my routine

L

lcars

New Member
i posted this on another site so you can ignore some of it.i decided to decend my reps in 2's so i could increase the weight every week without zigzagging.

my training program consists of 2 week blocks totaling 8 weeks which i train 3x a week and occasionally do a maintenance day(saturday)which i do extra dead lifts/abs etc

i start with high reps to get tendons and muscles ready for the heavy loads to come and it goes something like this:

week 1 16 reps
week 2 14 reps
week 3 12 reps
week 4 10 reps
week 5 8 reps
week 6 6 reps
week 7 4 reps
week 8 mon 3/wed 2/fri 1 rep(s)

rep ranges and sets arent written in stone amounts can vary but once accustomed to this type of workout they are easier to judge.some weeks you may have to zig zag the weights or stick with a certain weight for a couple of sessions as long as the weight increases each week end thats fine.

so each 8 week block consists of the same exercises increasing the load each day.

now for the exercises:
1 set in the first week then 2 sets there after until week 7/8 then 3 sets. for simplicity a sample workout.

2xbb flat bench
2xdb decline
2x bb military press
1x db arnie press
1x db rear delts
1x bb deadlift with 1 light and two heavy warm-ups
2x bb rows
2x squat/leg press
2x calf raise/press
2x db tricep press/pullovers
2x bicep chins
2x abs

to some it may seem alot but as ive stated before i dont go to failure apart from friday(the last workout in the week)and have no trouble with overtraining period.ive been using this program for a year with great results just thought id put it out there. critique if you like comments welcome.
 
I see the volume or number of sets fine, the only comment I would make is that I see the back portion weak, the only one is a row exercise which is good for thickness but there is none for lat width... such as chin ups or pull downs
 
I agree about the back thing. Deads and pullovers hit the back too, but still. You've got like ninety shoulder lifts and only one major lift for the back. The back can take a lot more... and the back is a really important part of your body. Unless you have a preexisting injury, you should do more back work. I would do at least 2 sets of bentover rows and 2 sets of weighted chins, at the bare minimum. If you are pressed for time and don't want to add them in because of that, you could cut your shoulders down to 2 sets. With all the benching and everything else, they are already getting plenty of work before you hit them directly.

I'd consider switching one of your benches to incline as well. Incline produces a more balanced look in the pecs than without it. Obviously in the end, it's genetics, but ignoring the upper pec won't help.
 
Icars: I'm with Latinblast & Tot re back work and decreasing the amount of shoulder work if need be to get this in.

But maybe you have it covered with what you call bicep chins? I'm guessing these are the same as underhand-grip chins? If so, then that's a great movement for lats and the problem goes away somewhat, as long as you are going heavy with extra weight. Might be worth keeping to a shoulder width grip rather than a really close-grip so your back gets more of a workout. Your bis will still be blasted.

My personal preference is to do chins and bent-over rows before deads as they act as a really good warm-up for the heavy lifts. All the best.
 
Bah, I guess I can't read. Also, since you said it was a sample routine, it probably varies anyway.
 
thanks for the replies chaps,i add more shoulders cos i think they are lacking but yeah after the 8 weeks is up i change my exercises so i go from rows to lat pulls or the like,i always keep deads in and find that heavy tricep pull overs and bicep chins make the lats work enough for me.so when i go to lat pulldowns i change the bi and tri exercise if you know what i mean.
 
<div>
(Lol @ Apr. 16 2006,09:37)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Icars: I'm with Latinblast &amp; Tot re back work and decreasing the amount of shoulder work if need be to get this in.

But maybe you have it covered with what you call bicep chins? I'm guessing these are the same as underhand-grip chins? If so, then that's a great movement for lats and the problem goes away somewhat, as long as you are going heavy with extra weight. Might be worth keeping to a shoulder width grip rather than a really close-grip so your back gets more of a workout. Your bis will still be blasted.

My personal preference is to do chins and bent-over rows before deads as they act as a really good warm-up for the heavy lifts. All the best.</div>
yeah i like to alternate between wide grip and narrow to hit from dif angles,although i thnk i got it covered i might look into adding some extra back work.

dont know about everyone else but i switch some exercises when i start a new cycle to hit things a little differently although i keep some compounds in all the time,i do dec/bench and flat bench for 8 weeks then incline and decline and so on.i dont change execises halfway through like i used to,my strengths increased dramatically i put that down to diet and pushing almost max weights all the time,thats why i adjust the reps in 2's each week so i dont have to zigzag

bin a while since ive posted glad to see the regulars are still here.
 
Don't change exercises too frequently. In my opinion, it is best to stay with the same core movements over all your cycles and only change the extra accessory work you might be tacking on. Even then, I wouldn't change the extras except maybe every third cycle. It is actually counter-productive to change that frequently.

Do you do any negatives with your routine? I see the last week you drop down to 3, 2 and then 1 reps. You could probably extend that to two weeks, add in eccentric only reps after you've gone through your full reps. Toss in a bit of metabolic work and you should get some good size gains.
 
i dont change every exercise just the ones that really need it ie: bench which needs to be hit from different angles,i think its important to stick with one exercise all the way through a cycle,but if you stick to one for too long you will be restricting some muscle development,for instance just doing lat pulldowns will not fully develope the back you would need to change them for rows etc,just not mid cycle,having said all that ive been doing rows for the past three cycles,its all good

as far as my gains go im upto 220lb 14-15% now from 200lb when i started hst over a year ago,6ft@14-15%bf at the moment,gonna cut down in june after my long bulk.
i love hst and it will be part of my workout routine for some time.
 
'i dont change every exercise just the ones that really need it ie: bench which needs to be hit from different angles'

Flat bench is fine. You dont need to change the angle of the bench every week.
 
I'm pretty sure the idea of hitting muscles from different angles isn't true. The whole muscle contracts if you are using it, no matter what.
 
yeah i here ya, but its proven that decline recruits more muscle fibres than flat or incline,i do have links if required,if hitting muscles from a dif angle isnt true why did you suggest doing incline to bring a balanced look to the pecks?having said that i dont like to change core exercises much mainly iso's.

im not being funny at all i appreciate feed back my execise routine has room for improvement(not much)but its tailored to me for example i have broad shoulders(not big)so i hit them harder to bring em out rears especially(makes me feel im doing that extra bit,lol)i also have wide lats but not as much thickness in the back so i do more rows,so yes it comes down to genetics for me.
 
Doing incline isn't hitting a different angle, it's emphasising a completely different muscle. Decline doesn't do much for the upper pec muscle, it mostly hits your lower pec. This can give a more 'man-boob' look as opposed to how it would look if you have a better developed upper pec. Look at an anatomy chart sometime and you'll see what I mean. The upper pec is a tiny, tiny muscle compared to the lower pec, but it makes a pretty big difference in the look of your pecs.

Also, the whole 'decline recruits more muscle fibers' EKG study doesn't really apply to hypertrophy and it doesn't even matter anyway, since once you use a heavy enough load, you recruit all the fibers regardless.
 
Exactly, heavy flat bench will recruit the entire pectoral muscle. Incline bench only works by de-emphasising the lower portion.

Good luck with your training Icars
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