Intermediate/Advanced Routine - Revision 1

[Kelei]

The original version of the routine can be found here: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=146471313

I've implemented several changes in this revision, most noticeably the split/setup although there are a few other minor changes as well. I recommend that anyone currently using the original routine should switch to the revised routine.

The revised routine uses an A/B split/setup, you should alternate between A and B no matter what day of the week it is, days off can be taken whenever you feel as though you need a rest or for special occasions etc, you'll simply pick up from where you left off the next time you're in the gym.

A:

Front squats
Chin-ups (shoulder width grip)
Bench press (very slight incline)
Seated rows (wide grip, pull bar to pecs)
Leg curls
Concentration curls (alternate between arms with no/minimal rest)
Rope pressdowns
Standing calf raises
Wide grip upright rows (barbell or cable)

B:

Romanian deadlifts
Pull-ups (wide grip)
Dips (parallel or V bar)
Chest-supported dumbbell rows (let elbows flare away from body)
Leg extensions
Incline dumbbell curls
Overhead extensions
Seated calf raises
Side lateral raises (dumbbell or cable)


Optional exercises (can be added to either A or B):

Shrugs
Hip thrusts
Dumbbell flyes (reverse dumbbell flyes should also be added in order to maintain balance)
Reverse dumbbell flyes (chest supported on bench, same movement as dumbbell flyes but in reverse)

Direct abdominal exercises are a complete waste of time, I no longer recommend them.

For all exercises (except calf exercises) you should select around a 10RM (8-12 is close enough) and take your first set of each exercises to failure (my definition of failure is not being able to complete another full rep, so if you can complete 10 full reps but would fail to complete rep 11 you should stop after 10 reps). After reaching failure you should rest only long enough to perform another 3 (2-4 is fine) reps, keep performing rest-pause sets until you've completed 30 total reps, so it should look like 10, 3, 3, 3 etc.

If you can perform more than 4 reps during your rest-pause sets you're simply resting too long, if you can't perform at least 2 reps you're not resting long enough, every exercise will require different rest periods so you'll need to learn via experience. You should add more weight next workout if you can complete 12 reps in your first set, add the smallest amount of weight possible, try not to let your reps drop below 8 after adding weight (although sometimes it's unavoidable, don't worry too much about it).

For standing calf raises you should select around a 15RM and perform 3 straight sets to failure with 60 seconds rest between sets, add more weight once you can complete 20 reps in your first set. For seated calf raises you should select around a 20RM and perform 3 straight sets to failure with 30 seconds rest between sets, add more weight once you can complete 30 reps in your first set.

If 30 total reps per exercise is too demanding or time consuming you can reduce this target to 20 total reps per exercise, you can even mix and match, perhaps 30 total reps for the big exercises and 20 total reps for the small exercises. If possible I recommend sticking with the full 30 reps, more volume generally results in faster progress.

Exercise order isn't set in stone, go with whatever you prefer. I recommend a 3/1 week loading/deloading schedule, during a deload week you only perform your first set of each exercise.

I'll be around to answer questions but it's highly recommended that you read through the original routine thread, most potential questions have likely already been answered in there somewhere, there's also a lot of general information that will help you understand my training/nutrition philosophy. Unfortunately I don't have enough spare time to compile a FAQ section like I had originally planned.

[Rizzo23601]

Looks great, love the new setup. Thanks for everything you've done for the lifting community, really appreciate it.

BTW the link to the original thread is not working.

[1fatoldman]

I'm in Thanks!

[Alyion]

Awesome, thanks for posting this.

Quick question(s) though, any reason for only one bench pressing movement over the original two, and are the dips performed chest or tricep dips? (i.e with a forward lean)

Thanks.

[bongfong]

I've made a lot of progress on your original routine. This revision looks interesting. Thanks!

[Mafioso76]

In on first page

[MichielN]

Kelei, is the following set-up (exercise selection) also fine? Due to lack of equipment and/or inability to do certain exercises I had to swap some of them.

(A)
- Lever 45 Leg Press
- (Weighted) Chin-ups
- Barbell Bench Press
- Dumbbell Lying Row
- Lever Seated Leg Curl
- Dumbbell Concentration Curl
- Cable Pushdown (rope)
- Sled Seated Calf Press
- Barbell Upright Row

(B)
- Romanian Deadlift
- Cable Pulldown
- Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
- Lever Wide Grip Seated Row
- Lever Leg Extension
- Dumbbell Incline Curl
- Cable Bent-over Triceps Extension
- Seated Calf Raise
- Dumbbell Lateral Raise

[RGA8]

In! Was on the original routine for about 7 months and saw great gains. I like the idea of increased frequency so I will try this routine for a few months at least.

