[EEfz6]

I was never in REALLY good shape. I used to have hard, flat abs. And there was a few months I lifted weights in college and saw really good results in a short time, but school overtook my workout time, and many years later I am now scrawny and pudgy. I decided it is time to change that. I started doing karate a couple months ago and started watching what I eat, drastically cutting the amount I ate. I lost about 10 pounds. I then started going to the gym, and a week later I was down 4 more pounds. But I was feeling like crap (not eating NEAR enough), so I started eating more. I have regained those last 4 pounds, but am holdng steady at 167 for the last 2 weeks. I am 5'10", by the way.

I was doing a schedule that put me in the gym every moring Mon-Thurs for an hour each time. Hit pretty much all muscle groups Mon-Wed, then a light workout across the board on Thurs. I decided I wanted to do more, so here is the schedule I worked out Mon and started as off yesterday:

Monday
Morning:
1. Bench press (chest, triceps)
2. Incline bench press (upper chest, triceps)
3. Flyes (chest)
4. Pushdowns (triceps)
5. Spine rotation(name?) (stomach)
6. Overhead triceps extensions (triceps)

Lunch:
1. Leg extensions
2. Seated rotating barbell presses
3. Leg curls
4. Leg press
5. Side raises
6. Calf raises
7. Rear-delt side raises
8. Shrugs

Tuesday
Morning:
1. Barbell curls (biceps)
2. Seated pull downs (back)
3. Dumbbell concentration curls (biceps)
4. Seated rows (back)
5. Reverse grip barbell curls (biceps, forearm)
6. Back extensions (back)
7. One-arm dumbbell rows (back)
8. Crunches (abs)

Wednesday
Morning:
1. Bench press (chest, triceps)
2. Decline bench press (upper chest, triceps)
3. Flyes (chest)
4. Pushdowns (triceps)
5. Torso rotation (abs)
6. Overhead triceps extensions (triceps)

Lunch:
1. Leg extensions
2. Seated barbell presses
3. Leg curls
4. Leg press
5. Side raises
6. Calf raises
7. Rear-delt side raises
8. Shrugs

Thursday
Morning:
1. Barbell curls (biceps)
2. Seated pull downs (back)
3. Dumbbell concentration curls (biceps)
4. Seated rows (back)
5. Reverse grip barbell curls (biceps, forearm)
6. Back extensions (back)
7. One-arm dumbbell rows (back)
8. Crunches (abs)

Saturday
Haven't quite worked this one out yet, as I will be working out from home with no spotter. Likely try to get a little biceps, back, chest, shoulders, and abs:
1. Dumbbell concentration curls (biceps)
2. Seated barbell presses
3. Flyes (chest)
4. One-arm dumbbell rows (back)
5. Crunches (abs)
6. Side raises

I am only doing one workout on Tuesday and Thursday, as I have karate those nights. I am drinking one serving whey protien shake after every workout, and trying to eat pretty lean. I intend to start creatine on Monday to help with recovery time. And I am thinking about some sort of fat burner. I am probably going to keep this up for about 4-5 months to add as much muscle over the winter as I can, then substiture in some cardio rather than some of the lifting while I am at the gym. I am also considering a fat burner supplement such as stacker 2 (I know that one has been pulled, but don't know any other names), but I haven't deicded if I am going to do that yet.

So what do you guys think? I figure by summer, I will either be in the best shape of my life, or dead.

 

[FizzerMeTimbers]

I think you've been reading too many bodybuilding mags.

From your routine, it looks like you'll burn out real quick. I'm no personal trainer, but you need to find a schedule that you enjoy. If you like working out that often and doing limited exercises like that, go for it. But it will get boring eventually.

My advice is to keep an open mind in terms of your workouts and maybe consider what's best for your overall health.

 

[ZxHunteR]

Kinda sucks. Too many bicep exercises.

