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[eatrainrest]

nah your back should be fine especially if this is your reload.. understand that overtraining depoends on other factors as well.. diet, recovery, sleep..etc

[tembe]

yes, thanks for the help eatrainrest

[eatrainrest]

what added exercises? stiff leg=hams exercise

posterior delt is the other not back...

[tembe]

thanks. Lots of help

[tembe]

should i add more bicep and tricep sets or exercises during a reload?

[eatrainrest]

should i add more bicep and tricep sets or exercises during a reload?

i would do 10 sets during reload

[tembe]

how many sets would you do for a major muscle like chest during a reload?

[eatrainrest]

how many sets would you do for a major muscle like chest during a reload?

larger mucsle groups 12

smaller-about 8-10 is my recommendation... ronnie likes 12 all around but i feel it may be too much if your really working the muscle to failure

[aaron1mix]

Wow! Just the thread I have been looking for. Thanks for putting in your time to help us out.

I need a little help breaking through my plateau. I am just starting wk 5 of my cycle. I took 1 wk off before I started and switched up my routine. Here is my current routine.

Mon - chest/bis
warmup
Dumbell Flys - 5 sets (2 warmup 10-12 reps, 3 - 4-8 reps)
Bench - 10 reps, 6-8, 4-6
Decline Bench - 8 reps, 4-6, 2-4
Straight Bar Curls - 5 sets (2 warmup 10-12 reps, 3 - 4-8 reps)
Hammer Curls - 10, 6-8, 4-6
Isolation Curls - 10, 6-8, 4-6
Note: Each Workout day follows the same rep pattern. 2 warmup sets for each major muscle group followed by 3 sets of progressive weight added.

Tues - legs/forearms
Squat - 5 sets
Leg Press
Calf Raises
Leg Curls
Leg Extensions
Forearm Curls

Wed - off

Thurs - Back/Tris
Bent Over Row - 5 sets
Hammer grip cable pulls
Lat Pulldown
Curl Bar overhead extensions
Bench bar lying down extension (close grip)
rope pulldowns

Fri - Shoulders
Shrugs - 5 sets
Overhead Dumbell Press
Side Arm extensions
Lateral Raises
-don't know what to call it (start with a hammer grip on dumbells at the waist and raise the dumbells to parallel with my shoulders) 3 sets

I have a couple of questions on top of the workout routine.
After 1 month should I switch the routine completely?
Is there a time during cycle that a 1 week training break should be taken, or is the slingshot method preffered over time off?
To delve even deeper, how often should recovery time be performed during training and for how long? ie; 8 wks training 1 wk off, 12 wks training, 1 wk off...
I actually lost strenght this last week and performed less reps with the same weight as the week before. A little disheartening when your finally seeing gains again after years of training - any thoughts?

I know it's a lot of questions and if your able to take to the time to help me out, I really appreciate it. Just trying to keep my enthusiam for the gym. Can't get my bench past 205.

[eatrainrest]

Wow! Just the thread I have been looking for. Thanks for putting in your time to help us out.

I need a little help breaking through my plateau. I am just starting wk 5 of my cycle. I took 1 wk off before I started and switched up my routine. Here is my current routine.

Mon - chest/bis
warmup
Dumbell Flys - 5 sets (2 warmup 10-12 reps, 3 - 4-8 reps)
Bench - 10 reps, 6-8, 4-6
Decline Bench - 8 reps, 4-6, 2-4
Straight Bar Curls - 5 sets (2 warmup 10-12 reps, 3 - 4-8 reps)
Hammer Curls - 10, 6-8, 4-6
Isolation Curls - 10, 6-8, 4-6
Note: Each Workout day follows the same rep pattern. 2 warmup sets for each major muscle group followed by 3 sets of progressive weight added.