[Qxx]

In! Perfect timing, was about to hit the gym.

[Rizzo23601]

I also have some questions regarding the exercises:

1. "Bench press (very slight incline)" --> Can I just do regular bench press instead? Slight incline is not possible at my gym.

2. "Seated rows (wide grip, pull bar to pecs)" --> This is more for the upper back, right? So arm angle is closer to 90 degrees than to 45 degrees?

3. "Chest-supported dumbbell rows (let elbows flare away from body)" --> can I use this instead http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOaubEupdJM ? Maybe elbows a little more flared out...

4. "Incline dumbbell curls" --> How much incline on the bench? Also: Do we start with wrists already supinated? Or start neutral and turn them in while going up?

5. "Dips" --> Already asked, but how should we perform these?

Thanks in advance!

[eriquee]

In for the first page!

Kelei you are the man!

[ThatOneLurker]

Looks good. Will start either tomorrow or wednesday.

Only thing I'll probably switch is flat and incline vs flat with a slight incline and dips


Any downfall to me adding in Rear delt isolation movements?


And why don't you recommend direct ab work anymore? You had said that compounds by themselves will build a decent set of abs while direct work will give you impressive abs.

[robosphere]

Psyched for this!

[Jartie]

Excellent revised routine, I'll start with it today!

[captainquarters]

In will start asap!

[Effrum]

I'm really looking forward to giving this a try, but I'll probably finish out my week of the old routine (my day 6 is on Tuesday) and then start this on Thursday (I'm weird, but this schedule works for me ).

I am also curious about the dips, but I'm sure there will be an answer by the time I start lol.

Kelei, thanks again for all of the support you have given us and for sharing yet another awesome routine.

Also, do you still recommend adding any external rotations with this revised routine?

[Ardashir]

Thanks for all, looks great. Perhaps begin today, my old D1 day.

[AD1984]

In on the first page!

I'm giving the revised version a go, starting with 25 reps and adjusting from there.

Thank you for posting this and all the hard work you've put into it. You're the best, K.

[CollegiateTRACK]

In. I really like the old routine but will probably give this new one a shot soon enough. Thanks for everything Kelei

[tazmanpa]

In to see if my body can respond better to more frequency. The only thing that comes to mind for me is if we run this everyday when does the body repair itself?

[jedema]

my shoulder needs to hurry up and get better. This looks like a fantastic setup of pain and progress

[ThatOneLurker]

In to see if my body can respond better to more frequency. The only thing that comes to mind for me is if we run this everyday when does the body repair itself?

The time you're not in the gym lol






Jk.. Deloads.

[robosphere]

This is similar to what I did when trying to combine days. It goes fairly fast, because you eliminate the 5 minute rest periods between exercises. As long as racks and machines are clear, we should be able to plough through this pretty quick.

I've been really babying my stupid elbow, and I think I'm ready to dive into this. I'm going to take before pics, and pics in 3 months.

Thank you, Kelei, for your help, and your devotion to this routine. It has really made a difference for a lot of us.

[robosphere]

In to see if my body can respond better to more frequency. The only thing that comes to mind for me is if we run this everyday when does the body repair itself?

Deloads!

[69cam]

Going to give it a go.
Start on the low side of reps and see how these old joints handle it.

[litljay]

Interesting setup.

[Kelei]

Quick question(s) though, any reason for only one bench pressing movement over the original two, and are the dips performed chest or tricep dips? (i.e with a forward lean)

Slight forward lean during dips, combined with incline bench press you have a well balanced chest workout. Remember that flat dumbbell flyes are an optional exercise if you want more chest work.

Kelei, is the following set-up (exercise selection) also fine? Due to lack of equipment and/or inability to do certain exercises I had to swap some of them.

(A)
- Lever 45 Leg Press
- (Weighted) Chin-ups
- Barbell Bench Press
- Dumbbell Lying Row
- Lever Seated Leg Curl
- Dumbbell Concentration Curl
- Cable Pushdown (rope)
- Sled Seated Calf Press
- Barbell Upright Row

(B)
- Romanian Deadlift
- Cable Pulldown
- Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
- Lever Wide Grip Seated Row
- Lever Leg Extension
- Dumbbell Incline Curl
- Cable Bent-over Triceps Extension
- Seated Calf Raise
- Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Looks fine.

