Trying to develope a routine

[SoreArms]

I have been working out for about 4 months, 3-4 timea a week and so far I have been doing a kind of circuit training routine where I just do a bunch of sh*t in the same day. Recently I have been trying to put together a routine so that I isolate my muscle groups and rest the other groups more often.

This is what I have just started doing:

Day 1
30 mins. cardio; arms and chest; abs

Day 2
30 mins. cardio; Back and shoulders;abs

Day 3
30 mins cardio; Legs;abs

Tomorrow is day three, but what do I if I go a fourth day?
Sometimes I go a 5th day, should I just cardio and abs on those days?

Is it good a good idea to do back and shoulders on the same day or should I be doing shoulders with arms?

Any help/advice for this ignorant beginer would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

 

[RusPA81]

What are you goals? Strength, size, power?

 

[xp02]

well here is my all time favorite split

Chest, Calves
Back, Shoulders
Rest
Legs
Arms
Rest
Rest

you can throw in cardio where you see fit -- and depending on what your goals are, you may want to loose the cardio.

 

[JJFigure]

If you want to train four days, you can always do an upper/lower body split. Day 1 - upper, Day 2 - lower, Day 3 - rest, Day 4 - upper, Day 5 - lower, Day 6-7 rest. You can also place more emphasis on different body parts with this split - for example, have more pushing movements on Day 1, and more pulling movements on Day 4.

 

[SoreArms]

I guess like most wishfull people, I am trying to loose a few pounds and build muscle mass. I gained some good muscle mass since I started, but I really want a leaner look than what I have.

Current stats
5'11" 210 lbs. (was 190 when I started); about 25% BF
target
around 175 lbs.; under 15% BF

Through excercise and diet, hopefully soon.

Would the split routine also work like this:

day 1 upper, day 2 rest, day 3 lower, day 4 rest, day 5 upper, day 6 lower, day 7 rest?

I have school on Tues. and Thus. night, that kind of limits my weekday work outs for now.

xp02, just courious, why wouldn't you incorporate calves into your legs routine?

 

[JKurz1]

99% diet bro......25% is high.....work on that FIRST.....I do a four day split with 2 on 1 off 3 on 1 off.............love it......chest/calves, back/delts, legs and arms......

 

[JJFigure]

Your split would work out fine - factoring in life challenges is always part of the challenge.

 

[2Shy]

Also, it's better to do your cardio after your weights.

 

[Synpax]

How can you work your back or chest without working your arms?

Also, yeah, cardio after weights.

 

[louden_swain]

Keep it simple.. .

Be sure to train legs before back. . training the back before a heavy leg day is not a good idea.

 

[SoreArms]

How can you work your back or chest without working your arms?

You know, I've wondered that myself.

I know push-ups are best known as chest exercises, but they also work out you arms just as much. Which day would they fall under?

 

[RusPA81]

You know, I've wondered that myself.

I know push-ups are best known as chest exercises, but they also work out you arms just as much. Which day would they fall under?

It would fall under chest day, but you tris will be hit hard too. For that reason many people will do the two muscles together. As far as your routine goes, just keep things simple and see how you body reacts. You need a starting point to just how your body responds to different things. Then you can start tweaking it around.

 

[Singleton]

It looks like a pretty good routine outline.

Do you plan on taking a day off after day 3 or just starting over with day 1?

What exercises & set/rep scheme?

 

[SoreArms]

Do you plan on taking a day off after day 3 or just starting over with day 1?

What exercises & set/rep scheme?

That is my dilema with this current routine, what to do on day four?
Unfourtunately, on day three I hurt my ankle walking down the stairs, I took the final step when there was still one more step to go and hurt my ankle a bit. I didn't do my day 3 workout until today 'cause the ankle felt a little better. So no day four this week, Day one workout is tommorrow.

