Using CT's Program Suggestions

Training Bodybuilding
1

I have been away from lifting for quite some time due to a herniated disc and I don’t think I was ever lifting particularly effectively.

So for my triumphant return, I’m hoping to employ the techniques outlined in CT’s article “How to build a damn good program” http://www.T-Nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1701042&cr=bodybuilding and http://www.T-Nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1702383&cr=bodybuilding .

I decided to keep it simple and maybe I’ll customize more as I read the articles. I think this is a pretty good template though. I also plan on supplementing this with some mobility drills and abdominal work.

I’d appreciate any comments/criticisms. If my head is entirely in my ass, let me know.

I am hereby accepting CT’s advice and designing my workout according to the size principles he has laid out. I am laying aside my own hesitation and skepticism and will embrace it fully.

So, without further ado–I unleash my newly designed program:

Split

Day 1: Chest/Back
Day 2: Recovery
Day 3: Biceps/Triceps
Day 4: Quads/Hamstrings
Day 5: Recovery
Day 6: Anterior and lateral delts/Rear delts
Day 7: Recovery

Monday - Chest/Back

Bench Press 4 sets; 8 reps/set
Incline DB Press 3 sets; 10 reps/set
Flyes 3 sets; 10 reps/set
Bent Over BB Row 4 sets; 8 reps/set
Lat Pulldown 3 sets; 10 reps/set
Seated Rope Rows 3 sets; 10 reps/set
Shrugs 3 sets; 10 reps/set*

*This actually surpasses CT’s suggestion of keeping it under 12 sets. However, it strikes me as a little ridiculous that I should restrict it so much. After all, I am primarily focusing on the pectoralis major with my chest, whereas I am dividing things up between the rhomboids, latissimus dorsii, and trapezius–all fairly large muscles.

Tuesday - Recovery

Wednesday - Biceps/Triceps

Standing barbell curl 4 sets; 8 reps/set
Hammer curl - 3 sets; 10 reps/set
Cable Curl - 3 sets 10 reps

Close-grip decline press - 4 sets; 8 reps/set
Flat bench skull crusher - 3 sets; 10 reps/set
Overhead BB Extension - 3 sets; 10 reps/set

Thursday - Quads/Hamstrings

Front Squat 4 sets; 8 reps/set or* Leg Press 4 sets; 8 reps/set
Lunges - 3 sets; 10 reps/set
One legged squat; 3 sets; 10 reps/set

Hamstrings will be developed as I am permitted. I have to be gentle with all actions putting a heavy strain on my low back until I feel it is fully recovered. As such I will probably just do remedial exercises and very light work.

Friday - Recovery

Saturday - Delts

Seated barbell shoulder press - 4 sets; 8 reps/set
Arnold press - 3 sets; 10 reps/set
Lateral Arm Raise - 3 sets; 10 reps/set
Bent over rear delt raise - 3 sets; 10 reps/set

Sunday - Recovery

2

My advice would be to…

  1. make sure your diet is in order for whatever your goals are.

  2. create a plan to gain STRENGTH. Having these set/rep schemes is all fine and dandy, but how do you actually plan to push up the weights on all these exercises? The simplest anwswer is likely the best one, but the most important part of lifting weights to build muscle mass is increasing the load.

  3. eliminate redundancies. For instance, for your back workout you are doing both barbell rows, and cable rows. Not only that, but you’re doing multiple sets for each one…
    I tend to believe that if you are going heavy enough on the barbell rows, you shouldn’t have to do cable rows at all.

Same deal with your shoulder workout, arm workout, and even your leg workout. Front squats, and one-legged squats?
Why?

If I did barbell curls and really gave it 100% intensity, theres no WAY i could do cable curls afterwards. Or if i could, the weights would be so pathetically light, and i’d be too fatigued to ever move up the load, so the exercise would become useless except to cut into your recovery time.

  1. If you have lower back problems, consider leg curls for your hamstrings, since your leg day seems awfully quad-dominant.