Tues - legs/forearms
Squat - 5 sets
Leg Press
Calf Raises
Leg Curls
Leg Extensions
Forearm Curls

Wed - off

Thurs - Back/Tris
Bent Over Row - 5 sets
Hammer grip cable pulls
Lat Pulldown
Curl Bar overhead extensions
Bench bar lying down extension (close grip)
rope pulldowns

Fri - Shoulders
Shrugs - 5 sets
Overhead Dumbell Press
Side Arm extensions
Lateral Raises
-don't know what to call it (start with a hammer grip on dumbells at the waist and raise the dumbells to parallel with my shoulders) 3 sets

I have a couple of questions on top of the workout routine.
After 1 month should I switch the routine completely?around 8-12 weeks
Is there a time during cycle that a 1 week training break should be taken, or is the slingshot method preffered over time off?i think regardless every 8-12 weeks take 1 off.. but if on cycle you should be on no longer than 12 aqnyway
To delve even deeper, how often should recovery time be performed during training and for how long? ie; 8 wks training 1 wk off, 12 wks training, 1 wk off...8-12 on/1 off IMO
I actually lost strenght this last week and performed less reps with the same weight as the week before. A little disheartening when your finally seeing gains again after years of training - any thoughts?
diet possible overtraining, cant critieuq because i dont have exact amount of sets per exercise and body part

I know it's a lot of questions and if your able to take to the time to help me out, I really appreciate it. Just trying to keep my enthusiam for the gym. Can't get my bench past 205.

id be glad to help but first i need all your stats including age, how long youve been running the routine, sets/reps per exercise, body part, etc.

[aaron1mix]

Sorry Bro, I was afraid my layout would be hard to read. Every day follows the same set/rep pattern as monday.

Sets 2 and 3 are normally between 4-6 reps, depending on how good I feel that day.

Example: set #/reps = (1/12)
Thurs - Back/Tris (body part)
Bent over row - 5 sets, 1/12 (30% of max), 2/10 (50% of max), 3/8 (75% of max), 4/6 (85% of max), 5/4 (90-95% of max)
Hammer Grip cable pulls - 1/8 (75% of max), 2/6 (85% of max), 3/4 (90-95% of max)
Lat Pulldown - 1/8, 2/6, 3/4
Curl Bar overhead extensions - 1/8, 2/6, 3/4
Olympic bar lying down extensions - 1/8, 2/6, 3/4
rope pulldowns - 1/8, 2/6, 3/4

I have been on this routine for 4.5 weeks. I am in the middle of week 5. My cycle is 12 weeks, 3 off then PCT weeks 15-18.

All the stats in my profile are accurate, 30yrs old.

I am in the 3rd month of a bulking diet. My plan is to deload during my PCT and cut after PCT is done. I primed my diet before I started my cycle. I have a very fast metabolism and small body structure so my goal is to get to 205 (for now) Not sure if I can get heavier than that by I will sure try.

I started my program at 167 and am currently at 178 as of Monday.

I am not able to workout with a partner so I am running solo. It's hard to push a max but it does help with form.

My TDEE is 2800 and here are my macros from Monday. I keep a daily log.
cal/pro/carb/fat
3417.5/360.75/284.5/92.75

[eatrainrest]

Sorry Bro, I was afraid my layout would be hard to read. Every day follows the same set/rep pattern as monday.
yea it was a little confused
Sets 2 and 3 are normally between 4-6 reps, depending on how good I feel that day.

Example: set #/reps = (1/12)
Thurs - Back/Tris (body part)
Bent over row - 5 sets, 1/12 (30% of max), 2/10 (50% of max), 3/8 (75% of max), 4/6 (85% of max), 5/4 (90-95% of max)
Hammer Grip cable pulls - 1/8 (75% of max), 2/6 (85% of max), 3/4 (90-95% of max)
Lat Pulldown - 1/8, 2/6, 3/4
Curl Bar overhead extensions - 1/8, 2/6, 3/4
Olympic bar lying down extensions - 1/8, 2/6, 3/4
rope pulldowns - 1/8, 2/6, 3/4
9 sets of back.. you could go up a little more considering that your intensity is not at 100 percent. try goign to failure, good form at 11 or so sets. also, keep in mind that you should be performing at a certain rep range for 8-12 weeks or until plateuing. reason is to take advantage of your body adapting to a routine then switching over to lower or higher reps to target diff muscle fibers, allowing for more growth. try something liek this

back-11 sets/half width/half thickeness
3 sets wide pullups (weights)
3 sets barbell rows
3 sets wide lat pulldown
2 sets low cable rows or Tbar rows or row machine

I have been on this routine for 4.5 weeks. I am in the middle of week 5. My cycle is 12 weeks, 3 off then PCT weeks 15-18.

