Routine Advice/Suggested Imrovements.

[Kel]

Hello all, I'm new to the forums and still fairly new to lifting weights in general (been training almost 1 year). I've dedicated myself to getting more serious with my training, I've spent the past few months doing as much reading as I can and I've learnt a lot but as I'm sure you know there's a lot of conflicting advice and information online. Perhaps the primary reason for me deciding to join the forums is the desire to learn from the experience of other lifters who are more experienced than I happen to be.

For almost 12 months now I have been performing a simple full body routine performed 7 days per week, I simply take days off whenever I feel as though I'm getting worn down, or perhaps for a special occasion etc.

Front Squats
Romanian Deadlifts
Bent Over Rows
Weighted Chins
Close Grip Bench Press
Calf Raises

I perform this workout 7 days per week, I use 1 set per exercise, I perform 10 reps per set, I do not train to failure, usually 1-2 reps short. To give you an example I may currently be benching 85 kg for 10 reps using a weight I could lift perhaps 11-12 times, I do not add more reps, instead I simply stick with 85 x 10 untill I am certain that I can complete 87.5 x 10 without needing to go to failure in order to do so.

I've been experiencing steady progress for nearly 12 months now, I've basically doubled my 10RM on all exercises since I started. However, just because something is working doesn't mean it's working as well as it possibly could, I would appreciate it if some of the more experienced lifters could perhaps point out some improvements that could be made. Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for any advice or constructive criticism offered.

Kel.

 

[aussieBaller]

What are your goals? Bigger? Stonger? Fitter?

 

[Josh_GTiR]

The questions that Aussie asked you are going to help us give you advice. Though I will give my opinion.

1. You don't need to work out 7 days a week, if you train properly and hard you will need rest days.
2. You will need to be doing more than 1 set per excersize, you should look at doing at least 3 working sets.
3. You need to push yourself hard, it seems like you are being a bit to comfortable with your weights.

That is not a bad routine, though maybe you should look at the Beginners Training routine posted up by PTC. I reckon you would get some good gains from it.

 

[Morgan]

Hello and welcome to AUSBB

Personally, I think your routine needs a bit of work, it's a bit uneven and focus a bit too much on your back in my opinion.

Choosing the full body workouts is a good thing, I just think you need to make a few adjustements!

You could try 2 full body routines at once, simply alternate between the 2 each time you go.

Workout A
Deadlifts 3x8 reps
Bent over row 3x8 reps
Bench press 3x8 reps
Barbell shoulder press 3x8 reps

Workout B
Squats 3x8 reps
Chin ups 3x8 reps
Dips 3x8 reps
Upright row 3x8 reps

Go to the gym 3 days a week and make sure you keep it heavy!

Good luck!

 

[Kel]

What are your goals? Bigger? Stonger? Fitter?

Stronger and bigger, I'm not too concerned with performance because I don't play any sports.

Would training 3 days per week and using 3 sets per day (9 sets per exercise per week) be better than training 7 days per week with 1 set per day (7 sets per exercise per week)?

The reason why I chose to train with high frequency and low volume per session was because I was under the impression that higher training frequencies are better for strength progression. I thought splitting your weekly volume over more sessions was better than splitting it over fewer sessions, however if this isn't the case then I'm certainly willing to change things up.

In regards to exercsie selection I was trying to keep things minimal,

- Front Squats (Quads)
- Romanian Deadlifts (Hamstrings, Glutes, Lower Back)
- Bent Over Rows (Upper Middle Back, Rear Delts)
- Weighted Chins (Lats)
- Close Grip Bench Press (Chest, Front Delts, Triceps)
- Calf Raises (Calves)

Perhaps adding upright rows as Morgan suggested may be a good idea to give the side delts some more work, although they seem to be growing ok for the time being. That would give me 7 exercises instead of 6.

So you guys really think that instead of training 7 days per week with low volume per session I would do better training 3-4 times per week with a more moderate volume per session?

Thanks for your input guys.

 

[Josh_GTiR]

Both of you guys are missing one of the most important, the Military Press!

 

[Kel]

Both of you guys are missing one of the most important, the Military Press!

Correct me if I'm wrong but I assumed military press primarily targeted the front delts which I am already training with bench press.

 

[aussieBaller]

You want to get bigger and stronger. You need to set a base first. Start with compound lifts. Squat, Deads, bench, overhead. Nothing get testosterone levels flying than 20 rep squats. Don't be too fussed about isolation exercises as they don't help put major size on. Also training 3-4 times heavy weights should be enough to help build size. But remember the biggest key to getting bigger is FOOD. Unless you are feeding the body to allow it to grow the training is useless. This one has taken me a while to get and only just started focusing on what i want in life and whats needed to get there. One last thing I can mention is locate the PTC website and read the 90 odd newsletters. Its all about getting bigger stronger fitter.

 

[Morgan]

Both of you guys are missing one of the most important, the Military Press!

That's what I meant when I said shoulder press, I consider them the same exercise.

 

[Josh_GTiR]

Oops.

Military Press will hit Triceps, Upper Chest somewhat, Shoulders and your core BIG TIME!