same as above). Focus on squats.

Day 3
Back (back, yes, only back). Focus on Deadlifts.

Day 4
Arms (meaning Triceps and Biceps. Do 2-3 exercises per each muscle, 3-4 sets. 4-8 reps)

Day 5
Shoulders (3-4 exercises, same as above)

That could split it up into 5 separate days. You're still working the hell out of your shoulders but this could help.

If you HAD to work your abs you could throw them in on Day 4 or Day 5...

 

[purbeast0]

Originally posted by: Nutdotnet
And I disagree with both of you.

I'm one of the many, many people who don't workout their abs...at all. By this I mean I don't ever focus on them. Why? Because abs get worked with so many exercises (squats, deadlifts, etc.) that I don't believe it is necessary to do so. If you're worried about never getting that "6-pack"...change your diet...go run more...the 6-pack comes from being lean.

If you're a fatty with a pot-belly...don't do crunches...run! We need to remember that there is no such thing as spot-reducing. Get rid of the fat and I'm pretty sure you'll have a nice little six-pack underneath.

Yah but if you focus on them just like any other muscle, you will make your core stronger as a whole.

Abs are like a secondary muscle worked on many of the compound exercises. But then again, so are your triceps, and those are still good to dedicate focus on.

You can also be very lean and have very little body fat, and still not have a six pack because your abs aren't worked enough. Just like you can have an 8 pack under a layer of blubber that no one can even see.

 

[tfinch2]

Originally posted by: Nutdotnet
And I disagree with both of you.

I'm one of the many, many people who don't workout their abs...at all. By this I mean I don't ever focus on them. Why? Because abs get worked with so many exercises (squats, deadlifts, etc.) that I don't believe it is necessary to do so. If you're worried about never getting that "6-pack"...change your diet...go run more...the 6-pack comes from being lean.

If you're a fatty with a pot-belly...don't do crunches...run! We need to remember that there is no such thing as spot-reducing. Get rid of the fat and I'm pretty sure you'll have a nice little six-pack underneath.

:thumbsup:

I tell people this and they don't listen.

 

[purbeast0]

Originally posted by: Nutdotnet

Originally posted by: TallBill
Alright guys, I think I'll switch over to.

Chest + Tri's
Back + Bi's
Legs + Shoulders

With Abs still done on random days.

I think you guys keep focusing on the 7. I've probably only worked out 7 days in a row once in the last few months. Its almost always really 5-6, with the rest days completely random, or I'll jus throw in a total cardio day if I feel overworked.

But yes, I do burn a crapload of calories. I'm eating 4500 a day to maintain, and going to increase it to 5000. But yes, my cardio is fairly decent.

Anyways, as far as soreness goes, I'm only slightly sore for 1-2 days in each group.

I usually end up doing 3-4 excersises on each muscle group with 3 sets of 6-10.

5-6 is still too much. I wouldn't work out (weight training) anymore than 4 days per week, unless I broke down my days even more.

I've never done this, and this could be overworking as well but here's a thought:

Day 1
Chest (yes, only chest, say 3-4 different exercises, 3-4 sets, 4-8 reps per). Go big here, focus on bench.

Day 2
Legs (yes, only legs, same as above). Focus on squats.

Day 3
Back (back, yes, only back). Focus on Deadlifts.

Day 4
Arms (meaning Triceps and Biceps. Do 2-3 exercises per each muscle, 3-4 sets. 4-8 reps)

Day 5
Shoulders (3-4 exercises, same as above)

That could split it up into 5 separate days. You're still working the hell out of your shoulders but this could help.

If you HAD to work your abs you could throw them in on Day 4 or Day 5...

See I disagree with the whole "arms" thing as one day of focus. In your order there are quite a few things that will not give you as great a benefit as if you had done something else.

If you do back on day3, then your biceps on day4, your biceps are going to be recovering from your back day since they are used secondary in almost every back exercise. So your biceps won't be in a 100% condition to work out.

Same goes with day 5. When doing shoulder presses, your tricep is being worked secondary. if you did a full workout on your tricep on day4, then do shoulder presses on day5, you are not going to get your full potential because your triceps will be recovering from the day before.

 

[Nutdotnet]

Originally posted by: purbeast0

Originally posted by: Nutdotnet

Originally posted by: TallBill
Alright guys, I think I'll switch over to.

Chest + Tri's
Back + Bi's
Legs + Shoulders

With Abs still done on random days.

I think you guys keep focusing on the 7. I've probably only worked out 7 days in a row once in the last few months. Its almost always really 5-6, with the rest days completely random, or I'll jus throw in a total cardio day if I feel overworked.

But yes, I do burn a crapload of calories. I'm eating 4500 a day to maintain, and going to increase it to 5000. But yes, my cardio is fairly decent.

Anyways, as far as soreness goes, I'm only slightly sore for 1-2 days in each group.

