looking to change up my work-out

[duriandork]

I have been following a pretty steady work-out plan for the past 4 months and I'm wondering if I should change things up or just add more weight. My goals are to gain about 10-15 more pounds of muscle. I am not looking to be extremely huge but a larger chest and shoulders would be cool. I am about 160 and 5'11". I belong to the nearby gym and I have access to a lot of work-out gear. Below is my normal routine and I also break a sweat playing drums for an hour or two everyday as well. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

Stretch for 10 minutes

Run for about 10 minutes at 5-6 mph

 

Shoulder Press: 3 sets with 10 reps 40, 50 and 60 lbs

Chest Press Machine: 3 sets with 10 reps 100, 115, 130 lbs

Pectoral Flyes: 3 sets with 10 reps 80, 90 100 lbs

Lateral Pulls: 3 sets with 10 reps 70, 90, 110 lbs

Seated Rows: 3 sets with 10 reps 80, 95, 110 lbs

Bicept Curl: 3 sets with 10 reps 70 lbs

Dips: 3 sets of 10

Pull-ups: 3 sets of 10

 

Squats: 3 sets with 10 reps, 80, 100, 120 lbs

Leg Extension machine: 3 sets with 10 reps, 60, 70 , 80 lbs

Calf raises: 3 sets with 10 reps, 75, 90, 105 lbs

 

A combination of ab exercises for about 15 minutes

Stretch 10 minutes

[threeloaves]

You could try a routine that focuses on more compound movements.

 

Squats

Deads

 

Bench

Barbell Bent Rows

Weighted Dips

 

Standing Overhead Press

Weighted Pullups

Weighted Chinups

 

Some isometric stuff might also be a good idea:

 

jump squats

pistol squats

alternate lunges

box jumps

vacuums

 

For abs I only do reverse crunches, and ab rollouts. I feel as though if you can deadlift, and squat with proper form your abs should be getting worked enough.

[duriandork]

Excellent, thanks for the advice! I've been to some bodybuilding sites that have video examples of some of these exercises. Do you recommend any sites that show examples of these?

[threeloaves]

check youtube and also :

 

http://www.exrx.net/Exercise.html

http://bodybuilding.com/fun/exercises.htm

[RawVgn]

I use a single rep to failure system that is very fast and easy and gives great results. Basically, you just do 1 set to failure of about a dozen exercises. So leg extensions, for example, would become 1 set of whatever weight allows you to do 8-12 reps at complete failure(you can't do a single additional one.) Select at least half the exercises as compound types like squats, bench presses, rows, etc. Also make sure to work both legs, core, and upper body at each workout-no split routines. When beginning, workout 3 times a week. After about 3 months reduce down to 5 times per 2 weeks and reduce again to 2 times per week after six months; as your strength increases, you need more recovery time because you create more microtears at each workout with greater power. Try to work from a list of about 25 classic exercises, twelve at each workout. When you can do more than twelve reps of any exercise, it's time to increase the weight again. If you don't keep increaing the weight, you won't build muscle. From start to finish, you should be done in the weight room in under 35 minutes.

 

The routine your using looks pretty low intensity. I think you'll make a lot more headway reducing volume and putting your energy into far fewer but much heavier lifts.

[xjohanx]

What RawVgn is talking about is often called nautilus method.

RawVgn, FYI training to complete/positive failure is proven to damage your central nerve system and doing so set after set, day after day is a pretty bad idea.

[RawVgn]

What RawVgn is talking about is often called nautilus method.

RawVgn, FYI training to complete/positive failure is proven to damage your central nerve system and doing so set after set, day after day is a pretty bad idea.

 

Can you point me to any research on this CNS matter? The recent book I used to learn the method didn't say a word about it.

 

Just about any bodybuilder who is building mass works to failure on a regular basis. If you don't push a muscle to 100% capacity (failure), it has no reason to grow because it still has spare capacity. Increasing strength is an adaption to consistent excess demand. Since this system spends so much less time lifting than most approaches, it seems like it could be safer.

