Begginer Looking to Change Routine

Bigger Stronger Leaner
1

I just started working out again after a 4-year hiatus. Iâ??m 30, 5’10 and 193 pounds.

I want to loose some weight while getting bigger. I have these love handles that just wont go away. Iâ??ve been eating clean, proteins and veggies only, taking protein shakes and creatine.

I need advice on my routine. Iâ??ve been doing this routine for the last 5 weeks, and I know its time to change it up soon. Should I change it a little or start a completely different one. I basically increase about 5 lbs every week in each category, but Im definitely still a light weight (My bench press is 135, please dont laugh!) So please keep that in mind when suggesting. Also, I may need to cut back to three days a week, so if you have any advice on that as well would be greatly appreciated. I donâ??t do legs because I have terrible DOMS, but I think Iâ??m going to bring it back slowly.

Thanks,

Sunday: Shoulders
DB lateral raise 3x10
DB raise 3x10
DB arnold press 3x10
DB Front raise 3x10
DB rear delt row 3x10

Monday: Chest
Barbell bench press 3x10
DB flat chest press 3x10
DB incline press 3x10
DB Flys 3x10
Cable crossover 3x10 (I keep plateauing on this move, advice?)

Tuesday: Rest

Wednesday: Back
Barbell bent over row 3x10
Cable lat pull down 3x10
DB bent over row 3x10
Cable seated row 3x10

Thursday: Biceps/Triceps
DB hammer curl 3x10
EZ bar curl 3x10
EZ bar preacher curl 3x10
Cable pull down 3x10
Skull crusher 3x10

Friday: rest
Saturday: rest

Thank you all for your help.

2

Why no squats or deadlifts?

3

[quote]nkklllll wrote:
Why no squats or deadlifts?[/quote]

Squats- because my legs kill for 3-4 days straight, but I am planning on doing legs again for my next routine.

Deadlifts - because I suck at them

4

Unless you want to be a bodybuilder and are on the juice, I’m not sure why you would be doing a bodypart split like this. That is just my opinion. If you want to get get better at benching, you’re going to have to bench more than once a week. For me, if I train a bodypart one time per week, my progress stalls real fast. I make better gains in strength and muscle tone training a push, pull, knee dominant, hip dominant type of workout. Not training legs is a mistake. The biggest muscles in your body are in your legs and leg development helps in terms of overall strength as well as raising the basal metabolic rate. You suck at deadlifts? So do most people in the beginning. Practice, practice, and practice deadlifting. Getting stronger with a deadlift has seriously helped me with getting stronger overall.

If you want to lose some weight while getting bigger, check out some of the “skinny fat” workouts. One guy who I totally respect and has good knowledge in this area is Anthony Mychal. Google him and check out some of his workouts. They work. Skip the bodybuilding type split and go with a different program. I expect your bench will go above 135. Best of luck.

5

what do you mean your legs hurt? like sore, or injury? If it’s just sore, you need to get over that

6

lol, you wrote 3x10 for each lift

7

This is a program I wrote for a client of mine who was in a similar situation to you. He trained on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and had really good results doing the following. I also wrote him out a nutrition plan and a progression plan which is really important to see progress. Basically you want to start off light and slowly work your way up over time. That way you can make steady progress without feeling like crap all the time.

                                                                   3 Days Per Week Training Program.

All Exercises to be Done in Listed Order.

Workout A to alternate with Workout B. (eg A,B, A,B etc?)

Workout A.
Squat. 5 sets of 5 reps. (Last 3 sets same or close to same weight. Keep back arched and chest out).
Bench Press . 5 sets of 5 -7 reps. (Last 3 sets same or close to same weight. Keep shoulders back.).
Dumbbell Bent Over Row. 4 sets of 8-10 reps. (Last 3 sets same or close to same weight. Keep chest out.).
1 Arm Dumbbell Lateral Raise. 3 sets of 10 reps. (Focus on the lateral (side) Deltoid, not front Deltoid).
Barbell Curl. 3 sets of 8 reps. (Focus on muscle squeeze).
Calf Raises. 3 sets of 15. (Focus on full range of movement).

Workout B to alternate with Workout A. (eg A,B, A,B etc?)

