My Current Routine and A Few Other Q's

[BuildBigger]

Hi,
Just wanted to post my current routine up here for people to comment on and make any alterations necessary and ask a few other Q's while i'm at it.

These arent including warm ups.

Chest
Incline DB (higher incline) 4x8-12
Flat DB 3x8-12
Incline DB (lower incline) 3x8-12
Incline Fly's 3x10-15

Back
Wide Grip Pulldown 3x8-12
Bent Over Row 8-12
DL Pyramid Sets From 10-4 reps
Close Grip Cable Row 3x8-12
Close Grip Pull Down 3x8-12

Legs
Squats Pyramid Sets From 10-4 reps
Lunges 4x20
Leg Extension Individual Legs 3x12-15
Leg Curl 3x12-15
Calves, Individual Legs, 3x 2 Back To Back Sets Of 12-15

Shoulders
DB Shoulder Press 4x8-12
DB Lateral Raises 3x10-12
Dips (even though this is more focused towards chest, is it entirely inappropriate on a shoulder day? or should I drop it?) 3x8-12
Face Pulls 2x10-12 or DB Front Raises 2x10-12 each
Machine Shoulder Press 3x 8-12
Shrugs 4x12-15

Arms
Close-Grip Bench 3x8-12
Pull Ups 3x8-12
Pushdowns superset with Cable Curls 3x10-15
Overhead Tricep Extensions superset with Hammer Curl 3x8-12

Abs trained 2x per week

Is it recommended that you eat immediately post cardio? and how important are carbs post cardio?
Would post workout cardio before post workout shake inhibit muscle gain at all?

Thanks!

 

[GiantSlayer]

I like it.

No problem with dips on shoulder day. Just watch not to pre fatige your shoulders too much. Dips can be dangerous if those supporting shoulder muscles are too tired.

Post workout carbs.. If your over 10% bodyfat, you don't even need them. Under 10% and on calorie restriction I would use post workout carbs as a muscle sparing catalyst. During a bulk it doesn't matter so much.

 

[RAIDEN]

How long have you been training? Is this your first time working out?

 

[ajdonutz]

What're your goals? Looks like a solid intermediate bodybuilding routine with some power lifts added in. Not bad to me

 

[woodswise]

What're your goals? Looks like a solid intermediate bodybuilding routine with some power lifts added in. Not bad to me

^^^^^ This. Check out AJ's journal if you want to take your training up a notch. The key is to go beyond your comfort zone and really exhaust those muscles at pretty much every workout.

Post workout, I have some gatorade and whey protein to take advantage of the "anabolic window" if there is any such thing. Now I am cutting with a keto diet, I skip the gatorade and have only wp.

 

[BuildBigger]

I've been working out little over a year. I aim to gain both size and strength without blowing up, started bulking straight off the bat pretty much and got too big, started to lean out now but lost a lot of size as expected. I just want to continue growing but im noticing that my arms and shoulders seem underdeveloped or I would class them as being smaller than they should be in proportion to the rest of my body. I was doing the old school Bro split chest/tris back/bis etc and thought if I trained arms on their own they would grow at a greater rate. They're getting stronger but I think it'd just gonna take time!

How important is it really to vary exercises within your workout and mix it up? The only exercise I'd want to change on back day would be the close grip pull down because I feel the rest are essential and can feel them working! I usually have whey and a banana or some maltodextrin post workout, I specifically meant post cardio on its own.

Thanks

 

[GiantSlayer]

Changing exercises every workout is probably counter productive. Change the routine every 6 weeks or so. Listen to your body. If something hurts, change the routine. Post cardio carbs I use the same rule of thumb. If your over 10% bf you don't need them.

 

[woodswise]

I think it is good to vary your exercises over several weeks. But it is more important to push yourself beyond your comfort zone, and exhaust the muscles nearly every workout. My trainer has me doing a variety of sometimes high reps with some pretty good weights, often medium reps at even higher weights, and sometimes low reps at very high weights. On everything except the very high rep days, I say to myself "oh shit" when I see how much weight he has me lifting.

I think it is easy to gain size if you overeat and are not afraid of some fat. But then you are gaining fat. It is probably better to do it the way you are, by dieting back down, then doing leaner bulks so you don't get too fat. Then cut the fat off at least once per year. I have been spending 5 to 6 months at a time bulking, then 5 to 6 months cutting each year. This has worked out pretty good for me, and I am gradually getting leaner and leaner. I am hoping to hit 10% for the first time in many years, by May.

Good luck with your journey bro. Don't hesitate to ask questions. Lots of knowledgeable guys on here to answer.

 

[JR Ewing]

Personally, I don't know how people can DL and squat on consecutive days. I need several days between the two.

Another thing I do personally is split up quads from hams and calves, and I do a good 10-12 sets for calves and at least 2 sets of hamstring work for every 3 sets of quad work.

I do leg presses and hacks in addition to squats, don't do lunges, and rarely do leg extensions.

I also prefer heavy old school t-bar rows as an addition to bent bb rows instead of seated cable rows. And I'd do at least 3 sets of pullups instead of so many sets of pulldowns. Maybe 3-4 sets of pullups early on and 2-3 sets of pulldowns at the end. I generally do rack pulls (every other workout), then pullups, rows, and end with pulldowns.

But it looks pretty good overall. If it's working for you, great.

 

[BuildBigger]

Thanks for the advice fellas, i'll put it into practice. Now its just time to grow!

 

[oldschool1967]

looks pretty good bro..let me ask you this, how much weight have you put on since you started? just curious, but it is important.

 

[BrotherIron]

Personally, I don't know how people can DL and squat on consecutive days. I need several days between the two.

There are many who squat and pull on the same day.