Confused! Help make Ultimate Workout Routine!

[PeterNorthisawesome]

Sorry guys I'm a total newb at weight lifting, I researched but it just made me more confused since there's so many workout routines, exercises and tips I'm not sure of what to do! So someone who know what they're talking about tell me a routine that'll help me gain mass.
I'm almost 18 so I guess I can do a 5 day workout routine, right now I'm doing 3 day split workout routine but I'm not getting sore at all and don't feel any change in strengh...I do 3sets of 6 RM. I work out at home cuz the local gym is 80 bucks per month and too expensive. I do have a bench but don't have a spotter so can't do 1-3 RM. So ya tell me what I can do besides BB press and squats! will DB press and single leg DB squats help me gain mass?

Day 1: Upper

- Incline DB Press
- Flat DB Press
- Bent-over DB rows
- Military Press (Shoulder Press)
- DB Curls

Day 2: Rest Cardio
Day 3: Lower

- Deadlift
- DB single-leg squats
- Leg curls
- Plate Pinch Gripping

Day 4: Rest Cardio
Day 5: Upper

- DB Press
- Weighted Dips
- Tricept Extensions
- DB shrugs
- DB curls

Day 6&7 Rest Cardio

So is this good enough? or should I do different exercises or add more to each day? Any suggestions will be appreciated thanks.

 

[Warboss Alex]

a few points. first, I remember you being seriously ****y a while ago about several matters in this forum, so now that you're asking for help man up, shut that mouth you love to use, and listen good, because you need it.

I'd recommend you invest in yourself somehow and get your ass to a gym because one leg db squats will gain you, um, squat.

MY COMMENTS IN CAPS

Sorry guys I'm a total newb at weight lifting, I researched but it just made me more confused since there's so many workout routines, exercises and tips I'm not sure of what to do! So someone who know what they're talking about tell me a routine that'll help me gain mass.

PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD AND EATING YOUR ASS OFF WILL GAIN YOU MASS BUT SHHHH .. IT'S A BIG SECRET

I'm almost 18 so I guess I can do a 5 day workout routine,

WHY THE HELL DOES AGE MATTER HERE? I'M WAY OLDER THAN YOU AND ONLY DO 3 DAYS A WEEK.

right now I'm doing 3 day split workout routine but I'm not getting sore at all and don't feel any change in strengh...

SORENESS IS IRRELEVANT IF YOUR WEIGHTS ARE GOING UP.

I do 3sets of 6 RM.

2 SETS IS MORE THAN SUFFICIENT ON MOST EXERCISES. 6 REPS IS GOOD.

I work out at home cuz the local gym is 80 bucks per month and too expensive.

SEE ABOVE

I do have a bench but don't have a spotter so can't do 1-3 RM.

MASS GAINERS DON'T WANT A BENCH, THEY WANT A RACK - THEREFORE, GYM, SEE ABOVE

So ya tell me what I can do besides BB press and squats! will DB press and single leg DB squats help me gain mass?

YOUR GAINS WILL BE SEVERELY LIMITED

Get your ass in a gym (or buy a rack) and do this:

squats 2 x 5
squats 1 x 20
weighted situps 2 x 10-20
stiff leg good mornings or stiff leg deadlifts 2 x 10-20
some lower back exercise like pullthroughs, back extension etc 2 x 10-20 (machine is fine)
calves however you want, the squats will make them grow

incline bb or db bench 2 x 5
close grip bench 2 x 8-10
skullcrushers 2 x 10-15 or dips 2 x 8
shoulder press of some sort 2 x 8-12

deadlifts 2 x 5 or 1 x 10
weighted situps 2 x 10-20
rows 2 x 8
pullups or pulldowns 2 x 8
some curl 2 x 8-10
some forearm exercise 1 x 10-30

that should get you growing like nobody's business.

I'm assuming you know how to eat: 2g protein, red meat, whole eggs, none of this tuna and brown rice stuff please..

good luck with it.

 

[PeterNorthisawesome]

Well thanks for the comment, I don't remember being ****y on this forum I only made suggestions and asked for help but I apologize if I offended anyone.

So I should do each paragraph based on a 3 day split routine right?

 

[Warboss Alex]

Well thanks for the comment, I don't remember being ****y on this forum I only made suggestions and asked for help but I apologize if I offended anyone.

So I should do each paragraph based on a 3 day split routine right?

you made some comments that I would have taken exception to had I been within arm's reach, but that's in the past now.

yes, each paragraph is a workout day, do this three days a week and leave two rest days between squats and deadlifts.

so like
M - squats
T - rest
W - bench
T - rest
F - deadlifts
S - rest
S - rest

just switch the days around to fit your needs but make sure you've got those two days between the big lifts.

of course, this routine has deadlifts and 20 rep squats in it, so don't try to eat 2000kcal to try and keep your abs here. go on a see food diet, and trust in your carb cutoffs and cardio to keep your bodyfat more or less where you want it.

