Workout Routine - Thoughts?

Bigger Stronger Leaner
1

Hi there, I’m not an absolute beginner but certainly not advanced. My goal is to bulk and gain lean mass (“hardgainer” here). I’m currently doing a workout focusing on sets of 8 reps, sometimes with supersets. Plan to go on with this for another month or 2 before switching to a more low-rep program.

I’ve got some flexibility/posture problems and rather weak legs. Here’s my program:

I do 3x8 for most of the exercises.

Day 1:
Goblet Squats
Lunges
Squat Jumps
Bodyweight Squats

Day 2:
Incline Bench
Bent Over Row
Pullups
Judo Pushups OR Single Arm Shoulder Press
One Arm Row
(I tend to mix things up every week, focusing on either Bench or Pullups as my first exercise so that I can lift heavier.)

Day 3:
Deadlifts
Romanian Deadlift
Hip Raises
Back Raises (unweighted, on roman chair)

I do core work (planks, bridges, ab roller) on all 3 days, and also do YTWLs/internal external rotations to improve my shoulder flexibility

Do you guys think this is a good enough program or should I just switch immediately to a typical low-rep strength gaining program? I’m trying to find that balance point where I can work on my posture/ weak points. Hoping that with more goblet squats I can get proper squat form and that as shoulder flexibility improves it will also aid my back squat form.

Appreciate your comments!

2

what do you mean by finding a “balance point”? you mean where you fail in the squat?

define “flexibility/posture problems”. is your anatomy out of whack somewhere, like do you have scoliosis, one leg shorter than the other, are you recovering from injuries? or do you just need to learn how to foam roll and stretch, and learn how to squat?

why would YOU need to do supersets? I superset my isolation work because I’m dieting down. what’s your reason?

3

Sigh… There are plenty of programs on this site already…

4

So basically 2 days of legs, one day where you do some chest/back work? Sounds fine, if all you want to do is build up legs. If you want to develop any other body part in your body good luck with that. I don’t like 3x a week, but if thats all you can do fine. If you want to get big and have time to do more days, do a standard split. use search function for that.

5

What are your numbers? Body weight, height, and weight used for exercises.

Your whole body is a weak point. Get stronger everywhere.

EDIT

IMHO, you get stronger/better at something by doing it. If your squat sucks, squat correctly more often

Maybe your posture sucks because your squat sucks. Not the other way around.

6
  1. Back
  2. Chest
  3. Legs
  4. Arms
  5. Shoulders

or

  1. Back/Chest
  2. Legs
  3. Arms
  4. Shoulders

Stick to a basic fundamental plan like this. What you do for each bodypart is UP TO YOU. On the leg day do goblet squats if they are what you need right now.

A good rep scheme is 4 x 6 - 10. The 4 x 6 sets will be of course focusing on heavier weight, best done first.

e.g: back

1a) 4 x 6 pull-ups (strength)
1b) 4 x 10 t-bar rows (trying to get blood into the muscles, focusing more on isolating and improving the shape/condition of the muscle, with a medium to heavy weight)

Legs:

1a) *4 x 6 deadlift
1b) *4 x 10 goblet squat (*same principle as above)

Plan smart, keep it simple and work harder on fewer sets.

7

[quote]surfzrup wrote:
I’m not an absolute beginner but certainly not advanced.[/quote]
What does this mean? What’s your training experience?

What’s your current height, weight, and general bodyfat (not percentage, but are you pudgy, kinda lean, already pretty ripped, etc.)?

Again, what does this mean? Not only is this term misunderstood and often misapplied, but it’s simply untrue more often than not.

[quote]Day 1:
Goblet Squats
Lunges
Squat Jumps
Bodyweight Squats

Day 2:
Incline Bench
Bent Over Row
Pullups
Judo Pushups OR Single Arm Shoulder Press
One Arm Row
(I tend to mix things up every week, focusing on either Bench or Pullups as my first exercise so that I can lift heavier.)

Day 3:
Deadlifts
Romanian Deadlift
Hip Raises
Back Raises (unweighted, on roman chair)[/quote]
This looks like an upper/lower split, with not a whole lot of work on the first lower day and not a whole lot of work on the upper day (“mixing things up every week” is a pretty good way to slow down progress).

Nothing wrong with YTWLs, but look into the LYTP series from T-Nation contributor Nick Tumminello:

I switched to these when I first read about them and haven’t gone back to YWTLs.

I vote neither. Get yourself healthy, sure, but you can do that in a way that’s incorporated into a well-designed program, either doing the corrective work at the start of each weight training session or on a day or two by itself.

Does this mean you’re unable to do a “proper” squat with or without added weight? Any chance of a video of you squatting to see what’s what, or at least a better description of what your problem might be?

Is the shoulder issue from an injury or just poor posture?

Have you tried front squats?