Please Critique My Bulking Up Routine

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Hi all, I am new here to the boards. I'll keep my greeting short and get to the point.

My info:

5'11 175 lbs 24yr

I am looking to bulk up to around 190-200 over a 12 week period. Will be eating 6-7 meals a day (every 2.5-3 hours). No juice. My frame is pretty lean: around 9%bf.

My workout:

Day 1 - chest
Day 2 - Back & Traps
Day 3 - Rest
Day 4 - Shoulders
Day 5 - Arms
Day 6 - Legs
Day 7 - Rest

Chest -
Flat Barbell Press 5x5
Flat Dumbell Press 5x5
Decline Barbell Press 5x5
Decline Dumbell Press 5x5
Incline Dumbell Press 5x5

Back/Traps-
Wide Grip Pullups 2xFail
Bent Over Barbell Rows 5x5
One Arm Dumbell Rows 5x5
Upright Barbell Rows 5x5
Seated Dumbell Shrugs 4x 6-8
Deadlift 5x5

Shoulders -
Miliatary Press - 5x5
Lateral Dumbell Raises - 3x8-10
Front Raises - 3 x 8-10
Standing Barbell Press - 5x5

Arms -
Bi's
Barbell Curls - 3x 6-8
Alternate Dumbell Curls - 2x 6-8
Preacher Cable Curls - 2x 6-8

Tri's
Close Grip Bench Press - 3x 7-9
Skull Crushers - 2x 7-9
Kickouts - 2x 7-9


Legs-
Squats - 5x5
Lunges - 4 x 8-10
Standing Calf Raises 5x 8-10


Any suggestions/help is appreciated. I've been considering supplementing 1-AD into my diet. Not sure if it is worth it. Only other supplement is Protein 3-5 times a day.

[BIG TEXAN]

I'd put legs in the middle, like this
day1- back
day2- chest
day3- rest
day4- legs
day5- shoulders
day6- arms
day7- rest

plus it looks like you'll be overtraining your chest. I'd stick with dumbells one week and barbells the next. Also for legs I'd add some extensions and curls, pephaps some leg press if they don't feel worked enough.

[End Of One]

I'd put legs in the middle, like this
day1- back
day2- chest
day3- rest
day4- legs
day5- shoulders
day6- arms
day7- rest

plus it looks like you'll be overtraining your chest. I'd stick with dumbells one week and barbells the next. Also for legs I'd add some extensions and curls, pephaps some leg press if they don't feel worked enough.

Yeah, the chest day was what i was most unsure about. Alternating dumbells and barbell presses every other week sounds like a good idea. Also should i keep close grip barbell presses on my tricep day or put it in with chest day? Thanks for the help

[BIG TEXAN]

Put it on tri's day. You can alternate that lift with weighted dips too.

[saboudian]

Definitely alot of volume you got there. I'd go with BT's suggestion for chest, that'll also open up some room to throw a fly exercise in there. I normally never do more than 2 presses in a chest workout but there's nothing wrong with it, but if you are intent on sticking to 3 presses a workout, i would add a fly somewhere in between the presses.

BT's suggestion for puttin legs in the middle of the week is also a good idea.


As BT alluded to, you might want to rethink your leg routine. I would do at least 2 exercises for quads, 1 for hams, and i wouldn't forget your soleus (i.e add seated calf raises)

On shoulder day, i don't see the need for the military press at the beginning and end of the workout. I would take out one of the presses and add in a posterior delt exercise.

As for arms, seems like alot of volume to me, but if you can handle it, then go for it.

For back day, i would limit yourself to 3 exercises for lats, 1 exercise to traps, and 1 exercise for lower back.

Keep in mind, these are just suggestions.

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Thanks for the suggestions. Greatly appreciated. I'm definitely going to cut my chest day down and add some flys to get a good stretch and make room for growth. What are some good exercises for rear delts? I have a smith machine so I can use the lower cable pulley to work them.