Workout B.
Wide Grip Pullups . 5 sets. (Don?t go to failure until final set. Don?t swing).
Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press. 5 sets of 5-7 reps. (Last 3 sets same or close to same weight. Keep chest out).
Romanian Deadlifts. 5 sets of 5-7 reps. (Last 3 sets same or close to same weight. Keep back arched and chest out).
Explosive Pushups. 3 sets of same reps. (2 short of max on first set but no more then 20. Keep body perfectly straight).
Rope Pushdowns. 3 sets of 8-10 reps. (Focus on muscle squeeze at the bottom).
Crunches supersetted with Lying Leg Raises. 3 sets . (Focus on squeezing abs not hip flexors(crutch region). For leg raises keep in the range where lumbar stays flat on ground).

8

[quote]TKDWarrior wrote:
Unless you want to be a bodybuilder and are on the juice, I’m not sure why you would be doing a bodypart split like this. That is just my opinion. If you want to get get better at benching, you’re going to have to bench more than once a week. For me, if I train a bodypart one time per week, my progress stalls real fast. I make better gains in strength and muscle tone training a push, pull, knee dominant, hip dominant type of workout. Not training legs is a mistake. The biggest muscles in your body are in your legs and leg development helps in terms of overall strength as well as raising the basal metabolic rate. You suck at deadlifts? So do most people in the beginning. Practice, practice, and practice deadlifting. Getting stronger with a deadlift has seriously helped me with getting stronger overall.

If you want to lose some weight while getting bigger, check out some of the “skinny fat” workouts. One guy who I totally respect and has good knowledge in this area is Anthony Mychal. Google him and check out some of his workouts. They work. Skip the bodybuilding type split and go with a different program. I expect your bench will go above 135. Best of luck.
[/quote]

Thanks for the advice, I will definitely check him out.

9

[quote]nkklllll wrote:
what do you mean your legs hurt? like sore, or injury? If it’s just sore, you need to get over that[/quote]

Just really really sore. Like i cant go up steps sore and it wouldn’t go away for at least 3 days.

10

[quote]Angus1 wrote:
This is a program I wrote for a client of mine who was in a similar situation to you. He trained on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and had really good results doing the following. I also wrote him out a nutrition plan and a progression plan which is really important to see progress. Basically you want to start off light and slowly work your way up over time. That way you can make steady progress without feeling like crap all the time.

                                                                   3 Days Per Week Training Program.

All Exercises to be Done in Listed Order.

Workout A to alternate with Workout B. (eg A,B, A,B etc?)

Workout A.
Squat. 5 sets of 5 reps. (Last 3 sets same or close to same weight. Keep back arched and chest out).
Bench Press . 5 sets of 5 -7 reps. (Last 3 sets same or close to same weight. Keep shoulders back.).
Dumbbell Bent Over Row. 4 sets of 8-10 reps. (Last 3 sets same or close to same weight. Keep chest out.).
1 Arm Dumbbell Lateral Raise. 3 sets of 10 reps. (Focus on the lateral (side) Deltoid, not front Deltoid).
Barbell Curl. 3 sets of 8 reps. (Focus on muscle squeeze).
Calf Raises. 3 sets of 15. (Focus on full range of movement).

Workout B to alternate with Workout A. (eg A,B, A,B etc?)

Workout B.
Wide Grip Pullups . 5 sets. (Don?t go to failure until final set. Don?t swing).
Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press. 5 sets of 5-7 reps. (Last 3 sets same or close to same weight. Keep chest out).
Romanian Deadlifts. 5 sets of 5-7 reps. (Last 3 sets same or close to same weight. Keep back arched and chest out).
Explosive Pushups. 3 sets of same reps. (2 short of max on first set but no more then 20. Keep body perfectly straight).
Rope Pushdowns. 3 sets of 8-10 reps. (Focus on muscle squeeze at the bottom).
Crunches supersetted with Lying Leg Raises. 3 sets . (Focus on squeezing abs not hip flexors(crutch region). For leg raises keep in the range where lumbar stays flat on ground).
[/quote]

Thanks this looks awesome, but I have some questions.

First off, Im not entirely sure what alternating between A,B means.

Also, I still cant do a full pull up (too fat!) are there any alternatives until I get there?

