No competition. It’s just personal this time around. I think the number is just a way to visualize. Though arbitrary. I take your point
Thank you for the kind words. This site is outstanding.
This idea may not be popular to some here, but I would add more to the training. In the golden era, guys would add to their training and increase intensity as they got closer to the show. Your goals seem to be more focused on aesthetics, but your program looks more like a typical strength program. Having a greater variety of exercises and slightly higher rep scheme can be beneficial here. You can also increase training density with antagonist supersets. I’ll post a sample of what I’m doing right now to maybe give you an idea of what I’m proposing, which is a bit more training maximalism Vs your training minimalism. On this program, I add weight every set and go to failure or just shy of it on the final set. Sometimes I’ll do a drop set on that last set. I’m very much focused on “feeling” the target muscle as much as possible with every rep and getting an outstanding pump. I also like to stretch the muscles I just worked in between sets.
Chest/Back
Dumbbell Bench Press x20,x15,x12,x10
supersetted with
Chin-ups 5xFailure
Incline Barbell Press x15,x12,x10,x8
supersetted with
Barbell Row x20,x15,x12,x10
Weighted Dips 3xFailure
supersetted with
Curry Pulldown 12-12-12,10-10-10,8-8-8
Dumbbell Fly 3x15
supersetted with
Dumbell Pullover x15,x12,x10
Shoulders/Arms
Lateral Raises 5x15
Behind the Neck Press 3x8
Reverse Fly x25,x20,x15
Shrug x15,x12,x10
Preacher Curl x20,x15,x12,x10
Supersetted with
Tricep Pushdown x20,x15,x12,x10
Incline Db Curl x20,x15,x12,x10
Supersetted with
Overhead Db Tri Ext x20,x15,x12,x10
Db Skullcrusher x20,x15,x12,x10
Supersetted with
Rope Hammer Curl x20,x15,x12,x10
Crunches 5xFail
Hanging Leg Raises 5xFail
Legs
Db Leg Curl x20,x15,x12,x10
Zercher Squat 4x10-15
Somersault Squat 3x15
Leg Extension x20,x15,x12,x10
Walking Lunges 3x10 steps per leg
Db Stiff Legged Deadlift 3x12-15
Donkey Calf Raise 4xFailure
I’ll train 5 days of the week, changing exercises on the second rotation.
I’m not at all saying you have to do exactly what I do, I just want to give a practical example of a wider exercise selection to help maximize your physique. If you’re really liking the Upper/Lower approach, I think Fortitude Training is the best version of that out there and the ebook is the best $20 I’ve ever spent. The bump in training volume/intensity will burn more calories as well, which can be a great way to continue the fat loss without having to further drop your calories or add extra cardio. Don’t jump right into doing way more stuff, just gradually add an exercise to a body part each session and assess your recovery. You can continue to add in the coming weeks so long as you’re recovering and improving. I’ve worked up to this level of work over time, I didn’t start here.
190 lbs. 5 more in 5 weeks and that’s it. Feeling like a million bucks