Do this

Week 1
*********HYPERTROPHY*********
---------------3 X 10----------------

Monday - Day 1 - Legs

Front squat
Smith machine back squat
Leg curls
Standing Calf raises
Decline sit ups

Tuesday - Day 2 - Rest

Wednesday - Day 3 - Chest / triceps

Slight incline bb bench press
Decline bb bench press
Close reverse grip bb bench press
Tricep pulldowns
Dumbell pullovers

Thursday - Day 4 - Rest

Friday - Day 5 - Back / Biceps

Powerclean
Lat pull down
Bent over bb / t-bar rows
behind the back bb shrugs
bb curls


Day 6 - Delts

db front raises
db side raises
bb military press
Decline sit ups

Day 7 - Rest


Week 2
**********STRENGTH***********
---------------5 x 5-----------------

Monday - Day 1 - Legs

bb front squat / back squat
Leg curls
Standing Calf raises
Weighted decline sit ups

Tuesday - Day 2 - Rest


Wednesday - Day 3 - Chest / triceps

db flat bench press
Weighted dips
db military press


Thursday - Day 4 - Rest

Friday - Day 5 - Back / Biceps

Powerclean / deadlift (every other week)
Weighted pull ups
Bent over dumbell rows
db shrugs
db curls
Weighted decline sit ups

Saturday - Day 6 - Rest

Sunday - Day 7 - Rest

 

[EEfz6]

I think you've been reading too many bodybuilding mags.

From your routine, it looks like you'll burn out real quick. I'm no personal trainer, but you need to find a schedule that you enjoy. If you like working out that often and doing limited exercises like that, go for it. But it will get boring eventually.

My advice is to keep an open mind in terms of your workouts and maybe consider what's best for your overall health.

I actually don't read any body building mags. I have a friend into working out and just asked him to give me a list of some workouts for overall conditioning. Out of those, I picked what I could fit into my schedule. I wanted to hit everything twice a week, but I live 1.5 hours from the gym. It is good because it is only 15 buck per month (golds gym express), it is close to my office, and I hope to move much closer in the very near future. It just means that I don't get to show up on the weekend. And I don't want to get up at the crack of dawn on Friday, so that means everything gets put into monday and tuesday.

I just try to throw some Saturday stuff in so that I don't go too long between workouts.

 

[FizzerMeTimbers]

Your friend gave you a typical body building routine. It's typical in terms of the exercises, frequency of workouts, and way they are grouped together, and routines like that were designed for people who take steroids.

If you want to do bodybuilding workouts, and discuss 10,000 variations of bicep curls with the dudes with ballooned upper bodies and chicken legs, be my guest. Just realize that's not the only way to work out. For example, you could do only 2 heavy weightlifting workouts a week, and still get much stronger, and b*****.

 

[EEfz6]

Your friend gave you a typical body building routine. It's typical in terms of the exercises, frequency of workouts, and way they are grouped together, and routines like that were designed for people who take steroids.

If you want to do bodybuilding workouts, and discuss 10,000 variations of bicep curls with the dudes with ballooned upper bodies and chicken legs, be my guest. Just realize that's not the only way to work out. For example, you could do only 2 heavy weightlifting workouts a week, and still get much stronger, and b*****.

I am not interested in discussing those things. I am currently going through a divorce and I started working out and doing karate to stay busy, take my mind of the stress of the divorce, and have the added benefit of getting in shape.

Am I craming way too much in? With my siutation, I really only have Mon-Thurs to do heavy workouts. And I wanted to hit everything basically twice a week, so that when I miss a day here and there I still hit that muscle group at least once in the week. So far, I have not been able to do the Sat. stuff, as I have too much other stuff going on.

Is twice a week per muscle group really overkill?

 

[FizzerMeTimbers]

I am not interested in discussing those things. I am currently going through a divorce and I started working out and doing karate to stay busy, take my mind of the stress of the divorce, and have the added benefit of getting in shape.

Am I craming way too much in? With my siutation, I really only have Mon-Thurs to do heavy workouts. And I wanted to hit everything basically twice a week, so that when I miss a day here and there I still hit that muscle group at least once in the week. So far, I have not been able to do the Sat. stuff, as I have too much other stuff going on.

Is twice a week per muscle group really overkill?

Twice a week per muschel group isn't overkill at all. The routine you posted is called a split, because the muscle groups are split up into different days of the week.

Another way to workout would be to hit every muscle group every time you go to the gym (what I do). I go 3 or 4 times a week. Every time I go I do 4 sets of:

-an upper body push exercise (dips, bench, dumbell bench, incline, etc)
-an upper body pull exercise (pull ups, rows, high pulls, etc)
-a squat or deadlift variation (barbell, dumbell, etc)
-an accessory isolation exercise (curls, tricep ext, calf raise...)

But I only do 1 exercise per group. When you do dips, you work your entire chest, your shoulders, and your triceps. Pull ups work your back and your biceps as well as your abs and other muscles. Thats enogh for those muscles for one day, especially if you're just starting to work out. You don't need to hit them from every possible direction.

Also, all those isolation movements like curls, tricep extensions, lat raises don't really do much for your strength/fitness. Stick to compound movements that work at least 2 joints as much as possible.

