Help with my workout!

T

TekToN

0
Howdy. I just recently got back to my college town (here in Lawrence, Kansas) and back to having a rec. I just picked up some creatine mono as well as some muscle mass stuff and I am ready to start lifting!
I want to do this right so PLEASE HELP ME OUT HERE! I have lost a lot of fat this summer from doing interval training and abs. Essentially I just wanted to get skinny to get a good frame to put muscle mass onto.
My specs are :
5'11.5
Weight: 148.5
Gender: Male
Body Fat: ~ 10% (If I had to guess, you guys can tell me better than I can guess)
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My current work out is weights 4 days a week (Wednesday pure cardio) with a 3 mile jog at the end of each workout, 6 miles on wednesdays. (If that's to much cardio, or is going to limit muscle building-- let me know.

Here's what my work out is:

Monday: Squat 3 x 12, Hang Cleans 3 x 10, Leg curls 3 x 12, Leg press 3 x 12, Weighted Lounges 3 x 12. + 3 mile run
Tuesday: 3x12 Bench, 3x12 dumbell flys, 3x12 deadlift, 3x12 Pull-downs, 3x12 nose breakers, 3x12 curls, 3x12 shrugs, also push-ups. + 3 mile run
Wednesdays: Cardio 6 miles
Thursday//friday -- essentially same as Monday and Tuesday with a little change in lifts.
Saturday and Sunday- 3 Mile jog each day
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My goal is to put on lots of muscle and look good and be healthy. I also am trying to get my squat back up to my old HS record for my weight (355)

Anyways. Please be harsh and honest and tell me what you guys honestly think about the routine, as I don't get butt hurt often. It's also worth noting I eat very healthy but do drink on weekends but I'll live with it

Here's my starting figure as of July 28th:

276.jpg
 
Before I get started what does your diet look like? Calories, protein/carb/fat ratio, specific supplements etc etc. If you're looking to gain muscle without putting on extra weight that's really where the battle is going to be.

For muscle growth your cardio volume is a bit too high for my liking, if you had more fat on you I would say keep it but you're just going to eat into your results if you keep it up like that. I would limit your cardio to a max of 3 hours a week, if that's broken up into 6 30 minutes or however you would like, just focus on the time as instead of the millage.

Your weight routine looks alirght, I would do one of two things.
1. Put all of your leg training on two days. Monday/Thursday or Tuesday Friday, and your upper body training on the days following with a day of rest/cardio/stretching in-between.
or
2. Do a push pull. Bench and squat on one day, dead lift and back (pull ups etc) on the second day. Most of your muscle groups can be spit into push or pull, so if a muscle brings the weight closer to your body typically pull, and further away is a push. Lunges would be a pull in my book, same with cleans.

Also, I would try and find replacements for machine exercises. Unless you're going to be a body builder they're not that useful, I like a glute/ham raise instead of leg curls.

How does all that sound?

As far as your goals go it sounds like your 2 main ones are 1. Gain muscle & stay lean. 2. Increase your squat. If those aren't what you're looking for be honest, because in my experience the clients I have who have 2 extremely specific goals get there faster than anyone else.
-K
 
Kian said:
Before I get started what does your diet look like? Calories, protein/carb/fat ratio, specific supplements etc etc. If you're looking to gain muscle without putting on extra weight that's really where the battle is going to be.

For muscle growth your cardio volume is a bit too high for my liking, if you had more fat on you I would say keep it but you're just going to eat into your results if you keep it up like that. I would limit your cardio to a max of 3 hours a week, if that's broken up into 6 30 minutes or however you would like, just focus on the time as instead of the millage.

Your weight routine looks alirght, I would do one of two things.
1. Put all of your leg training on two days. Monday/Thursday or Tuesday Friday, and your upper body training on the days following with a day of rest/cardio/stretching in-between.
or
2. Do a push pull. Bench and squat on one day, dead lift and back (pull ups etc) on the second day. Most of your muscle groups can be spit into push or pull, so if a muscle brings the weight closer to your body typically pull, and further away is a push. Lunges would be a pull in my book, same with cleans.

Also, I would try and find replacements for machine exercises. Unless you're going to be a body builder they're not that useful, I like a glute/ham raise instead of leg curls.

How does all that sound?

As far as your goals go it sounds like your 2 main ones are 1. Gain muscle & stay lean. 2. Increase your squat. If those aren't what you're looking for be honest, because in my experience the clients I have who have 2 extremely specific goals get there faster than anyone else.
-K
Click to expand...


