Critique my training please

[audiophyle]

heres what a typical week's workout looks like for me. Tell me what you think.

Monday (Chest & Tris)
Flat Bench 5x5
Incline Bench 2x8-10
Pec Dec 3x10
Dips 3x10

Tuesday (Quads)
Squats 5x5
Hack Squats 4x10

Wednesday (OFF)

Thursday (Shoulders)
Military Press 5x5
Pullups 2x10
Shrugs 3x15

Friday (Upper Back & Abs)
Bent Over Rows 5x5
Reverse Flyes 2x8-12
Cable Rows 2x10
Weighted Crunches 2x20-25

Saturday (Lower Back & Hams & Calves & Grip)
Deadlift 5x5
SL Deadlift 2x10
Leg Curls 3x10
Standing Calve Raise 5x10
Static Holds (I just pick up the heaviest dumbell i can and hold it until my grip gives out)

Sunday (OFF)



What can I do to improve my training? My goals are mainly strength right now, but I wouldnt mind putting on some lean mass as well.

 

[Lee]

Monday (Chest & Tris)
Flat Bench 5x5
Incline Bench 2x8-10
Pec Dec 3x10
Dips 3x10

sorry man, but ew. flat bench should not be prioritized on 5x5. try somethin like this

Incline DB Press 5x5
Incline DB Flies 2x10
Close Grip Bench OR Skull Crushers 5x5
Dips(weighted if needed) 2x failure
Tricep Extension 2x8

i do this and have seen awesome strength and size gains in my chest and tris. i would definately suggest you trying it out.

 

[audiophyle]

Thanks for your suggestions. Just out of curiousity, why is 5x5 bad for flat bench? I thought flat bench was supposed to be one of the best excersises to use 5x5 with.

What do you think about the rest of my routine?

 

[Lee]

Monday (Chest & Tris)
Flat Bench 5x5
Incline Bench 2x8-10
Pec Dec 3x10
Dips 3x10

Tuesday (Quads)
Squats 5x5
Hack Squats 4x10

Wednesday (OFF)

Thursday (Shoulders)
Military Press 5x5
Pullups 2x10
Shrugs 3x15

Friday (Upper Back & Abs)
Bent Over Rows 5x5
Reverse Flyes 2x8-12
Cable Rows 2x10
Weighted Crunches 2x20-25

Saturday (Lower Back & Hams & Calves & Grip)
Deadlift 5x5
SL Deadlift 2x10
Leg Curls 3x10
Standing Calve Raise 5x10
Static Holds (I just pick up the heaviest dumbell i can and hold it until my grip gives out)

Sunday (OFF)

you dont need that many shrugs. i like doing 2x8 on shrugs on shoulder day with high weight. also, pullups should be done on back day, not shoulder day. and yer hack squats should be 2 or 3 sets, not 4. flat bench isnt necessarily bad for 5x5, it hsould just be a follow up after incline db. incline db is a much better chest developer then regular flat bench. plus, it works the stabilizer muscles around your triceps much better then flat bench.

 

[audiophyle]

cool, 1 last question about incline db. Should the weight that I use when doing incline db be comparable to the weight that I'd use for flat bench? What i mean is, if I bench 185, should I be able to use 70-80 lb dbs? Or does one excersise have nothing to do with the other?

Just so I have a frame of reference, how much weight do you use for incline db press?

 

[The Red Dragon]

Inclines are a lot harder than bench
My flat is 100 lb and my incline is 65 lbs lol although it's different for everyone

 

[BlkWS6]

I don't feel that there is anything wrong with doing flat bench for the 5x5. It is how NS has it laid out in the sticky, and it is the way I have been doing it for the last year or so. I think incline db is a great exercise, but in my opinion flat bench should be the 5x5.

 

[Lee]

i use 80's for incline db, but on flat bench i use 195 for reps. its all different because they are differents lifts.

 

[SofaGeorge]

Pullups... then bent over rows... then deadlifts?

You are hitting back on three consecutive days.

 

[audiophyle]

well i'm moving the pullups to the same day as bent over rows, so, i'm hitting back on 2 consecutive days, but one day is strictly for upper back, one is for lower back.

 

[Zander1983]

I'm able to handle rows/pullups and deadlifts back-to-back.

 

[audiophyle]

do you mean back to back on the same day, or on two days?

 

[Zander1983]

Rows/Pullups on one day, deadlifts the next.