As a former collegiate and pro-athlete I have been training for a solid 12 years. I used to compete in track and football.
Since retiring from sports I have been training using olympic lifts, plyometrics, and general bodybuilding.
I tend to switch routines every 3-4 weeks to keep me mentally fresh and I find my body physically adapts best to this. I have only been doing one body part at a time however (except when doing olympic lifts which incorportae both) I would like to try doing upper and lower body training in my yearly plan and see what results I can get.
Can any of you share routines with me and experiences. I suppose I am looking for some solid guidlines. How many sets…how many body parts how many days in between doing the same body parts ect…
there are many good guides here and if you go to the beginners section on the top of the sticky there are multiple guides that can help you get started.
If you are interested in upper/lower split training I’ve heard ABBH by chad is a good way to start and many had great results with it.
Smug what are your goals, size gains? fat loss? Some basic stats like height weight and some gym numbers might also give us a clue as to what might be a good route for you to take.
Not to throw this completely off topic, but being that you’re a former athlete on the professional level and since it’s such a hot topic these days: did you see (or have personal experience with) PED’s on either the collegiate or professional level?
Sorry again to hijack the thread, but I’ve often wondered this. As far as your questions, I’d echo Scott’s post: more information is needed before a program tailored to your needs can be established.
I am just going to start deadlifts so there is no point listing those
As for other lifts I am a very strong ‘puller’ slightly less strong in the push movements.
My goals are to gain functional strength and gradually climb up in weight. My legs, core, arms and back are solid and well proportioned but my shoulders could use some work as well as chest…(I am long levered). I consider myself pretty strong for my size. I would like to get closer to the 200lbs mark but I am not in a rush…quality is more important for me as I am looking to remain as athletic as possible…even 190 would look great on my frame as I have pretty dense muscle mass already and a small frame.
I hope this info helps…
Ham…PED’s I assume you are asking about steroids etc…I personally did not take anything until the last year I competed and I because I was so limited on what I could use I was not really able to get a huge edge. If you are asking about what I saw…I can say that I never personally witnessed use but I had my doubts about a few people and they usually got nabbed.
The problem with society and drugs is that the very fortunate genetically superior athletes often get labeled as ‘they must be using’ when this is not the case…I think the high percentage of users end up being those in their twighlight career wise and those who are in the top 1% performance wise and stand to win or lose millions…just my experience. Read Steroid Nation I just finished it …good read gives you a lot to think about.