Critique My Routine Please

[jaytaylor84]

Hey guys i've been lifting off and on for about a year but only recently gotten serious about it. My question is does this routine look sufficient for growth? I'm 27, 5'9, 150 lbs. ectomorph and chose this one because in the past doing squats, deadlift, and bench press always aggravated my rotator cuff tendonitis and halted any gains due to injury. I've been supplementing with fish oil & protein powder, i eat 6 small meals a day, drink a gallon water, juice fruits/vegetables so no need multi. Anyways it seems to be working as im putting on the mass in my chest, back, and legs but my arms are lagging, this may be due to the fact that im using nothing but compound lifts.

MWF -
chin ups - 1 set x 5 reps (55 lbs, dip belt)
pull ups - 1 set x 5 reps (55 lbs, dip belt)
dips - 2 sets x 10 reps (55 lbs, dip belt)
leg press - 1 set x 20 reps (245 lbs)

 

[SPEKTOR-AAA]

Welcome first and foremost!

MWF is fine. If your just trying to be in better shape and have a little muscle. I would personally do a 5x5 routine. It would be PERFECT for what you do. If you need more help on what that is just respond.

 

[jaytaylor84]

"MWF is fine. If your just trying to be in better shape and have a little muscle."

I've tried MTWTRF in the past but found my body responds best if i have more time for recovery as im classic ectomorph. With the added time off I've made better gains.

"I would personally do a 5x5 routine. It would be PERFECT for what you do."

I've tried it in the past and thought it was pretty cool, seems almost on par with what i'm currently doing.. with the aforementioned set and rep scheme i've been trying to keep the reps low to put on mass as fast as i can but I'm kind of left wondering if my reps should be more middle of the road 5 - 7 for strength AND mass

Lastly do you think i can get away with substituting leg press for squat? I've been thumbing through various threads and it seems if i keep the intensity and weight high it works the same muscles?

 

[SaiyanHero]

if you do atg Squats it would be way better than doing leg presses! Remember that a squat in the bottom must touch your calves with your glutes to utilize most of your muscles in the workout; however, do not even think on replacing half squats (the one most people do at the gym) for leg presses. They will put more stress on your knees than needed. So go ahead, atg squat! The problem is, why is your rep scheme so low? I understand you might not want to over train, but those aren't enough reps. I also use compound lifts, and In my opinion, you should keep doing them (don't worry there are way more than the big 3). If your arms are lagging? Go ahead add 3 x 8 of whatever kind of curls you want bi-weekly

 

[stevesmi]

look into splits.

i do

1. pushing
2. pulling
3. legs

while you are working one group of muscles the other group is recovering

 

[miked8c]

Definitely go with a push/pull. Its just the right way.

 

[jaytaylor84]

i thought dips, pull ups/chins IS a push/pull routine ?

i chose these specific exercises so as not to further aggravate my rotator cuff, and since i've been progressively making steady gains, something i haven't been able to say the entire time i've been lifting

id love to keep this routine but would more than welcome any feedback on the reps/set scheme

for instance 5 seems a bit low, 10 too high and i was thinking it'd be best to increase the weight accordingly for my dips and change the number of reps to say 7 or 8 for size and strength

 

[the.gladiator1987]

push/pull meaning on two different days, youre doing everything the same day. I would do some push pull legs routine since it will add more volume to your workouts, add some size to your arms, and still let you work out 3x a week.

 

[lweaver]

The afforementioned exercises should not be holding you back if done with proper form. The bench press, deadlift and squat are not only the most effective for building strength, but also are NOT inherently dangerous. While you need to progress slowly, with proper form and possibly some coaching--these exercises are no more dangerous than dips (if done incorrectly).

From a rehab standpoint, I would focus on strengthening your RTC stabilizers for awhile. If you still get acute flare-ups of tendonitis, seek a qualified physical therapist. If you are in the chronic stage of recovery and have clearance to lift, I would proceed whole-heartedly. This means addressing the squat, deadlift and bench press in a safe manner as well as addressing your shoulder joint.

I feel that an upper body push day, an upper body pull day, and a leg day would be better for you as well as adding in some light RTC work (band strengthening, stretching, isometrics, ER/IR, blackburns, etc.). I would also reccomend serratus pushups and rowing of some sort to maintain healthy scapular musculature.

Just remember that if you've hurt yourself bench pressing, it wasn't the exercise. It was the form implemented with whatever load the bar was loaded with in relation to what your body was able to safely handle. If your elbows were flared out and in excessive horizontal abduction, then over time you were certainly at risk for tendonitis like many other gym-goers.

Good luck!

Addendum: Also, your legs and arms are not lagging because you use compound lifts, in fact you're doing a very good thing. If they seem on the lean side they are probably in proper proportion to the rest of your body, judging by your height and weight. Lift, eat, and you will grow.

 

[JDid23]

what everyone said is correct and valid in my opinion, and it's also probably more efficient than what you're doing, but if you're seeing gains and staying injury free on your program, wait until you stall and then switch it. if it aint broke, dont fix it.