Need help with Workout

[JKD COBRA]

Hey guys, I came across this forum and it looks like it has a lot of knowledgeable people.

I have been working out for 2 years or so. I am 21 years old, I am 5'11'' - 6' and I weigh 140lbs.

When I started working out I was 125lbs, but now that I am at 140lbs I have stopped gaining weight/getting stronger. Here is my workout schedual:

Mon - Chest
Tues - arms (bi's, tri's, forearms)
Wed - legs
Thur - shoulders
Fri - Back/lats

Right now I take Cell-Tech once a day and GNC's Whey protein drinks two - three times a day.

I am thinking about taking some GNC weight gainer 2200. I don't want to get too invloved with suppliments, I don't want to take anything that has side effects. I just want to get stronger. I don't really want to just get bigger, I just want to get stronger and however much weight I gain in the proccess is ok. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated, if you need any more information about my workout let me know. Thank you for your time and help.

John

[lift4fun16]

yea i need
sets and exercises reps if u do a certain rep range also

if u switch them up include those too

[JKD COBRA]

For chest, I do flat bench, incline bench, decline, and fly's. I do 3-4 sets. First set is 12 reps, second set is heavier wieght and 10-12 reps, third set is even more weight with 5-6 reps, and then if I do a 4th set its more weight and only 2-3 reps.

Arms is the same way, 3 sets, start out light (12 reps) and finish heavy by the third set (under 8 reps). For arms I do at least two kinds of curls (like straight bar and dumbells then pull ups) sometimes I will switch it up by using a different curl bar. . .ect.

Shoulders/back/lats/legs is the same way, 3 sets. . .start out light (12 reps) finish heavy (under 8 reps)

I don't know if this is the best way to do it. Thank you for the quick response, I really appreciate the advice.

[Posner]

You still haven't given enough details. What exactly are you doing for back, legs, etc. Listing exact exercises and set/reps doesn't take that long and it allows others to give you better advice.

Even with the limited details you supplied, it appears you are doing too much. If I understand your post correctly, you are doing 4 chest exercises for 3-4 sets. That means you are doing 12-16 sets for chest alone. That is way too much.

Even though this is not the nutrition board, I wonder what your diet is like. Are you getting enough calories? Six meals a day correctly timed? Is your post-workout nutrition under control? If you want to gain weight, nutrition is more important than what you are doing in the gym, imo.

Don't worry about taking supps beyond some protein powder. Just get enough *real* food.

[JKD COBRA]

Posner - I try to eat at least 4 times a day (not counting the whey protein), I am probably not getting enough caleries though. I have a fast metabolism so its hard to gain weight. But your right, I do need to eat more.

Let me list some of the workouts I am doing, bare with me though because I might not know what each workout is called. When I am listing my reps, I am adding more weight each set, so thats why my reps go down by the last set. Thanks again for taking the time to give some advice.

CHEST DAY:
*regular bench 4sets (reps-12 - 10 - 5 - 3)
*incline bench 3sets (reps- 10 - 8 - 6)
*decline bench or Hammer strength decline machine (I switch it up between the two) 3sets (reps- 12-10-8)
*fly's 3sets (reps- 12-10-8)


ARMS DAY:
*seated curls with dumbbells 3sets (reps- 12-10-6)
* curls with the straight bar or curved bar (I switch it up) 3sets (reps- 12-10-6)
* tri's rope pull down 3sets (reps- 12-10-6)
*tri's skull crushers OR a tri hammer strength machine 3sets (reps- 12-10-6)
*pull ups 2 sets (reps- 25 to 30 first set, then 10 to 15 with a 35 to 45 plate strapped to me)
*dipps 3 sets (reps-15 warmup, 12 with a 35 strapped to me, then 8 to 10 with a 45 and a 10 strapped to me)



LEG DAY:
*hammer strength Leg Extension for quads 4 sets (reps-15-12-10-6)
*seated leg curl for hams 3 sets (reps-12-10-8)
*standing calf raise machine 3 sets (reps-12-10-8)
*Leg press 3 sets (reps-10-8-6)



SHOULDER DAY:
*Dumbell shoulder press 3 sets (reps-12-10-6)
*dumbbell lateral raise or dumbbell lateral raise front 3sets (reps-12-10-8)
*Hammer strength overhead press 3 sets (reps-12-10-6)
*shoulder shrug machine 3 sets (reps-25-20-15)
* shoulder shrugs with dumbells 3sets (reps-20-15-12)
*military press 3sets (reps-12-10-8)



BACK DAY:
*Hammer strength seated rows 3sets (reps-12-12-8)
*Lat Pulldowns 3sets (reps-12-10-6)
*Rowing (sitting on a bench with the double handle attached to the cable) 3sets (reps-12-10-8)

[JKD COBRA]

I am not sure if that is the best set up or not. None of my friends workout so I had to make up my own routine. Sometimes I work in with some of the other guys at the gym so I tried to copy what I saw most of the more experienced guys doing.