I don't know the name of most excercises or muscles yet, so I'll remember the names of the machines or ask the name of the excercise as I do them and post. Hopefully you guys can give me some heads up ont he goods and the bads of the routine.

I think the 4 day split is looking a little more attractive to me right now. It just seems so long since I worked out my chest and arms, they don't have that just worked out full feeling that I was getting used to.

Day 3: legs

lunges 3X10 (only 15lb. Db on each hand, but none the less, ouch)
Thigh abduction 3x15, 110lbs.
Thigh adduction 3x15, 110lbs.
leg press 3x12, 150 lbs.
leg curls 3x10 (this is a major weak spot. I started with the pin on 100lbs. and got a major cramp, went down to 35lbs. before it felt comfortable. I guess this is an area that I will concentrate a bit on)
leg extentions 3x15, 120lbs.
standing calf raises 3x30 130lbs.

abs:
hanging knee raises 3x15
ab crunches 3x35

cardio:
10 min. thread mill pre-workout
25 min. post

I think that I'm going to be SoreLegs for a day or two.

Do you guys recommend the 5x5 routine for some one this new into a routine or should I settle in to a good groove before I attempt that?

 

[Synpax]

Buddy, I'm no pro, I look decent, my PRs are not even worth posting at this point, but I'm going to share something with you:

your splits make no sense, neither do anyone elses as best I can see. The only split that makes any sense at all is the following:

1 - chest/tricep (key exercise: bench work)
2 - shoulder/legs (key exercise: shoulder press, squats)
3 - Back/Bicep (Key exercise: weighted chins [deads for back])

See that? You can stack abs and forarms on top of 1 and 3. I started with that split on M-W-F, and then upped it to a four day cycle where day 4 I just come in for the treadmill or take it totally off.

There are a whole lot of exercises that fit well with that split - because it looks at how muscles work and what muscles you want to hit and work together. All the benches, dips, etc are chest/tri. Cable rows are back/bi, along with chins. Shoulders are easy to isolate with front raises, side raises, shoulder press.

See? It all makes sense- it fits together so well. If oyu want I'll post my exercise list.

 

[SoreArms]

Thanks bro,

Your split does make sense, since the muscles you isolate on each day seem to work together for those excersises. But when you are new like me and just trying to learn, every one's advise makes sense and sounds good. I guess it's like anything else in life, eventually you develope your own criteria and take the good or what makes sense to you and leave the rest.

Thanks for all the advise guys, keep it coming, critisism does not discourage me.

 

[JKurz1]

I' was in the same boat for awhile....stuck on a workout regimine...I have found that Chest/calves, Back/Shoulders, Legs, Arms with a 2 day on 1 off split works the best......then sometimes I'l add arms to Back/Shoulders and make it a 3 day.....if I could only remember to take that 3rd day off....lol.....

 

[Singleton]

Day 1
1 - chest/tricep (key exercise: bench work)
2 - shoulder/legs (key exercise: shoulder press, squats)
3 - Back/Bicep (Key exercise: weighted chins [deads for back])

I like this better. I don't like shoulders on leg day though.

I'd rather

1 - chest/tricep/ abs
* bench
* pullover
* crunches

2 - Back/Bicep
* deads
* weighted chins or bb rows

3 - shoulders / abs
* snatch
* standing shoulder press or push press
* leg raise, lying bicycle crunches

4 - legs
* squat
* calve raise
[/quote]

Squats will hit your quads and deads will hit your hams.

When you train chest, you'll be getting some shoulder work too. That's why I don't like doing chest on day 1 and shoulders on day 2. putting back in between the two fixes this problem.

Don't worry about which day of the week it is. Your chest doesn't know if it's monday or thursday.

Take a day off as you see fit. If you're cutting, you might wanna take a day off the weights and do yoga or pilates early in the morning. Yoga/pilates will help strenghten your core and will also raise your BMR.

 

[nsashbl01]

Sorearms, Go to http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/workout.htm

You can find a program to suit your needs.....