How's My Program Looking?

Bigger Stronger Leaner
1

Aim: Build muscle (secondary: putting on strength) for rugby.
Stats: 16 y/o, 165 pounds, 179 cm

After cutting from 200lb - 160 lb I have been working out for about a year, but want to get more serious about it. Currently doing a 3 day program, more or less the same, except swapping around the compound lifts + one or two routines.

Day 1 (don’t really have a split as I do an all around type thing):

  • Bench Press (medium grip): 1 x 20 warmup with bar, 1 x 10 warmup with half weight, 5 x 5 with working weight, 1 x failure with 5 pounds above

  • Overhead Press: 1 x 20 warmup with bar, 1 x 10 with half weight, 5 x 8 with working weight, 1 x failure with 5 pounds above

  • Pendlay rows: 1 x 10 warmup with half weight, 5 x 5 with working weight, 1 x failure with 5 pounds above

  • Lat pulldowns: 1 x 10 with half weight, 5 x 10 with working weight, increase weight for last set

  • Bicep curls with e-z- bar - 8 x 10 working weight (narrow grip 1 set, wide grip 1 set, repeat), 2 x 10 of 2.5 pounds above (narrow/wide 1 each)

  • Chin-ups - 5 x 5 bodyweight, 1 x 5 hold at top, slowly go down, burst up

  • Tricep pushdowns - 5 x 12, 1 x failure

Day 2

  • Deadlift: 1 x 10 warmup with half weight, 5 x 5 with working weight, 1 x failure with 5 pounds above

  • Overhead Press: 1 x 20 warmup with bar, 1 x 10 with half weight, 5 x 8 with working weight, 1 x failure with 5 pounds above

  • Seated cable row: 1 x 10 warmup with half weight, 5 x 8 with working weight, 1 x failure with 5 pounds above

  • Lat pulldowns: 1 x 10 with half weight, 5 x 10 with working weight, increase weight for last set

  • Bicep curls with e-z- bar - 8 x 10 working weight (narrow grip 1 set, wide grip 1 set, repeat), 2 x 10 of 2.5 pounds above (narrow/wide 1 each)

  • Pushups - 5 x 20, 1 x failure

  • Tricep pushdowns - 5 x 12, 1 x failure

Day 3

  • Squat: 1 x 20 warmup with bar, 1 x 10 warmup with half weight, 5 x 5 with working weight, 1 x failure with 5 pounds above

for squats, go slowly when going down, hold for 3 seconds at the bottom, and burst up.

  • Leg Press: 1 x 10 with half weight, 5 x 8 with working weight, 1 x failure with 5 pounds above

same type of motion as for squats

  • Pendlay rows: 1 x 10 warmup with half weight, 5 x 5 with working weight, 1 x failure with 5 pounds above

  • Lat pulldowns: 1 x 10 with half weight, 5 x 10 with working weight, increase weight for last set

  • Bicep curls with e-z- bar - 8 x 10 working weight (narrow grip 1 set, wide grip 1 set, repeat), 2 x 10 of 2.5 pounds above (narrow/wide 1 each)

  • Planks - 5 x 90 seconds, 1 x failure, bodyweight

  • Tricep pushdowns - 5 x 12, 1 x failure

As you can see they’re more or less composed of the same exercises but with some swapped out (compounds + the plank/pushup/chin-up). How does it look? I typically go to the gym 3 times a week, the first 3 times I do this workout, and any additional times I go I just focus on whatever I think is lagging.

Alternatively, are there any other plans I could follow? Mainly aiming for hypertrophy.

I supplement with ON whey, but mainly get protein from salmon/chicken too. Am considering starting creatine.

So far, after about 4 months of this program I’ve gained 5-6 lbs, but I’ve been doing a lot of athletics/cardio too (+ 3 weeks on holiday where I lost 5 pounds) which could explain the small gains. I’ve recently stepped up my eating and get about 2700-3000 calories a day.

2

What’s with the warm-up? Unless you are benching 5x5 with 40kg, drop that 1x10 with half weight and jumping straight to working weights. Or are you doing 5x5 while ramping up the weight on each set?

If your main goal is to gain mass and strength for a sport, pick a proven program that has the most bang for your buck with big compound movements. Programs like starting strength would probably suit your individual needs a ton better than this.

1 Like
3

I agree with Furius, but if you’re just hell bent on making your own program, the biggest problem is that you have very little leg work. If you’re serious about rugby, you need to devote as much or probably more energy and time to your lower body than you upper.

I also recommend more mid-section work in general but especially focusing on stability. But it doesn’t all have to be stability. Mid-section exercises with an emphasis on stability would be pallof presses, one arm carries, OH carries, planks, and ab wheel roll outs.

I also don’t understand why you want to OH press two days in a row.

My suggestion is to go with a lower/upper split, a full body split, or a legs/push/pull split.

What I like about it is that you balance your pushes with your pulls.

See if you can work some powercleans in there. It is a self teachable lift, but you have to do your homework and practice a lot. Even at home with just a broom stick helps.

But my strongest recommendation is to go with a proven beginners program and follow it to a T and bust tail doing it. Be sure to eat enough and eat mostly right.

4

Get on one of these for proven results…