Im a little confused about my workout program, i need some advice

**Db88** · 03-08-2007, 01:10 PM

i was looking at arnolds routine - http://www.askmen.com/sports/bodybui...tness_tip.html

and he hits the gym 6 days a week unless im reading it wrong..but then it says rest at least 3 days a week.. but his routine is 6 days a week.. so ya im confused.

well people were telling me im hitting everything too much, well heres my current routine......

MY GOAL IS TO BUILD MASS.

just started doing 3x10 as of Feb.26th (used to be 3x8)

UPPER BODY
3x10(all exercises)

-Dumbbell Bench Press
-Dumbbell Incline Press or Dumbbell Decline Press (rotated every two weeks)
-Dumbbell Shoulder Press
-Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise
-Dips Chest Version
-Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown and Wide-Grip Pull-Ups
-bicep curls, then hold a 35lb wieght after for 30 seconds.
-Triceps Pushdown

LOWER BODY+ a few extras
3x10(all exercises)

-Ab Crunch Machine
-Knee/Leg Raise On Parallel Bars
-Dumbbell Side Bend
-dumbbell shrug
-Squats
-Leg curls
-Leg extensions
-Seated Calves Raise
-Calves Press On The Leg Press Machine

----------------------------- ---
Sunday- lower
Monday- upper
Tuesday- lower
Wedsnesday- upper
Thursday-lower
Friday- upper
Saturday- Rest

im looking to gain mass, and by looking at arnolds thats alot of excercises... especially for one workout... again i could be taking it the wrong way... and what do you guys think if i developed a routine such as

monday- chest/tri's +shoulders
tuesday-back/bi's +abs
weds-legs
thurs-chest/tri's +shoulders
friday-back/bi's +abs
saturday-legs
sunday-REST

**nitrored** · 03-08-2007, 01:22 PM

Originally Posted by Db88

UPPER BODY
3x10(all exercises)

-Dumbbell Bench Press
-Dumbbell Incline Press or Dumbbell Decline Press (rotated every two weeks)
-Dumbbell Shoulder Press
-Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise
-Dips Chest Version
-Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown and Wide-Grip Pull-Ups
-bicep curls, then hold a 35lb wieght after for 30 seconds.
-Triceps Pushdown

LOWER BODY+ a few extras
3x10(all exercises)

-Ab Crunch Machine
-Knee/Leg Raise On Parallel Bars
-Dumbbell Side Bend
-dumbbell shrug
-Squats
-Leg curls
-Leg extensions
-Seated Calves Raise
-Calves Press On The Leg Press Machine

At first I was like... this is reasonable....

Originally Posted by Db88

Sunday- lower
Monday- upper
Tuesday- lower
Wedsnesday- upper
Thursday-lower
Friday- upper
Saturday- Rest

...then my head exploded.

You are not Arnold, you arent taking teh juice, and you are not at his experience level, so you cant do Arnold's workout... m'kay?

**JoeyTS** · 03-08-2007, 01:25 PM

I agree with Nitrored. That is wayyyy too much. That may be the most insanely too much routine I have seen here.

Just read the stickies and there are some good routines and programs to choose from.

**JoeyTS** · 03-08-2007, 01:28 PM

you very well may be too experienced to use Starting Stregnth's routine, but the book still is good for it's other info. These links will also help you learn more.

This is some info I give out to folks that are looking for direction and want to gain muscle mass. Many pages of good info here, try to read it all; you may find some of it to be helpful. If you can, order Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe, these links are not a substitute but rather an addition to the great book. The book has a lot of great detailed info on solid training techniques and has helped many people reach their goals. Until then, here are some links.

Links working and
updated as of March/05/2007

Hope that helps,
JTS

**Db88** · 03-08-2007, 01:30 PM

btw ill check out those links too

well i know im not on the juice lol and i know im not arnold.. im looking for help so i can find a good routine to build mass which is why im asking questions.

nitrored.. if u first thought it was reasonable... then how could adjust the days i workout to keep it reasonable.

apparently the

"Sunday- lower
Monday- upper
Tuesday- lower
Wedsnesday- upper
Thursday-lower
Friday- upper
Saturday- Rest"

is bad. so should i make it something like..

