Critique My Routine Please!

[Dumbass17]

ok so here it is
i don't want to get huge, just bigger and toned
i'm 24, about 5'10.5" tall and went from 160lbs to 145lbs after a few months of strict diet and cardio.
I now only do cardio 2-3x per week. workout 3-4days a week
Days are: biceps/triceps, back/shoulders, chest/abs, legs/variety of exercises.

- All exercises have appx 30 second rests between sets
- 4 sets of the following reps: 10-8-6-Til Failure (normally w/ increasing weight each set depending on exercise)
- Bicep exercise – tricep – bicep and so on… w/ 10-30 situps (in different forms) between each exercise or a quick water break

here is my average bicep/tricep day. (next week would have the same general layout but with a different combination of exercises)
And chest/ab day (Today) would be similar but more focus on abs, obviously.

Biceps/Triceps Day

Warm-up:
Stretches
~10 pull-ups
~10 chin-ups

Workout:
Biceps:
Incline angled bench curl
Reverse grip plate curls
Standing Zottman curls
Standing rope cable curl
Single arm cable curls

Triceps:
Bench dip w/ 45lbs weight on thighs
Tricep kickbacks
Single arm dumbbell extensions (2 variations, 1 set each)
Single arm cable extensions
V-bar pulldowns

Cardio:
30 minutes on elliptical. 2mins high intensity, 1min medium, repeat until finish

Half-ass abs workout for 10mins, haha
Stretch
Protein Shake



feel free to comment and suggest away!

[Darkane]

Originally posted by Dumbass17
ok so here it is
i don't want to get huge,

Oh don't worry, you wont.

What a hilarious common misconception.

[A790]

I don't know man, I'm seeing a lot of isolation exercises which is great for toning but not so much for building. If you skim through the threads here you see one common theme: compounding.

Think of it like this: your bicep is a small muscle compared to, say, your pectoral or quadriceps. On upper body days, why not do exercises that activate more than one muscle group? This way you are creating more damage, hence giving your body more to rebuild.

I don't really do any isolation exercises right now aside from Hammer Curls on every other upper body day and I have great triceps. Exercises like overhead presses and bench presses work your triceps as well- no need to do 3 or 4 different isolation exercises on them.

The chins and pulls are good exercises, but I would split them up on to different days and throw some other exercises in there.

My upper body day today looks like...

+ 2 x 12 chin ups
+ 2 x 8 flat bench
+ 2 x 8 hammer curl
+ 2 x 8 incline bench
+ 2 x 8 standing military press
+ 2 x 12 weighted crunch
+ 2 x 20 reverse crunch

If I'm still feeling energetic I might throw in a third set of military presses or incline bench. Either way, I'm hitting all the major muscle groups hard and fast. My arms feel tired at the end of it, as do my shoulders and my chest.

I've seen the same guys in there week after week doing preacher curls and tricep pull-downs and they never look any different, and I don't know if the weight is changing all that much.

Just my $0.02.

[Darkane]

Charles Poliquin says we should be getting 1-2% stronger every workout. If not something is wrong.

In order it's usually:

Diet (timing, type food)
Routine (obviously)
Hormonal levels (Least common issue)

[Dumbass17]

hmmm compound eh...
got a good website or reading suggestions to determine which exercises are considered compound?


any other input? :dunno:

[lint]

Originally posted by Dumbass17
hmmm compound eh...
got a good website or reading suggestions to determine which exercises are considered compound?


any other input? :dunno:

See my first post in this thread for some information
http://forums.beyond.ca/st/249942/triples-workout-journal/

[Darkane]

Originally posted by Dumbass17
hmmm compound eh...
got a good website or reading suggestions to determine which exercises are considered compound?


any other input? :dunno:

Dude, do this:

Monday
Squat or box squat 2-3 x 5
Glute/Ham Raises or pullthroughs 3 x 10
Bent Row or Chest Supported row 4 x 6
Barbell or Dumbbell Curl 3 x 8
Calf Raises 3 x 15

