Review a first timer's exercise selection

R

ryeguy

New Member
Hey all, what do you think of this exercise selection? Is there anything that I could hit harder, or do the compounds do most of it?

Press/Bench press
Squat/Deadlift
Standing calf raise
Tricep extensions
Bicep Curls
Ab Wheel

6 days a week: Frequency method for chinups (goal of about 100 chins per week spread throughout the day; no sets are ever to failure).

Also, I see a lot of deadlift variations and some people doing rows. I like doing deadlifts, is there any reason to switch those in or do them on the deadlift's off day?
 
I would add in some rows. Looks like your upper back could use some more work. Typically I like to Press/Deadlift on same day and Bench/Row on same day. Also, for hypertrophy, it seems as though 6 days a week might be a bit too much.
 
WBartlett said:
I would add in some rows. Looks like your upper back could use some more work. Typically I like to Press/Deadlift on same day and Bench/Row on same day. Also, for hypertrophy, it seems as though 6 days a week might be a bit too much.
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I'm not doing the full body workout 6 days a week, just chinups. And they aren't ever done to failure. I'm not really looking to get hypertrophy from them, just to be able to do more of them. Right now I can only do about 5 to failure. This is the "frequency method" that is stolen from Greyskull's LP.

Do rows hit my upper back enough, then?
 
Rows can work different back muscles depending on the angle between your torso and your arms. Think of it this way; A pullup is like a row, but at a 180 degree angle between your arms and torso. A pullup as you know works your lats mostly. The other extreme is a high pull (180 degree angle the other way), which works your traps, upper back and shoulder. If you perform a bent row (or a seated cable row where your torso and arms are at 90 degrees), then you will be working your lower back (to maintain form), middle back, lats, and upper back. Strength coach Glenn Pendlay suggests that a properly performed bent row can work all your back muscles (although I don't really believe it will work your traps much).

So to answer your question, yes, I believe you should add rows to your program.
 
Do rows hit my upper back enough, then?
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To piggyback on what WB already said, yes rows will very much hit your upper back. In fact if upper back is your priority I would chose Rows over Chin/Pull-Ups. You will likely be able to use more weight doing Rows than Chins. Also, if you don’t have access to an assisted Pull-Up machine or Lat-Pull station you will be able to have a greater range of starting to max RM weight giving more/larger increments between workouts to induce hypertrophy. Additionally EMG studies show that Rows actually cause more electrical activity (theoretically more fiber recruitment) than Lat-Pulls in you Lats.

http://www.myfit.ca/archives/viewanarticle.asp?table=fitness&ID=28&subject=Best+Workout+Exercises

Don’t take this to mean you should ditch Chin/Pull-Ups. They are still a great Lat exercise and also depending on the grip (Parallel) Forearms, (chins) Biceps) hit the arm muscles more than Rows. For overall back/arm development I would do both. For bringing up a lagging upper back I would focus more on Rows, Heavy Rack Pulls and even Shrugs (or another trap exercises). Don’t ever neglect the Traps since they are actually much bigger than many people realized:

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://neckpainsupport.typepad.com/.a/6a010534db265a970c011571b9acc3970b-800wi&imgrefurl=http://www.neckpainsupport.com/2009/07/my-trapezius-really-hurtshow-do-i-find-relief.html&h=490&w=342&sz=32&tbnid=pTsYI2h3CU3dIM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=63&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dtrapezius%2Bmuscle%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=trapezius+muscle&docid=gfgXf506lbSfCM&sa=X&ei=BGNBTsiVJYXliALYgvSdBQ&ved=0CDUQ9QEwAw&dur=6226
 
Thanks guys. It sounds like I'll alternate rows and deadlifts.

Where would I put something like heavy rack pulls though? They sound pretty intense. Should I put them with rows?
 
Heavy rack pulls are really just part of the full motion of a deadlift. It just enables you to use heavier weights for that specific part of the motion (much like you can bench more weight if you don't bring the weight all the way to your chest, or you can squat more if you don't go down to parallel). I would just do deadlifts unless there were a specific reason you'd want to do pulls.
 
Is it ok that I'm not squatting 3 days a week? Is it mandatory to stimulate every muscle every workout?
 
ryeguy said:
Thanks guys. It sounds like I'll alternate rows and deadlifts.

Where would I put something like heavy rack pulls though? They sound pretty intense. Should I put them with rows?
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As WB says Rack Pulls are a partial motion Dead Lift. There are several reasons someone might want to include them in their routine at least one of which already applies to you. The upper part of the Dead Lift targets the upper back, something you said you want to develop. Also by restricting the range of motion to the upper part of the lift (starting your rack pulls just above the knee) it will allow you to use more weight than any other upper back exercises except possibly Shrugs while eliminating some of the strain doing a full range of motion (ROM) Deadlift will put on your lower back and will also be less of a hit to your central nervous system (CNS). I would only use Rack Pulls to supplement Deadlifts not to replace them.



There are a couple of other reasons to use them, which don’t necessarily apply to you. By starting the Rack Pull just below the knees or your sticking point (if you get stuck part way up) Rack Pulls can help you focus on overcoming that sticking point again without as much of a hit to your CNS as a full ROM Dead Lift. They can also be used to accustom your body to lifting heavier weights so that as your Deadlift progresses you are helping to prepare your body for the heavier weights before actually Deadlifting them.



If you decide to experiment with Rack Pulls I would put them on the same day as you Deadlift doing them after full ROM Deadlifts. Depending on your volume you could add a few Rack Pull reps in or substitute some Rack Pulls for some of your Deadlift Reps. If you progress to really heavy Deadlifts and Rack Pulls you would probably want to alternate between them on different weeks.



I’m not usually a big advocate of partial ROM exercises for hypertrophy as greater ROM means more muscle fiber recruitment and more chance for hypertrophy. However, because of the way Rack Pulls work I think they are a very effective hypertrophy exercise in a way that partial Bench Press and Squats are not.
 
ryeguy said:
Is it ok that I'm not squatting 3 days a week? Is it mandatory to stimulate every muscle every workout?
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It really depends on how advance you already are in your lifts and how well you recover. As a general rule exercising each muscle group 2-3 times a week is going to be best for most people. The newer you are to lifting usually the more frequency you can handle. However, as the weight get heavier and you have to increase the volume to keep stimulating grows it becomes harder for your central nervous system (CNS) to recover.

When I started out about 8 months ago did a full body workout 6 days a week. Over time I’ve had to drop the frequency while increasing the volume of each workout. Now I still workout 6 days a week but using a 3 way split so each body part is only being exercised twice a week. You’re just going to have to experiment around to find the balance between what is optimal for growth but not so much that you over train.
 
I have to agree with grunt on the rack pulls. I am not big into partials, but I find that rack pulls are one of the best exercises for building overall back thickness. When someone wants to focus on back, rack pulls are always one of the lifts I recommend them to start doing.
 
Here's an updated routine. Anyone have any suggestions or comments?

Squat/Front Squat
Bench Press/DB Incline Bench Press
DB Lateral Raise/Press
Rows/(Deadlift/Rack Pulls)
Concentration Curls
Tricep Extensions
Calf Raise
Ab Wheel

I tried to create an arrangement that lets me hit each muscle group per day. Each muscle group gets a heavy exercise and a lighter exercise, alternating.
 
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