Sunday- upper
Monday- Rest
Tuesday- Lower
Wedsnesday- Rest
Thursday-Upper
Friday- Rest
Saturday- Lower

**Overload** · 03-08-2007, 01:30 PM

Originally Posted by Db88

i was looking at arnolds routine

Stop right there! We are not Arnold so what works for him with his incredible genetics (plus juice) will most likely not work for most people on this forum.

Read the stickies as suggested. I also like this article. One of my favorites for help in designing a routine.

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=651322

I do like the idea of upper/lower but put a day's rest in between each workout and just keep rotating them.

Good luck.

**Db88** · 03-08-2007, 01:35 PM

alright ill check that out too, but what if i change the amount of days i go to...

Sunday- upper
Monday- Rest
Tuesday- Lower
Wedsnesday- Rest
Thursday-Upper
Friday- Rest
Saturday- Lower

for the current routine i have..

UPPER BODY
3x10(all exercises)

-Dumbbell Bench Press
-Dumbbell Incline Press or Dumbbell Decline Press (rotated every two weeks)
-Dumbbell Shoulder Press
-Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise
-Dips Chest Version
-Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown and Wide-Grip Pull-Ups
-bicep curls, then hold a 35lb wieght after for 30 seconds.
-Triceps Pushdown

LOWER BODY+ a few extras
3x10(all exercises)

-Ab Crunch Machine
-Knee/Leg Raise On Parallel Bars
-Dumbbell Side Bend
-dumbbell shrug
-Squats
-Leg curls
-Leg extensions
-Seated Calves Raise
-Calves Press On The Leg Press Machine

**nitrored** · 03-08-2007, 01:37 PM

Originally Posted by Db88

Sunday- upper
Monday- Rest
Tuesday- Lower
Wedsnesday- Rest
Thursday-Upper
Friday- Rest
Saturday- Lower

That seems like it's possible... you need to look into more back exercises... rows, maybe deads... look how many push exercises you have but so few pulls

**Db88** · 03-08-2007, 01:51 PM

^ill definately look into more pulls,

i was looking at the link http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=651322

and i dont understand what some of the stuff in thsi table means..

The 24-50 Principle as it Applies to Hypertrophy
Goal - Hypertrophy
Set/Rep Volume - 36-50 Total sets and reps per workout?
Loading - 70-80% of 1RM No idea what this part means
Rest Between Sets - 60-120 seconds
Sessions per Week per Muscle Group 2-4

-----------------------
also i know im not arnold, so ill forget his workout routine but what about this..

for those who have a hard time gaining weight, he advises that they should:

# Eat 5-6 smaller meals a day
# Eat carbs half an hour after exercising
# Rest at least 3 days a week
# Sleep 8 or more hours a day
# Eat 30 to 50 grams of protein with each meal every 3 hours
# Not avoid unsaturated fats because they raise hormone levels
# Eat between 60 and 100 grams of carbs per day
# Eat no more than 3 eggs a day
# Substitute beef and pork with chicken and fish
# Avoid sugar -- it contains empty calories; eat fruits and vegetables for carbs instead
# Use supplements and protein shakes to get the required daily amount of protein

i should prolly follow that right?

(i shoot for at least 200 grams of protien a day, 3000 cals, 8 hrs of sleep, and a gallon of water) (currently)

**Overload** · 03-08-2007, 01:51 PM

I'd get rid of some exercises and replace with others. For example:

Upper:
-Dumbbell Bench Press
-Some type of row
-Dumbbell Incline Press or Dumbbell Decline Press (rotated every two weeks)
-Pullups or chinups
-Dumbbell shoulder press
-Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise

Lower:
-Squats
-Leg press
-SLDL
-Leg curls
-Calves Press On The Leg Press Machine

I wouldn't worry too much about direct arm work as the presses and pulls will work arms fine IMO. Once you have the bulk you want, then worry about the smaller muscles.

Keep sets and reps in check. You can use the article link I posted as a guide.

This is just an example as there are many ways to set up an upper lower. You can just do 1 exercise for chest and 1 for back and then rotate in a different one in the next workout. And so on.

**nitrored** · 03-08-2007, 01:57 PM

Originally Posted by Overload

I'd get rid of some exercises and replace with others. For example:

Upper:
-Dumbbell Bench Press
-Some type of row
-Dumbbell Incline Press or Dumbbell Decline Press (rotated every two weeks)
-Pullups or chinups
-Dumbbell shoulder press
-Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise

Lower:
-Squats
-Leg press
-SLDL
-Leg curls
-Calves Press On The Leg Press Machine

I like this break up better... however I would want to see atleast 1 or 2 set for bis and tris. I'd probably throw in a 1x5 deadlift once or twice a week.