  2. you aren’t working out your calvesabdominals at all.

3

[quote]mr popular wrote:
My advice would be to…

  1. make sure your diet is in order for whatever your goals are.

  2. create a plan to gain STRENGTH. Having these set/rep schemes is all fine and dandy, but how do you actually plan to push up the weights on all these exercises? The simplest anwswer is likely the best one, but the most important part of lifting weights to build muscle mass is increasing the load.[/quote]

Well–I plan on increasing the load through by adding more weights when I can lift the old amount.

[quote]3) eliminate redundancies. For instance, for your back workout you are doing both barbell rows, and cable rows. Not only that, but you’re doing multiple sets for each one…
I tend to believe that if you are going heavy enough on the barbell rows, you shouldn’t have to do cable rows at all.[/quote]

Well, I’m doing cable rows to my neck. This should put most or all of the emphasis on the upper and middle trapezius, whereas Bent Over Rows would emphasize the rhomboids primarily, and some of the middle and lower trapezius fibers. I think if I just did rows exclusively, I could be neglecting good direct work for my upper trapezius.

[quote]Same deal with your shoulder workout, arm workout, and even your leg workout. Front squats, and one-legged squats?
Why?[/quote]

The leg is a big muscle and has a lot of parts. However, mainly it is because I can’t give 100% intensity (due to my herniated disc), so I figure I could increase volume and keep the load lighter.

True, but I chose split for size option “E: Antagonist”. On page two he states that for a two muscle session (i.e. the antagonist or pattern muscle split) you should have “3 exercises per muscle, 3-4 sets per exercise”. So I did. Just following the boss’ orders.

Yeah, I might–but the leg curls machine really sucks at my gym.

I mentioned at the beginning that I would be supplementing abs. I realized I needed calves in there after I posted it.

Thanks!

4

I really don’t see why you would need barbell curls AND hammer curls AND cable curls. I realize you are following CT’s instructions, but damn, how redundant!

It seems to me that a curl is a curl is a curl.

5

[quote]mwyatt wrote:
I really don’t see why you would need barbell curls AND hammer curls AND cable curls. I realize you are following CT’s instructions, but damn, how redundant!

It seems to me that a curl is a curl is a curl.[/quote]

Yeah, i would preffer
bb curl
hammer culr
& reverse grip curls
Also train triceps before biceps, cause its the bigger muscle. :slight_smile:

6

[quote]Fiction wrote:
mr popular wrote:
My advice would be to…

  1. make sure your diet is in order for whatever your goals are. [/quote]

It troubles me that you didn’t address this one at all. haha

Will you be ramping your sets? By lifting the old amount, do you mean doing every set, with the exact number of reps you posted, with the same weight, THEN you will up the weight?
I feel I need to keep stressing this point because many people who are inexperienced come into this game with what i call a “raindance mentality”, meaning they believe simply going through the motions will cause a desirable result.

Sure, but you’re already doing shrugs as well… I agree that it is good to include exercises in an effort to avoid neglecting muscle groups, however I don’t believe “neck rope pulls” is an exercise with a very great STRENGTH GAIN potential, which is where the muscle gains are really going to be at.
In fact, barbell shrugs would be fine all on it’s own as it’s much easier to continually add weight to the bar.

Whatever you feel you can do man. Haha. I don’t mess with injuries very much.

He also states that you should avoid redundancies.

How so?

[quote]I mentioned at the beginning that I would be supplementing abs.
[/quote]
My mistake.

Honestly man if you believe in this program then go for it. It really isn’t that bad at all as long as your focus is in the right place. That being, eating enough food, and progressively adding more and more weight to your lifts.

7

[quote]mr popular wrote:
It troubles me that you didn’t address this one at all. haha[/quote]

I just didn’t address it because I wanted to focus more on the workout part of it. I am planning on doing the Anabolic Diet right now. There is a certain almost moral repulsion I have to eating all of that fat though–like the equivalent of having sex with your cousin or something.