Wednesday
Bench Press or low board press 3 x 5, or 3 x 3
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 4 x 8
Military or Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3 x 8
Skull Crushers 3 x 10
Ab work 3 x 10

Friday
Deadlift or rack deadlift 2-3 x 5
Leg press 2 x 10
Chin or lat pull-down 4 x 6
Barbell or Dumbbell Curl 3 x 8
Calf Raises 3 x 15

Monday
Incline bench press or Incline Dumbbell Press 3 x 5, or 3 x 3
Dumbbell Bench Press 4 x 8
Military or Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3 x 8
Tricep pushdowns 3 x 10
Ab work 3 x 10 Monday

It's Iron Addicts simple power routine. You'll make gains. There's a few Beyonders on here doing it right now.

[dibbz]

Good website for targeting muscle groups and also tells you if it a compound exercise. Also a small animated gif for each exercise to see how to do it. NSFW if you consider the male 3D model NWS.

http://www.exrx.net/Lists/WtMale.html

[Rocky]

- All exercises have appx 30 second rests between sets
- 4 sets of the following reps: 10-8-6-Til Failure (normally w/ increasing weight each set depending on exercise)
- Bicep exercise – tricep – bicep and so on… w/ 10-30 situps (in different forms) between each exercise or a quick water breakHere's my basic 'tips' and general thoughts:

Personally I think a little bigger break is better, 45-60 seconds; give your muscles a chance to get back to strength so they can give it 100% effort each time. Drink plenty of water BEFORE you get in the gym, and of course, during the workout; your body can't fully recoup water lost during exercise, so you should have some in your body before exercise begins. 2% dehydration = 10-15% performance drop, and thirst means you've already lost at least 1%.

You should start with the most weight you can do on that exercise and shouldn't be able to do more than 5-8 reps... next set, same weight, aim for one or two reps less while going til you fail, keep doing that each set (maintain a minimum of 4 without cheating).

Also mix up your workouts, do something like bi/pecs and tris/shoulders on a given day. Gives you a better workout overall IMO.

One exercise you should do for triceps are "skullcrushers" (http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Triceps/BBLyingTriExtSC.html). GREAT exercise for isolating them and really working them -- makes a perfect second set. Don't cheat on these, keep your arms steady (may take some time to not be really wobbly), and start with low weight... you'll be surprised how tough they are. The difficult of the exercise seems to rise exponentially with each rep haha.

Lastly, I dislike pulleys, I think you can get a better build and better results from using free weights - anything that requires more control emphasizes muscle development (the basic concept behind things like Tai Chi and other martial arts). If you're going to do pulley exercises, save them for the end of the workout, when your body is a little more tired.

Oh, and I wanted to add: research and use common sense. Lots of people like to listen to the biggest guy in the gym, but doing a lot of weight doesn't necessarily mean that person is approaching working out the best way. Everyone's got different genetics (which results in ability differences), but a little science and a little intuition make for a much smarter routine -- smart routines get you better results, quicker.

And drop the protein shake, you're probably retaining more sugar out of it than actual protein :P But that's my anti-supplement soap box rant going off again.

[Dumbass17]

^^^thanks for that

i'm going to try lifting the heaviest weight i can lift first.
and i can't do skullcrushers cuz our gym doesn't have barbells.
i can try a variation with dumbells i guess haha.

and i agree, i dislike cables and i use them at the end of the workout for specific exercises (like tricep pulldowns and chest crossovers, and the like)

i just wanna quit my job and work out haha

[Darkane]

Originally posted by Dumbass17

i just wanna quit my job and work out haha

lol, me too. But seriously the routine I've posted is sound. Do it and watch.

You don't need to isolate yet. Keep the protein post workout and add a scoop of Gatorade powder too.

You need to replace Glycogen post workout, yes "sugars" are key then.