Do you vary your gym workout, or do the same things?

[diplomatic_lies]

Just wondering whether its a better idea to vary your workouts, or use the same regular workouts?


I read a few books, including Arnie's Encyclopedia, as well as the website www.abcbodybuilding.com exercises.

I was like "WTF!". Am I supposed to do all those exercises, or just load up on a few?


And which ones are best? I'm still a beginner, and mostly aiming to improve my arms, shoulders, chest, and abs (I already got my legs bigger from constant running).

Should I simply follow the exercises stated in Diesel's guide as a regular thing every week, or try to use different varieties?


There seems to be a bit of a debate about this in some sites I've been to.

 

[Soshyopathe]

You don't get your legs bigger from running. Running will not take care of your legs in the slightest. If you want the rest of your body to grow, you need to squat, PERIOD.

Yes, you need to vary your workout every 8 weeks or so. Nothing radical, maybe change your split or reps. If you are continuing to go up in weight every week, then don't worry about changing anything.

You should base your workouts around these excersizes:
Squat
Deadlift
Bench Press
Pullups
Rows
Military Press
Lateral Raises
Curls
Skullcrushers
Weighted Situps

Now, this list is the essentials. You now choose how to supplement this list. If you want bigger quads, throw in hack squats after squats. If you aren't getting results in your back, change rows to heavy T-Bar rows. If you can't do enough pullups, change it to lat pulldowns.

Arnold outlines exactly what excersizes do what. If your biceps don't extend far down, start doing preacher curls. If your lats are short, start doing close-grip pulldowns. Just choose 3-6 excersizes forall muscle groups, make up a split, and see what happens. As you learn certain subtleties about each lift, you may want to switch it around and customize it to your needs.

If you're looking to build muscle, use dumbells instead of barbells whenever possible.

 

[Ricky]

I fvcked up my back from squats recently, but I normally highly recommend them.

I'm thinking of doing sprints to keeps some leg size. It isn't the same type of overload, but it will at least give them some stimulus.

Actually I will still do hamstring curls and calf raises as well. No longer do leg extensions cuz I messed up my knee on that, and heavy leg presses can mess up your knee and on rare occasions your back if it comes off the seat rest.

But you have a good list soshyopathe

I'm on my 2nd week of total rest from lifting after injuring my back and hurting my shoulder a bit from heavy benching. My body needed it. I can't afford to take more, so I'll be back next week, but with lighter workouts.