And, do I always increase weight only on first set?

Thanks again for the advice.

11

OOOOH, a Whole Five Weeks !? Some of the guys on here have been following the same routine for 5 YEARS or more.
Where has that got them… Strong(er), Fast(er) and Lean(er) !

I am one of those…

Why do all the noobs feel the need to change shit up so often ?
Damn ADHD society …

sorry for the rant …

12

Its all good Dirk, I appreciate the honesty So heres the question, is my routine good and if not, what do you suggest?

13

[quote]MHB wrote:

[quote]nkklllll wrote:
what do you mean your legs hurt? like sore, or injury? If it’s just sore, you need to get over that[/quote]

Just really really sore. Like i cant go up steps sore and it wouldn’t go away for at least 3 days. [/quote]

Not doing squats because they make your legs sore is one of the most awful reasons ever. Not doing deadlifts because you suck at them isn’t that great of a reason either. Not saying you have to do these lifts, but if those are your reasons they aren’t great ones.

I’ll let you in on a couple of neat little secrets:

  1. Oftentimes, when you lift hard (and especially when first starting out) you’ll be pretty sore.

  2. After lifting legs a couple times on a set schedule (for example, every 4-5 days) you generally become much less sore after working them out each time. Adaptation and all that.

  3. Your desire to avoid something that makes you uncomfortable because it WORKS isn’t a good attitude to have. Weightlifting in its most basic form is breaking your body down to build it up. If you don’t do anything significant to break it down, it’s not really going to magically build itself up bigger and better. During the rebuilding periods you might have some soreness.

14

[quote]MHB wrote:

[quote]Angus1 wrote:
[/quote]

Thanks this looks awesome, but I have some questions.

First off, Im not entirely sure what alternating between A,B means.

Also, I still cant do a full pull up (too fat!) are there any alternatives until I get there?

And, do I always increase weight only on first set?

Thanks again for the advice.[/quote]
Do the A workout on Monday, B on Wednesday, A on Friday, B on Monday and so on.

Most gyms have an assisted pullup machine. I’m not a fan but it might be ok until you can manage to do a few with your own body weight. Also It’s ok to switch grips occasionally if you have any elbow issues. Neutral grip is fine on elbows and still works just as well.

The following is taken form the program I wrote. It deals with how to do the sets and reps and how to make progressions.

How to do the Sets and Reps.
When doing Squats , Bench Press or Romanian Deadlifts always do 2 or 3 warm up sets. Even Powerlifters who can squat over 300kg do their 1st warm up set with just the unweighted bar (20kg).
The first set in this 5x5 should be reasonably comfortable. You should be able to dominate the weight and press it explosively. For example if it�?�¢??s bench press lower under control then explode off the chest with force. The 2nd set should be a bit heavier but still fairly comfortable. The 3rd set is where we start to do some work.
Either keep the weight the same for the final 3 sets or use small increases. As a rule if it�?�¢??s with a barbell we can add small increases but if it�?�¢??s with dumbbells keep the weight the same for the last 3 sets except for when going for a new weight when at the top of our rep range (more on that later). These sets should be challenging but not to the point of failure. The reason for that is we want to be able to make weekly progressions on these so if we start too heavy we will stall pretty fast.
As you get through 5 or 6 weeks of making progressions you will have to start pushing that final set and that�?�¢??s what hard training is all about but for the first few weeks we want to focus on good form and technique and really mastering each exercise. Slow progressions work very well as they can be sustained for a long time.

The Secret to Optimal Results is Progression.
Simply put if you can�?�¢??t make progress on the main lifts you wont make any gains. The main lifts are the first 3 exercises on each Workout plan. The other exercises are there for a reason but they are secondary to the main lifts.
The body needs a reason to grow. If you give it the same stimulus each workout then the body has no reason to change. As stated above we will use 2 types of progressions each week. Adding a small amount of weight or adding a rep. The smallest increment in most gyms is 1.25 kg. When added to both sides of the bar this amounts to a 2.5 kg jump. This is the jump we will be aiming for. Even if you think you can lift more don�?�¢??t. All we need to do is create a new stimulus for growth. A small weight increase or extra rep creates that stimulus.

