workout routine

[Tony Stacks]

Stats:
26yrs.
5'10"
210lbs.
18%bf
Training for 2 yrs. Serious for last 4-5 months.
Focused mainly on educating myself on diet, training, & AAS

Goals: To gain 10lbs of solid mass and drop bf to 14%.
Have first cycle on hand (test e & dbol 5mg) but have decided to hold off on starting until I'm ready and know more about AAS.
(Diet plan posted in diet section)

Monday: Arms
Biceps: EZ bar curl or bb curl, incline db curl, hammer curl, cable curl.
Triceps: Close grip bench, v-bar pushdown, skullcrushers, over-head tricep extension.

Tuesday: Delts & Traps
Side & Front cable raise SS, db shoulder press, military press, bb & db shrugs (heavy!), reverse pec dec.

Wednesday: Chest
Flat bench, incline cable fly, incline db press, pec dec.

Thursday: Back
Lat pulldown, bent db row, dead, seated row

Friday: Legs
Squat, Leg press, Leg extensions, calf raise, leg curl

Sat. & Sun off

And and all advice/feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[tbody66]

I'd recommend signing up for the "remote trainer" challange in the diet section, go to that thread, read up on it and then put in a request to participate and have a trainer assigned to you.

If you posted some pictures and listed your set/rep/poundages on your lifts, I'll give you some advice on your current routine until the challange.

[Tony Stacks]

I really haven't been logging my lifts (bad I know). I will start as of tomorrow and get back to you when I have some solid info. I know that my core lifts are currently around 220lbs. for all three @ 8 reps & 4 sets.

[Tony Stacks]

Also, I took a look through the Remote Challenge. It is a very interesting idea, but it seems as if I would be coming in at the end. I know there is still a few months left, but would much rather sign up when I have more time. I do appreciate the recommendation and will follow along to observe everyone's progress.

Hopefully you can still help with my current routine...

Thanks

[Tony Stacks]

Oops! Misread the start date. Sorry

[tbody66]

I have lot's of news for you...

1st, I can fix your workout so you can make gains in the next four weeks and then get started in the remote trainer challange. Pretty simple stuff. I'll post my recommendations up if you are interested.
2nd, You have a great base and nice overall size and symmetry, bodybuilding should suit you well.
3rd, sorry this is the bad news, you are around 24% bf, well that's kinda good news too I guess, you will be able to make noticable gains much quicker from where you are. I'm 18% bf, look at my pics on my thread in the diet section "old guy making a comeback"

I am very glad you are on the boards and believe you can accomplish some things with your physique that most couldn't, truly you have a good base, you are at a good age to hit it hard and make progress, and you have at least two years of natural training to see noticable results and then can kick it up with gear, IMO.

[Tony Stacks]

Not really too worried about bf%. 24% is not great, but I'm not going to freak about it. Guess those bf calculators aren't too accurate huh? I have a cycle on hand but have already to decide I need to wait. I want to push my body as far as possible before I jump into gear. I do have the time during the day to train so I'll go ahead and sign up for the challenge.

Any suggestions/recommendations you have for my routine are greatly appreciated!

[Tony Stacks]

Just checked your thread. Please don't take this the wrong way bro, but you don't look all that different from me. Arm are a little more defined but not much else. Maybe I'm missing something. As I've said before.. I'm def no expert. Considering your height & weight it seems that we are pretty much in the same boat. I'm not sure how accurate the bf calculator are, but I did check just yesterday and it said exactly 18.2%
Again, please don't take this the wrong way. No flame intended

[Tony Stacks]

Your updated pics on progress thread look great! What do you think is the best way to get accurate bf%??

[BigBuck6]

I have lot's of news for you...

1st, I can fix your workout so you can make gains in the next four weeks and then get started in the remote trainer challange. Pretty simple stuff. I'll post my recommendations up if you are interested.
2nd, You have a great base and nice overall size and symmetry, bodybuilding should suit you well.
3rd, sorry this is the bad news, you are around 24% bf, well that's kinda good news too I guess, you will be able to make noticable gains much quicker from where you are. I'm 18% bf, look at my pics on my thread in the diet section "old guy making a comeback"

I am very glad you are on the boards and believe you can accomplish some things with your physique that most couldn't, truly you have a good base, you are at a good age to hit it hard and make progress, and you have at least two years of natural training to see noticable results and then can kick it up with gear, IMO.

I couldn't figure out how you measured your BF% by that thread in the diet section but unless it's a bodpod or tank I am not going to rely on it. You may be 18% though as it seems you have more visceral fat through your midsection (based on your age this is common). I feel that Tony however is a bit lower more along the lines of 16% of course you do have to remember that everyone looks a bit different at specific percentages. I have some more information but it will have to wait I am running late as it is.

