Thread: Need help with a friendly competition!!!

Do not weight train five days in a row. Try to limit the training to two days in a row. You aren't going to have adequate time to recover under those circumstances.

Give yourself at least 8 weeks of cutting time. If you want to retain all the LBM that you had gained, then you should only be losing about one pound per week. Two per week is acceptable, but the risk of losing muscle is higher.

Don't go crazy with arm training. You don't need 12 sets for your biceps, as many would have you believe. 0-6 sets is sufficient for each of the arm muscles. I'm not sure that you were, but that is a huge mistake people make.

Do a lot of compound exercises:

Legs: olympic and powerlifter style squats, straight leg deadlifts, deadlifts, etc.

Back: rows, chinups, and pullups.

Chest: pressing movements.

Shoulders: pressing movements, overhead pressing movements, and rows.

Thanks a ton! I have had this posted in 2 different forums and you are the first to reply in 2 days and I really appreciate it.

Concerning the arm work, I have trimmed those workouts down to 7-8 sets on bi's and 9-10 on tri's. Do you suggest keeping them both at a 6 set max? I know in the past that I was over training them, but now I want to make sure I am giving them enough.

Also, in regards to the 5 days in a row... I went to doing my forearms and calves in the middle to try and keep workout time under 1hr with my other body parts while still getting maximum rest between sessions. Where would you recommend fitting those other body parts in?

Well, you ask a simple question in here, and your bound to get a million different answers.

Cow pretty much nailed it. Compound lifts.

I would set up a program as so....


Day 1 (Pull)
Deadlift
Hamstring Curls/Stiff Leg Deadlifts
Pull-ups (underhand grip)
Bent Rows
Barbell Curls
Calf Raises

Rest Day

Day 3 (Push)

Squats
Bench Press (Flat)
Dips
Military Press
CloseGrip Bench
Abs

Rest

Repeat

Follow this routine for about 6 weeks and then you can move a little more into isolation/pre-exahaust, or whatever for lagging parts etc. But keep it basic.

If your bulking...keep calories high.. check out the diet section for that info.
Protein should be about 1gram per pound.
Carbs should be about 2-3 grams per pound

For instance, if I wanted to bulk, at my current weight of 215, I would eat

200-225 grams of protein
400-500 grams of carbs
50-65 grams of fats

4-6 meals daily.

Do not overdo sets...most of the bigger people round' this joint will advise you to keep the overall sets relatively low. I personally wouldn't recommend more than 3 days of training a week...don't lift two days in a row...and diet is more important than aerobics when the cutting phase begins.

COMPOUNDS COMPOUNDS COMPOUNDS! Deadlift, Bench Press (DB or BB), Squat, Military (or overhead) Press should be the focus of all your workouts. Chinups, Barbell Curls, Calf raises, Weighted abdominal work, Rows, and the like should compose the rest of your workouts. But focus on the first 4 exercises listed.

I agree with the above posts........Do compound movements and take a day off the in between every workout.....You could still do light cardio or fast walks on your day off.

Good luck.

Originally Posted by camarosuper6

If your bulking...keep calories high.. check out the diet section for that info.
Protein should be about 1gram per pound.
Carbs should be about 2-3 grams per pound

For instance, if I wanted to bulk, at my current weight of 215, I would eat

200-225 grams of protein
400-500 grams of carbs
50-65 grams of fats

4-6 meals daily.

I think that one's calories, whether bulking or cutting, should consist of at least 20% fat. 60 grams of fat is about the RDA for someone eating a 2000 calorie meal. I eat something like 120-150g of fat per day. As well, I feel that 5 meals a day is the minimum you should strive for, unless you sleep like 12 hours a day.

If you're fairly new to weight training, then I have a routine that I recommend to beginners. It is to be done three times per week. Include at least one day of rest after each workout. There is no direct arm work; it consists of purely compound exercises. Don't worry though, your arms will grow.