I also have some questions regarding the exercises:

1. "Bench press (very slight incline)" --> Can I just do regular bench press instead? Slight incline is not possible at my gym.

2. "Seated rows (wide grip, pull bar to pecs)" --> This is more for the upper back, right? So arm angle is closer to 90 degrees than to 45 degrees?

3. "Chest-supported dumbbell rows (let elbows flare away from body)" --> can I use this instead http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOaubEupdJM ? Maybe elbows a little more flared out...

4. "Incline dumbbell curls" --> How much incline on the bench? Also: Do we start with wrists already supinated? Or start neutral and turn them in while going up?

5. "Dips" --> Already asked, but how should we perform these?

Thanks in advance!

1. Yes, grip slightly wider than shoulder width.
2. Somewhere between 45 and 90 degrees, perhaps 60-75.
3. Use the other grip handles, it'll let you flare your elbows out a little more.
4. 45-60 degree incline (whatever your flexibility allows), I prefer hands stay supinated, turn arms outward so that the dumbbells can clear the sides of the bench.
5. Slight lean forward, sort of a mix between chest dips and tricep dips.

Any downfall to me adding in Rear delt isolation movements?

A waste of time, your rear delts are trained well enough with the 2 row variations, much in the same way your front delts are trained well enough during pressing movements. Only your side delts require isolation.

And why don't you recommend direct ab work anymore? You had said that compounds by themselves will build a decent set of abs while direct work will give you impressive abs.

I've experimented with periods of direct ab training and I can honestly say that I've noticed absolutely no difference whatsoever in my ab development. Just a waste of time and effort.

Also, do you still recommend adding any external rotations with this revised routine?

External rotations generally aren't necessary if your pressing and rowing is balanced, they're really only useful for people with pre-existing shoulder issues. I consider them a rehab exercise and I'm not going to include rehab exercises in the base routine, their use is situational at best.

Although I didn't specifically mention it reverse flyes are an excellent exercise for the external rotators, comparable to external rotations in my opinion, they also have the added bonus of training the rear delts, mid/lower traps and rhomboids, an excellent exercise to improve/maintain proper posture.

[krysix]

Thank you very much Kelei.
1. For deloads I suppose I can use 3on/1off or 6on/2off right? and it would be just doing the first set or I should reduce the frequency too?
2. Do you think that our ligaments/joints will hold 7xweek full body training without supplements?
3. Is there any reason why you switched from bench press to dips?
Apart from that it's going to be hard to do incline bench press with a slight incline in my gym and I've always heard that concentration curls were useless but I'll try them.

[Effrum]

Slight forward lean during dips, combined with incline bench press you have a well balanced chest workout. Remember that flat dumbbell flyes are an optional exercise if you want more chest work.


1. Yes, grip slightly wider than shoulder width.

Sorry to ask so many questions right off the bat, but I'd like a little bit more clarification about bench/dips.

Since your recommendation is to do slight incline (I'm assuming 15 degrees) bench press, and then dips. Would it be better to do 30 degree incline and dips, or just flat bench and then dips (assuming that's all we have available at our gym)? I'm just curious if it would be better for chest development to use a 30 degree - even though it's not ideal - or is there enough of a difference between the parts of the chest that work for flat bench and dips that it wouldn't just be "redundant", for lack of a better word.

I'm probably mistaken, but I guess I'm just afraid that doing flat bench and then dips wouldn't be as effective. Since I feel like your original setup is meant to use dips in place of flat bench.

Thanks again for all of your help.

[Kelei]

Thank you very much Kelei.
1. For deloads I suppose I can use 3on/1off or 6on/2off right? and it would be just doing the first set or I should reduce the frequency too?
2. Do you think that our ligaments/joints will hold 7xweek full body training without supplements?
3. Is there any reason why you switched from bench press to dips?
Apart from that it's going to be hard to do incline bench press with a slight incline in my gym and I've always heard that concentration curls were useless but I'll try them.

1. 3/1, I no longer recommend 6/2.
2. If your body can tolerate the original routine it can tolerate the revised routine, the average weekly volume is the same, this is the only thing that matters as far as recovery is concerned. You can train a muscle 7 days per week if the volume per session is adjusted accordingly, for example you could perform 7 sets once per week or 1 set 7 times per week, either way it adds up to 7 total sets per week.
3. Dips are just as effective and place less stress on the shoulders. Concentration curls aren't useless, whoever told you that it useless.