Thread: Rough routine...newbie.

I didnt even get past your first day and theres already a serious problem. You got 3 exercises for biceps and only 1 for back? You would be better off having 3 for back and 1 for biceps. Not only that, but biceps should come last in your workout on that day.

Back-Pullups, Bent over rows, 1 arm rows


And I dont understand why on chest day you are starting off with a machine press instead of a good ole fashion free weight movement.

Do not half ass your legs if you do you will be sorry. You may think your legs are built, but they are nothing compared to what they could be. Besides your legs in sports are crucial to being that much better.

I know you hear this alot and it gets repetitve, but in the training forum there are stickies that could help you out.

haha notice the "newbie" in the title

to much tris/bis, not enough back, very bad exercise order, and train your legs.
Monday- Push
Flat Bench- 3x8
Incline Bench- 3x8
Overhead Press- 3x8
Dips- 3x8
Tricep extension- 3X10-12

Pull
Bent-over Row- 3x8
Seated Cable Row- 3x8
Overhand Shoulder Grip Pull-ups- 3x8
Underhand CG Pull-ups- 3x8
BB Curls- 3x10-12

Legs
Squats- 4x8
Deadlifts- 4x8
Calves- 3x10-15
Abs- 3x10-15

yea i knew it was a bad routine..i was just throwing somthing out. yea i have been reading the stickies just asking for some extra info. thanks guys.
anyone else got any suggestions?

Mikes routine is pretty good I am doing something similar to that right now. Seeing some strength gains. Give it a try. You could tinker with it here and there if you like.

Though I suggest that you read through the stickies here, I will outline my suggestions with regard to your program:

Originally Posted by benfica

Well heres what i got so far. im 17, 6'0 and weigh about 157lbs.
Just started going to the gym about 2 weeks ago. taking my potein shake daily and trying to eat more.
heres what i got so far..

Trying to bulk so i hear more weight less reps...

The range that is considered ideal for hypertrophy is the 6-12RM range. This threshold will be considerably lower for you because you are new to training. For now, I would start with lighter weights to improve the strength of your connective tissues and allow you to work on form so that you develop good lifting techinque from the start.

Mondays -biceps+back+traps

dumbell curls-3X6
barbell curls-3X6
Preacher curls-3X6

lat pulldowns
4x6

shoulder shrugs-4x6
...pretty lost for lats and back

You are spending way too much time on your arms here. For a beginner, I usually suggest skipping the arm work for the first few weeks and focusing on the big stuff. Maybe throw in one arm exercise for the Hell of it. Your arms are used extensively during large pulling movements.

You are seriously lacking compound pulling movements. Get some rowing variations in there too. You are doing way too much pressing relative to your pulling movements, and these leads to an imbalanced shoulder girdle. Potential problems inlcude poor posture, shoulder impingment, increase chance of injury, decreased flexibility during certain joint dynamics, and limitation of antagonist muscle groups' potentials.

Tues-chest,tri's,shoulders

machine chest press-3x6
flys-3x6
bench press 5x8

tris-
Stiff arm pushdowns-3x6
lever extentions-3x6
cable pushdowns(i like these...)-4x6

shoulders-
lateral raises-3x6
upright rows-4x7
military press-3x6
shoulder press on the machine-2x7

Too much arm work. Upright rows are pretty terrible. Better inclusion of compound movements here, but you don't really need this kind of volume just yet.

rest wed.


thursday legs

im not really worried about my legs. i play soccer and lacrosse so my legs are pretty built...my upper body needs lots of work. as you can tell so does my routine.
Help is always apreciated. thanks

Big mistake. First of all I can tell by your stats that your legs are not built. Don't take this the wrong way, but it's simply not possible. Second, the training stimulus provided by playing lacrosse is not the same as that which is provided by resistance training. Professional athletes from all across the spectrum resistance train their lower bodies. Why should you be any different? Even without gaining size, improving neurological efficiency will be a great asset to your athletic pallete.


My suggestion is that you scrap this program and start over. You want train 3 days a week. Great. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday is a great place to start. No need to train two days in a row if you want to train only 3 days a week (You don't need any more than that right now).

Full body programs are great for beginners for a variety of reasons. I would suggest following a full body program. I will put together one for you right now to make things simple:

Day A:
Back Squats - 3x12
Bent Barbell Rows - 3x12
Bench Press - 3x12
Leg Curls - 2x12
Bicep Curls - 2x12

Day B:
Deadlifts - 3x12
Widegrip Pulldowns - 3x12
Standing Overhead Press - 3x12
Walking DB Lunges - 2x12
Tricep Pushdowns - 2x12

Pick a weight you can do for all 2 or 3 sets without reducing the number of repetitions or the weight. Look to raise the weights you use by 2-5% each week for the first few weeks as the gains come rolling in. Eventually you will have to get more creative than that. Alternate between session A and session B each time you lift.

Happy lifting. Check out the diet section while you're at it. Diet is HUGE when it comes to gaining mass.

ATTENTION NEWBIES!!!!!!!!!!!

The above A and B routine is all you need (in fact it is what you need) to make fantastic gains. Stop posting "I am trying to get bigger and more defined - please critique my routine". You don't need to do huge amounts of concentration curls or tricep extensions or chest flys.

As a matter of fact this type of routine can work wonders even for experienced lifters from time to time.

Newbies dont know how lucky they are to have this place.

I wish id known about this forum when i started out.

Follow CowPimp's full body routine. I followed it starting about 6 months ago and saw some really nice gains. It's simple and lets you concentrate on getting your diet down.

On a side not...why is it that so many people seriously underestimate the importance (both health-wise and aesthetically) of having a strong/toned back and legs.