Please Critique my 1st Cycle - Advice Needed

P

Pantsdown

New Member
Hi all,

Wondering if you could critique this workout for my first cycle. I have tried keeping it simple but cant help thinking its too long and also I'm not sure about the number of sets, think it might be too much? What do you guys think? Any advice appreciated!

Laters

Paddy

Squat x2 (sets)
Calf Raise x 2
Bench Press x 2 / Standing Cable Flyes x 2 (Alternated)
DB Bent over Row x 2 / Lat Raise x 2 (Alternated)
Shoulder Press x 2/ Pull Ups x 2 (Alternated)
Shrugs x 2
Tricep Pushdown x 2
Chin Ups (alternated)
Core Work x 2 (crunches / reverse crunches / planks etc)

Thanks again!
 
Is their a split, or is this all in one day? I usually don't bunch the bench with shoulder exercises for volume reasons as they're already getting hit with the bench to some degree. Remember, it's not just the exercise choices, how you arrange them matters too.
 
Ah thanks for the reply... nah it wasnt a split its supposed to be a full body...... I've just finished 6 months of 5 x 5 so yeah the volume on HST feels huge...... making feel there's too much in here?

Waddya think?
 
Too much all depends on what you can handle. For me, these days, it'd kill me. My workouts are simple:

Squat, Bench, Row

Deadlift, Clean and Press, Lat Pull Down

Squat, Bench, Row

Curls, triceps extensions, and situps and hypers are thrown in when I feel like it. All are done fives sets, five reps. Although right now my weights are pathetic because I'm coming back from a long, long, LONG lay off. Barely have time to fit this in.

Just always keep in mind what body parts you're training and try to keep volume balanced. I had one guy asking for advice once, when he posted his workout between the shoulders and chest work he was doing his shoulders were seeing like 4-5 times the volume of any other body part, and he wanted to know why they were sore all the time.
 
In my humble opinion, I think 2 alternating full body workouts are a good idea, but set up to be 3 compound (usually push pull legs) + 3 isolations on stuff you want to improve (forearms, biceps, rear delt, etc). Make sure your compounds hit the major body parts (for example, incline DB press could be both chest and front delt, leaving you open for lateral raises on your isolation).

I think one of the most important parts is that you hit the body part at least 3 times a week so you benefit from the summation effect. So while the compounds might look like Squat, Bench, Row for Workout A, Romanian Deadlift, Press, Pullup for Workout B, you might do rear delt, calves, and forearms at the end of both Workout A and B so you can hit those with maximum frequency.

In the end, it's up to you and your tolerance of volume and what you want to improve. I just took a week off and just started a 12, 8, 5 program of 9 full body exercises ... but I'm also testing some supplements that given me incredible staying power, so it's not so bad :D
 
Pantsdown said:
Hey thanks for the reply CDB but when you say all your weights are done for 5 x 5? that isnt HST though is it?
Click to expand...

Well I generally follow the 5x5 approach. The five major lifts done for a total of 25 reps, 5 sets of 5 each. Look up Madcow 5x5 on Google, his page explains it. And remember that any workout that applies the load frequently and progressively with an eventualy SD period and a restart at higher weights is technically HST. It's the principles, not the rep scheme, that make the system.
 
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