Deadlifts 3 x 8-12
Olympic Squats 2 x 8-12

Bent Rows 3 x 8-12
Chinups 2 x 8-12

Bench Press 3 x 8-12
Military Press 2 x 8-12

Decline Situps 3 x 8-12
Standing Calf Raises 2 x 8-12

Give it a try for 9 weeks or so. You won't be dissapointed. Feel free to vary the rep range a little more if you are comfortable with form. There is nothing wrong with going as low as 3 or 4 reps; just make sure you are confident in your form.

i dont think he is new, he looks muscular, just has a beer belly going on just a little bit

as well as he mentioned the supps that he's taking so, i'd say he's at least intermediate

Originally Posted by myCATpowerlifts

i dont think he is new, he looks muscular, just has a beer belly going on just a little bit

as well as he mentioned the supps that he's taking so, i'd say he's at least intermediate

Either way, I have a feeling he has never tried a routine such as the one outlined above. It is an excellent change of pace, and conditions you in a way that a traditional split cannot. After I give Westside a go for a couple of cycles, I am going to go back to a full body routine for a little while. I have used them in the past; it is a nice change of pace.

First of thanks to all of you!!! Like I mentioned before I have this posted in another forum and those chumps haven’t offered one suggestion so thanks to all. I apologize for this being such a long post, but feel I need the help if I want to win this comp.



Now, here is what I have done in regards to workouts. It is basically an excerpt from my training log as best I remember it (it is at home on the wall).



Tuesday Chest, Front and Side delts

Push-ups 2sets 10-15 reps

Bench press 1set 135lbs 12reps

“ 3sets 225lbs 10, 8, 6-8

“ 1set 135lbs 8-10 reps very slow

Cable Flies 3sets 40lbs 10reps

Standing low cable flies 3sets 30lbs 10reps



Military press 3sets 50-80lbs 6-10reps

Seated one-arm front raises 20lbs 8-10reps

Side raises 2sets 15lbs 10-12reps



Wednesday Back, Rear delts and Traps

Pull-ups 3sets 25 reps total between sets

Bent over barbell rows 4set 135-185lbs 6-10 reps

Cable rows 3sets 125lbs 8-10

Stiff Arm push downs 3sets 50lbs 10

Negative pull-ups 2sets 3-5reps



Bent over flies 3sets 35lbs 8-10reps

Rear delt raises 3set 20lbs 8-10reps

Shrugs 3sets 135lbs 10-12reps

Weights head raises 2sets 35lbs 8-12reps



Thursday Claves and Forearms

Donkey calve raises 3sets my 3 kids or my wife 12-15reps

One leg raises 3sets 12-15reps

Forearm curls palm up 3sets 25lbs each 12reps

Forearm curls palm down 3sets 25lbs each 12reps



Friday Legs (please don’t laugh)

Squats 2 sets 135lbs 10reps

“ 4sets 225-300lbs 4-10reps

Sissy Squats 3sets 10reps

Extensions 3sets 185lbs 8-10reps

Stiff leg dead lifts 4sets 135lbs 10reps

Curls 3set 95lbs 8-10reps



Saturday Arms

One arm overhear extensions 2sets 10lbs 15reps

Cable skull crushers 3sets 85lbs 8-10 reps

One arm overhead extensions 3sets 30lbs 8-10reps

Push-downs 3sets 90lbs 10reps



Barbell curls 3sets 95lbs 10reps

Standing alternating 2sets 45lbs 8-12reps

Preacher (1 arm) or 2sets 30lbs 8-12reps

One arm standing cable curls

I'd advise you to not work out two days in a row if at all possible.

Where are the deadlifts? Dips? You've got 3 exercises working your lats, doing too much work on one section and ignoring the most important back exercise is a no-no.

I have no way to do dips in my basement. I would like to do them, just do not have the equipment.
With dead lifts, I have not started them as I am trying not to add any more thickness to my waist. Although it hits a vast array of muscles when added in a routine, I did not want to add the thickness to my waist just yet. I am trying to get the v-taper and my waistline has always made my upper body seem non-existent. Is this logic retarded? If you feel they will help in the overall physique, I will drop one of my lat exercises for it.

I am trying to get the v-taper and my waistline has always made my upper body seem non-existent. Is this logic retarded? If you feel they will help in the overall physique, I will drop one of my lat exercises for it.

The logic is counterintuitive. Any time you add muscle you will have the appearance of being thicker. Not doing deadlifts (probably the overall best exercise you can do) will not allow you to realize your potential in terms of overall strength and size. You're going to have to drop your body fat eventually, and you will look that much better when you drop it and have a well developed backside.