GOALS - slow lean gains whilse eating clean and lean and doing good cardio. Will not ever be the bulk and cut type. I intend to keep a slim waist the whole time and make slower leaner gains if it means doing cardio and eating less fat.
ABOUT ME - Hi. Tried madcow / starting stregnth type 5 x 5 and got way stronger but little visible gains. Have worked out on that for 6 months and in the past 3 x 10, 4 x 8 and 3 x 8 for between 6 - 8 months and made better gains. Hence my set rep ranges here.
I have bad recovery time as I am bipolar 2 and the adrenaline from working out keeps me hyper at night even if I wrokout in the AM. I take medicinces for this (seroquell and clonazepam)
so do get sleep but can wake up not feeling fully rested hence I wanted a two day per week routine for hypertrophy. Also am 36 years old so do not rrecover like i did when I was younger.
THE ROUTINE 1- I came up with this adapted version from the ‘Brawn’ books by Stuarrt macrobert and changed the set rep ranges to 4 - 8 for core compounds, 5 x 5 for deads and 3 x 10 for arm and delt ios and 2 x 12 for calves iso.
Workout A (MONDAY)
Squat 4 x 6-8
Bench press 4 x 6-8
Close Grip Bench Press 2 x 12
Row (or row variation) 4 x 8
laterals 3 x 10
Crunches 3 x 10-20
Workout B Thursdays
Deadlift 3 x 5
Military press 4 x 8
Pullups/Chinups (weighted, if possible) or pull downs 4 x 8
Barbell curl 3 x 10
Dips (weighted, if possible) 4 x 8
Calf raises 2 x 10-20
abs 2 x failiure
*** No dip bars at gym so going with incline bench instead.
Monday A - / Thursday - B
‘A day’ has lower compound push / upper compund horizontal push / upper horizontal compaund pull. So everything getting worked through same plane of moton on upper body. B day is lower compound pull, upper vertical push and pull compounds.
I am not the type for whom ‘guns, calves and delts’ take care of themselves so added iso work for them.
Was just finding my correct weights first few weeks but on last 2 sessions - (screwed up and did mil press and lat raises on wrong days doh.)
A
Squat - all 8 reps
1 set x 120lbs
3 sets x 130lbs
Bent over dumbell row
1 set x 18kg
3 sets x 50lb
Military press, standing
1 set x 110lbs
3 sets x 90lbs (had to drop et and last set half the reps were push press to get wieght up)
Bench press
1 set x 110lbs
3 sets x 90lbs (had to dropset - will explain why in a mo.)
By this time felt too fatigued to do the abs and curls and CGBP so left. I know this is because for full body 3 compounds is enough and i did 4 hence the shitty bench numbers.
Workout B
Deads. 5 x 5
1 set x 180lbs
4 sets x 220lbs
Lat pull downs
4 sets x 69kg
Incline bench 4 x 8
warm up with bar
4 sets of 90lb
lateral deltoid d’bell raise
3 sets of 10 x 8kg d’bells
Barbell curls 3 x 10
3 sets at 80lbs, last set only 8 reps
ABS - 3 sets of incline alternating crunches to failliure
Calf press 2 x 12
2 sets x 89kg
YOU WILL NOTICE SOME OF MY NUMBERS IN KG AND SOME IN LB. YOU CAN THAN WHOMEVER DESIGNED OUR GYM FOR THAT - HALF THE WEIGHTS (MOST OF THE DUMBELLSS AND MACHINES) ARE IN KG AND HALF (BARBELL PLATES) IN LB LOL.
DIET - I weigh 75kg and am going with 2g protien per kg b/weight. Don’t like big meals so I get 100g of that freom why Gold satandard mixed with a l itre of skimmed milk. Then 3 small - med sized meals with a fist sized portion of carbs (rice or pasta) around 20 - 30g protien in form of lean meat, fish or eggs or combo of and some veg. Totals around 2800 cals per day.wan
CARDIO 1 - one day 45 min run follwing HIIT principal of 4 mins jogging pace then one minute sprint.
Cardio 2 - either 40 min swim using same principlas above or HIIT fat burn programme on elliptical. If feel overtrained or fatigued - I switch to steady state instead.
I do ten min treadmill walking at brisk place before every weights workout and stretch.