[Tony Stacks]

I appreciate your input. I also do not think I am 24%BF. May sound cheesy, but too me the pictures actually look a lot different than what I see in the mirror. Please add more when you have some time.
Thanks again!!

[BigBuck6]

I have lot's of news for you...

1st, I can fix your workout so you can make gains in the next four weeks and then get started in the remote trainer challange. Pretty simple stuff. I'll post my recommendations up if you are interested.
2nd, You have a great base and nice overall size and symmetry, bodybuilding should suit you well.
3rd, sorry this is the bad news, you are around 24% bf, well that's kinda good news too I guess, you will be able to make noticable gains much quicker from where you are. I'm 18% bf, look at my pics on my thread in the diet section "old guy making a comeback"

I am very glad you are on the boards and believe you can accomplish some things with your physique that most couldn't, truly you have a good base, you are at a good age to hit it hard and make progress, and you have at least two years of natural training to see noticable results and then can kick it up with gear, IMO.

I couldn't figure out how you measured your BF% by that thread in the diet section but unless it's a bodpod or tank I am not going to rely on it. You may be 18% though as it seems you have more visceral fat through your midsection (based on your age this is common). I feel that Tony however is a bit lower more along the lines of 16% of course you do have to remember that everyone looks a bit different at specific percentages. I have some more information but it will have to wait I am running late as it is.

[BigBuck6]

Sorry about the double post but here are a couple more suggestions. Put at least one day between the deads and squats and you should get better results. Depending on your specific form, you may be using your lower back more than you would like to in the squat or it may just be fatigued from deads and therefore it may be causing your form to be off; at the very least stability is compromised and the risk of injury is increased. Where are t-bar rows on back day? I suggest them to anyone looking to put on mass, they should also give you more of a v-taper making your waistline look smaller. You could sub in dips rather than v-bars on tricep day to further work all the heads of the muscle. On leg day I would like to see a compound hamstrings movement like stiff leg deads or romanian deads if possible. On leg presses make sure to vary your foot placement to hit the quads fully. For your chest routine you may want to switch it up by starting with exercises that recruit the most stabilizers and working down for example incline db presses, flat bench, hammer strength, and finally cables. As for your rep scheme I like to suggest to experiment with different ranges from 3 reps all the way up to 25 or so. Depending on your specific muscle fiber type mosaic, or the percentage of types in your muscles you could be missing out on some serious gains.

[Tony Stacks]

There is no t-bar row machine at my gym. I know, lame. What I can do is use a barbell, putting one end against the wall and clip some cable curl handles together. Maybe use aerobic step ups to put more space between me and the floor to get a good rep in. Also considering doing Legs first day of the week (i'll be sure to add some stiff leg deads) and moving back day to the last day of the week. Dips have always been hard for me, but I have to start somewhere right? I will def use that routine on chest day as well. As far as reps, I start lighter with more reps, then heavy doing at least 5-6 reps. On arm day i'll lift heavy and throw in some 25-30 burner sets as well. One thing I would like to see more defined is my inner chest. Any ideas?

[Tony Stacks]

Up to 300lbs. on bb shrug. 30lb. increase from last week.

[Tony Stacks]

Up to 300lbs. on BB shrugs. 30lb. increase from last week.

[Tony Stacks]

Not sure why I but when I uploaded my double front, it put the pic half way up the thread. Then I double posted cuz I didn't see the first post. Anyways, let me know what you think & apologies for the double post.

[BigBuck6]

As for t-bars yes use the barbell and a close grip row attachment, there really shouldn't be a need for the step because your back should be neutral or slightly/natural arched. I like legs in the beginning and if I hit arms I do them on Friday since they are pretty torn up from chest and back days. As far as dips, I wear a 38" sleeve in a dress shirt so they are hard for me too but definitely worth doing. For the inner chest BF% is really going to allow you to see more striation but for building it do some close grip incline bench press to really target that area. It will also add more overall mass to your chest and pop out those anterior deltoids a bit more.

[Tony Stacks]

38" sleeve?! Nice! I'll def be adding those to my routine. I also need to get on some wide grip pull ups. Close grip incline got it! Started my cut yesterday. I'm so f***** hungry. I'm still eating 7 meals, but I'm use to eating so much more. not to mention i hate cardio. i do high intense bike work. would love to get back on the treadmill but get really back shin splints. Thinking about some clen to speed things up, but i would like to keep this natural to see exactly what i'm capable of. Thanks so much for your help bro i really appreciate it!

