(this was gonna be from the condensed guide to growth but who knows when I'll finish that)
Routine
Ultimately the load on the bar is what’s going to make you get bigger (in a reasonable rep range) and the fastest way to a 500lb deadlift, a 400 squat, a 300 bench and barbell row, dipping and chinning with 50-100 around your waist, 200 on the military press, 150 on the bar curl, 150 skullcrushers etc is through a routine which still hits the muscles hard enough to induce a strength gain (which will translate into a muscle gain given sufficient protein intake, rest etc) but the volume which is low enough that you can recover and grow optimally before the muscle it hit again the next week.
I don’t think anyone on this board has any place doing a 5 day volume routine with dedicated arm days or nonsense like that, unless they’re on drugs, or already advanced (240lbs+ and hell, -I’m- 240lbs+ and I still do a routine like this).
Basic 3 Day Routine (sets x reps)
Monday – Legs
Squats 2 x 5
Squats 1 x 15-20 (choose a weight you can get about 10 reps with and grind out 15+)
Posterior Core* 2 x 10-20
Weighted Situps (flat or decline) 2 x 10-20
Calf Raises 2 x 10 (on the second set, hold the negative for 10 seconds)
Wednesday – Chest
Incline Press (Dumbbell or Barbell) 2-3 x 5
Dips or Assisted Dips or (Flat) Dumbbell Press 2 x 10-12
Weighted Situps (flat or decline) 2 x 10-20
Seated or Standing Shoulder Press (Dumbbell or Barbell) 2 x 8-10
Skullcrushers or French Press 2 x 10-15
Friday – Back
Deadlift or Rack Deadlift 2-3 x 5
Chinup or Assisted Chinup or Pulldown / Dumbbell or Barbell Row 2-3 x 8 (alternate each workout)
Weighted Situps (flat or decline) 2 x 10-20
Bicep Curl (Dumbbell, Barbell, Preacher, EZbar whatever) 2 x 8-10
Forearm Curl (Hammer, Wrist, or Reverse) 1-2 x 10-15
Posterior Core (choose one of): Good Morning, Stiff Leg or Romanian Deadlift, Glute Ham Raise, Sumo Leg Press, Reverse Hyperextension, Pullthrough. (Standing/Lying Leg Curls are okay but these are superior). Alternate two or three exercises if you like.
Abs are listed every day but as long as they get done 2-3 times a week, it’s fine to skip them one workout. They can also be done on off days.
Obviously you may need to add exercises as you go along such as more core work or hip work, laterals if shoulder width is a problem but for most guys I'd have them start off on this basic template.
Where you have an option for number of sets choose the higher number ONLY if your recovery is good or a certain bodypart isn’t progressing as fast as the rest. I would start out conservatively at first if you’re not sure (or if you push heavy weights).
DON’T go to failure every set. If you miss the last rep of your last set that’s fine but going to failure on every set will kill your recovery unless the volume is further reduced.
Rest between each set as long as you feel you need to. Obviously you’ll need more rest between two sets of a 400lb deadlift than you would between 70lb skullcrushers.
