Getting Back to Basics

[BigGreen]

Come September 1st or so, I'm getting back to the basics and going for some pure size...screw symmetry and screw the pump for now. If I'm where I expect to be post-cycle, i think i'll finally be at a point in my development where i can bulk up without needing to throw on lots of fat to get there. Anyway, the breakdown is a MWF one, with Monday being "Push Day", Wednesday "Leg Day" and Friday "Pull Day". I know this seems to go against my constant preaching that you shouldn't have a "leg day" in your routine, but rather, separate workouts for calves, hams and quads...but that largely applies to workouts that insist on insanely broken up splits with a separate day for bis, a separate day for traps, yet one day for "LEGS"..that's what I don't like. Plus, this is a major part of my philosophy that you need MAJOR overhauls every three months or so in your training split.

MONDAY - Push Day
*Bench Press: (true pyramid) 12-8-6-2-6-8-12
*Military Press: 3 sets of 6-10 reps
*Close Grip Bench: 3 sets of 6-10 reps
*Weighted Dips: 3 sets of 6-10 reps

WEDNESDAY - Leg Day
*Squats - (true pyramid) 15-12-8-4-8-12-15
*Leg Press - 3 sets of 6-10 reps
*Glute/Ham Raises - 3 sets of 4-8 reps
*Stiff Leg Deadlifts - 3 sets of 8-12 reps
*Box Step-Ups - 3 sets of 10-15 reps
*Selected Calf Exercise - 3 sets of 12-15 reps

FRIDAY - Pull Day
*Deadlifts from low pins - (true pyramid) 12-8-5-2-5-8-12
*Pull-Ups - 3 sets of however many reps I can manage at that time
*Chinups - 3 sets of same rep restrictions
*Barbell Rows - 3 sets of 10-12 reps
*Good Mornings - 3 sets of 10-12 reps

I'd like to throw some hanging cleans in somewhere as well...anyone have any suggestions as to where i should throw those in? Of course, calories will be clean, but through the friggin roof while undertaking this workout (I'll also be "clean"). I'm sure to some it skirts the edge of overtraining, but I sincerely believe I'll be more than okay in that regard. Any thoughts/feedback?

[BIG TEXAN]

Well hang cleans are a pull, unless you also do a push at the end of the lift. So sticking with your system here they'd go in on Friday. Maybe just add them in every other week or so. I do like your split and as long as you don't do too many sets per exercise I don't see why you won't put on some size with this split. I'm interested to see how it goes because I may try something similair to this as well.

[BigGreen]

Well, even as cycle #1 comes to a close, I realize that I'm still lacking some of that "muscle maturity" or overal thickness that I need at 6'3" to appear large from all angles. Right now, at least imo, I feel that I look distinctly large and muscular from the front and back directly (though my lats are in need of considerable widening), yet I don't look nearly as muscular from any angles other than that. It is my hope that some serious compound exercises that hit several bodyparts from multiple angles are just what the doctor ordered to remedy that little problem.

[BIG TEXAN]

Yeah that could help.... of course being from New England is helping the situation at all.

Sorry.... couldn't resist.

In all honesty some good heavy compound lifts are probably just what you need. Of course being tall it does make it that much more difficult to have that "large" appearance from all sides. I am the same way. I lokk big from the front and rear view but at a sideways stance I appear thin or smaller.

[solidj55]

I only have one question, what is the difference in pullups and chinups??
I thought they were the same thing with a different name...

[punk_bbuilder]

Thats an awesome idea, i might try doing that workout for a month or two try to put on some good hard muscle

[BigGreen]

I only have one question, what is the difference in pullups and chinups??
I thought they were the same thing with a different name...

Pullups: overhand grip
Chinups: underhand grip

Pullups (done with their traditionally somewhat-wide grip) target the upper lats with great intensity and the rear delts with a "not to be scoffed at" intensity in addition to hitting the midpoint of the back provided you pull sufficiently far up. Chinups incorporate much more of the forearms and biceps, to the point where several respectable bodybuilders and trainers (rightfully in my opinion) consider a chin-up a bicep exercise in many regards. In addition, with it's closer grip, it has a reputation of hitting the lats further down, nearer the insertion.