[Gaia]

I do not know how working out to failure would optimize your gains? The bottom line is for you to work your muscle, tear some of the muscle (the fibrils), and then repair your muscle. Now you have to warm up the muscle for use by doing warm up sets cause you want to get the blood flowing in that region and limber the fibers up for movement. Then you want to use intensity to tear the muscle, but do it carefully so you are not to put the immune system into trauma mode. Because from there your body will try to isolate the damage with swelling and that is painful and then the next process of repair will be slow going/not optimal. Then you have to repair the damage as quickly as possible, and the repaired muscle will be bigger (same muscle cell, but just bigger = you don't make "new" muscle cells). So you are saying to tear the muscle and then keep going till it is blasted to bits? Seems that all you have to do is tear it once, and repair it. Continued use will just call in the immune system and make the repair process longer (if at all! Know BBers who say soreness is good and proceed to workout after that. Not giving the body enough time to repair. Not optimal for them. They still get results though cause there is some repairing going on. Just not optimal). Now continued use of the muscle till the ATP is all gone, and the storage of nutrients in adipose tissue has to be utilized for shredding purposes can be optimal. But there you are just using the muscle, not tearing the fibrils - hopefully.

[xjohanx]

RawVgn: I read an extensive article about training to failure in a magazine I used to subscribe to. Unfortunately I didn't bring those magazines with me when I moved but I just emailed the magazine to see if they can send me the article via email.

 

Just about any bodybuilder who is building mass works to failure on a regular basis. If you don't push a muscle to 100% capacity (failure), it has no reason to grow because it still has spare capacity.

 

Just about any bodybuilder who is building mass eats 400 grams of protein from meat and dairy every day too, it doesn't mean it's healthy. But to be onest I think the biggest guys do not train to failure. Looking at their training videos it's rare to see. They sometimes do forced reps etc, but hardly ever goes to failure. What bodybuilders promote training to failure except ast-ss crew?

I've seen some theories that stated if you rest properly inbetween sets, a couple of days every week and then rest completely (you're not supposed to do anything more physically demanding than walking) for a week every 6-8 weeks you can minimize the damage. But that's theories.

I've build some muscle (about 15-20 kg) during my time in the gym and I've never trained to failure. Of course sometimes it happens by mistake that I reach failure but that's not often at all.

[blabbate]

Can you point me to any research on this CNS matter? The recent book I used to learn the method didn't say a word about it.

Just google it. I wouldn't say lifting to failure "damages" the system, per se, but the CNS does take much longer to recover when you go to failure, even longer than the muscles do. This makes it more likely you might overtrain the CNS, which will hurt your strength gains. If you give the CNS time to recover, you should be OK, but you still might not gain strength as quickly as you might if you were training to near failure and maximizing your CNS gains. This is especially true if you're not an experienced lifter, since you're probably not recruiting your full nervous system in the first place.

 

Just about any bodybuilder who is building mass works to failure on a regular basis. If you don't push a muscle to 100% capacity (failure), it has no reason to grow because it still has spare capacity. Increasing strength is an adaption to consistent excess demand. Since this system spends so much less time lifting than most approaches, it seems like it could be safer.

I don't know if "just about any" is true, but I wouldn't be surprised. However, you need to distinguish between mass and strength. Hypertrophy and strength gain can be complementary, but that's no guarantee. You can overtrain your CNS and gain mass while hurting strength gains. You can also specifically train for strength while simply maintaining mass. Generally, lifting to failure is better for hypertrophy. Lifting to just short of failure, but more often, is generally better for strength.

 

Increasing strength is an adaptation to consistent excess demand, but that demand isn't just on your muscles and "excess" doesn't need to mean "to failure." Strength gains should be commensurate with CNS and supporting structure improvement. If not, your "failure" point might be ligament or nervous system failure, not muscular. Plus, what are you defining as failure? The point at which you cannot lift your 1 rep max? 40% of max? The point at which bar speed slows significantly?

 

And anyway, all of this depends on the person. Genetics, experience, type of gains, etc. An experienced lifter training for mass shouldn't be using the same workouts as a new lifter training for strength. Training to failure has its place, but each individual needs to discover on their own whether it's for them. Because in the end, it's about doing what works for you.