Do I need to change my workout schedual to get stronger or do I just need to eat more? Should I try the GNC weight gainer 2200?

John
6' 140lbs

[Rolling Rock]

Monday: Legs
Squat 4x6
Stiff Legged Deads 3x8
Leg Press 3x8
Leg Curls 3x8
Calf Raises 3x12

Tuesday: Off

Wednesday: Chest/Shoulders/Tri's
Flat Bench 4x6
Incline Bench 3x8
Weighted Dips 3x8
Military Press 3x8
Close Grip Bench 3x8
Skullcrushers 3x8

Thursday: Off

Friday: Back/Traps/Bi's
Deadlifts 4x6
Wide Grip Pullups(weighted) 2x8
Close Grip Chins(weighted) 2x8
One arm DB row 3x8
Barbell Shrugs 3x8
Barbell Curls 3x8

[gymrat832003]

Mon - Chest
Tues - arms (bi's, tri's, forearms)
Wed - legs
Thur - shoulders
Fri - Back/lats

i think you should switch legs and arms. when you do chest you use triceps and them you are hitting them again on arm day. also, the GNC weight gainer is not as good and more expensive than ON's Serious Mass.

[xenithon]

Okay, let's start the critique

Firstly your split is a bit off IMO. Currently it's:
Mon - Chest
Tues - arms (bi's, tri's, forearms)
Wed - legs
Thur - shoulders
Fri - Back/lats

That means that after chest (tricep work) you are working tris again the next day. After shoulders, you are working back (shoulder work again). A slight variant which should help, especially strength, is:
Mon - chest
Tues - back
Wed - legs
Thur - shoulders
Fri - arms

Secondly your sets. You must try and configure the workout so you do more sets for larger muscle groups and fewer for smaller muscle groups - it will help both size and recovery.

CHEST DAY:
*regular bench 4sets (reps-12 - 10 - 5 - 3)
*incline bench 3sets (reps- 10 - 8 - 6)
*decline bench or Hammer strength decline machine 3sets (reps- 12-10-8)
*fly's 3sets (reps- 12-10-8)

OK, BUT I THINK SOMETHING LIKE WEIGHTED CHEST DIPS WOULD DO YOU A LOT BETTER THAN FLY'S, ESPECIALLY SINCE STRENGTH IS WHAT YOU ARE AFTER. ALSO FOR STRENGTH KEEP YOUR MUSCLES GUESSING, SO EVERY 2-3 WEEKS SWITCH UP BETWEEN DOING BARBELL AND DUMBBELLS FOR YOUR BENCH PRESSING EXERCISES.

BACK DAY:
*Hammer strength seated rows 3sets (reps-12-12-8)
*Lat Pulldowns 3sets (reps-12-10-6)
*Rowing (sitting on a bench with the double handle attached to the cable) 3sets (reps-12-10-8)

DEADLIFTS!!! FIRST EXERCISE DO 3 SETS OF DEADLIFTS (10-8-6 OR SIMILAR). IS THAT HAMMER STRENGTH ROW ONE OR TWO HANDED? TRY USE IT ONE HANDED SINCE YOU ARE DOING TWO-HANDED ROWING LATER ON. TALKING ABOUT ROWING, IMO I WOULD SUBSTITUTE BENT OVER BARBELL ROWS FOR THAT ROWING - FREE WEIGHTS SHOULD BE MORE EFFECTIVE THAN CABLES.

LEG DAY:
*hammer strength Leg Extension for quads 4 sets (reps-15-12-10-6)
*seated leg curl for hams 3 sets (reps-12-10-8)
*standing calf raise machine 3 sets (reps-12-10-8)
*Leg press 3 sets (reps-10-8-6)

SQUATS!!! FIRST EXERCISE, SQUAT FOR 3 SETS. YOUR ORDER IS ALSO A BIT OFF. DO QUADS, HAMS, CALVES PREFERABLY. I WOULD THUS DO SQUATS, LEG PRESS, LEG EXTENSION, SEATED HAM CURL, CALF RAISES.