...In case you're interested, I do heavy when I feel like going heavy, low weight high reps when I feel like doing that. And I do a rotation, like alternate upper body push and upper body pull sets. Then I do the same with squat/deadlifts and the accessory workout.

Sometimes I'll switch up the upper body exercises I do and do sort of a cross training routine. Start off with a set of upper body push like one arm dumbell bench press on a stability ball (builds core strength). Then a set of upper body pull like pull ups, then squat variaition like single leg squats. But the next round I'll do an entirely different exercise. But the workout is still essntially the same: Upper body push, upper body pull, and squat/deadlift.
And then sometimes I'll run a mile in between or hit a punching bag.

The reason I'm telling you all this is because its VERY common for people who start working out to try and do the bodybuilding routine where they workout 10 times a week and all that other crap. Then they get to busy or bored and decide working out takes too much time. The truth is it doesn't have to and there are ways you can work out smarter rather than harder to stay in shape over the long term.

 

[AR3NTH]

I am not interested in discussing those things. I am currently going through a divorce and I started working out and doing karate to stay busy, take my mind of the stress of the divorce, and have the added benefit of getting in shape.

Use all your free time to ride!
"Let the good times roll":boink

 

[BurnMyHeartDown]

What picture?

I'm not exactly sure what's going on with that routine. You say you're trying to gain as much muscle as possible by summer, but sounds like you're eating like you're dieting, and you're training routine is, well, lacking in important things like squats, deads, bent rows, that sort of thing. ZX posted a good alternative, I'd give that a serious try.

The ridiculous amount of bicep curls is really kinda funny though.

 

[RickA]

download p90x

that's all im gonna say

 

[ktravelet]

crossfit >>> p90x

 

[MusicGix]

Dude... definitely divide your routine up more. And give yourself plenty of downtime. You're going to kill yourself with that routine.

 

[Exodus]

Kinda sucks. Too many bicep exercises.

Do this
.
.
.

much better.

Dude... definitely divide your routine up more. And give yourself plenty of downtime. You're going to kill yourself with that routine.

QFT. Some people spend WAAAAY too much time in the gym unnecessarily. They either get burnt out or are just wasting their time.

 

[ZxHunteR]

I am not interested in discussing those things. I am currently going through a divorce and I started working out and doing karate to stay busy, take my mind of the stress of the divorce, and have the added benefit of getting in shape.

Am I craming way too much in? With my siutation, I really only have Mon-Thurs to do heavy workouts. And I wanted to hit everything basically twice a week, so that when I miss a day here and there I still hit that muscle group at least once in the week. So far, I have not been able to do the Sat. stuff, as I have too much other stuff going on.

Is twice a week per muscle group really overkill?

Trust me, less is more. You are going to add more stress to your life by doing that routine and a non-juicer of any age is not going to keep up.

What I personally believe is easing into bodybuilding splits.

Do a full body workout first. Get a full 3 days rest and repeat. When you are ready for more complexity, move up to a upper / lower split. Then onto the 3/4 day split I posted above.

 

[BurnMyHeartDown]

Update on this?

 

[BuiltGypsy]

Skip La Cour's Max-OT Training Routines

Fat Loss Workouts | Turbulence Training
http://www.youtube.com/user/cbathletics
^both from the same Canadian.

 

[06six00]

Glad to hear you are looking to get back in shape. Your routine looks like a pretty intense split! Be careful not to overtrain and make sure you are taking in enough calories to stay alive You may also want to get some supplements that will help with recovery and give you some stamina in the gym. Check out Torrent by Universal and Jack3d by USPLABS. I would also make sure you have some gooooood protein in your diet.

Here is a good link that may help you set up a workout plan when you are ready to switch things up. There is a bunch of different articles so you should be able to find one that fits your needs. Bodybuilding.com - HST Program Articles!

 

[Tuffguy #2]

To the OP:
The routine you posted sucks.

Stick to the big compound movements.

Squat
Bench
deadlift

Those 3 movements should be the CORE of your workout program. They work out almost all of your body and release massive amounts of GH when completed.

My split is like this. Everything is 3 sets of each.

Day 1:
Squat
Some leg machine press
Shoulder press
Arnold press

Day 2:
Flat bench
Incline bench
Deadlift
Some other back excercise

Day 3:
Bicept curls
Hammer curls
Close grip press (tricept)
Another tricept excercise
Cardio.

Rest. Repeat.

Don't overcomplicate it.