1st Post, Not a newbie, Need advice

[heineken8]

I recently got a membership at Gold's gym in Sacramento after a 1.5 year break from lifting. I currently weigh 160 lbs (I was 190) and I referenced this website for about 2 years without posting. My weight training routine is a version of the 5x5 program posted by needsize and spatts.
Wednesday: Dumbell flat bench press 5x5
Dumbell incline press 2x8-10
Incline flys 2x8-10
Calves 2x20
Standing barbell curls 5x5
Incline curls 2x8-10
Hammer Curls on preacher bench 2x8-10

Friday: Deadlift 5x5
Pullups 2x8-10 (usually all I can do)
One armed dumbell bench pulls (name?) 2x8-10
Calves 2x20
Close grip bench press 5x5
Rope pulldowns 2x8-10
One armed pulldowns 2x8-10

Sunday: Squats 5x5
Hamstring curls (the one where you lay down) 2x8-10
Quad extensions 2x8-10
Abdominal Leg raises (works well for me) 2xfailure
Military dumbell press 5x5
Upright row 2x8-10
Side extensions 2x8-10

My workouts last 60-70 minutes. I bring to the gym in a portable cooler a PWO shake with 75g dextrose, 80g whey protein isolate(Allthewhey), 20g glutamine peptides(AFstore), and 4 grams micronized creatine (added right before I drink it). I train with ~40g gatorade throughout the workout. I take 4g creatine preworkout with ~10% of my PWO shake. I work out late morning/early afternoon usually about 1-1.5 hours after I wake up and eat. I usually eat 5 meals a day. I'm trying to bulk as clean as possible (brown rice and salmon, sandwiches, steak and potatoes on wo days, stuff like that). I take r-ala(AFstore) 10-15 minutes before a big carb meal. I take 1 thermorexin(AFstore) before my workout on workout days only. I use a centrum multivitiamin BID, B-50 TID, Vitamin C 500mg TID. I get as much sleep as I want the mornings before my workouts. I no longer drink alcohol. I have very good medical coverage. I use a full range of motion for all exercises and reviewed my form with a personal trainer at the gym- he said it was excellent.

What I would like to know from all you guys/gals is where you think my program is lacking. What can I improve upon? Are there errors in what I am doing? I am 3 weeks in and begining to notice some good gains. I already have 1/2 inch on my arms. I would like to achieve the maximal growth and health possible without using AS. I have nothing against them, but it is too early in my training to begin with them. I will be training continuously for many years to come, so I want to make the most of it from the start. BTW I work evenings full time Tuesday- Saturday. Thanks for all the help you all have already given me- I got 90% of everything written above by searching and reading posts on this website.

 

[Maks]

What I would like to know from all you guys/gals is where you think my program is lacking.

Well ... if you have been reading this forum you have probably already seen madcows 5x5 program. Most people here are pretty excited about it, me included (not that the me would matter much for an opinion ) If you havent read about it, you should, try this link:

http://www.geocities.com/elitemadcow1/

Anyways ... your program is different. Looks like the usual every muscle group once per week thingy to me,with squats and deadlifts. I did something similar for some years (although without the deadlift and only occasional squats) and didnt have much success with it. Thats only me, though.

I think you miss some lat work there - especially rows. Hehe actually you do more sets for your biceps than for your lat. I would do a 5x5 barbell row somewhere and drop the rope pulling things. Might not be a good idea to do them after the dls. In fact i would do most of the dumbell sets with a barbel, but that might be only personal preference.
You also do have quite some isolation exercises in there with the flies and side raises and incline curls and preachers - you might want to skip this until you have gained the weight you want to have.

And look at the madcow 5x5, if you didnt already

Just my 5 cents

 

[lastcall1]

Just my 2 cents.
You need more lat work.
Also Tri's make up 2/3 of the upper arm. Skull crushers and dips are great for building mass. Cable exercises really aren't.
Could probably do more ab work.
Centrium vitamins suck, they are the lowest quality you can get. Go to a health food store and get a better brand of vitamins.
Over all your program looks prety good.

 

[donny43]

Concentrate less on your eating habits and more on putting more weight each week on the barbell for your squat, dead and bench press.

 

[nelmsjer]

After a 1.5 year layoff, you would do much better running a SF 5x5 from madcow's website posted above.

Your program isn't bad...I've certainly seen (and done) much worse. Like others have said, it desperately needs more lat work. If you choose not to do SF 5x5, then do the following, which is really just trying to patch this up and get it closer to a program that focuses on compound exercises:

1) Squat first on Wednesdays
2) Replace Incline flyes with BB Bent rows.
3) Drop a bicep exercise completely.
4) Also, ditch the last tricep exercise on Friday.
5) Use a barbell for military

Again, I would strongly suggest you do the SF 5x5, so these are just recommendations to change your program if you choose not to.

One armed dumbbell bench pulls are called dumbbell rows.

 

[needsize]

Concentrate less on your eating habits and more on putting more weight each week on the barbell for your squat, dead and bench press.

eating is by far the most important factor in bodybuilding, doesnt matter if you are adding size or dieting, food intake is everything