[quote]Skaterstu wrote:
Hi Guys,
I have been reading the T-Nation website and find it very interesting… a slight info overload for a beginner but very good.
My aim is to bulk up, not too much though. I was wondering if the following training set up is any good?
Mond: Chest / Triceps
Tues: Fat Burn (easy run for 45 mins)
Weds: Shoulders / Back
Thurs: Biceps / Quads / Hams
Friday: Fat Burn (easy run for 45 mins)
Saturday: Chest / Biceps / Shoulders
Sunday: Hungover so no training at all
I do a little stomach training everyday, around 150 sit-ups. As mentioned earlier I really want to get a little bigger but not turn into a monster.
I’d be grateful if someone could give me some feedback on the training schedule above.
Thanks
Stuart[/quote]
You won’t “turn into a monster” overnight. Gaining lean body mass is a very slow process, worrying about ‘getting too big’ is a complete waste of time.
Also, try to learn as much as possible, especially on diet, since your diet will ultimately make or break your progress and has a bigger impact on size gains than the lifting itself.
e.g.
Nutrition for Newbies, Part 1 & 2
by Christian Thibaudeau
http://www.T-Nation.com/...e.do?id=1793585
http://www.T-Nation.com/...e.do?id=1795045
Now for your training, if you want to gain size you need to create a caloric surplus, so i can’t really understand why you would do “fat burn” cardio on your off days.
If you lift with sufficient intensity, weight training for 4 days per week is all you need to change your body composition, if not you need to work on your intensity first and foremost.
second, you train most muscle groups twice per week, except for back and legs. Now the strange thing is that these two happen to be the biggest muscle groups in your body, why would you spend so little time working them compared to such small muscles like biceps and triceps ?
even if you just want to get “Brad Pitted” and only train the muscles seriously that you see in the mirror, the hormonal response of your body is very closely related to the amount of muscle mass that you’re training, so your split makes little sense.
And for the sit ups, it is a muscle like every other muscle in your body, very few people would do 150 squats per day because it wouldn’t be very productive, if you can do 150 reps of whatever exercise and be able to do 150 reps of the same exercise the next day, you are lacking intensity. I am not against direct Ab work, only if you’re doing something do it right.
Furthermore, i don’t think bodypart splits are optimal for beginners, as they lack the HTMU activation depth that is needed to make those splits work. TBW or a basic upper/lower split would be a better choice, however, that is my personal opinion.
Start with the threads on top of this forum, lots of great information there and be sure to come back with any specific question 