Personally, for me the difference is DRAMATIC. At a bodyweight of about 250 even, 7-9 legit pullups seems to be my current limit. At this same weight, however, chin-ups regularly exceed the 13-15 range and beyond.

[solidj55]

Pullups: overhand grip
Chinups: underhand grip

Pullups (done with their traditionally somewhat-wide grip) target the upper lats with great intensity and the rear delts with a "not to be scoffed at" intensity in addition to hitting the midpoint of the back provided you pull sufficiently far up. Chinups incorporate much more of the forearms and biceps, to the point where several respectable bodybuilders and trainers (rightfully in my opinion) consider a chin-up a bicep exercise in many regards. In addition, with it's closer grip, it has a reputation of hitting the lats further down, nearer the insertion.

Personally, for me the difference is DRAMATIC. At a bodyweight of about 250 even, 7-9 legit pullups seems to be my current limit. At this same weight, however, chin-ups regularly exceed the 13-15 range and beyond.

Ok thats what I thought you meant. Hell I call em all pullups or chinups lol. You should also try semi supinated chins or pullups(whatever they would be called) The will blast the middle part of your lats. I alternate every two week between Pullups(overhand), Chinups(underhand), and Semi Supinated(palms facing each other). Seems to work well for me.

[BigGreen]

Ok thats what I thought you meant. Hell I call em all pullups or chinups lol. You should also try semi supinated chins or pullups(whatever they would be called) The will blast the middle part of your lats. I alternate every two week between Pullups(overhand), Chinups(underhand), and Semi Supinated(palms facing each other). Seems to work well for me.

Do you see drastic differences (as is the case with me) between chins and pulls? I wondering if more physically matured trainers (not in terms of age and such, but muscle density, completeness, etc) see a more narrow gap between the two exercises.

[solidj55]

Well Ill put it like this, I can do the most reps on chins, the second place goes to semi-supinated chins, and last the pullups. But the thing is my reps arent really far off just as long as my joints are feeling healthy. There is about a 1-3 rep gap between chins/pullups and semi-supinated falls between them

[BigGreen]

Well Ill put it like this, I can do the most reps on chins, the second place goes to semi-supinated chins, and last the pullups. But the thing is my reps arent really far off just as long as my joints are feeling healthy. There is about a 1-3 rep gap between chins/pullups and semi-supinated falls between them

Okay, that IS interesting, because my difference between pulls and chins is nearly 100%...i think on a bad pull-up day, my average chin reps do in fact double the pulls.

[clockworks]

heh, sorry i can't offer any input to your workout, but...

yeah, "chinups" are much easier for me than "pullups". if i do my pullups first, i can finish my chinups afterwards, but if i do it the other way around, i can't finish my pullups.

-- cb

[solidj55]

Personally I think Chinups are a better exercise than pullups anyway so I dont do Pullups a lot.

[solidj55]

Big Green I was thinking about this pullup/chinup thing this morning. I will tell you something that I have noticed about myself when it comes to this. When performing chinups I have experienced the best strength/size gains when I do my chinups in the 3-5 rep range(about 1 rep shy of failing). When performing pullups the best gains seem to come from the 6-8 rep range. And last but not least when performing semi-supinated chins I find that the 8-10 rep range works best. This doesnt seem to go along with which one I am stronger with rep wise in reality though. But I find if I do weighted chins in the 3-5 rep range for 5 sets stopping short of failure and increasing weight every week I get great gains. I find if I do 3 sets of 6-8 reps on pullupsI get the best gains. For the semi-supinated I find doing reps of 8-10 for 2 sets works the best. Its kinda weird but thats what I have discovered for myself. FOr me its all about the sets/reps for the certain exercise.