15

[quote]MHB wrote:

[quote]nkklllll wrote:
what do you mean your legs hurt? like sore, or injury? If it’s just sore, you need to get over that[/quote]

Just really really sore. Like i cant go up steps sore and it wouldn’t go away for at least 3 days. [/quote]
Start off light for the first few weeks and just make small increases. Use these initial weeks to really work hard on perfecting your form. Your body needs time to adapt so just take it slow and before you know it you will have form nailed down and your body will start to feel better as you become more accustomed to the training.
Think of weight training as a long journey rather then a quick fix.

16

[quote]Angus1 wrote:

[quote]MHB wrote:

[quote]Angus1 wrote:
[/quote]

Thanks this looks awesome, but I have some questions.

First off, Im not entirely sure what alternating between A,B means.

Also, I still cant do a full pull up (too fat!) are there any alternatives until I get there?

And, do I always increase weight only on first set?

Thanks again for the advice.[/quote]
Do the A workout on Monday, B on Wednesday, A on Friday, B on Monday and so on.

Most gyms have an assisted pullup machine. I’m not a fan but it might be ok until you can manage to do a few with your own body weight. Also It’s ok to switch grips occasionally if you have any elbow issues. Neutral grip is fine on elbows and still works just as well.

The following is taken form the program I wrote. It deals with how to do the sets and reps and how to make progressions.

How to do the Sets and Reps.
When doing Squats , Bench Press or Romanian Deadlifts always do 2 or 3 warm up sets. Even Powerlifters who can squat over 300kg do their 1st warm up set with just the unweighted bar (20kg).
The first set in this 5x5 should be reasonably comfortable. You should be able to dominate the weight and press it explosively. For example if it�??�?�¢??s bench press lower under control then explode off the chest with force. The 2nd set should be a bit heavier but still fairly comfortable. The 3rd set is where we start to do some work.
Either keep the weight the same for the final 3 sets or use small increases. As a rule if it�??�?�¢??s with a barbell we can add small increases but if it�??�?�¢??s with dumbbells keep the weight the same for the last 3 sets except for when going for a new weight when at the top of our rep range (more on that later). These sets should be challenging but not to the point of failure. The reason for that is we want to be able to make weekly progressions on these so if we start too heavy we will stall pretty fast.
As you get through 5 or 6 weeks of making progressions you will have to start pushing that final set and that�??�?�¢??s what hard training is all about but for the first few weeks we want to focus on good form and technique and really mastering each exercise. Slow progressions work very well as they can be sustained for a long time.

The Secret to Optimal Results is Progression.
Simply put if you can�??�?�¢??t make progress on the main lifts you wont make any gains. The main lifts are the first 3 exercises on each Workout plan. The other exercises are there for a reason but they are secondary to the main lifts.
The body needs a reason to grow. If you give it the same stimulus each workout then the body has no reason to change. As stated above we will use 2 types of progressions each week. Adding a small amount of weight or adding a rep. The smallest increment in most gyms is 1.25 kg. When added to both sides of the bar this amounts to a 2.5 kg jump. This is the jump we will be aiming for. Even if you think you can lift more don�??�?�¢??t. All we need to do is create a new stimulus for growth. A small weight increase or extra rep creates that stimulus.
[/quote]

This is exactly what I was looking for. Im going to try this out next week and see how it goes.

Thanks so much Angus!

17

Here’s an overview.

Putting it all together.

Here is an example of how to go about doing a Bench Press session for a lifter who wants his final set to be 85kg.
Warm up with just the bar (20kg) x10 reps. Just warming up so no real need for a rest so go ahead and add 20kg. 40kg x8 reps. Rest for about 1 minute.
Now we are feeling warmed up we can start our first set of 5 but it?s still a weight we can handle comfortably but now we have complete focus on perfect form and execution. We want to explode this bar off our chest. 60kg x5. Rest 2 minutes.
This time add 10kg. 70kg x 5. Rest 2 minutes. Now we are ready to increase bar to 80kg. Do 5 reps then rest 3 minutes.
This time we only increase by 2.5 kg. 82.5kg x5. Feels heavy but we could have done more reps so we know we will get the last set. Take 3 minutes rest. Add another 2.5 kg. 85kg x5 reps. Great, we got the required weight and reps so that is a successful bench press session.

