Critique my Workout.

[strudmack]

I began lifting in Feb of this year and started at 145 pounds 6feet tall.

Heres my routine now:

DAY1:

Bis (curl bar 6-8reps, hammer curls 6-8reps, alternating bumbell curls 6-8reps....)
Shoulders (shruggs 3 sets 8reps, "arm lifts" 8reps, curl bar pull ups (lift bar from waist to chin with narrow grip 8reps)
Abs (ball crunches, leg raises, weighted decline bench crunches)

DAY 2:

Chest (bench press 6reps, Incline dumbell press 6-8reps, cable cross overs 8reps)
Tris (cable push downs? 8reps, skull crushers 8reps)

DAY 3:

legs (Squats using a machine(tru squats are hard on my back even with proper form), calf, quad, and "under quad?" machine workouts)

DAY 4:

Back (deadlifts 6reps, lat pull downs 6reps, rows 6-8reps)

Abs & Bis again like day one

Two days off

Along with this, I do 10minutes of hard cardio every workout day.
I also take 2protein shakes a day, and try to get alot more in my diet (hard to reach my weight tho)
I also cycle creatine monohydrate, but am going to try the creatine pills soon
My diet is fairly good, with 5meals a day and one vitamin pill.
Any other supps I should try?

I have now weigh 165 pounds and am almost as lean. I have seen awsome gains in my tris, and chest, but need to work on my bis and abs.

I am also having trouble getting my body fat % down, which is surprising seeing as Im an ectomorph.

Any tips for this?

thankyou!

 

[Warboss Alex]

Okay.. you cycle creatine and can't eat your bodyweight in protein? Stop buying the creatine and buy more food! Don't think about any more supplements until you're getting the food in.

Your workout has too much volume overall (no need for one day for biceps and shoulders) but has some good ideas. Try:

Monday
Squats 2 x 5, 1 x 15
Calves 2 x 10
Sumo Leg Press/Glute Ham Raise/SLDL/Hypers 2 x 8
Weighted Abs 2 x 10

Wednesday
Bench Press 2 x 6
Incline Press or Dips 2 x 10
Shoulder Press 2 x 8
Skullcrushers 2 x 10

Friday
Deadlifts 2 x 5
Rows 2 x 6
Pulldowns 2 x 10
Curls 2 x 10

It's like what you have, just a lil different.

btw - why can't you squat?

 

[donjuanjovi]

Post your goals!

 

[Warboss Alex]

wait.. if you said you gained 20lbs on this routine (I just reread your post) then stick with it until your gains stall.. you're doing fine.

 

[EFFORT]

Hah Alex, i agree with ur logic with stick with the routine that gained you muscle, but my god if he was gaining on that imagine how fast he'd take off on that routine you posted assuming he got all his food in

 

[Skilla_Staz]

Did anybody else catch that he was doing abs/bis twice a week, and those are the two bodyparts that he says are lagging behind?

Coincidence?

 

[Warboss Alex]

Did anybody else catch that he was doing abs/bis twice a week, and those are the two bodyparts that he says are lagging behind?

Coincidence?

shouldn't make a difference to abs.

and his biceps might be 'lagging'.. or they might be lagging. basically, once he's up to 220lbs his biceps won't lag.

he gained 20lbs which is usually how much you need for an inch on his arms.. he says his triceps have grown; from that I surmise that his arms are growing just fine, it's just that every young guy wants 18-20 inch arms at 170...

 

[strudmack]

Warboss

How does doing only one exercise and only 2 sets for my bis, and tris get a good burn? Ive always been told that you want 3 different workouts for each main muscle group?

The reason Ive just started to do bis twice is because they are my weakest...so I figure if I give them a two day break, they can handle it?

I also dont have huge goals. I dont want to weigh over 180....Im going for a toned and "surfer" style body....not one of a true body builder.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[strudmack]

....and I cant squat because I had a back injury at work. It was never that bad....but the pressure from the squat bar pressing down my spine is extremely painful.

Luckily I can still deadlift seeing as that type of force doesnt bother me.

 

[Warboss Alex]

Warboss

How does doing only one exercise and only 2 sets for my bis, and tris get a good burn? Ive always been told that you want 3 different workouts for each main muscle group?

The reason Ive just started to do bis twice is because they are my weakest...so I figure if I give them a two day break, they can handle it?

I also dont have huge goals. I dont want to weigh over 180....Im going for a toned and "surfer" style body....not one of a true body builder.

