Hows this look for gaining size?

[hulse]

I get bored quickly on routines, so I've made this one up. Not sure how long I'll be on it. I was interested on a post earlier that noted 4 weeks at 3x10, then 4 with 3x5, then 4 with 5x3. I'm going to try that, here's my routine.

2 on 1 off 2 on 2off

A

Clean and Press 3x10
Squat 3x10
Close Grip Bench Press 3x10
Db Incline press 3x10
Dips 3x10

B

Wide Grip Pullups 3x10
Pulldowns 3x10
Rows 3x10
Deads 3x10
Straight leg deads 3x10
Curls 3x10

How's that look? Really want to hit my shoulders, arms and lats. Legs and chest are already decent.

 

[rbtrout]

It looks OK, I guess. If you're going to do that, put deads first on B exercise day.

 

[mekannik]

More importantly - what does your diet look like?

 

[Anthrax Invasion]

Here is what I would suggest:

Day A
Squat - 3x5
Bench/Dip - 3x5 (pick one)
Deadlift - 1x5 / Power Clean - 5x3 (alternate)

Day B
Squat - 3x5
Standing OHP - 3x5
Chins - 3x5

That's it. If you can't do power cleans, sub in bentover rows. Do chins and rows with an underhand grip, close in. This will recruit more musculature overall, and the whole idea is compound movements to hit every part of the body. It's short, sweet, and to the point.

Add 5-10 lbs. to your squat each workout until you can't any longer. Add 2.5-5 lbs. to the other lifts.

 

[b fold the truth]

Any routine should be centered around:

Squats
Deadlifts
Presses (standing/flat bench/inclines, etc...)
Rows (dbell/barbell)

Add in curls and tricep work as you like.

Base your routine on that and add in a couple pounds of beef, few liters of milk, lots of complex carbs, some food fats...and do this for long periods of time...and you will gain size.

B True

 

[glennpendlay]

thats a pretty solid program. if you wanted to stay on it longer term, you could start out just working up to one top set, but keeping the exercises and reps the same.

Then in a month or two, when the gains start drying up, go to 3 sets of 5 all with the same weight as your 3 work sets. when you do this, i would keep the squats at one top set on one of the days. after a month on this, you could go back to one top set, or change the reps in some way, like going to a couple of sets of 3 for several weeks.

after this, going to a similar program, but with 5 work sets might be an idea that would work... again, running this for 4 or 5 weeks, then dropping the volume down again.

whenever you change the volume, or start something new, start conservatively on the weight, and make small steady jumps from week to week.

Here is what I would suggest:

Day A
Squat - 3x5
Bench/Dip - 3x5 (pick one)
Deadlift - 1x5 / Power Clean - 5x3 (alternate)

Day B
Squat - 3x5
Standing OHP - 3x5
Chins - 3x5

That's it. If you can't do power cleans, sub in bentover rows. Do chins and rows with an underhand grip, close in. This will recruit more musculature overall, and the whole idea is compound movements to hit every part of the body. It's short, sweet, and to the point.

Add 5-10 lbs. to your squat each workout until you can't any longer. Add 2.5-5 lbs. to the other lifts.

 

[Anthrax Invasion]

I think dips and chinups are underestimated in terms of mass gain. Dips are probably ideal for pectoral development. Chinups coupled with rows are ideal for the back. Squats cover the lower body. If I could pick three, it would be squat, chinup, dip. Not much is left out. Some lower back work, trap work, calves (or just sprint), and you should fulfill aesthetic needs.

Metabolic arm work for the anal rententive, but...

 

[Vita]

what do you guys think of this:

Day 1
squat 3x5
bench 3x5
deadlift 1x5
cardio (misc. excersises, i.e., punching bag, swimming, treadmill, rowing machine)

Day 2 - Rest

Day 3
squat 3x5
mil. press 3x5
hypers 3x10
chins 3x5
cardio

Day 4 - Rest

Day 5
squat 3x5
dips 3x5
bent over rows 3x5
cardio

Day 6 - Rest

Day 7
squat 3x5
mil. press 3x5
hypers 3x10
pullups 3x5

Day 8 - Rest


as a manipulation of the above program (i put the hypers back in).

any comments?

 

[Anthrax Invasion]

That would work just fine.

 

[Vita]

That would work just fine.

awesome. i think the variety will keep it interesting in the long run, until i feel i've worked up enough to move on to the single factor 5x5 (when this stops working).