[quote]Will you be ramping your sets? By lifting the old amount, do you mean doing every set, with the exact number of reps you posted, with the same weight, THEN you will up the weight?
I feel I need to keep stressing this point because many people who are inexperienced come into this game with what i call a “raindance mentality”, meaning they believe simply going through the motions will cause a desirable result.[/quote]

Not exactly sure what you mean here. Yeah, I plan on sticking with the same number of sets. When I reach the point where I can successfully lift X amount of weight for then number of reps listed, I will up the weight and lift until I can reach that number of reps again. You believe this is a mistake? CT suggests that I should keep my sets to under 12 if you are suggesting I increase them.

[quote]Sure, but you’re already doing shrugs as well… I agree that it is good to include exercises in an effort to avoid neglecting muscle groups, however I don’t believe “neck rope pulls” is an exercise with a very great STRENGTH GAIN potential, which is where the muscle gains are really going to be at.
In fact, barbell shrugs would be fine all on it’s own as it’s much easier to continually add weight to the bar.[/quote]

The cable rows to the neck are listed as a secondary lift whereas shrugs are considered auxiliary. If anything I think CT would suggest I drop the shrugs first.

Yeah–not sure how I will be able to get around that though. It’s not like I have too many options when it comes to arms. It’s sort of…curls, curls, and…more curls!

Janky, hard to adjust, too small…generally uncomfortable. I’m in China if that says anything.

I don’t particularly believe in it–I’m trying to get some suggestions on how to improve it. Frankly, I’ve always been a high volume guy–so keeping under 12 sets seems weird to me.

8

[quote]mwyatt wrote:
I really don’t see why you would need barbell curls AND hammer curls AND cable curls. I realize you are following CT’s instructions, but damn, how redundant![/quote]

But should I only have one exercise–a curl? That workout session would be pretty damn short!

Well there are two heads to the bicep, and they are emphasized differently at different angles.

9

Correct me if I’m wrong, but you don’t fully believe in the training you plan on doing, and don’t like the thought of eating high fat on a high fat diet. This is a recipe for 0 progress if I ever saw one.

10

[quote]mwyatt wrote:
I really don’t see why you would need barbell curls AND hammer curls AND cable curls. I realize you are following CT’s instructions, but damn, how redundant!

It seems to me that a curl is a curl is a curl.[/quote]

This isn’t the case. Different curls hit different sections of the elbow flexors.

Just about every week I’ll do reverse, hammer, preacher, concentration, and cable curls.

11

[quote]Scott M wrote:
Correct me if I’m wrong, but you don’t fully believe in the training you plan on doing[/quote]

I’m not sure what you mean by “believe in”. I have confidence in the skills of CT to provide a good article that would make a good framework. I am also confident he probably knows more than me in the bodybuilding/training department. :stuck_out_tongue:

I am willing to commit to this program, provided that people do not think I have misinterpreted his prescriptions.

Again, I have been reading the Anabolic Diet. The thought of eating a high fat diet naturally seems strange to me, as the author concedes is likely due to the prevailing notions existing in the nutritional world. However, due to the positive reactions I have seen from it, general lack of negative reviews, and the author’s impressive credentials, I am more than willing to commit to the diet as well.

It is not a lack of commitment. I am simply expressing that I have been instructed differently.

12

Forgive me for my boldness, but you weigh 155lbs. The last thing you should be concerned with is “hitting all the angles” in a muscle group, especially one as small as the biceps.

Yes, one curl movement would be effective, preferably one you can consistently add weight to from week to week.

13

some studies actually show that direct arm work is more beneficial in beginners than advanced lifters… so i say go for the bicep work

also i disagree about training ur tris before ur biceps being that ull get plenty of tricep work in ur chest and delt day…

i would do alternating sets

in groups of two

so standing curl and close grip BP get paired together curl 60 sec rest close grip BP 60 sec rest… it will save u time and not cause u to be physically beat by the time u get to one muscle group or the other
antagonistic pairs are cool… though that isn’t a perfect one