Current Routine (5x5) - seeking peer-review

[Synpax]

I've been at this for about 3 weeks now and think it will do me until I start a cycle in mid-October.

I have a three tiered fitness program.
- Cardio Work. In a running club, training for triathlons, usually train in morning or early evening (~6PM). Swim, spin, bike, run.
- Morning Muscle Endurance. Wake up and immediatly do 100+ crunches, 50+ pushups, will add pullups when I get a bar. Will start doing some rotator cuff type work with bands on alternating mornings.
- Lifting for strength, hypertrophy. I go in the afternoons around 2 PM.

4 day cycle. 3 days on, 1 day off.
Natural.
2-3 minutes between 5x5 exercises
45 seconds between 2x10 exercises

Day 1 - Chest/Tris/Forarms
5x5 - Flat bench / Incline bench (alternate each session)
2x10 - DB Press Flat
2x10 - DB Flys Incline

5x5 - Weighted Dips
2x10 - Lying DB tricept extension
2x10 - Rope pulldowns (complete each rep with rope stretched taught at waist)

3x2x (Wrist Curls x 10, wrist reverse curls x 10, wrist abductions x 10)

Day 2 - Back/Bi/Abs
5x5 - Deadlifts /w straps (lower back)
5x5 - Extra Wide grip weighted overhand pullups
2x10 - Wide grip cable row (using widest grip on the lat pulldown bar swapped to cable row bench).
2x10 - Lat Pulldown (Carefully behind neck, same as infront with head tilted forward)
2x10 - DB shrugs

5x5 - EZ bar curls (pinky at top of incline above thumbs)
2x10 - Hammer curls
2x10 - Backward DB preacher curls, bar parallel to floor. (I lean over the preacher curl bench so that my arm is goin straight down to the ground.)

5x5 - Needsize decline plate crunches
2x10 - DB sidebends

Day 3 - Legs/Delts/Forarms
5x5 - Incline leg press
2x10 - Squat (this will be 5x5 when I perfect my form with heavy weights)
2x10 - Leg Curls
2x10 - LEg Abductor
2x10 - Leg Adductor
2x10 - Seated Calve raises

5x5 - Standing DB Shoulder Press
4x10 - Lateral raises (4 var. - together in front, side, behind, and backwards leaning forward over the back extension thing)
2x10 - Front raises
3x2x (Wrist Curls x 10, wrist reverse curls x 10, wrist abductions x 10)

Day 4 - Rest

 

[wnt2bBeast]

looks good..i would really ditch the leg presses..the way to perfect your squat form is to box squat or use the squat itself..if you start with a low enough weight u can concentrate for a few weeks on your form before your nearing your max weights..

 

[Synpax]

*Edit for things left out of leg work.

 

[Synpax]

looks good..i would really ditch the leg presses..the way to perfect your squat form is to box squat or use the squat itself..if you start with a low enough weight u can concentrate for a few weeks on your form before your nearing your max weights..

The leg press substitution is temporary. The point is, my legs are WAY too strong for the amount of weight my back can support on the squats. Even box squats would not change the fact that there is no way I am putting that much weight on my back just yet.

It's sort of like why I use straps on the deadlift. I can lift way more than my grip can handle - yet I continue to develop my grip on other exercises.

I just can't get a good leg workout without using a lot of weight and the only place that can happen is the leg press.

Every 4 days I am adding 5 lbs to my squat, so soon I will be able to squat an amount worthy of my massive legs. So give it... 2-3 months and it should be there.

 

[Synpax]

No other comments?

Anyway, I like it alot and plan to stick to it until I do my cycle.

 

[forfucksake]

I thought you were only supposed to do 1 5x5 exercise for back as well ? Thought you were just supposed to do deadlifts, not pullups 5x5 as well ??


Looks good though

 

[Tom Treutlein]

Some may frown on legs day after back. Pretty solid looking, otherwise. You seem to have built up to a high work capacity.

Are those morning calisthenics daily or bi-daily?

I wonder if you'll be able to handle that kind of capacity with a 5x5 routine. You'll end up working out 6 days a week.

 

[Synpax]

I thought you were only supposed to do 1 5x5 exercise for back as well ? Thought you were just supposed to do deadlifts, not pullups 5x5 as well ??
Looks good though

Deadlifts are for lower back (dorsal), weighted wide overhand pullups are for upper back (lats).

 

[Synpax]

Some may frown on legs day after back. Pretty solid looking, otherwise. You seem to have built up to a high work capacity.

Are those morning calisthenics daily or bi-daily?