All the stats in my profile are accurate, 30yrs old.

I am in the 3rd month of a bulking diet. My plan is to deload during my PCT and cut after PCT is done. I primed my diet before I started my cycle. I have a very fast metabolism and small body structure so my goal is to get to 205 (for now) Not sure if I can get heavier than that by I will sure try.

I started my program at 167 and am currently at 178 as of Monday.

I am not able to workout with a partner so I am running solo. It's hard to push a max but it does help with form.

My TDEE is 2800 and here are my macros from Monday. I keep a daily log.
cal/pro/carb/fat
3417.5/360.75/284.5/92.75

i also dont liek doign back traps... here this is how you should lay it out cuz i am only quoting on one post here...

back-12 sets
chest-10 sets.. etc. etc

and list exercises for each, like i did for back.. so you just got a taste for what id do for back now just post up the rest of yoru split kinda like i set it up above so i could further critique the rest of your workout regimen

[aaron1mix]

OK Thanks. Here is another breakdown. Hopefully it makes it easier to read. I do do my reps to failure. I use my max as my 1 rep max. ie; 100lb= 1 rep max. 90% = 90lb/4 reps to failure. Hope that makes more sense.

Mon
11 Sets Chest
5 sets dumbell flies (first 2 sets warmup)
3 sets flat bench
3 sets decline bench
11 Sets Biceps
5 sets Flat bar Curls (first 2 sets warmup)
3 sets hammer curls
3 sets isolation curls

Tues
17 sets legs
5 sets squats (first 2 sets warmup)
3 sets leg press
3 sets calf raises
3 sets leg curls
3 sets leg extensions
3 sets forearms
3 sets forearm curls

Wed - off

Thurs
11 sets back
5 sets bent over rows (first 2 sets warmup)
3 sets hammer grip cable rows
3 sets wide grip lat pulldowns
11 sets triceps
5 sets curl bar overhead extensions (first 2 sets warmup)
3 sets olympic bar lying down overhead extensions
3 sets rope pulldowns

Fri
17 sets shoulders
5 sets Shrugs (first 2 sets warmup)
3 sets overhead dumbell press
3 sets sidearm extensions
3 sets lateral raises
3 sets dumbell from hip to shoulder raises
Leg lifts and crunches

Some weekends I will take 1 day and do my core, pushups, pullups, situps...

Thanks for your help. I think we are on the same page now. Hopefully this is what you are looking for.

[eatrainrest]

OK Thanks. Here is another breakdown. Hopefully it makes it easier to read. I do do my reps to failure. I use my max as my 1 rep max. ie; 100lb= 1 rep max. 90% = 90lb/4 reps to failure. Hope that makes more sense.

Mon
11 Sets Chest
5 sets dumbell flies (first 2 sets warmup)
3 sets flat bench
3 sets decline bench
start with flat, decline then flies and chop to liek 9
11 Sets Biceps
5 sets Flat bar Curls (first 2 sets warmup)
3 sets hammer curls
3 sets isolation curls
stick to liek 6 sets
Tues
17 sets legs
5 sets squats (first 2 sets warmup)
3 sets leg press
do this order-squat, leg press, leg ext, leg curls, calf raises
3 sets calf raises
3 sets leg curls
3 sets leg extensions
3 sets forearms
3 sets forearm curls

Wed - off

Thurs
11 sets back
5 sets bent over rows (first 2 sets warmup)
3 sets hammer grip cable rows
3 sets wide grip lat pulldowns
do advised changes i recommended for back
11 sets triceps
too many sets, 6 working 100 percent intensity sets will do
5 sets curl bar overhead extensions (first 2 sets warmup)
3 sets olympic bar lying down overhead extensions
3 sets rope pulldowns

Fri
17 sets shoulders
5 sets Shrugs (first 2 sets warmup)
do at the end, no need for warmup[/B]
3 sets overhead dumbell press
3 sets sidearm extensions
3 sets lateral raisescho this
3 sets dumbell from hip to shoulder raises? is this targeting rear delts? if so, stick with it and do 9 sets working presses, lateral raises, and post delts
Leg lifts and crunches

Some weekends I will take 1 day and do my core, pushups, pullups, situps...

