New here - need help with routine.

[MyStory]

Hi guys:

I'm 35, weigh 215, and I'm 6'4 and have been working out for about 2 years now.

I'm trying to eat clean ie: white fish and meat primarily with rice and veg so I put on as little fat as possible.

Because of life generally I can get to the gym 4 days out of the week.

This is my typical workout:

Mon - 1 hr chest workout, 1hr cardio
Tues - 1 hr back workout, 1 hr cardio
We'd - 1hr arms and shoulders, 1hr cardio
Thurs - 1 hr legs, 1 hr cardio

My main issue is this plateau I hit. I haven't added weight to pretty much anything for 4 months. Issue is I had a trainer in the past that kept me honest and working at my max weight/reps but now it's hard to do with no spot or encouragement.

I'm also supplement free other than a pre workout mix to keep my energy levels high.

Is there anything I can do to i.prove my workouts or technique to finally put some more weight on the bar?

[kelkel]

Welcome to the forum.

First, what's with the time stuff. Why does it take 1 hr to do a chest workout? Remember, it's not how long you workout, it's the intensity of effort you put in. For example, I train mostly HIT style or an abbreviation of it. I'm able to do chest, bi's and tri's in one hour. Rethink intensity. Volume doesn't matter. When you hit a plateau it means change is necessary. Either training style as discussed above and/or nutrition, which is where most guys fail. You're not growing when you're in the gym, you grow when you're home eating and sleeping.

Don't do cardio on leg day. I also can't imagine anyone needing 4 hrs per week. Hell, most guys pre-BB'ing contest don't do that much. Probably a big culprit in not making gains to be honest.

Don't neglect creatine and a good whey protein powder.

Visit Marcus' Diary in the Lounge and do some reading about hardcore training and the mindset to go with it.

[MyStory]

Hey bud; huge thanks for the reply. I do appreciate it.

I guess I use that routine because that's what the trainer had me doing. From what I gather I should be at least working 2 muscle groups in an hour but that can be difficult too unless the machines are close by another or I get a bench for free weights. It's tough when it's busy but I'll see what I can do!

The cardio was because I wanted to cut a bit for the summer. I've been working out for 2 years and I still don't have the definition I want. I have 7g of creatine isolate in my pre workout mix, is that enough would you say??

[MyStory]

Ok I just watched all the vids on hit training. That's gonna be tough as hell but I'm gonna mirror what's going on in those vids and see if I can muster the willpower lol. Another thing is if I'm working my body that hard I need more calories in my diet. I've already seen some posts on meals and stuff so I'll try and change some things around.

I've got slot of work to do..

[kelkel]

Yes, that's fine for creatine. It's a product that proven effective.
Correct on calories, you can't build muscle unless you eat above maintenance. If I were you I'd visit the Nutrition Forum and post up your diet for review. Basically free Nutritionists there will jump in and help. Nutrition is everything here, without it you will fail.
I understand it's tough sometimes to get the equipment you want in the gym. Just adapt and do something else. Don't get stuck in the same routine.
Check out some video's featuring Dorian Yates regarding HIT training. Do not expect to emulate it immediately but do learn from it.