Thanks for the advice!

regardless of whether you want to gain 5lbs or 105lbs the way you train should be no different. there's no such thing as the 'surfer' physique responding to a certain workout and the 'bodybuilder' physique to another.. everyone has the same muscles and they're all stimulated the same way. how far you go with mass gains is dependent on diet; once you've reached your desired size cut back on the eating and the training enough to maintain what you have.

having a 'burn' doesn't mean anything other than you've got lactic acid build up. you can ride a bike for four hours and get a great burn but you'll do anything but grow muscle..

with weak muscle groups: less is more most often. so one hard workout a week for your biceps should be sufficient. also, are you saying your biceps are lagging because they're a 'sexy' muscle and you have unrealistic expectations about their growth? measure your arms - anything between 12" and 14" is normal for your size, to get bigger arms you need to get bigger all over.

do like I said - for a comprehensive arm workout alternate db or barbell curls and hammer curls at 2 x 10 and skullcrushers with something like bent arm pullovers or jm presses at about the same rep range. just trust me on this.

also, your arms (nor any other bodypart including chest and shoulders) will ever reach its true potential without squats. you didn't tell me why you can't do these?

 

[Warboss Alex]

sorry, didn't see the post about squatting.

the leg press is a viable alternative and also smith squats and hack squats.

 

[strudmack]

My arms are 14inch....but my tris are larger than my bis....but I guess that may be normal for my weight?

I guess I will try your workout for a couple months and see how my gains change. I have been stuck at 165pounds for over a month now. Im also trying to put some more engery into eating right.

How does cardio fit into this routine? I really want to get my bodyfat % down. Stick to low time, high energy?
(I cant run due to asthme...so I usually do stair climber or elliptical for 10-15mins hard)

thanks!

 

[Warboss Alex]

No, stick to low intensity/energy, higher time: 30-40 mins on off days for now. Just incline walk on the treadmill. (in the a.m. on an empty stomach, take a scoop of whey beforehand)

Triceps are 2/3 of the arm, biceps are 1/3. 14" arm is GOOD for your weight, not normal. You're doing just fine.

I swear, there's a slew of 150-180 guys out there saying their "arms and chest" are lagging when it's perfectly normal for their overall size.. lol. (not directed to you strudmack, just in general)

Post up your daily diet so we can have a look!

 

[onyx]

hey alex i started a similar routine to the one you posted a few months ago, but then I moved gym and I could no longer do the deadlifts, because there is no place to do it. So i had to swap deadlifts for hypers, and I have to do hack squats rather than barbell squats now. What do you think to the changes I've made, anything different I could do?

 

[Warboss Alex]

hey alex i started a similar routine to the one you posted a few months ago, but then I moved gym and I could no longer do the deadlifts, because there is no place to do it. So i had to swap deadlifts for hypers, and I have to do hack squats rather than barbell squats now. What do you think to the changes I've made, anything different I could do?

hypers are NOT a substitute for deadlifts.. why can't you do them? all you need is a floor!

hack squats are good if there's no power rack..

can't you change gyms again? lol.

 

[onyx]

yeh i know they aint a substitute but I thought i needed some lower back work. I can't do them because the gym I go to as only 1 bar, which is used on the bench press, so can't do deadlifts, without queuein for the bench press for a hour while each person infront does abt 50 sets on there chests.
LOL cant really change gym, I'm a student at university, moneys tight.

 

[Warboss Alex]

yeh i know they aint a substitute but I thought i needed some lower back work. I can't do them because the gym I go to as only 1 bar, which is used on the bench press, so can't do deadlifts, without queuein for the bench press for a hour while each person infront does abt 50 sets on there chests.
LOL cant really change gym, I'm a student at university, moneys tight.

****ty.

maybe go at a quiet time? I'd say do barbell rows but that'd need the bar as well.

not good. I know places like that. best thing to do is get in line I guess. most people'll share if you ask; if they're gonna be a loooooooong time then ask one of the trainers there. I ALWAYS get asked by trainers when I'm gonna stop asking the equipment 'cause other lifters don't wanna come and ask me to share.. but I've never ever said no. I want to work out properly but I'm not there to stop other people doing their thing either.

just be reasonable and they should be, too.

 

[Quiksilver]

No, stick to low intensity/energy, higher time: 30-40 mins on off days for now.

I was always told that 10 - 15 minute HIIT was best for keeping bf% down. Is this idea particular for him, or in general?

 

[Warboss Alex]

I was always told that 10 - 15 minute HIIT was best for keeping bf% down. Is this idea particular for him, or in general?

both are equally effective but which you do depends on a lot of factors, whether you're trying to gain weight, how easily you gain weight, your current size etc..

 

[EFFORT]

i'm confused how your able to do hack squats but not deadlift?