I usually end up doing 3-4 excersises on each muscle group with 3 sets of 6-10.

5-6 is still too much. I wouldn't work out (weight training) anymore than 4 days per week, unless I broke down my days even more.

I've never done this, and this could be overworking as well but here's a thought:

Day 1
Chest (yes, only chest, say 3-4 different exercises, 3-4 sets, 4-8 reps per). Go big here, focus on bench.

Day 2
Legs (yes, only legs, same as above). Focus on squats.

Day 3
Back (back, yes, only back). Focus on Deadlifts.

Day 4
Arms (meaning Triceps and Biceps. Do 2-3 exercises per each muscle, 3-4 sets. 4-8 reps)

Day 5
Shoulders (3-4 exercises, same as above)

That could split it up into 5 separate days. You're still working the hell out of your shoulders but this could help.

If you HAD to work your abs you could throw them in on Day 4 or Day 5...

See I disagree with the whole "arms" thing as one day of focus. In your order there are quite a few things that will not give you as great a benefit as if you had done something else.

If you do back on day3, then your biceps on day4, your biceps are going to be recovering from your back day since they are used secondary in almost every back exercise. So your biceps won't be in a 100% condition to work out.

Same goes with day 5. When doing shoulder presses, your tricep is being worked secondary. if you did a full workout on your tricep on day4, then do shoulder presses on day5, you are not going to get your full potential because your triceps will be recovering from the day before.

Oh, disagree with it all you want bud. That was simply on the fly...I would never do that workout myself but was brainstorming on a way for the OP to minimize his overworking of muscles, which is what he's doing now.

What would you suggest for a 5-day workout?

 

[Nutdotnet]

Originally posted by: tfinch2

Originally posted by: Nutdotnet
And I disagree with both of you.

I'm one of the many, many people who don't workout their abs...at all. By this I mean I don't ever focus on them. Why? Because abs get worked with so many exercises (squats, deadlifts, etc.) that I don't believe it is necessary to do so. If you're worried about never getting that "6-pack"...change your diet...go run more...the 6-pack comes from being lean.

If you're a fatty with a pot-belly...don't do crunches...run! We need to remember that there is no such thing as spot-reducing. Get rid of the fat and I'm pretty sure you'll have a nice little six-pack underneath.

:thumbsup:

I tell people this and they don't listen.

Oh yeah...if I still had pictures I think they would help people "see the light".

Now I'm a bit of a fatty...still have muscle...just a little pot-belly. No amount of crunches are going to minimize that...that's going to go away by changing my diet.

 

[Alprazolam]

Day One: Back, Traps.


Back: Barbell Rows. 4 sets of 6-8 reps.
Lat Pulldowns. 4 sets of 6-8 reps.
Deads. 4 sets of 8-10 reps.
Traps: Shrugs with barbell/d-bell. 4 sets of burnouts.
(Usually 15-20 reps)


Day Two: Chest, Abs


Chest: Incline presses. 4 sets of 6-8 reps.
Flat presses. 4 sets of 6-8 reps.
Flyes incline cables. 4 sets of 12-15 reps.
Abs: Rope crunches. 4 sets of 12-15 reps
Lower ab work. Machine/Leg lifts. 4 sets of 12-15 reps


Day Three: Off
.


Day Four: Legs.


Hamstrings: Lying leg curls or standing. 4 sets of 20 reps

Quads: Leg extensions. 4 sets of 20 reps

Quads/Hams : 4-5 sets of 20 rep squats

Calves: 4 sets of seated calf raises. 15-20 reps
4 sets of standing calf raises. 15-20 reps.






Day Five: Shoulders/Arms

Shoulders: Lateral side raises. 4 sets of 15-20
4 sets of shoulder presses. 4 sets of 10-12.
Biceps: 3 sets of straight bar curls. 6-8 reps
3 sets of hammer curls. 8-10 reps (squeeze forearms!)
Triceps: 3 sets of close grip bench presses. 6-8 reps
3 sets of decline bench skullcrushers. 6-8 reps

 

[GeneralDisarray]

Originally posted by: Nutdotnet
And I disagree with both of you.

I'm one of the many, many people who don't workout their abs...at all. By this I mean I don't ever focus on them. Why? Because abs get worked with so many exercises (squats, deadlifts, etc.) that I don't believe it is necessary to do so. If you're worried about never getting that "6-pack"...change your diet...go run more...the 6-pack comes from being lean.

If you're a fatty with a pot-belly...don't do crunches...run! We need to remember that there is no such thing as spot-reducing. Get rid of the fat and I'm pretty sure you'll have a nice little six-pack underneath.

Everything you've said is accurate, people can indeed get by on abs without ever focusing on them, spot reducing is a myth, and visible 6-packs are 90% how you eat and 10% cardio, HOWEVER, as purbeast said, it does not HURT to focus on abs and attain greater core strength, which in turn allows you to do more weight on compound lifts, etc... But yeah, dont get me wrong, I dont beleive doing abs in itself will produce visible definition.