Thanks for your help. I think we are on the same page now. Hopefully this is what you are looking for.

those are some changes i would make, the split isnt bad at all tho... except that during back workouts you work out your posterior delts so doing them the day after would probly be overtraining that muscle group

[aaron1mix]

Thanks again Bro.

From your advice it looks like I might have been overtraining, probably why all my weights have went down this week.

I'm a little curious about the standard 9 sets though. Is that 9 sets including warmup? Basically my 11 sets are only 9 because the warmup weight is just to get the blood flowing to that muscle group, should I drop those?

Sorry I have so many questions, I have been training for so long and I don't think I have ever really had it spot on, training or diet. I've got it all dialed in now so I want to make sure I get the most out of my body.

Since I am cutting down my bis and tris from 9 sets to 6, my workouts will only be 45min. Is that enough training time or should I just throw in 15min of LI cardio at the end?

When it comes time to switch the routine, do I keep the major muscle group excersizes, ie; flat bench, squats, shrugs, bent over row and just switch them to dumbells or should I change the entire split completely, ie; Chest/Tris, Back/Bis...?

This should be it for my questions. I'll keep up the hard work and hopefully with your advice, I'll fall in love with the Gym again and get f*&king huge!

[eatrainrest]

Thanks again Bro.

From your advice it looks like I might have been overtraining, probably why all my weights have went down this week.

I'm a little curious about the standard 9 sets though. Is that 9 sets including warmup? Basically my 11 sets are only 9 because the warmup weight is just to get the blood flowing to that muscle group, should I drop those?
well depends what intensity your warming up at... i dont count warmup sets i usually do 1 light warmup set after a cardio LI warmup for 5 minutes.
Sorry I have so many questions, I have been training for so long and I don't think I have ever really had it spot on, training or diet. I've got it all dialed in now so I want to make sure I get the most out of my body.

Since I am cutting down my bis and tris from 9 sets to 6, my workouts will only be 45min. Is that enough training time or should I just throw in 15min of LI cardio at the end?
you should only do cardio PWO IMO, and could be up to 30 minutes... ill bump my cardio thread for you take a look at it
When it comes time to switch the routine, do I keep the major muscle group excersizes, ie; flat bench, squats, shrugs, bent over row and just switch them to dumbells or should I change the entire split completely, ie; Chest/Tris, Back/Bis...?
well i dont liek the chest/tris split its explained in my first post.. but i would defiantely change exercises/reps changing your split is optional i do it because it mixes things up

This should be it for my questions. I'll keep up the hard work and hopefully with your advice, I'll fall in love with the Gym again and get f*&king huge!

ronnies slingshot may be your ticket as well because it mixes HIT and low volume, which is what everhydbnoy needs IMO is a mix of the two. again, ill bump my cardio thread. ronnies thread is the 1st sticky if you havent seen it yet

[aaron1mix]

Thanks 1 more time! I appreciate the bump, I was checking that thread out. I also like Ronnies slingshot method. Long read though haven't gotten through the whole thing but I will by the time I switch my split. I'll make your changes and keep running through this.

I'll post my results in a few months after a couple routine changes and half a year of proper diet and training under my belt.

Thanks for all your help and time.

[eatrainrest]

Thanks 1 more time! I appreciate the bump, I was checking that thread out. I also like Ronnies slingshot method. Long read though haven't gotten through the whole thing but I will by the time I switch my split. I'll make your changes and keep running through this.

I'll post my results in a few months after a couple routine changes and half a year of proper diet and training under my belt.

Thanks for all your help and time.

sure, id go a step further and say taht if youve been doing 8+ REPS, switch over to 4 reps max first 2 sets and 12 reps max the last set of every 3 set compound exercise like squat, leg press, bench presses.

set 1-4
set 2-4 reps
set 3-12 reps

make sure its max! and you will see insane strength gains, given that you are training at a lower volume from current, along with other protocols such as diet, etc.