[RawVgn]

I do agree that some of this is revolving around the def of "failure." The sense of failure as used in the system I use means being able to do a weight for 8 to 12 reps but not the 13th. It's doing every set to the point you can't do an additional rep, instead of doing a fixed number of reps, like 10, regardless of the effort level. It works the muscles pretty intensly, but its also very brief (it's not really possible to be really intense for more than brief periods kind of like wind sprinting). As a person gets stronger in this system, they also have to furthur reduce workout frequency and duration to allow more recovery time from the increasing strength/intensity level. For an intermediate lifter like me, the system uses either 72 or 96 hours between workouts. It also requires a nine day layoff every six months. Eventually the frequency decreases to 8 exercises done 3 times per 2 weeks (about 20 min of actual lifting a WEEK), so believe me, those of us who use this system make ample provision for recovery. I can tell you from the 8 months I've used it that it is very effective at building strength ( I keep a journal) and it requires a minimum time committment. And unlike when I used to workout 4 times a week for over an hour at a time, now I fully recover from my workouts and am less sore. Ellington Darden, who I learned the system from, was a world class bodybuilder at one time who has a Phd in exercise physiology and has written about 20 fitness books in his 30 plus year career. It is a tested and proven system that is widely used by professional athletes including the NFL. Given its pedigree, widespread use, and my personal experience with it, I'm comfortable recomending it to others, though I do appreciate construcive criticism.

[duriandork]

I appreciate all of the feedback. I am guessing that my frequency of workouts may be part of the cause of my plateau. I also follow more of a circuit training regimen where I don't wait a lot of time between sets and I focus on all muscle groups. I also forgot to mention that I workout 5 to 6 days per week and each workout normally takes about 45 minutes. I do try to add additional weight on days where I feel stronger at the gym, but I go back and forth between energy levels. I usually try to make sure that I am not hungry going into the gym because that can sometimes cause problems with pushing myself to my maximum ability. I am going to try changing up my routine a bit with these ideas in mind but I am ultimately looking to only gain about 10 more pounds and then sustain what I've got. Thanks again!

[blabbate]

I appreciate all of the feedback. I am guessing that my frequency of workouts may be part of the cause of my plateau. I also follow more of a circuit training regimen where I don't wait a lot of time between sets and I focus on all muscle groups. I also forgot to mention that I workout 5 to 6 days per week and each workout normally takes about 45 minutes. I do try to add additional weight on days where I feel stronger at the gym, but I go back and forth between energy levels. I usually try to make sure that I am not hungry going into the gym because that can sometimes cause problems with pushing myself to my maximum ability. I am going to try changing up my routine a bit with these ideas in mind but I am ultimately looking to only gain about 10 more pounds and then sustain what I've got. Thanks again!

How often do you work out each muscle group? The waxing and waning of strength that you mention could be because your body hasn't quite recovered yet from the previous workout. If you try to hit the same muscle group again while you're still in metabolic fatigue and you haven't finished recovering, you're going to see a performance decrease. And that's perfectly normal. During that time, just work a different muscle group or use a reduced load. At the end of your recovery process you should see an increase in performance. This could take anywhere from a couple of days for a beginner to a month or more for an advanced lifter. Most people need about a week. You may want to experiment with a 4- or 5-day split. That'll keep you in the gym most days, but you'll only hit each group once per week, and you can work that group as hard as you want during that workout.

 

And as somebody else said, compound compound compound. Make compound movements your basic exercises, work in some auxiliary, and do as many as you can standing with free weights, off the machines, or at least off of the reduced ROM and lever machines.

[duriandork]

Right on, I am about to head to the gym now. I am going to move towards focusing on a couple of muscles per day instead of a complete body work-out each day to see if this helps create differences. I mainly use machines because I move fast in the gym and don't usually have a partner for spotting. I also am concerned with some exercises because I was recently diagnosed with having a slight hernia. I have really cut back on lifting heavy weights when doing squats or other exercises that could potentially cause more problems. I guess that brings me to another question. If anyone out there has a hernia, how do you approach certain bodybuilding exercises that could worsen your condition? Thanks!

[Tarz]

Also think about changing the number of reps - go heavier for 6 or 8 reps, and perhaps occasionally lighter for 12-14 reps as well.

 

All about variety.

[duriandork]

Right on, I have already noticed some differences since I posted this. My weekly schedule looks more like this:

 

Monday -upper body

Tuesday -legs and abs

Wednesday-circuit training where I go fast through a full body workout but with less weight

Thursday-upper body

Friday-legs and abs

Saturday-circuit train

Sunday-rest

 

My work is similar to the one I posted earlier but because I am focusing on a section of my body each day, I am able to fit more sets in and a couple extra exercises in my 45 minute training session. I can feel the difference and I definitely see why people in weight lifting forums suggest changing your workout up every 6-8 weeks.