need help with my routine
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need help with my routine - 2/13/2005 7:06:55 PM
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jnc995
Posts: 3
Joined: 2/13/2005
Status: offline
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I've been working out for about 4-5 months seriously. My problem is that I'm not seeing the results that I think I should be seeing. I know that my routine is not that good, but its all I really know. Right now I am taking pro complex protein, and vpx cex crea-ester. I'm 19, about 5'7, and weigh about 160.
Heres my routine, tell me all the bad things, b/c I am sure there is a lot.
day 1: Chest/triceps
dumbell press, 4sets x 10, (increase weight 5lbs on each) 4sets x 8
incline, 4sets x 10 (same weight)
skull crushers with dumbells, 4sets x 8 (same weight)
flys on machine, 4sets x 10, (increase weight 5lbs on each) 4sets x 8
tricep pull downs on pulley, 4sets x 8 (same weight)
dips, 4sets x 15
Thats pretty much my chest day, and it takes about 1 1/2 hours.
day 2: bicep/shoulders
sitting dumbell curls, 4sets x 8
sitting dumbell shoulder presses, 4 sets x 8
preacher curls, 4sets x 8
upright rows, 4sets x 8
hammer curls, 4sets x 8
shrugs, 4sets x 8
reverse preacher curls, 4sets x 8
ss standing shoulder press w/ bar, 4sets x 8
thats pretty much my biceps and shoulder day, and it takes about 1 1/2 hours
day 3: back
not sure what they are called, but you pull plates on a machine, stand on the machine, and you pull the part you just put the weight on up to your chest, while standing bent over. I do 4sets x 10, (increase weight 10lbs) 4sets x 8
pull-ups, 4sets x 10
lat pulldowns to chest, 4sets x 8
lat pulldowns to behind head, 4sets x 8
then this machine thats on a pulley system, you sit down on it and grip the handles with your palms facing eachother, and pull backwards and squeeze your back. I do 4sets x 8.
thats my back workout and it takes about an hour.
I usually rest a day, and the start the same routine back up. Now that you've heard it, please help. Tell me all the things that are wrong, which will be alot. I'm about to go off to school, and I'll have access to a gym everyday, and I want to start working my legs and everything. I could really use some help with a routine, so I could x my current one. I read on this site that I should only work out for 45 mins, and only work a body part once a week.
< Message edited by jnc995 -- 2/13/2005 7:50:35 PM >
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RE: need help with my routine - 2/14/2005 1:57:25 AM
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xmax126
Posts: 590
Joined: 11/14/2004
From: Dirty Jerzey
Status: offline
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welcome to DB.
Day1- your exercises are a little out of order. could just be the way you wrote it. but if it isn't you want to finish your chest before you start tri's
chest
i hope you dont do 8 sets of dumbell presses. your chest routine should look like this
db press 4 sets x 8
incline press 4 sets x 8
flys 4 sets x 8
decline press 4 x 8
you also listed 8 sets for flys. way to much. stick with whats above. you can mix up your chest routine every month or 2 by changing between dumbell and barbell bench. you can also try doing 8 reps than add 10lbs, do 6 reps add 10lbs, and do 4 reps. the 8,6,4 applies to all exercises. if you have access to a decline bench add them in last.
triceps
dips 4 x 8 keep your elbows close to your body, or do close grip bench press
2 handed over head dumbell extension 4 x 8
skull crushers 4 x 8 try using an ez curl bar with a close grip
tri pushdown 4 x 8 (not pull down)
if you can go up to 15 reps for dips you aren't using enough resistance. if you are only using your body weight you need to add more weight via weight belt. if you dont have one then drop the dips and add in close grip bench presses. add over head extensions. they will hit the tri at a new angle.
day2
biceps
dumbell curls 4 x 8
preacher curls 4 x 8
hammer curls 4 x 8
reverse preacher curls 4 x 8
shoulders
you dont do anything for the rear delt so add in bent over raises. add in side laterals for the side delt. drop the up right rows, dont do more then 4 exercises for shoulders. if you must keep the uprights then drop either the db press or military press.
military press 4 x 8
dumbell press 4 x 8
side lateral raises 4 x 8
bent over rear raises 4 x 8
traps
barbell shrugs 4 x 8
dumbell shrugs 4 x 8
day3
back
those are called bent over rows. if you are using a wider grip then they are called t bar rows. the other machine also shounds like a row. if it is also a wide grip, about shoulder width, then drop one of them. add in one arm dumbell rows. i would drop the behind the neck pull down as they aren't so great for the shoulders. make either the pull downs or ups, close grip. add more weight if you can do more then 8 reps for pull ups. if you can't add more weight dont do them and do pull downs instead.
t-bar rows 4 x 8
dumbell rows 4 x 8
pull downs 4 x 8
close grip pull downs 4 x 8
can you describe that last machine in more detail. do you keep your elbows locked during the movement? like a backwards fly? or do you bend your elbows and pull the handles close to your chest?
legs- you really need to get those legs in. when you do try this
squats 4 x 8
leg press 4 x 8
leg extension 4 x 8
stiff leg deadlift 4 x 8
seated calf raises 4 x 8
standing calf raises 4 x 8
i think a 2 body part workout that takes 1.5 hours is just fine. i honestly take 2-2.5 hours. i would give myself a little bit more rest like 4 days instead of just 3. when you add in legs your routine can look like this.