[BigBuck6]

Stay off until you reach your full potential, for the shin splints you may want to throw an incline on the treadmill as it puts more stress on the calf.

[Tony Stacks]

Another thing... seems no matter how hard i try my biceps struggle to grow.
bb curl
incline db curl
hammer curls
one arm cable curl

any suggestions?

[tbody66]

Just checked your thread. Please don't take this the wrong way bro, but you don't look all that different from me. Arm are a little more defined but not much else. Maybe I'm missing something. As I've said before.. I'm def no expert. Considering your height & weight it seems that we are pretty much in the same boat. I'm not sure how accurate the bf calculator are, but I did check just yesterday and it said exactly 18.2%
Again, please don't take this the wrong way. No flame intended

None taken. You are probably closer to being right, I think I wasn't taking into account the fact that you aren't flexing.

I couldn't figure out how you measured your BF% by that thread in the diet section but unless it's a bodpod or tank I am not going to rely on it. You may be 18% though as it seems you have more visceral fat through your midsection (based on your age this is common). I feel that Tony however is a bit lower more along the lines of 16% of course you do have to remember that everyone looks a bit different at specific percentages. I have some more information but it will have to wait I am running late as it is.

My gym has the electronic scale that shows. I don't trust these as a rule, but believe that the differences should be accurate as long as you use the same system under the same circumstances. I obviously rely more on the guys from here who have a better idea of guaging that. Like I tell people all the time, what difference does the number make, if you are 12% but can't see your abs because they are covered in fat, or if you are 18% and have a six pack what would it matter. I am working from the understanding that upper abs start to show at 15% and the lower abs at 12%. I do not believe OP is 1% point away from upper abs showing.

I appreciate your input. I also do not think I am 24%BF. May sound cheesy, but too me the pictures actually look a lot different than what I see in the mirror. Please add more when you have some time.
Thanks again!!

I totally understand this, when I look in the mirror and have my lighting right I think I look big and ripped, it certainly has yet to translate through the lens!

Here's the great news, no matter where either of us are, we know where we want to go and we know how to get there. Work smart, work hard, eat clean and grow...grow...grow.

[Tony Stacks]

amen brother!

[tbody66]

My recommendation for the next four weeks, just to take you up to the remote trainer challange:

Mon: Back/Biceps

Deadlifts 5x5
pull-ups 5xfailure
t-bar 5x5 (I don't have the equipment either, I do just what you described for this)
barbell curls 5x5

Tues: Chest/Tris

Bench 5x5
Incline Bench 5x5
Cable Crossovers 5x11
Skull Crushers 5x5
Bench Dips 1xfailure

Wed: Cardio

Thur: Legs

Squats 5x5
SLDL 5x11
Toe Raises 5X21's

Fri: Shoulders/Arms

Military Press 5x5
Barbell Shrugs 5x5
Upright Rows 5x11

Superset all Arms

Rope Pushdowns/Dumbbell Hammer Curls 3 sets with progressive weight to failure (looking to end with 11 good reps)
Reverse Cable Pushdowns/Dumbbell Preacher Curls 3 sets with progressive weight to failure (looking to end with 11 good reps)

Sat: Cardio
Sun: Church

[Tony Stacks]

Looks good. I like the one day off. I will also be doing my cardio following each workout.
I'll post pics a month from yesterday, and update with training info once a week.

Regarding the remote training. I am waiting to hear about an internship for school which will basically be a full time job followed by full time school at night. If I get the internship the challenge will then be unlikely for me. I will keep you posted and hope I will be able to participate. I just don't feel I would be able to give 100% with so much going on.

[Tony Stacks]

Back double bi. I'll get a front double bi posted tomorrow.

[tbody66]

Back double bi. I'll get a front double bi posted tomorrow.

Just making sure, BigBuck6, you are saying OP is 2% lower bodyfat than me in this pic?

[BigBuck6]

Dropping your bf% will help to define your biceps better. Just by looking at the pictures you have posted I would ASSUME that your shoulders have more fast twitch fibers than your chest or back. If your intensity level is different this could also be what I am seeing. Regardless, heavy compound back movements will overload the biceps and brachialis more than any curling could do because they allow you to use more weight. Pull ups will also help with width and close grip rowing movements will pull out the lower lats.

[Tony Stacks]

I def feel that my shoulders & traps are my best feature. I continue to notice the results, and love the workouts. And you're right, back day burns my biceps like crazy. Its seems that the 15-20 rep close grip rows are the most effective.
I did a few sets of dips last night and actually did pretty good. 3 of 6. Not great but hey, it's a good start. I also did some close grip incline for the inner chest. Seemed to tighten right up. Thanks for the tip.
It's shoulder day... can't wait for some HEAVY bb shrugs!!!