[caturpilar]

Thanks for the suggestions. Greatly appreciated. I'm definitely going to cut my chest day down and add some flys to get a good stretch and make room for growth. What are some good exercises for rear delts? I have a smith machine so I can use the lower cable pulley to work them.

Hey bro, i'm in the same situation as you, and my buddy told me a good exercise for rear delts is bent over lateral raises w/ dumbells or cables, it works pretty good i'd say, also, have you tried pullovers for the chest? It really streches the chest cavity. just my .02

[BIG TEXAN]

Also reverse pec deck works for me on rear delts.

[AandF6969]

Just a suggestion on the 1-AD I would order a bottle of 6-oxo also because a buddy of mine did 1-AD without the estrogen blocker and lost all his gains after the cycle. I hear very good things on this board about the stack of both of them.

[Leroy Brown]

Too much volume for me. Cut back on # of sets, and eliminate the isolation exercises.

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Just a suggestion on the 1-AD I would order a bottle of 6-oxo also because a buddy of mine did 1-AD without the estrogen blocker and lost all his gains after the cycle. I hear very good things on this board about the stack of both of them.

well here's what i was planning supplements:

400mg 1AD/day
500-750mg 4AD/day
Phosphagen HP

I was planning on taking these for a period of 8 weeks. Around the 4th or 5th week i was going to start up on the 6OXO through week 12. So weeks 8-12 will only be the 6OXO.

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Too much volume for me. Cut back on # of sets, and eliminate the isolation exercises.

Yes, I agree. After revising what i originally planned for my workout this is what I have now come up with:

Day 1: Chest
Day 2: Back
Day 3: rest
Day 4: Legs
Day 5: Shoulders
Day 6: Arms
Day 7: rest
Day 8: rest

Chest
Flat Barbell Press 5x5
Decline Barbell Press 5x5
Incline Dumbell Press 5x5
Flat Dumbell Flyes 2x8-10

*I'm going to substitute dumbells and barbells every other week on
the pressing movements. Also I will be switching between flat,
incline, and decline flyes each week*

Back/Traps
Wide Grip Pullups 2xFail
Bent Over Barbell Rows 5x5
One Arm Dumbell Rows 2x6-8
Upright Barbell Rows **going to substitute shrugs every other
2x6-8 1x4-6 week**
Deadlifts 5x5

Legs
Squats 5x5
Leg Curls 3x8-10
Leg Extensions 3x8-10
Standing Calf Raises 4x 8-10 Heavy

Shoulders
Miliatary Press 5x5
Side Lateral raises (wings) 2x8-10
Front Raises 2x8-10
Rear Delt Cables 2x8-10

Arms
Tri's
close Grip Bench 2x7-9 1x4-6
Skull Crushers 2x7-9
Dips(not weighted) 2xFail

Bi's
Barbell Curl 2x6-8 1x4-6
Alternating Dumbell Curls 2x6-8
Preacher Lower cable pulley curls 2x6-8


When i do sets of 5x5 my first three sets are just building up to my 2 work sets. I gradually increase weight from set 1-3. Sets 4 and 5 I use a weight that i really have to struggle to get 5 reps with good form. My body seems to respond to 5x5 well with the compound movements.

Also I'm a bit limited in my leg training etc. since I workout out at home. I don't have a leg press etc. but I have more than enough equipment to get the job done: Olympic Bench/bar with 500lbs weights, smith machine, preacher bench, ez curl bar, Handweights from 5-70lbs. I'm considering building my own dip rack since i really don't have any way of doing them properly. I just do them the pussy way off the end of the bench with my legs elevated on a chair.

I am going to dedicate myself to reaching my goals and let nothing get in the way. My long range goals(within a year or so) are to get up to a solid 200-220. I know i can do it. After this 12 week bulk period I'd like to get up around 190-200 by the end. Then i will cut for 4 weeks or so and hopefully hold a good portion of the weight then repeat.

I plan on starting this program on Saturday. So please critique my revised program. Thanks for all the help/opinions so far!