First, thank you for your helpful response! My diet has me eating a little over 2,400 calories on a typical day. I eat lots of fruit, and even more veggies. I get protein from my supplements and lean meat like tuna, turkey, ham, some other products. The supplements I take are called, one is Professional Strength Creatine-- GNC and Walmart sell it. The other is called Muscle Milk, which recommends, that you should take 4 serving of the stuff ( which is 1,100 calories and 56g of protein) so I'm hesitant about that and only take 1 serving of that stuff.

As for lifting and cardio-- I like your idea on the push pulls and will follow up on that. As for cardio, you say roughly 30 minutes a day, for me that's (on my typical pace) 4 miles a day soooo ya... I mean I can lower my running obviously (even though I enjoy doing it), just I need to know HOW MUCH. \


As for my goals, obviously the first one (getting muscle staying lean) is the most important as the second one is something I just want to do for myself. I'm fairly confident I can get to my second goal in decent time, I just squatted for the first time today in a year and maxed at 275, so we'll see...
Anyways, any further assistance would be great!
 
Also, I work abs roughly 2 times a week (HARD). Is that sufficient enough for ab work outs or do I need to up that to 3 or 4 times a week?
 
I would recommend you try a TBT plan like Bill Star's 5x5 (google it) and stop running on weight training days. You seem to be in very decent aerobic condition, so 3 days a week of running should be plenty to maintain or even increase your aerobic conditioning. I'd stick with 2 3 mile runs a week (or HIIT 2 times a week) and maybe extend the long run on the third day to a longer distance than 6 miles if you feel up to it. And take one day completely off a week. Your body needs rest for long term growth!
 
I love 5x5 plans, they are a fantastic way to build strength. If you want to incorporate one into your workout I would wait until you've done your program for at least 4 weeks then switch over to a 5x5 for 4 weeks. For some reason a minimum of 4 weeks is a lot of people's sweet spot with periodization.

Your calories are about right for a muscle building phase, so that's good. I really like muscle milk, but 1100 calories of it? You're right to only take a quarter of the serving.
Good to hear you eat your fruits and veggies, a lot of guys I talk to have a misconception that because of the sugar in fruits you shouldn't eat them, and that's a load of junk.

As far as abs go (this is one of my favorite topics). You can work them every day, but here is a mandate: unless you want to make your abs bigger (in exactly the same way your biceps get bigger) do very little weighted ab work. You have a lean enough physique that it won't impact you too much, but core strength is more about definition and aiding in your other lifts than hypertrophy (making a muscle larger). There is room for weighted ab work for athletes, and if you really want to make your squat big (400+) you might need to look into it. 2 quick pointers,1 make sure you're contracting your deep core muscle by drawing in, think about putting a pair of pants on that are too small. and 2 draw up with your pelvic floor (think about the last time you stepped into cold water). That will create a much more stable base to move from.

If your gym offers classes and you're looking to mix things up I would highly recommend taking a Pilates class. I teach Pilates and it's helped my power lifts and my olypic lifts so much.
 
Kian said:
I love 5x5 plans, they are a fantastic way to build strength. If you want to incorporate one into your workout I would wait until you've done your program for at least 4 weeks then switch over to a 5x5 for 4 weeks. For some reason a minimum of 4 weeks is a lot of people's sweet spot with periodization.

Your calories are about right for a muscle building phase, so that's good. I really like muscle milk, but 1100 calories of it? You're right to only take a quarter of the serving.
Good to hear you eat your fruits and veggies, a lot of guys I talk to have a misconception that because of the sugar in fruits you shouldn't eat them, and that's a load of junk.

As far as abs go (this is one of my favorite topics). You can work them every day, but here is a mandate: unless you want to make your abs bigger (in exactly the same way your biceps get bigger) do very little weighted ab work. You have a lean enough physique that it won't impact you too much, but core strength is more about definition and aiding in your other lifts than hypertrophy (making a muscle larger). There is room for weighted ab work for athletes, and if you really want to make your squat big (400+) you might need to look into it. 2 quick pointers,1 make sure you're contracting your deep core muscle by drawing in, think about putting a pair of pants on that are too small. and 2 draw up with your pelvic floor (think about the last time you stepped into cold water). That will create a much more stable base to move from.

If your gym offers classes and you're looking to mix things up I would highly recommend taking a Pilates class. I teach Pilates and it's helped my power lifts and my olypic lifts so much.
Click to expand...

Hey! Thanks for the pointers. I think I'll stick with my current routine for another few weeks and switch over to a 5x5 workout. In short, a 5x5 is just lifts for 5 reps and 5 sets correct?

Also, maybe i'll cut my abs back to work them maybe only twice or once a week. When I do work them, I work them extremely hard so they do need amble time to recover. Any other advice you have would be great.
 
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