 

[PeterNorthisawesome]

Dang Alex! thanks so much! You really know what your talking about and I'm glad I got advice from a pro. I plan to start the workout today. Sorry but I got two quick quetions, am I allowed to do cardio on the off /rest days? and is $452 annual ($38 monthly) good rate for a gym (5 min away)? or should use that money to buy a power rack?

 

[Warboss Alex]

Dang Alex! thanks so much! You really know what your talking about and I'm glad I got advice from a pro. I plan to start the workout today. Sorry but I got two quick quetions, am I allowed to do cardio on the off /rest days? and is $452 annual ($38 monthly) good rate for a gym (5 min away)? or should use that money to buy a power rack?

38 bucks is a very good rate in my opinion, I pay about twice that much for mine. I'd say anything up to 50 dollars a month is good if the gym is well equipped, although you might have to pay for luxuries you don't use (sauna, hottub etc) but if you want to indulge in such and have the money, go for it. it's a good rate.

of course you're allowed to do cardio, it will enhance your gains.. don't go sprinting though, just a nice brisk walk, 30-40 mins before breakfast although in your case I would advise half a scoop of protein before hand and maybe some aminos. start with that and see how you get on..

 

[manuva]

PeterNorth, you'll get no better advice than from this ugly bear. The more closely you follow his advice, the bigger and faster you'll grow.

 

[Brian20o2]

PeterNorth, you'll get no better advice than from this ugly bear. The more closely you follow his advice, the bigger and faster you'll grow.

Seconded.

 

[Skilla_Staz]

Like Alex mentioned, developing routines based around the big three, and including compound movents will help you develop a deal of mass. DB 1 leg squats are nothing compared to regular squats. Believe me.

 

[reyalp]

WBA, that's very close to what I'm doing
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=750551

It's good stuff.

 

[developer]

WBA, that's very close to what I'm doing
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=750551

It's good stuff.

Reyalp - hows that working out for you? [pun not intended] ...?

I've done some total beginners lifting before, and want to get back into it, so am putting together meal plans etc, and deciding on my workout plan ...

5foot,6 , 72.5kg [160lbs] ... average skinny build

Now I can't decide between the Warboss Alex plan and the one quoted above!

Any advice?

I think i'll stick with the master .. the WBAlex

 

[Warboss Alex]

WBA, that's very close to what I'm doing
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=750551

It's good stuff.

that's not a bad routine either. I'd try to factor in 20 rep squats and more deadlifts, otherwise it's pretty solid. as long as your weights are going up any routine that is hard to do (i.e. has the big lifts in there) will get you great results.

 

[RedPill]

of course you're allowed to do cardio, it will enhance your gains.. don't go sprinting though, just a nice brisk walk, 30-40 mins before breakfast although in your case I would advise half a scoop of protein before hand and maybe some aminos. start with that and see how you get on..

Just out of curiosity WA, why do you advocate low-intensity over high-intensity cardio? Although I am experimenting with high-intensity right now, I don't have any sort of conviction one way or the other on which method is more effective for the purpose of fat loss. Thanks for your time. - RedPill

 

[Warboss Alex]

Just out of curiosity WA, why do you advocate low-intensity over high-intensity cardio? Although I am experimenting with high-intensity right now, I don't have any sort of conviction one way or the other on which method is more effective for the purpose of fat loss. Thanks for your time. - RedPill

high intensity cuts into your recovery (I know sprinting used to always do a number on my legs) and it's easier to get injured if you don't warm up properly etc - pulled hamstring means no squatting for a while.

for fat loss I'd recommend slower cardio primarily (not saying you CAN'T do one or two sessions of high intensity cardio a week if you work into it intelligently and it doesn't burn you out) because it doesn't interfere with your training and muscular gains, and muscle tissue burns calories just by sitting there (good for fat loss). I don't think your strength gains should ever be compromised if body recomp is your goal, and my feeling is that HIIT will, in the long run, affect that.

but I commend you for experimenting, everyone should really try different stuff and see what works for them. if it does more power to you, if it doesn't well, you know what NOT to do.