 

[Nutdotnet]

Originally posted by: GeneralDisarray

Originally posted by: Nutdotnet
And I disagree with both of you.

I'm one of the many, many people who don't workout their abs...at all. By this I mean I don't ever focus on them. Why? Because abs get worked with so many exercises (squats, deadlifts, etc.) that I don't believe it is necessary to do so. If you're worried about never getting that "6-pack"...change your diet...go run more...the 6-pack comes from being lean.

If you're a fatty with a pot-belly...don't do crunches...run! We need to remember that there is no such thing as spot-reducing. Get rid of the fat and I'm pretty sure you'll have a nice little six-pack underneath.

Everything you've said is accurate, people can indeed get by on abs without ever focusing on them, spot reducing is a myth, and visible 6-packs are 90% how you eat and 10% cardio, HOWEVER, as purbeast said, it does not HURT to focus on abs and attain greater core strength, which in turn allows you to do more weight on compound lifts, etc... But yeah, dont get me wrong, I dont beleive doing abs in itself will produce visible definition.

Yeah, I guess for me, I never bought into the hype of focusing on abs because, at least in my experience, my abs have never cause me to fail a lift.

I simply can't think of too many exercises where abs are not being worked...

That being said, I won't say someone SHOULD NOT work their abs...if they want to go for it (but I am in purbeast's boat where if you work them you do it one day per week) but I never place them in my workout routine.

 

[Slackware]

Originally posted by: TallBill
I really need to get into a better schedule. I currently workout 5-7 days a week work dependent, and have a 3 day rotation of what I work. Exercises change. Reps change.

Day 1 -
Chest
Biceps

Day 2 -
Back
Triceps

Day 3 -
Legs

I insert shoulders and abs in when I feel ready to hit them again. I've been doing this for about a month now, and working out in general for about 2 months, and my overall strength has shot up, but I could probably be spending my time more efficiently.

Btw, I do plenty of cardio. Each workout starts with a 10 minute run, and each workout ends with a few minutes destroying the heavy bag.

And as far as diet goes, I eat as good as I can, but my choices are not super. I am on a high calorie diet, and barely gaining weight, but a slow gain is fine with me.

Edit - I had a typo on day 3. I dont do back back to back. lol

Depends on what you are trying to accomplish, but if you want to put on size, try this.

Day 1 : chest, benchpress, warmup light then three sets of 9-6-3
chest, flyes, deep and slow on the down and fast on the way up, 6-3-1 reps
back, barbell rows 9-6-3
pullups 6-3-1

Day2 : Shoulders, military presses, standing, 9-6-3
Shoulders, bent over lateras 9-6-3
Biceps, pullups 6-3-1
Triceps, dips 6-3 1

Day3: Legs, ATG squats, 8-8-6
Legs, straight legged deadlifts, 6-6-6

day 4: Rest

Day 5: Chest: 45 degree dumbell presses 9-6-3
Chest: pullovers 9-6-3
Back: deadlifts, 6-3-1
Back: close grip lateral pullups 9-6-3

Day 6: Shoulders, wide grip pullups 6-3-1
Shoulders, wide grip beant over pullups 6-3-1

Day 7: Hack squats 9-6-3
Leg presses 6-3-1

Day 8 rest.


No more than half a minute to a minute between sets, as soon as you can lift it more than any of the set numbers in any set you raise the weight, if you can do ten, you increase the weight. Workouts will last about 30 minuts, warmup is on the stationary for five minutes and then with a light weight (one you could do a hundred with ) and you do 20.

Only warm up for the first set of a bodpart.

If you get tired, unusually tired from it, increase fat intake and drink more.

You cycle your growth periods and maintnance or fatloss periods, during your growth periods you love egg yolks and beef you don't like fish at all and you don't take antioxidans more than what you need to, no extra vitamins. (arachidonic acid promotes growth, omegas hinder it antioxidants hinder it)

Don't keep growth periods going for more than 4-6 weeks.

Supplements, creatine works, pretty much the only thing that does work, the rest of the stuff is just crap, buy bulk creatine monohydrate, depending on how much you can stuff down your throat a protein powder will be handy, any why will do just fine, buy bulk.

You will grow about 6-8lbs on your first growth phase and it's not uncommon, depending on your previous condition that you will increase your weight more than 10lbs, for the next and for a few years to come, you'll pack on a serious amount of muscle.

Muscles doesn't grow when it rests, muscles grow because inflammation (which is the natural response to any broken tissue) will heal it in a way that makes it bigger, the longer you can keep the inflammation going, the better the growth.

Of course, that isn't healty at all so if you have ANY kinds of problems, don't do that. do it the nancy way and maybe you'll look like a toned fitness girl in a few years.