Upper body routine?

[woodywoodford]

Heya folks
So here's the thing. I need to build upper body mass - shoulders, chest, arms, back. I have a bit of a beer belly, but I don't actually mind it too much. If I lost it I'd be a skinny guy again, which I don't want, so my thinking is I should just bulk up the upper body to "balance it out". I hate running and don't know how to cook, so at this point that seems like the best plan.

So what would a good 3 or 4 day routine be? I love bench press, squats and curls, but what other exercises should I throw in there, and what would a good split be?

So far my thinking is
M - Chest, Arms
T - Legs, Back
R - Chest, Arms
F - Legs, Back
but I don't know enough effective exercises to make for a decent workout. Any ideas?

[KRyn]

These will be the best exercises to build mass on your chest, use a close grip to build bigger triceps a wider grip to build bigger pecs.
Flat Bench (Barbell / Dumbbell)
Incline Bench (Barbell / Dumbbell)
Decline Bench (Barbell / Dumbbell)
Chest Flys
Any tricep extension variation

For back and biceps...
Rows
Pull Ups
Chin Ups
Any curl variation

Don't forget to squat and deadlift, doing both will put mass on you real quick.

[woodywoodford]

Should I just aim for a 5 sets of 5 routine on those, or is there something better?

I've done rows before but I always find that they put more work on my arms/triceps than the back, what am I doing wrong there?

[ArjayAquino]

My workout routine is:

1st Day: Legs. I believe having legs first sets you up for the rest of the week since it's like a wake up call for your body.

2nd Day: Chest and Back. I alternate between a chest and a back exercise so you work opposites. You can also do them in super-sets too which is pretty effective.

3rd Day: Shoulders, some upper back and abs. Strong shoulders help with bench press.

4th Day: Arms. leaving arms until the end allows you to have fresh arms during the previous workouts, and by the end of the week your arms would have been worked out already so a dedicated day really works the arms well.

[KRyn]

Originally posted by woodywoodford
Should I just aim for a 5 sets of 5 routine on those, or is there something better?

I've done rows before but I always find that they put more work on my arms/triceps than the back, what am I doing wrong there?


Sounds like you are a bit of a lifting newbie, I would stick with higher reps for a while your motor patterns develop. So perhaps 10 reps. Make sure you increase your weight each set and each week. So always start low and increase weight.

What kind of rows are you doing?

[woodywoodford]

Originally posted by ArjayAquino
3rd Day: Shoulders, some upper back and abs. Strong shoulders help with bench press.


Any ideas of good shoulder workouts? Military press, dumbell lateral raise, ?


Originally posted by KRyn


Sounds like you are a bit of a lifting newbie, I would stick with higher reps for a while your motor patterns develop. So perhaps 10 reps. Make sure you increase your weight each set and each week. So always start low and increase weight.

What kind of rows are you doing?

Yep I'm a bit of a newbie, I've been to the gym before while I was in uni but having graduated about a year ago its time to get back. Plus I never saw any particularly good results there.

[ArjayAquino]

A tip for doing bench press, bring the bar down until it touches your chest and use a wide enough grip so that you can do it comfortably. It's a lot harder, but it's a lot more effective. Nothing annoys me more than seeing these highschool kids at the gym thinking they're lifting a lot but barely bringing it down.

[ArjayAquino]

Originally posted by woodywoodford

Any ideas of good shoulder workouts? Military press, dumbell lateral raise, ?

Yep those are good. And be sure to do Arnold Press, Shrugs, and up-right dumbell rows.

http://blogs.yis.ac.jp/15standare/files/2012/09/Dumbbells-Up-Rightrow-skgdgl.jpg


For arms definitely do chin ups and dips.

[woodywoodford]

Lots of questions here lol... But how about this split? It looks good IMO but I'm wondering if doing back exercises the day after chest/arms would be a good idea? And which day would shoulders fit in best with given the discussed exercises?

M - Chest, Arms
T - Legs, Back
R - Chest, Arms
F - Legs, Back

[zipdoa]

Originally posted by woodywoodford
Lots of questions here lol... But how about this split? It looks good IMO but I'm wondering if doing back exercises the day after chest/arms would be a good idea? And which day would shoulders fit in best with given the discussed exercises?

M - Chest, Arms
T - Legs, Back
R - Chest, Arms
F - Legs, Back

How about...

Mon - Chest, Biceps
Tues - Legs
Wed - Back
Thurs - Shoulders, Triceps
Sat - Full body

If you're set on a 4-day split, Just axe the full body on Sat and split to mon/tues - thurs/fri instead.

If you're a beginner, this should keep you busy for a few months. I like to aim for 4x10 for the compound movements and 3x10 for everything else.

[scboss]

If your an absolute newb and you want to put on size this program is great.
www.bodybuilding.com/fun/dorian-yates-blood-guts-6-week-trainer.htm


For the most part I think BB.com workouts are absolute garbage but this one is actually really good. Makes you focus on form and it's really safe.

[403ep3]

I've seen a lot of success with my 5x5 workout..maybe try that out if you're relatively new at lifting. I've gotten a ton of compliments from old co-workers and friends that haven't seen me for awhile :D

Definitely take a look at adding dips, chin ups, and deadlifts into your workout.

[littledan]

Originally posted by warcaster
If your an absolute newb and you want to put on size this program is great.
www.bodybuilding.com/fun/dorian-yates-blood-guts-6-week-trainer.htm


For the most part I think BB.com workouts are absolute garbage but this one is actually really good. Makes you focus on form and it's really safe.

I have been using this program for about 3 months now and have seen really good progress.

Benched 9 x 185 for my work set and incline press hit 8x 75s. not bad since i'm weighing around 161 lbs at the moment.