hows my workout looking?

[dantheman144]

hi, im new to this site, and after encountering a problem with bicep development i thought id post on here. got lots of good tips from people and read a lot of the articles on this site (which is very good i must say).

anyway from what i was told i was basically doing way too much , completely overloading and doing too much isolation work, which led to the original problem of my biceps getting smaller and weaker.

the aim is to bulk up , but ive gotta get my biceps working

so with everything ive learned here is my new workout , pull it apart chaps.

the basic principles are :-
warm up properly 10 min brisk incline walk then for each exercise a really easy set.
everything to failure and to do between 4 and 8 reps dropping the weight if i need to.
workout every other day . alternating between workout a and b

workout a
chest /shoulders/ tris

flat bench x 3
incline db press x3
pec deck x 3
machine press x3

dips x3
tricep pushdown x3
overhead rope pull x 3

arnold press x 3
db shrugs x 3
lateral raises x3
machine press x 3


finished off with bit of cardio and some crunches

workout b

back/bi's /legs /abs
pull up wide grip *3
underhand chin up x 3
lat pulldown x3
db rows x3

ez preacher curls x3
alternate db curl x3

leg press on sled x3
ham curl on machine x3
quad curl on machine x 3
have to keep on the machines for legs to protect back

leg raise x2
kneeling crunch w ropes x 3
db side bend x2
ball hyperextension x2

same warmup and cardio as before

ok so what do you think ? have i learnt ?

 

[dantheman144]

forgot to say , im gonna do this for about 3 weeks then have a break for 2 weeks as go on holiday. ive been overtraining way too much for about 2 months. then when i come back prob stick with this for 2 months then completely change the exercises but keep the same principles.

however i may do the HST thing

 

[dantheman144]

that good eh?

 

[Gazhole]

Seriously too much volume per workout, you could cut most of those exercises out:

workout a
chest /shoulders/ tris

flat bench x 3
incline db press x3
dips x3
arnold press x 3



workout b

back/bi's /legs /abs
pull up wide grip *3
bent over rows
lat pulldown x3
db rows x3



Added bent over rows in myself.

Also, why not a leg day instead of tacking them onto that other workout?

And machines will probably do worse for your back than freeweights will. Have you injured your back recently?

What kind of periodization are you using to progress with this program?

I would just have these two workouts, as well as a leg workout, 3x a week and leave the weekend off or something. No need to make it more complicated than it needs to be.

 

[TwiloMike]

hi, im new to this site, and after encountering a problem with bicep development i thought id post on here. got lots of good tips from people and read a lot of the articles on this site (which is very good i must say).

anyway from what i was told i was basically doing way too much , completely overloading and doing too much isolation work, which led to the original problem of my biceps getting smaller and weaker.

the aim is to bulk up , but ive gotta get my biceps working

so with everything ive learned here is my new workout , pull it apart chaps.

the basic principles are :-
warm up properly 10 min brisk incline walk then for each exercise a really easy set.
everything to failure and to do between 4 and 8 reps dropping the weight if i need to.
workout every other day . alternating between workout a and b

The bolded, kill it. Do not, if you value your CNS (central nervous system) work to failure on everything. In fact, don't work to failure at almost at all (save it for later when you're more advanced). Work to within 1 rep of failure for now.

workout a
chest /shoulders/ tris

flat bench x 3
incline db press x3
pec deck x 3
machine press x3

dips x3
tricep pushdown x3
overhead rope pull x 3

arnold press x 3
db shrugs x 3
lateral raises x3
machine press x 3


finished off with bit of cardio and some crunches

workout b

back/bi's /legs /abs
pull up wide grip *3
underhand chin up x 3
lat pulldown x3
db rows x3

ez preacher curls x3
alternate db curl x3

leg press on sled x3
ham curl on machine x3
quad curl on machine x 3
have to keep on the machines for legs to protect back

leg raise x2
kneeling crunch w ropes x 3
db side bend x2
ball hyperextension x2

same warmup and cardio as before

ok so what do you think ? have i learnt ?

If you're doing to do a 2 day split, just make it an Upper/Lower split and do it twice a week. You'll have 3 rest days and they're no less important than the time you spend in the gym.

Example:

Upper:
Weighted Pullups 3x8
Weighted Dips 5x5
Bent Over Rows 5x5
Low Incline DB Press 3x8
Standing DB Press 3x10
Face Pulls 3x10

Lower:
Squats 4x8
Deads 5x5
Lunges 3x8
Good Mornings 5x5
Calf Raises 3x8

 

[dantheman144]

cheers for the advice

well the aim was to do it mon wed fri , as in workout a then b then a then in week 2 b a b, so it wouldnt be too bad if i dropped some of the volume and didnt train to failure so much?

one thing i was also thinking was should i changethe exercises often or stick with the same exercises for a 6 week period then change everything. reason for this is that i have read that its good to not let your muscles get used to a specific exercise for too long. however, is there any benefit in changing therm on each workout?

 

[dantheman144]

oh yeh the leg issue. not really interested in gaining mass on legs as they are naturally big ish anyway from playing football

and the back problem is hyperextension and ive had it years

 

[Scarface30]

oh yeh the leg issue. not really interested in gaining mass on legs as they are naturally big ish anyway from playing football

and the back problem is hyperextension and ive had it years

training legs will help you tremendously in gaining size on your upper body. I'm not 100% sure why, but it has something to do with the great amount of hormones that are released when you train legs that triggers more growth response all over your body?? someone more knowing than I might be able to clear that one up....where are the mods when you need then... lol

 

[Gazhole]

training legs will help you tremendously in gaining size on your upper body. I'm not 100% sure why, but it has something to do with the great amount of hormones that are released when you train legs that triggers more growth response all over your body?? someone more knowing than I might be able to clear that one up....where are the mods when you need then... lol

No, you were right.

More muscle recruitment = more growth response from the body. Leg movements are generally harder, so aside from the vast amounts of muscle needed, it takes more neural effort and mental concentration which will also trigger adaptations.

Not to mention that most of the big leg movements (squats, deadlifts) require a great deal of upper-body muscle to stabilize as well.

In a nutshell.

Also to topic poster, if you have an injury in your back, machines are the worst thing you can use. They force you into a set plane of motion which is highly un-natural, can lead to pattern overload because the movement is exactly the same every time, and lack stabilizer muscle recruitment which is required in normal every day activities - if your "prime movers" are stronger/bigger and your stabilizing muscles arent, this is obviously gonna cause some problems.

Everything about machines can lead to overtraining, injury, or sub-par results at best.

Do yourself a favour and put the extra effort in and learn free weight movements, even if you have to do them with just the bar for 6 months. Self improvement is a perpetual thing, so theres no excuse for not taking the time to do things right.