 

[mrRuckus]

because it doesn't interfere with your training and muscular gains, and muscle tissue burns calories just by sitting there (good for fat loss). I don't think your strength gains should ever be compromised if body recomp is your goal, and my feeling is that HIIT will, in the long run, affect that.
)

It doesn't seem that muscle burns many extra calories just sitting there. That whole "50 calories burned per pound of muscle" thing is a myth. I've seen it a number of times before but it's like 5-6 calories. I did a quick search again and found these two. Maybe not the best sites but they're just 2 of the first ones i found. 5 calories a day per pound muscle isn't going to make a big difference in losing some fat.

http://www.optimalhealthpartner.com/Media/Myth of muscle as calorie burner.htm

http://www.bulknutrition.com/a81_Fat_Loss_Basics.html


I'm not sure what you say about HIIT either. 15 min of HIIT on a stationary bike doesn't seem to tire my legs out any more than 45 min of doing it slow does. I do 30 seconds of fast and 30 seconds of slow and I put the resistance at the lowest level. But really i'm not sure. I don't do running so maybe there is a diff on a bike.

 

[Warboss Alex]

It doesn't seem that muscle burns many extra calories just sitting there. That whole "50 calories burned per pound of muscle" thing is a myth. I've seen it a number of times before but it's like 5-6 calories. I did a quick search again and found these two. Maybe not the best sites but they're just 2 of the first ones i found. 5 calories a day per pound muscle isn't going to make a big difference in losing some fat.

http://www.optimalhealthpartner.com/Media/Myth of muscle as calorie burner.htm

http://www.bulknutrition.com/a81_Fat_Loss_Basics.html


I'm not sure what you say about HIIT either. 15 min of HIIT on a stationary bike doesn't seem to tire my legs out any more than 45 min of doing it slow does. I do 30 seconds of fast and 30 seconds of slow and I put the resistance at the lowest level. But really i'm not sure. I don't do running so maybe there is a diff on a bike.

stationary bike is a whole different matter to sprinting. it's probably one of the less strenuous HIITs you can do.

and even going by your 5-6 calories per lb and if you've got 50lbs of muscle that's 5-6 x 50 = 250-300kcal a day. think how much cardio you gotta do to burn 300kcal.

 

[Skilla_Staz]

Alex makes yet another valid point. If you take me for example. 155, 11% BF(estimate). Thats about 138lbs of lean mass. I figure my bones take up about 55% of that weight and that leaves me with about 60lbs of muscle on my body.

That results in an extra 295.5-360 calories burned, just by sitting there. If I get up to 170lbs like I want to, and hit that 9-10%bf mark, thats about 350-450 extra calories a day. Thats a pretty significant number.

At my current weight thats 107,675-131,400 calories a year. That's a lot of cardio.

 

[reyalp]

The main thing with the routine I posted was that it's for complete beginners. The intensity is high enough on a beginner routine (just from the sheer fact that you haven't been lifting) that your recovery times are going to be high anyway. My first day of squats had me limping around with DOMS for 3 days.
I'm seeing forward progress, though. Once the results plateau, I'm going to change it up a little.

So far (I started on May 12, 2006):
Squats have gone up 60lbs
Deads have gone up 50lbs
BP has gone up 40lbs
Standing Military Press has gone up 30lbs
Pendlay Rows have gone up 50lbs
Chins and Dips have gone from 80lbs assistance to 60lbs assistance
Decline Situps have gone from bodyweight to 35lbs (I HATE doing them the way they're outlined in the routine. HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE it.)
Hyperextensions have gone from 25lbs to 60lbs

I've taken a week of vacation since I started the program, too.


HIIT.....I've done some HIIT, man, and if you're doing it right, you don't feel like doing much of anything when you're done. I don't like pushing that hard, though. I read a recent study about energy sources (lipolysis etc) during different cardio intensities / durations, I'll have to dig it up and post it. Basically, they found that 63% of your VO2Max burned the most calories from adipose tissue, as long as the duration was less than 45 minutes.

 

[reyalp]

Alex makes yet another valid point. If you take me for example. 155, 11% BF(estimate). Thats about 138lbs of lean mass. I figure my bones take up about 55% of that weight and that leaves me with about 60lbs of muscle on my body.

That results in an extra 295.5-360 calories burned, just by sitting there. If I get up to 170lbs like I want to, and hit that 9-10%bf mark, thats about 350-450 extra calories a day. Thats a pretty significant number.

At my current weight thats 107,675-131,400 calories a year. That's a lot of cardio.

Your skeleton takes up between 15-20% of your bodyweight

I can't find a source for the 15% but I did find the 20% on Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_skeleton

 

[Skilla_Staz]

Basically, they found that 63% of your VO2Max burned the most calories from adipose tissue, as long as the duration was less than 45 minutes.

I've also read that 60-65% of our Vo2 max is the optimal range.

Those are good increased in squat bud. I think my largest gains in a month were somewhere around there. I averaged 10-15lb gains every week in my squats. Never really benched, and at my old school the weight room teacher would b*tch me out when I would deadlift.