[tbody66]

I def feel that my shoulders & traps are my best feature. I continue to notice the results, and love the workouts. And you're right, back day burns my biceps like crazy. Its seems that the 15-20 rep close grip rows are the most effective.
I did a few sets of dips last night and actually did pretty good. 3 of 6. Not great but hey, it's a good start. I also did some close grip incline for the inner chest. Seemed to tighten right up. Thanks for the tip.
It's shoulder day... can't wait for some HEAVY bb shrugs!!!

If you change your close grip incline bench to reverse grip flat bench it is supposed to incorporate47 % more upper chest muscle fiber, it's been fun to throw it in for a change. I don't have that in the above routine, but for future reference.

The back double bi looks good, again a great base, IMO.

[gbrice75]

I'd venture to guesstimate close to 20%. 18% minimum. Not sure how the comparison to TB's BF came about (too lazy to read entire thread) but um... kind of obvious, no?

PS - no offense to the OP - you're doing great bro, keep at it and you will get the results you seek.

[BigBuck6]

I was just saying that it is POSSIBLE considering the different kinds of fat deposits and the age difference between you two. For example, most of my fat is subcutaneous and I lose clear 6-pack at anything over 8.5%. Not to say that you cannot see my abs they are just covered a bit. That is where my body stores fat naturally but I have been measured numerous times anywhere from 7% all the way up to 12%. My whole point to this rambling on is to demonstrate that everyone stores differently and while someone may look low their thoracic cavity may be full of fat internally. Super models are a perfect example of this, they have notoriously high bf% compared to someone while similar stats. I may be wrong on my estimate but it is only an estimate and I am used to using actually equipment to determine bf%.

[Tony Stacks]

I'd venture to guesstimate close to 20%. 18% minimum. Not sure how the comparison to TB's BF came about (too lazy to read entire thread) but um... kind of obvious, no?

PS - no offense to the OP - you're doing great bro, keep at it and you will get the results you seek.

No sweat. As I mentioned above, I'm not worried about my bf%. I know where I am and where I'm heading. I train hard & eat right. I'll get there soon enough.

[gbrice75]

someone may look low their thoracic cavity may be full of fat internally.

I may be wrong on my estimate but it is only an estimate and I am used to using actually equipment to determine bf%.

This would be me. =(

And yes, I agree - I think we do a decent job of estimating on here, i'd say we're within +/- 2% most of the time, some of us obviously better then others - but if one is really concerned with BF%, they should at the very least be measured with skin fold calipers, 9 points.

No sweat. As I mentioned above, I'm not worried about my bf%. I know where I am and where I'm heading. I train hard & eat right. I'll get there soon enough.

Great attitude bro. We all get caught up with numbers too much. I want to weigh this, I want my bodyfat to be that, etc. At the end of the day, it's a number and doesn't really mean sh!t. It's how you feel about yourself when you look in the mirror. Do you like what you see? Some people are 15% bf and are happy with themselves, I say good for them. I need to be very low (10% or less) to feel confident - but that's just me. To each his own, and you will get what you want out of this too.

[Tony Stacks]

I would obviously like to be lower than I am at the current moment. Which is why I do what I do. To be honest, I'm not very concerned with the way my abs look. Covered or cut up, it really holds no water with me. I am cutting right now because I have learned here that it's the right way to go about a true bulk and ultimately begin AAS. If I am not going to take the advice given to me by people who obviously know what they are talking about, then why even come here? I am mostly concerned with my overall size/bulk/weight. Big shoulders, BIG traps, big chest, big arms, and of course big legs. Abs to me is simply a bonus i guess. However; I am no expert. I am here because I need to learn. Let's face it... there is really only so much you can learn from a book. When you connect with people that have already been there and know what it takes, it helps me so much more.

[tbody66]

I would obviously like to be lower than I am at the current moment. Which is why I do what I do. To be honest, I'm not very concerned with the way my abs look. Covered or cut up, it really holds no water with me. I am cutting right now because I have learned here that it's the right way to go about a true bulk and ultimately begin AAS. If I am not going to take the advice given to me by people who obviously know what they are talking about, then why even come here? I am mostly concerned with my overall size/bulk/weight. Big shoulders, BIG traps, big chest, big arms, and of course big legs. Abs to me is simply a bonus i guess. However; I am no expert. I am here because I need to learn. Let's face it... there is really only so much you can learn from a book. When you connect with people that have already been there and know what it takes, it helps me so much more.

Let's get lean and big!

[Tony Stacks]

Indeed