[PC650]

eatrainrest you have good advice bro!! what do you think about training middle delts twice a week one day heavy the other half the weight at controlled negatives!! 3 sets each day so not over killing them, monday amd thurs only

[eatrainrest]

eatrainrest you have good advice bro!! what do you think about training middle delts twice a week one day heavy the other half the weight at controlled negatives!! 3 sets each day so not over killing them, monday amd thurs only

thanks, well in regards to heavy and light, it depends what exercise. i dont think exercises like upright rows should be performed with heavy weight and low reps because of the high risk of injury involved in the movement. 3 sets of medial delts twice a week would not be achieving the best results. your better off once a week hitting it 6 working sets, and throw some 3 sets of rear delts for total of 9 for delts, all at 100 percent intensity.

[jrmy]

sweet post,you think i could go by all these calculators for my diet program?
are they actually accurate?

[eatrainrest]

sweet post,you think i could go by all these calculators for my diet program?
are they actually accurate?

it would help if you were specific on what calculators you were referring to

[jrmy]

it would help if you were specific on what calculators you were referring to

well the caloric needs calculator,then onto the calories from fat/carbs/protein calculator

[eatrainrest]

well the caloric needs calculator,then onto the calories from fat/carbs/protein calculator

your caloric needs will be based on your BMR, which takes accurate body fat calcs to get those numbers correct.. then it depends on how many kcals you burn during activity

[jrmy]

your caloric needs will be based on your BMR, which takes accurate body fat calcs to get those numbers correct.. then it depends on how many kcals you burn during activity

oh ok.but those are accurate after all that is measured?
i always though more calories should be from protein and fat than carbs..

[eatrainrest]

oh ok.but those are accurate after all that is measured?
i always though more calories should be from protein and fat than carbs..

yea they will be fairly accurate. sorry it took me some time to get to this question. it will depend on your goals regarding macro proportions. if you bulk you will generally need more carbs, less fats, moderate protein. and cutting you will need less carbs, more fats, high protein.

[jrmy]

yea they will be fairly accurate. sorry it took me some time to get to this question. it will depend on your goals regarding macro proportions. if you bulk you will generally need more carbs, less fats, moderate protein. and cutting you will need less carbs, more fats, high protein.

thats cool bro,at least yur helping
i do appreciate the advice very much so

[eatrainrest]

bump

[johnCash]

hey man, i was wondering if you could help me get a new workout routine. right now im just gona take a week off cause ive been training hard for the last 2 months straight and im getting a bit sore too. is a week long enough rest? ive been doing about 14 weeks of 4,4,12 program with some different exersices but i need to start doing all new exersices cause im starting to plateau with the ones im doing. so should i change the workout completely or stay with the 4,4,12 and dif exersices?

[eatrainrest]

hey man, i was wondering if you could help me get a new workout routine. right now im just gona take a week off cause ive been training hard for the last 2 months straight and im getting a bit sore too. is a week long enough rest? ive been doing about 14 weeks of 4,4,12 program with some different exersices but i need to start doing all new exersices cause im starting to plateau with the ones im doing. so should i change the workout completely or stay with the 4,4,12 and dif exersices?

i would advise changing both rep ranges and exercises and allow your body to fully adapt to the new training regimen. would have much better input if you supplied a workout that was in higher rep ranges for critique-example 8-15 rep range rather than 4.

[johnCash]

ok ill pick some new exercises and post the new workout when i have time. also im doing alot of dumbell exercises right now, so should i switch to all barbell and machine exercises? cause free weights usually work best for me

[eatrainrest]

ok ill pick some new exercises and post the new workout when i have time. also im doing alot of dumbell exercises right now, so should i switch to all barbell and machine exercises? cause free weights usually work best for me

you can still work with free weights just mix up exercises and add other machines at your preference

[MotoLifter]

hey eatrainrest, what are your thoughts on DC training? I'm following that split now and have been seing some GREAT results. Sorry if you covered this already, couldnt read everything. Thanks man,

moto

[eatrainrest]

hey eatrainrest, what are your thoughts on DC training? I'm following that split now and have been seing some GREAT results. Sorry if you covered this already, couldnt read everything. Thanks man,

moto

i dont have any prior experience using this method but if its working all the power to you. i find the best to be alternating high and low volume like the whole slingshot theory.