day1 chest/tris
day2 legs
day3 bis/shoulders
day4 back
day5 off
day6 repeat day1
or
day1 chest/triceps
day2 bis/legs
day3 back/shoulders
day4 off
day5 off
day6 repeat
working one body part a week is up to you. you have to find out whats best. this is a once a week routine.
day1 chest
day2 legs
day3 back
day4 shoulders
day5 arms
day6 off
day7 off
now this is just me but if i was to work my triceps after chest i think my triceps would be dead. i wouldnt be able to lift as much weight as normal. when you work chest you indirectly work your triceps. so by the time you get to your tricep routine they are kinda tired. same goes for chest/shoulders and back/biceps. try doing a routine like this and see if you can lift more weight. cause more weight equals bigger muscles.
day1 chest/biceps
day2 back/shoulders
day3 triceps/legs
day4 of
day5 off
day6 repeat
hope this helps. any questions just ask.
(in reply to jnc995)
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RE: need help with my routine - 2/14/2005 3:39:32 AM
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cpl
Posts: 4780
Joined: 5/26/2003
From: New York City
Status: offline
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Like xmax said- Definitely do legs. Squats are the number one overall muscle building exercise out there- For the best upper body, you need to work legs too. Also, try to throw some deadlifts in on your back day, for the same reasons.
(in reply to xmax126)
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RE: need help with my routine - 2/14/2005 5:05:08 AM
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jnc995
Posts: 3
Joined: 2/13/2005
Status: offline
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I tired just doing 4sets x 8 for db chest press, and it didn't feel like I worked it enough. Is that normal? Maybe I just need to increase the weight. The back machine that I was talking about, you sit down on it almost like a bike, but with palms facing eachother, then when you pull it back, you bend your elbows from being straight, to about a 45 degree angle. Its kinda like the bent over rows, but your sitting down on a machine, and using pulleys. I'll try to look it up in a book. Thanks for that routine though. One question, how come when someone works something to much like I do with db chest press and flys, its not good?
(in reply to cpl)
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RE: need help with my routine - 2/17/2005 4:22:11 AM
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xmax126
Posts: 590
Joined: 11/14/2004
From: Dirty Jerzey
Status: offline
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basic rule of thumb for chest is 4 exercises at 4 sets each when in the 8 rep range. if you were to lower your rep range than i would say you could up the sets. like 5 sets at 5 reps. or 7 sets at 3 reps. but you should only change your rep and set ranges to fit your goals. more sets less reps equal strength. less sets more reps equal size.
working something to much is not good for a couple of reasons.
1 its redundant- after a few sets your muscles get the picture.
2 waste of energy- because of the extra sets you are wasting valuable energy for your other needed exercises -incline, declines....
3 overtraining-your muscles can only be torn up so much.
as far as increasing weight. your first 3 sets should be near failure. example-you can rep out 50lbs dumbells 9 times, almost 10. but you stop at 8. on your fourth and final sets increase the weight to maybe the 55lbs dumbells. the weight you choose should allow you get no more or less than 8 reps. have you tried barbell presses. they should allow you to use much more weight and work the muscle that much harder.
that machine sounds to close to a bent over row. i would drop that for now and try the dumbell rows. they will hit the muscles from different angles. but if that machine is using a different grip then the other machine i would say you are ok. you really wanna make sure you hit the muscle using a wide grip and a narrow grip. other things that make a difference is where you pull the weight to. higher up near your chest(UPPER BACK) or lower near you waist(MIDDLE BACK).
(in reply to jnc995)
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RE: need help with my routine - 2/17/2005 2:07:08 PM
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cpl
Posts: 4780
Joined: 5/26/2003
From: New York City
Status: offline
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quote:
One question, how come when someone works something to much like I do with db chest press and flys, its not good?
More is not always better because, like xmax says, your muscles get the picture after a certain point, and all the rest is wasted energy and effort. See, in order to grow muscle, you need to convince your body that it needs it- By lifting heavy weight. Your body will try to adapt to lifting weights by making more muscle, provided you feed it the right stuff, and get the right amount of rest- Since rest is when muscle is built, after all. So, if you're doing a ton of work, you're going way beyond the stimulus the body needs to get the message, and you could also be wasting time and effort because you're working your muscles too often- Interrupting the healing process can definitely hinder growth. Remember, just because a muscle feels ready to get worked again doesn't mean that it's fully recovered from the last workout.
quote:
I tired just doing 4sets x 8 for db chest press, and it didn't feel like I worked it enough. Is that normal?
Absolutely. You're used to thinking that you really need to work the hell out of your muscles to get results- You probably like feeling the burn, and the pump, and some soreness the next day, or any one of those, right? Well, the good news is they have absolutely nothing to do with making gains. None of those things are good indicators of progress, they're totally unneccesary, despite what many people think. Just follow xmax's advice, don't do any extra work, and measure your progress by the stuff that really counts- Amount of weight lifted, and amount of muscle gained. Sure, it'll take a few months before you really start to see the differences, but it takes the body some time to adjust to any new workout routine.
So how about those legs?
(in reply to xmax126)
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