New user here looking for some feedback. So I have been brosplittng for the last 6 months or so and surprise suprise I haven’t really made any solid gains. I have now put together a A/B alternating fullbody routine I think is good but would like it reaffirmed with some more experienced lifters.
So, performed Monday/Wed/Fri, starting with A and alternating every session.
A
Squat 5x5 (first 2 sets are warm ups reg park style)
Bench 5x5 (first 2 sets warm up)
Pendlay Rows 5x5 ( first 2 sets warm up)
Pull ups - 3xAMRAP
Tricep Pushdown - 3x8/12
B
Front Squat - 5x5 (first 2 sets warm up)
Military Press - 5x5 (first 2 sets warm up)
Deadlift - 3x8 (first set is warm up)
Pull ups - 3xAMRAP
Bicep Curls - 3x8/12
so compounds are really 3x5 but 5x5 including the Reg Park style warm up sets.
Increase upper body movements 2.5kg every session and 5kg for lower every session.
so the Bill Starr 5x5 beginner program would produce better gains in your opinion? I like the routine I have devised but perhaps the more I think about it, it would be wiser to follow a tried and tested 5x5. Hmmm decisions now haha
Yes, it’s fine. I think my only possible suggestion would be to swap pull-ups for dumbbell or barbell rows on one of the days - unless you’re really good at pull-ups. Then maybe do one day weighted and one not.
cool, glad the routine is on point. I usually see the more experiences guys rip apart other beginner self devised routines for too much volume lol so just wanted to be clear really.
One of my challenges atm is to get real good at pull ups and find it very motivating to perform more over time so it shouldn’t be an issue if I keep them in?
Look, you can keep them in but in that case I’d advise doing five sets of as many as you can do clean and very, very slowly adding reps, then say 3x8-10 inverted rows after.
Like this, let’s say you can do multiple sets of four pull-ups clean. So you do 5x4, then the inverted rows. Four weeks later, you add a rep to the pull-ups, keep inverted rows the same. Keep progessing like that until you’re at something like 5x8 pull-ups and then start again at 5x4 but add 10 lbs.
I’ve only ever done them during warm-ups/not during training sessions. I just do them for posture though, so the intensity is very low. Never even paid a ton of attention to reps/sets/weight, just good movement quality and MMC. Sometimes I’ll do them (or band pull-aparts) in between sets of pressing exercises. Seems to have worked fine for me.
Better, but it’s a good idea to have some horizontal pulling too. Like DB or BB rows
I don’t know about necessary, but they sure will help your pull-ups. So maybe a day of pull-ups and inverted rows and then a day of pull-ups and BB/DB rows would work too
appreciate all the info mate, one more thing, where you say it would be better with more horizontal pulling, wouldn’t the pendlay rows suffice for that?
You can’t go wrong with more horizontal pulling. Especially with the Pendlay rows, your aren’t doing a ton of reps. At most what, maybe 50 reps a week? Then you’ve got your inverted rows so maybe another 60 reps. Upper and middle back is so important, and really quite big in terms of how many muscles there are, that it’s one area you can throw a ton of volume at without worrying.
Okay, when you say vary the setsxreps, would you do less sets, less reps on the weeks where the exercise would be performed twice a week and then higher sets, higher reps in the weeks where its only done once a week? Could you just describe an example of what you mean, especially the 25-50 reps. sorry mate, slowly getting my head round this stuff haha,
It’s just for the DB rows. I mean within that 1-4 sets do 25-50 reps. So, you might do 1x25, or 4x10, or 3x12, or 2x20, etc. The reps will dictate whether the weight is heavier or lighter.
understood. Is there a certain order to this in or just whatever I feel like in the workout? Guessing I would do 50 reps during the week where DB rows are done once and then lower it to around 25 when the alternating week has me doing them twice?
Whichever you like, really. What you suggested makes sense but TBH it doesn’t matter too much. The main thing is to let the weight dictate the setsxreps.