Crictic my routine

[beatango2008]

OKay so I am starting a new training routine to gain some mass,
I got this workout from the bodybuilding website.
Its the 5X5 program for those that don't know what that is,
Its five sets of five reps of each exercise with your max weight.
Just started this workout this week and man I am feeling it.
but if you have any advice on how I could tweak it or make it better please let me know thanks.



Friday-Monday
A-1: barbell bench press
A-2: bent over row
B-1: barbell curl 2x5
B-2: skull crusher or triceps pushdown 2x5

tuesday-wensday

B-1: barbell squat
B-2: glute/ham raise
Seated calf raise 2x5
Turkish Get-up 2x5 l,r (left and right)

[RANA]

Personally I don't like it. I don't feel you do enought to get gains. Just like with anything if you try something new it will make you sore or it will just kick your ass but I just don't see how you can make majors gains off of this workout. IMHO

[stallion_1]

Personally I don't like it. I don't feel you do enought to get gains. Just like with anything if you try something new it will make you sore or it will just kick your ass but I just don't see how you can make majors gains off of this workout. IMHO

agreed. thats a weak ass routine. furthermore, u work out ur chest friday to monday. no wonder u guys dont grow

[beatango2008]

It only took about an hour and that was doing all my excises back to back with a ninety rest between sets.
But considering I am natural it kinda suits me so I don't over train.
And if you max out on the weight so you cant go past five for five reps thats like down the low reps high weight routine. I may add a deadlift in there because they don't have alot of basic muscle building movements. but I am going to try it for 3 weeks and see what happens. Have any of you tried it personally?

[Jfew44]

I'll do a 5x5 program occasionally and my strength gains usually go through the roof. I dont gain as much size as when doing 8-10 reps tho, so I only do it once or twice a year for a couple weeks at a time.

If you look at your program, you're only doing 10 sets for your chest and 10 for your back a week. I really dont see how that's enough to grow. I'm not a fan of the upper/lower split. If I were you I'd switch to a back/bi, chest/tri, legs, shoulders/calves. Its still only 4 days but I think it'll work out better for you.

If you're feeling it doing just those exercises keep at it until you're not anymore, then up the sets. Are you fairly new to working out? Just wondering because thats a pretty weak routine.

[beatango2008]

No i've been working out since I was 15, but I just recently got my diet in check within the past year and a half, so i'm trying to tune everything in. I was doing my old routine for about 9 months and I stopped getting the gains I wanted so I figured it was time to switch it up and try something new. I heard alot of good stuff about this program but I don't really feel I hit my chest enough. So i may play with it a little bit and see what happens.

[AdamGH]

Try this if you want something different. Its a full body routine:

This type of workout contains 6 main exercises per session – two for the legs and four exercises working the major multi-joint movement planes of the upper body. The key to this type of workout is that the sequences of exercises are switched from workout to workout even though the exercises remain the same. This means you’ll be stronger on certain lifts on the day when they are first in the sequence and weaker on the days when they are toward the end of the sequence.

The key to these workouts is to use a weight that challenges you for the prescribed number of reps. You are not using enough weight if you complete the prescribed number of reps and could still do 3 or 4 more. Increase the weight slightly each week to maintain progression. The sets are reduced in this type of workout to avoid over-training due to completing the same exercises in each workout. Rest 2-3 minutes between work sets in these workouts. Alternate Workout A and B, training 3 times per week; then complete 20 minutes of high intensity sprints or other interval training one other day per week for a total of four workouts per week (e.g. Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat = A/B/A/C). Following this example, the following week would look like this: Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat = B/A/B/C.


Workout A
warm-up (5-7 minutes):

Main exercises:
1. Barbell overhead squats – warm up sets, then 2 x 6
2. Incline barbell presses – warm up sets, then 2 x 6
3. Weighted pull-ups - warm up sets, then 2 x 6
4. Romanian deadlifts – warm up sets, then 2 x 6
5. Weighted dips – warm up sets, then 2 x 8
6. Barbell bent over rows – warm up sets, then 2 x 8
Ab training
6-8 minute high intensity interval training finish
3-5 minutes stretching all muscle groups


Workout B
warm-up (5-7 minutes)

Main exercises:
1. Romanian deadlifts – warm up sets, then 2 x 6
2. Barbell bent over rows – warm up sets, then 2 x 8
3. Weighted dips – warm up sets, then 2 x 8
4. Barbell overhead squats – warm up sets, then 2 x 6
5. Weighted pull-ups - warm up sets, then 2 x 6
6. Incline barbell presses – warm up sets, then 2 x 6
6-8 minute high intensity interval training finish
3-5 minutes stretching all muscle groups


Workout C
20-25 minutes HIIT
3-5 minutes stretching all muscle groups

[kynetguy]

If you look at your program, you're only doing 10 sets for your chest and 10 for your back a week. I really dont see how that's enough to grow. I'm not a fan of the upper/lower split. If I were you I'd switch to a back/bi, chest/tri, legs, shoulders/calves. Its still only 4 days but I think it'll work out better for you.

I like a 4 day schedule run on a 6 day a week plan. This will give you 2 days every other week of every part. 4 days is plenty of recovery time. So this will actually enable you to grow more per time frame.

1-back/bi
2-legs
3-chest/tri
4-shoulders/calves


so if you look at this and presume you will take Sunday off. . .

M T W T F S S
1 2 3 4 1 2 OFF
3 4 1 2 3 4 OFF
1 2 3 4 1 2 OFF
3 4 1 2 3 4 OFF


I know, there is no rocket science here, but sometimes pictures help.

What is even better IMHO is rotating days off, but not all people can work that schedule.

1 2 3 4 O 1 2
3 4 O 1 2 3 4
O 1 2 3 4 O 1
2 3 4 O 1 2 3
4 O 1 2 3 4 O
1 2 3 4 O 1 2

What I like about that is it gives a little more recovery time before you hit a part again. It gives you 5 days instead of 4. Yet you still aren't in the same ho hum routine that the average gym goer does who hits each body part once every 7 days. Its all about what maximizing your time. And if you wanted to mix it up, you could have an "A" routine and a "B" routine so that on on weeks you are repeating muscle groups, you are hitting them a little differently.

Again, no rocket science there and definately nothing original to my ideas.