SHOULDER DAY:
*Dumbell shoulder press 3 sets (reps-12-10-6)
*dumbbell lateral raise or dumbbell lateral raise front 3sets (reps-12-10-8)
*Hammer strength overhead press 3 sets (reps-12-10-6)
*shoulder shrug machine 3 sets (reps-25-20-15)
*shoulder shrugs with dumbells 3sets (reps-20-15-12)
*military press 3sets (reps-12-10-8)

YOU DON'T NEED THE HAMMER STRENGTH OVERHEAD PRESS SO GET RID OF IT, THE DUMBBELL SHOULDER PRESS AND MILITARY PRESS TAKES CARE OF IT. DO LATERAL RAISES INSTEAD OF FRONT RAISES - MORE EFFECTIVE. WHY ARE YOU DOING SO MANY REPS FOR SHRUGS? DO THE SAME AS OTHER EXERCISES (10-8-6), AND ONLY DO ONE OF THEM, TWO VERY SIMILAR EXERCISES IS POINTLESS. TRY SWITCH UP (DO ONE WEEK DUMBBELL SHRUGS, ONE WEEK SHRUG MACHINE, ONE WEEK OLYMPIC BAR SHRUGS ETC.)

ARMS DAY:
*seated curls with dumbbells 3sets (reps- 12-10-6)
*curls with the straight bar or curved bar (I switch it up) 3sets (reps- 12-10-6)
* tri's rope pull down 3sets (reps- 12-10-6)
*tri's skull crushers OR a tri hammer strength machine 3sets (reps- 12-10-6)
*pull ups 2 sets (reps- 25 to 30 first set, then 10 to 15 with a 35 to 45 plate strapped to me)
*dipps 3 sets (reps-15 warmup, 12 with a 35 strapped to me, then 8 to 10 with a 45 and a 10 strapped to me)

DO THE STRAIGHT BAR OR EZ-BAR CURL FIRST, THEN SEATED DUMBBELL CURLS. I WOULD ALSO TRHWO IN ANOTHER BI EXERCISE, LIKE PREACHER CURLS OF HAMMER CURLS FOR 2-3 SETS. TRICEPS - DO SKULLCRUSHERS FIRST, THEN ROPE PULLDOWN. TRICEP DIPS THEN FOLLOWS THAT, BUT TRY DIFFERENT EXERCISES FOR THAT 3RD TRICEP EXERCISE, I WOULD SUGGEST CLOSE GRIP BENCH PRESSES OR ONE-ARM CABLE PUSHDOWNS. SO THAT'S 3 EXERCISES FOR BIS AND 3 FOR TRIS - PULL UPS MUST BE ELIMINATED NO POINT IMO.


Hope this helps! No go and train, eat like a horse, sleep and GROW!!

[lift4fun16]

look try this
chest 1
back 2
legs 3
shoulders4
arms5

chest

bench 4sets
incline3sets
decline 3sets
chest press 3sets
then circle chest pres as i call it itsgives circle to ur chest or something
or do flys 3 sets
that is 16 sets plenty enuf if u dont recover then lower the sets
i never got even sore doing that

back
hyper extensions 6 sets no weight for a set then weight for 4 sets iwth different reps ranging from 12 to 4 abot then no weihgt cool down
seated row 3 sets
barbell row or dumbell 3 sets
lat pulldown 6 sets
someone may want to revise the back


first do squats on legs
i am going to be doing this and yea do deadlifts if u want a friking bad back later on in life i d rather have medium size hams and a good back then massive ones with a fudged up back
6 sets squat warmpu set
then 2 sets up then a set of 2 then back down
6 sets
leg curl
drop sets leg extensions
then finish with light squats around 10 reps but maybe less
cuz u will be beat after this it took me 20 minutes take reall little time inbetween sets i was sweating likea pig at teh extension
u should be fine with this

shoulders
military press or should press db or bb 6 sets
lateral raise 3 sets
flys 3 sets
shrugs 5 sets

arms

dips to start no weight 3 sets
skullchrushers 3 sets
rope push down 3 sets

2 kinds of curls 3 sets each

pullups no wieghtt 3 sets

[JKD COBRA]

I apreciate the advice guys, I will definately change my workout from chest/arms/legs/shoulders/back to chest/back/legs/shoulders/arms. I will at least make sure to not put chest and arms next to eachother and shoulders and back next to each other ect. . . .

xenithon - those were very good suggestions, I will start switching between regular bench and the dumbbell's, 2-3 weeks dumbbells, then 2-3 weeks flat bench.

lift4fun - those were really great suggestions, I will definately put those exercises in my workout.

I will just try to eat more, and start the new workout schedual you guys gave me. Thanks agian for taking the time to help out. I think this new schedual is much better, thanks again.

John

[JKD COBRA]

one last question and I should be good to go with my new schedual, what are you guys doing about sat and sun? Are you taking those days off?

[gymrat832003]

i just rest on those days. if you are bulking you should do no cardio and still eat a lot.