 

[glennpendlay]

its not exactly what i would do, but looks ok. but still, the most important part of the program is things you arent talking about, as i mentioned in my other post. depending on how you approach it, how you plan your progression, things like that, a person could make this a good program or a bad one.

awesome. i think the variety will keep it interesting in the long run, until i feel i've worked up enough to move on to the single factor 5x5 (when this stops working).

 

[Vita]

its not exactly what i would do, but looks ok. but still, the most important part of the program is things you arent talking about, as i mentioned in my other post. depending on how you approach it, how you plan your progression, things like that, a person could make this a good program or a bad one.

yeah, the rep/sets are just based off what i've gotten here. i'm going to start off with higher reps, to jump into it, and gradually work my way down to lower reps, and toss in some high rep days in the long run. but i'm just going to hammer away for the first 40 days before i start to really play with that stuff. eventually, i'll work it down to less than 4 different days, but want to mix it up at first so i don't get too used to the same movements. maybe even take focus off squats for a couple of the days, and put chest/back movements in first, and go lighter with higher reps on the squats so my legs aren't always priority. plenty left to learn, but i think it's a good starting point since my legs are the weaker link (currently can bench with reps just under what i can rep for squats).

 

[Slyder190]

You'll eventually go into a rut by going to failure all the time. You might wanna keep that in mind.

 

[Vita]

You'll eventually go into a rut by going to failure all the time. You might wanna keep that in mind.

me? where did i say i go to failure. i didn't notice the original poster mention this either...

 

[wooldog]

Isn't squatting 4 times a week too much? I know the overall volume is low, but still?

 

[Madcow2]

Isn't squatting 4 times a week too much? I know the overall volume is low, but still?

Depends on the volume, depends on the intensity (%1RM), depends on how long one intends to do something, and depends on the lifter. Frequency alone means little but very low frequency (i.e. 1x per week) is generally a pretty poor way to do things for most of the year.

As for 4x per week squatting, the famous/infamous Smolov squat cycle uses this frequency in its loading phase - at fairly high workload too, this program is a full bear. Considering it's reputation as one of it not the best pure squat program, I'd venture 4x frequency alone my might not be a bad idea - lots of people here use 3 without any issues. Check it out if you like. Make sure you realize that the sets/reps are reversed i.e. reps X sets not the standard sets X reps. Obviously, you'd need a pretty seasoned lifter to handle this workload in the squat so the "best program" largely will blow up right in the face of most people with a BBing background coming from a 1x per week training plan: http://www.ontariostrongman.ca/Resources/training/smolovsquatcycle.htm

 

[wooldog]

Depends on the volume, depends on the intensity (%1RM), depends on how long one intends to do something, and depends on the lifter. Frequency alone means little but very low frequency (i.e. 1x per week) is generally a pretty poor way to do things for most of the year.

As for 4x per week squatting, the famous/infamous Smolov squat cycle uses this frequency in its loading phase - at fairly high workload too, this program is a full bear. Considering it's reputation as one of it not the best pure squat program, I'd venture 4x frequency alone my might not be a bad idea - lots of people here use 3 without any issues. Check it out if you like. Make sure you realize that the sets/reps are reversed i.e. reps X sets not the standard sets X reps. Obviously, you'd need a pretty seasoned lifter to handle this workload in the squat so the "best program" largely will blow up right in the face of most people with a BBing background coming from a 1x per week training plan: http://www.ontariostrongman.ca/Resources/training/smolovsquatcycle.htm

OK, thanks madcow. How would you structure the intensity of the 4x per week program, posted earlier in the thread, to prevent overtraining? Assume that you'd run this program for 8 weeks.

 

[Madcow2]

Generally it will totally depend on the lifter. If 3x5 is straight sets 4x a week, all heavy - well, that could get real tough. I don't know that too many could handle it for long. I was only making the point that a good program can make use of 4x per week frequency. Even Smolov though doesn't use it for too long when pushing hard and reps/intensity change throughout.

This stuff is very individual and it is also governed by training experience (not so much in pure years but in terms of the kind of workload someone can handle - lots of 10+ year BBers that can't handle much at all due to the training they've been doing for that time). What might be great for person A might kill B, and what works for B might kill C. Without any frame of reference it's tough to know - hence you kind of wing it and use a cookie cutter approximation to get an idea so you have something to work off of. I wish I could say "Do X, Y, Z" but there is no easy perscription that will hold for one person and work accross a large spectrum at multiple levels.

These are the kind of details that I'd assume Glenn was getting at. How does this look within a week, and then week to week. Microcycle/Mesocycle - maybe even more than one mesocycle if this is being run in a periodized fashion.

 

[Vita]

i've decided to work every other squat to be heavy/light. strength/endurance respectively.

i'll let you know how it works out