I wonder if you'll be able to handle that kind of capacity with a 5x5 routine. You'll end up working out 6 days a week.

Calisthenics I have not yet resolved. Probably a day 4 (rest) thing for active recovery.

I've been using the 4 day cycle for maybe 6 months now. It works out ok. A BIG PART of it is hydration, believe it or not.

Also, legs after back day is better than shoulders after chest day (which would be the alternative).

Thanks.

 

[forfucksake]

Deadlifts are for lower back (dorsal), weighted wide overhand pullups are for upper back (lats).

Indeed. But what I was saying was that Needsize's suggested routine says just to do deadlifts 5x5.

Not saying pullups are not a good addition, but could be overkill.

 

[Illuminati]

I've been at this for about 3 weeks now and think it will do me until I start a cycle in mid-October.

I have a three tiered fitness program.
- Cardio Work. In a running club, training for triathlons, usually train in morning or early evening (~6PM). Swim, spin, bike, run.
- Morning Muscle Endurance. Wake up and immediatly do 100+ crunches, 50+ pushups, will add pullups when I get a bar. Will start doing some rotator cuff type work with bands on alternating mornings.
- Lifting for strength, hypertrophy. I go in the afternoons around 2 PM.

4 day cycle. 3 days on, 1 day off.
Natural.
2-3 minutes between 5x5 exercises
45 seconds between 2x10 exercises

Day 1 - Chest/Tris/Forarms
5x5 - Flat bench / Incline bench (alternate each session)
2x10 - DB Press Flat
2x10 - DB Flys Incline

5x5 - Weighted Dips
2x10 - Lying DB tricept extension
2x10 - Rope pulldowns (complete each rep with rope stretched taught at waist)

3x2x (Wrist Curls x 10, wrist reverse curls x 10, wrist abductions x 10)

Day 2 - Back/Bi/Abs
5x5 - Deadlifts /w straps (lower back)
5x5 - Extra Wide grip weighted overhand pullups
2x10 - Wide grip cable row (using widest grip on the lat pulldown bar swapped to cable row bench).
2x10 - Lat Pulldown (Carefully behind neck, same as infront with head tilted forward)
2x10 - DB shrugs

5x5 - EZ bar curls (pinky at top of incline above thumbs)
2x10 - Hammer curls
2x10 - Backward DB preacher curls, bar parallel to floor. (I lean over the preacher curl bench so that my arm is goin straight down to the ground.)

5x5 - Needsize decline plate crunches
2x10 - DB sidebends

Day 3 - Legs/Delts/Forarms
5x5 - Incline leg press
2x10 - Squat (this will be 5x5 when I perfect my form with heavy weights)
2x10 - Leg Curls
2x10 - LEg Abductor
2x10 - Leg Adductor
2x10 - Seated Calve raises

5x5 - Standing DB Shoulder Press
4x10 - Lateral raises (4 var. - together in front, side, behind, and backwards leaning forward over the back extension thing)
2x10 - Front raises
3x2x (Wrist Curls x 10, wrist reverse curls x 10, wrist abductions x 10)

Day 4 - Rest

workout looks good, but one thing comes to mind. you said that your back isn't strong enough to handle the weight that your legs can do. this could be due to the fact that you are doing heavy deads one day (5x5) and then on the next day trying to squat. both deadlifting and squatting put a strain on the lower back (the erectors.) IMO you are not giving your lower back enough rest inbetween the two days, and this is effecting your squats. i would switch day one and day two around, thus giving your lower back a day of rest between your deadlifting, and you squatting (plus your day off would give you a day off between the squatting and the deadlifting.) and get rid of the leg presses.
another great exercise that i think you should alternate in to help strengthen your lower back, and would help with your squatting (and your deadlifting) would be good mornings. since i started doing these, my squats have been going up steadily. i would alternate these with your deads (deads one week, GM's the next.) also, to give your hams a better workout, i think you should start doing some SLDL. SLDL are my favorite leg workout. i have to use straps on these when i go heavy (anything over 315 for more than 5 reps) because i simply cant hold on to that much weight with an over hand grip.
those are just my opinions. i think if you made these changes, you would start to imporve you squats.
also, just curious...but why did you decide to do leg abductors are leg adductors?

 

[anthrax]

As said previously I would use the leg press as the main leg exercice

Anyway, you're lifting 3 days in a row then 1 day off and you start again 3 in/1 off ?
and on top of that you're running/cycling everyday ?

Looks a lot to me.... Can you gain a little mass with that much volume ?
[unless you are juiced ?]