[Andreus]

Any advice on my routine

monday-

squats 4x8

sldl 3x10

calve raises 3x12


wednesday-

arnold press 3x8

flat bbell bench 3x8

incline dbell bench 3x8

lateral raises 3x10

dips 3x20

overhead extensions 3x8

tricep pushdown 3x10


friday-

deads 4x6

bb row 3x8

hypers 2x10

pullovers 2x20

ez bar preacher curls 3x6

alternating dbell curls (standing) 3x8


Just starting to get more serious about getting in shape. New year, resolutions n all that. Does my routine look ok? Anything I've missed or need to change?

Thanks for any advice

[rkl0165]

friday u gotta add in pull ups 3x10 or pull downs 3x10,seated bench row..3x10 and do abs every time u go to the gym..

[1Bulk_Mass]

I would definitely add another mass builder for legs on Monday. Leg Press, Barbell or (smith) Lunges or hack squats being sufficient. Even if its just 2 working sets.

[Casey Butt]

Andreus,

Is that you in your avatar? How big are your joints (wrist and ankles)? ...I'm guessing under 7" and 8.5", respectively. Were you involved in sports before beginning lifting?

[Thomas_Rivera]

Ever do leg extensions? It seems like your leg day is a little lacking maybe.

And Casey, what does wrist and ankle size determine or a sign of?

[Casey Butt]

Originally Posted by Thomas_Rivera

And Casey, what does wrist and ankle size determine or a sign of?

...training volume, frequency and intensity. Small-boned people, typically have less robust and more unstable joint structures. That usually means that they don't get good results from low-rep training, unless the sets are kept very low. Also, they don't get good results from large training volumes because the CNS begins to inhibit the muscles after the first heavy set or two (because of feedback from sensory organs in the joint capsules). Because of that, if they do decide to train low-reps, they must use a very low volume and train only infrequently.

For those people, a better approach, generally, is to train with fewer sets and exercises, but train each bodypart several times a week.

Andreus isn't training low-reps but, with his structure, I strongly suspect that he'd get better results training full-body three times per week with 2-3 sets per bodypart on each day (and mostly compound exercises) ...and training to failure only occasionally.

The heavier-boned crowd can respond better to heavy, moderate-to-high volume, but infrequent training.

[Thomas_Rivera]

Ah, so someone that is 5'10 with eight in wrists and 10 inch ankles would have what kind of bodytype?

[Casey Butt]

8" wrists and 10" ankles on someone 5'10" is a fairly heavy bone structure (assuming you don't just have big limbs ...which is fairly rare, but happens). It's also pretty balanced between upper and lower body. You should be able to respond to most of the recommended training approaches ...and get pretty big and strong too.

[Andreus]

Hey Casey. Yeah thats little me in the avatar. My wrists are 6" and ankles 8". I've never really done any sports but I used to do a lot of hillwalking. Looking to gain a little meat on my frame, I've always been pretty skinny. Could you suggest a full body routine for me then, what exercises should I stick with?

Thanks mate

[Casey Butt]

Andreus, your other routine would be better suited to somebody of a medium-to-heavy bone structure. This is a sort of "stock" routine I give people with your build...

Monday
Bench Press 3 x 8-12
Front Squat or Squat 3 x 8-10
DB Lateral Raise or Wide-Grip Upright Row 3 x 8-12
Stiff-Legged Deadlift + Shrug 2 x 6-8
Barbell Curls 2 x 8-12
Overhead BB Triceps Extensions 2 x 8-12
Calf Raises 2 x 10-20

Wednesday
Incline DB Press 3 x 8-12
Wide-Grip Pull Up 3 x 8-12
Bent Over Lateral Raise 3 x 8-12
Incline DB Curls 2 x 8-12
Skull Crushers 2 x 8-12
Seated Wrist Curls 3 x 10-15
Reverse Wrist Curls 3 x 10-15
Seated Calf Raises 2 x 10-20

Friday
V-Bar Dips 3 x 8-12
Squat 3 x 6-12
Behind-Neck Press 3 x 8-12
Bent-Over Row 3 x 8-12
Preacher Curls 2 x 8-12
Overhead DB Triceps Extensions 2 x 8-12
Donkey Calf Raises 2 x 10-20

Abs should be trained for a set or two at the end of each workout.

These sets don't include a couple of warmups that you should do for the first 4 exercises of each day. The other stuff doesn't need warmups.

Essentially, train the full-body three times per week with one major exercise for each major bodypart (chest, legs, back and shoulders ...no legs on Weds). Do 3 sets for each exercise, trying to add one rep to one set each week (or if you're using a fixed rep count add a pound or two each week). Don't train to failure for the first several weeks, and when you do train to failure, only do so on the last set of each exercise.

90% of your effort goes into the first 4 exercises each day (the first 3 on Wednesday). Those are your bread and butter. Arm work is done as an accessory, trying to get a good cramp in the muscles.

You should be able to finish in an hour ...keep your rests between sets to 2 minutes. For arms, forearms, calves and abs the rests between sets are only one minute. If you can't get through in an hour, superset bis and tris, forearms, calves and abs ...i.e. the little stuff.

Eat some protein every three hours and get at least 8 hours sleep each night.

If your joints get sore, take it easier on Wednesdays ...it can be taken as a light day to aid in recovery. Monday and Friday are your big days. However, if you're recovering fine and you feel strong, then push Wednesdays hard as well.

Drug-free muscle gains, by nature, are slow. So don't expect miracles. That routine will put muscle on a person of your build as fast as any routine you'll find. Stick to it and think of each workout as a small deposit in a bank account. You won't get rich fast, but over time it will build up.

You've got good delts and pecs and a good shoulder structure ...you've got potential if you apply yourself.

[Andreus]

Thanks for your help Casey I really appreciate it

[rkl0165]

Originally Posted by Casey Butt

...training volume, frequency and intensity. Small-boned people, typically have less robust and more unstable joint structures. That usually means that they don't get good results from low-rep training, unless the sets are kept very low. Also, they don't get good results from large training volumes because the CNS begins to inhibit the muscles after the first heavy set or two (because of feedback from sensory organs in the joint capsules). Because of that, if they do decide to train low-reps, they must use a very low volume and train only infrequently.

For those people, a better approach, generally, is to train with fewer sets and exercises, but train each bodypart several times a week.

Andreus isn't training low-reps but, with his structure, I strongly suspect that he'd get better results training full-body three times per week with 2-3 sets per bodypart on each day (and mostly compound exercises) ...and training to failure only occasionally.

The heavier-boned crowd can respond better to heavy, moderate-to-high volume, but infrequent training.

so true I worked out with one of these guys and all of his joints..elbows,wrists,knees,shoulders even disks in his lower spine went out..too bad we didnt know about this..