Would Appreciate Suggestions To This Routine

[Jedimike007]

I just started this routine this week. I would appreciate a few opinions. It's focus is suppose to be on muscle mass. I am 24, 6'1" @155 lbs and my matabolism is through the roof. I can eat anything and not gain weight. I'm changing my diet for higher protein/caloric intake and hope this routine will help build mass. It seems like it work well with my WEEKLY changing schedule. I can double up workouts when I can't excercise on a scheduled day.

MONDAY: chest
-Dumbbell(DB)Bench 4x8-10
-flat bench flyes 2x8-10
-a version of cable crossovers: 2x8-10
-incline DB press 3x8-10
-incline DB flyes 2x8-10
-Cardio, jog

TUES: upper/lower back
-front lat pull 3x8-10, one super set
-low pulley row 4x8-10
-t-bar row 3x8-10

-lower back extensions Body Weight(BW) 1x50, w/light weight 3x20
-obliques w/light weight 3x15-20
-crunches BW 1x to failure, then weighted 1x failure, then BW 1x failure

WED: quads/hamstrings
-hack squats 3x8-10
-lunges 2-3x8-10
-leg ext 3x8-10
-leg curls 3x8-10
-Cardio, stair climb machine, starting at 10 min. I will work up as fitness improves (Q: is it a good idea to do cardio after leg workout?)

THURS: delts
-shoulder press 3x8-10
-lateral raise 3x8-10
-upright row 3x8-10
-shrugs 3x8-10
-crunches and lower back routine

FRI: bi/triceps
-hammer curls 3x8-10
-barbell curls 3x8-10
-concentration curls 2x8-10
-overhead tri ext 3x8-10
-tri push down 3x8-10
-kickbacks 2x8-10

sat/sun off

thanks for your time and help.

[brandyflame]

The routine looks good. Putting on mass means lower reps and higher weights however try to mantain the 8-10 reps and throw in 6-8 reps every now and then with higher weights to shock the muscles, they get used to a particular weight after a while. And don't forget to rest!! You may want to rest after every third day. Your muscles need time to repair before it can be broken down again. But if you find that you cannot get into the gym on the weekends, then keep your sat/sun off routine.

As for cardio during a leg workout, there is nothing wrong with doing cardio and legs the same day but you may find that your cardio is not as great as if it was a day before legs. Remember that your workouts have the biggest effect two days after the muscle has been worked so you may find doing cardio the day before legs or the day of legs is better rather than the day or two after the workout. And if you are focusing on muscle gain and not weight loss, try saving your energy in the beginning for your weight workout and do your cardio last.

As for eating, if you find it hard bumping up your protein, try turning to protein shakes three times a day. It will make a major improvement. I know people have gained mass without the shakes and it can be done but it is a lot of eating and a lot of meat which can be hard on the digestive system. I hope this helps.

[Twomoon]

Jedi, an issue I see with your routine is you are only targetting the main muscle groups once per week. There are three main groups: upper body (front and back) and legs. If you had only 3 exercises to do it would be bench press, pullups and squats. These 3 exercises utilise the major and minor muscles in each area.

eg: Bench press uses pectorals, deltoids, triceps.
Pullups use lats, biceps and the rotator cuff muscles in the shoulder
Squats use quads, hamstrings, glutes, lower back and core muscles.

As you can see that is most of the body. What I do is to do these 3 plus db shoulder press and seated row for 4 sets of 8 with as much weight as I can handle while keeping good form. Keep the intensity high and try to limit recovery time between sets to keep the workrate high. I do this 2-3 times per week to allow good recovery between workouts. It means I can get my whole body blasted 3 times a week for about an hour each time. I do cardio on the off days.

Good luck

[Jedimike007]

Thanks for the replys guys.

Twomoon,
I had done some research and working one muscle group a week is suppose to help build muscle mass. I don't know enough about lifting to know if it works or not. What you said makes a lot of sense, but with my schedule I might be able to workout Monday, Tuesday, and Friday one week or Mon., Wed, Fri. the next. With the 5 day split I can double up on the days I missed fairly easy. I am going to consider your routine though, thanks for posting it. How long have you been using it? What kind of gains have you noticed?

[Twomoon]

Hi Jedi,

I'd been doing weights regulalry for a couple of months (after a long period of irregular training) before I started this routine. Having done it for about a month now, my strength has increased significantly. Eg. I do 4 sets of pullups to failure. When I started I could manage 12 reps in the first set for a total of 28. Now I can do 16 reps first up for a total of 38 for 4 sets. I'm unfortunate to have the sort of body that doesn't build huge mass but strength is not bad. If you use creatine it can help with recovery after sessions, an energy boost before sessions and also help muscle s gain mass due to its ability to help muscles store fluid (which they need to contract).

Just remember, what works for one person may not work for the next. However, you'll never know unless you try it. I'm not a firey yet (I beleive they're recruiting soon) but I'm working my *** off in preparation for it.

Good luck!!