Sometimes you may struggle a bit on the 2nd last set and feel that you just aren?t up to adding 2.5kg for the final set. If that happens then just do the same weight for the last set but maybe try and add an extra rep. At some stage you will find it hard to keep adding weight each week. This is where adding a rep comes into play. When you can get 6 or 7 reps on all 3 final sets then you can add weight at the next workout and go back to 5 reps.

Here is an example of Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press for a lifter whose final set of 5 is 24kg.

Warm up with 12kg for a set of 8. Feels really light but we just want to get some blood in the shoulders. Rest about 30 seconds then do 16kg for 5 reps. It?s light and we are just warming up but focus on doing everything perfect. Rest 90 seconds then start the first set of 5 sets.
20kg x5. Dominate the weight and explode it up with force. Rest 2 mins. 22kg x5. Getting a little heavier now but get in the zone and dominate that weight with perfect form. Rest 2 mins then go up to 24kg x5. Feels heavy if you did 7 reps but at 5 reps you have it under control and form is good. Rest 3 mins then go again.
24kg x5. Your breathing heavy but you think you may have been able to do an extra rep so you know you have this last set covered. Rest 3 mins. 24kg x5. 4th rep went up a bit slow so you have to push like hell to get that last rep up. Arms a shaking a bit but you got it up. This is what strength training is all about. You have to push yourself.

When your next session comes around you wont be able to increase the weight because dumbbells go up in 2kg increments and that makes it a 4kg jump which is just too big. This is where adding reps are essential to progress. Generally we add the reps to the last set first . When you feel as though you could go up to another weight just add the weight to the last set and put all sets back to 5reps. That way the other 2 sets wont burn you out before the last.

Just remember that progressions can be made by either weight increases or rep increases. Either way is fine and both ways are needed.

18

Thanks.

One more thing, what is the reason you chose to order the lifts they way you did? I am trying to figure out the pattern, but cant.

19

[quote]MHB wrote:
Thanks.

One more thing, what is the reason you chose to order the lifts they way you did? I am trying to figure out the pattern, but cant.[/quote]
3 day per week programs generally work well with full body .
This is a full body program but both workouts feature a different emphasis.
The emphasis on Workout A is quads and horizontal movement. Workout B is Glutes / Hamstrings and vertical movement.

The two main upper body lifts are antagonist so one doesn’t hinder performance on the other. Example being bench press uses chest, front deltoids and triceps. One Arm Dumbell Rows uses, Trapezius, Lats, Rear Deltoids and biceps.
It’s the exact opposite.

I placed Squats first because they are hard and need full focus and full effort. It’s also a technical lift and is best performed when you are fresh.

Pullups are done first for the same reason. They are very tough and challenging thus need to be a priority and done whilst fresh.
Pullups are a verical pull whilst overhead press is a vertical push and can be done afterwards.
I prefer to do Romanian Deadlifts after I’ve warmed up a bit so I usually do them as the third exercise.

Isolation exercises are done last for an obvious reason. If you did BB curls before doing pullups you will fatigue in the biceps and your lats wont get stimulated at all. Same goes for Bench Press. If you trained triceps before hand you would only feel the lift in your triceps and would never stimulate your chest.
I actually placed the curls on bench press day and the triceps on Pullups day because after you have done lots of pullups your biceps wont need anymore stimulus for that day. Same with bench press and triceps.

After you train for a while these things will just be obvious.

20

[quote]Angus1 wrote:
I placed Squats first because they are hard and need full focus and full effort. It’s also a technical lift and is best performed when you are fresh.

Pullups are done first for the same reason. They are very tough and challenging thus need to be a priority and done whilst fresh.[/quote]

First off, I just want to say I’m not disagreeing nor even remotely suggesting he change anything. Just sharing personal experience. I’d always done things that way for the same reason.

I gave it a try with things swapped, with squats/deads last using the basic Greyskull template. So the last set of the day is basically an all out set of squats/deads. I was surprised at how well that worked in that template. Because you won’t be squatting for another 3-4 days, or deadlifting for another 7, and because it’s the last set of the day, it seems to psychologically “allow” yourself to push a little harder. There’s no need to hold yourself back to “save energy” or anything.

I just found it interesting.