**Overload** · 03-08-2007, 01:58 PM

Originally Posted by Db88

i was looking at the link http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=651322

and i dont understand what some of the stuff in thsi table means..

The 24-50 Principle as it Applies to Hypertrophy
Goal - Hypertrophy
Set/Rep Volume - 36-50 Total sets and reps per workout?
Loading - 70-80% of 1RM No idea what this part means
Rest Between Sets - 60-120 seconds
Sessions per Week per Muscle Group 2-4

Ok, that means that the total sets for a particular muscle group should fall in that range. So if you work chest your total sets should be 36-50 for more hypertrophy then strength.

That can be with one exercsie or multiple. You can do, for example, bench press for 6x6 and you hit the 36 rep number. Or you can do 3x6 on bench and 3x6 on incline and chest still gets 36.

The load is an estimate of your starting weight. If you bench 200, you would try using 160 for your sets of a particular exercise.

You don't train to failure and you try to get all the reps in each set on your own. If you can't either stick with it until you do or lower the weight. So if you do 6x6 on an exercise you should be able to get all 36 reps with x amount of weight without going to failure. That's where how much rest you will need comes into play.

It will take a few workouts to get comfortable with the parameters but then they're a lot of fun to experiment with.

Hope that helps.

**Overload** · 03-08-2007, 01:59 PM

Originally Posted by nitrored

I like this break up better... however I would want to see atleast 1 or 2 set for bis and tris. I'd probably throw in a 1x5 deadlift once or twice a week.

Forgot deadlifts. Good catch.

Yeah, a set or two of curls and pushdowns won't hurt any.

**Db88** · 03-08-2007, 02:01 PM

yeah thanks that really cleared things up for me

**SuicideGripMe** · 03-08-2007, 02:07 PM

Arnolds workout was for a guy with great genetics, all the time in the world, great training dedication and of course STEROIDS. Somehow, I dont think that fits many of us. Dont take advice from the pros unless their natural.

**Db88** · 03-08-2007, 02:10 PM

haha yeah i kinda didnt think about that at first... but what about his diet...

for those who have a hard time gaining weight, he advises that they should:

# Eat 5-6 smaller meals a day
# Eat carbs half an hour after exercising
# Rest at least 3 days a week
# Sleep 8 or more hours a day
# Eat 30 to 50 grams of protein with each meal every 3 hours
# Not avoid unsaturated fats because they raise hormone levels
# Eat between 60 and 100 grams of carbs per day
# Eat no more than 3 eggs a day
# Substitute beef and pork with chicken and fish
# Avoid sugar -- it contains empty calories; eat fruits and vegetables for carbs instead
# Use supplements and protein shakes to get the required daily amount of protein

i should prolly follow that right? and should i keep it the same on rest days too?

(i shoot for at least 200 grams of protien a day, 3000 cals, 8 hrs of sleep, and a gallon of water) (currently)

**JoeyTS** · 03-08-2007, 02:16 PM

Originally Posted by Db88

haha yeah i kinda didnt think about that at first... but what about his diet...

for those who have a hard time gaining weight, he advises that they should:

# Eat 5-6 smaller meals a day
# Eat carbs half an hour after exercising
# Rest at least 3 days a week
# Sleep 8 or more hours a day
# Eat 30 to 50 grams of protein with each meal every 3 hours
# Not avoid unsaturated fats because they raise hormone levels
# Eat between 60 and 100 grams of carbs per day
# Eat no more than 3 eggs a day
# Substitute beef and pork with chicken and fish
# Avoid sugar -- it contains empty calories; eat fruits and vegetables for carbs instead
# Use supplements and protein shakes to get the required daily amount of protein

i should prolly follow that right? and should i keep it the same on rest days too?

(i shoot for at least 200 grams of protien a day, 3000 cals, 8 hrs of sleep, and a gallon of water) (currently)

^^^Overall those are good guide lines to follow.

For more info:
read the diet guide in the list of links I gave you. Its very good and will be more specific to help you learn what you need to do.

**Db88** · 03-08-2007, 02:19 PM

alright thanks man, and thank you everyone else. this all really cleared things up for me, i really appreciate it!!!!

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