Another thread testing TEM's patience with me... (n00b strikes again.)

**Hiro Protagonist** · Posted On: 1/11/2009 6:19am

Hi,

So, I've put together a new routine, and would like to hear your opinions.
- I am afraid most of this is terribly n00bish, but neither reading a lot on the web
nor in books did lighten me up so much. In fact, I am surprised how much
I learned from this board in the last few months that should be common knowledge, but apparently is not.

I train four times a week in MA: Monday, and Wednesday to Friday.
(It's the Chun, so I must say it isn't as physically demanding as other MAs.)

In addition, I have a program that I try to execute, depending on how my work allows it:

A morning routine I try to execute daily:

3x SOMETHING with a long barbell, varying every day between curls, pulling it up over my head, and so on. (Sorry, English fails me here. Can't tell how the exercises are named.)

3x Wrist curls.

3x Leg lifts. Never did that before, a true pain. ;)

Thursday & Saturday: Workout for the complete body

Upper body:

3x Latissimus Pull

3x Neck Press

3x Butterfly Pull (pectoralis major)

3x Triceps Pull

3x Biceps Pull (machine)

Abs:

3x Wheel Crunches

3x Side Crunches

3x Lower Back Exercise (no idea how that is called in English)

Legs:

3x Squat Machine (can't do real squats due to ancle injury)

3x Thigh Pull

3x Calf Press

Sunday: Abs

Upper Body:

3x T-Bar (Rhomb muscle? :englishmo)

3x Breast Press

3x Triceps Press

Abs:

3x Abs Machine

3x Side Crunches

3x Reverse Crunches

3x Lower Back Excercise

3x Wheel Crunches

Legs:

3x abductor press

3x adductor press

3x Calf Press

So, what do you think of it/what would you change?
- I should point out that my gym (part of the German McFit chain)
has an emphasis on isolated muscle exercises. - Either you do extremely heavy lifting,
or you go to pumping machines, but there is not much in between.

I should maybe add that I am not in a bad shape or have to loose weight.
I go at 170 cm/63,5 kg, a usual hardgainer, and the only real goal I have with my lifting is to get stronger.

Thank you for your help, and for all the info you have provided me in the last few months!

Yours,

Rafe

**Emevas** · Posted On: 1/11/2009 11:00am

Way too many movements for a full body routine. Pick 3 that hit the whole body and train them heavy.

Try this

Day 1
Squats
Weighted dips
Pull-ups

Day 2
Deadlifts
Ovehead press
Row

3-5 sets, 3-5 reps

**Vorpal** · Posted On: 1/11/2009 11:21am

That's some goddamn good advice right there.

**Hiro Protagonist** · Posted On: 1/12/2009 5:00am

Originally Posted by Emevas

Way too many movements for a full body routine. Pick 3 that hit the whole body and train them heavy.

Try this

Day 1
Squats
Weighted dips
Pull-ups

Day 2
Deadlifts
Ovehead press
Row

3-5 sets, 3-5 reps

Thank you very much!

All that instead of my monster program?!

Wow, that would be cool, thank you! Will start right today!
(Had a busy weekend, will do one extra routine at the gym tonight.)

One more question, though:

I can't due proper squats due to an ancle injury.
Can you please recommend me another exercise that can replace it?

**Hiro Protagonist** · Posted On: 1/12/2009 5:03am

LOL, and yet another thing: Should I keep the Day 3 routine?
- Obviously, it's purely cosmetical, but I would prefer to do it the right way.

**honesty** · Posted On: 1/12/2009 6:03am

Well when you get to a heavy weight, you'll need the rest days between lifting, so a 3 day routine fits nicely into a week.

Its what you want to get out of the training though. To get strong follow what Emevas said. To look strong do isolation exercises like curl etc. and do them at different rep ranges (to simplify!) Personally I lift weights to get strong so I do squats, deadlifts, overhead presses, bench presses and so on.

Squats are the king of exercises, you need to make sure you are doing them properly. I notice you mention having an ankle injury and working squats in the Smith Machine. Don't do this if at all possible. The Smith machine will force you to lift with bad form, which can/will lead to injury. If you have a bad ankle, start squatting properly outside of the Smith Machine, but start the weight light to rehabilitate the injury. Also, work out what type of squat you want to do. For example, I do low bar powerlifting squats. These are different than high bar Olympic squats. Again, if you are training for strength the powerlifting squat allows you to lift more weight (more weight is good) and brings into play more muscles.

Finally, don't just pick a weight, look up progressive loading. This is where you try to do a number of sets and reps, and if you succeed you increase the weight you lift next time by a set amount. You do this every time you succeed. Until you stall. Look up stalling. To give an example, I do 3 sets of 5 reps, and add 2.5kg (5lbs) each session if I complete my 3x5.

**Emevas** · Posted On: 1/12/2009 10:23am

Really, even for "looking strong", I would suggest isolation sculpting exercises, as they're more a finishing technique rather than a mass building routine. Being strong and looking strong is pretty much the same thing (as really, you can't look strong without being strong, and vise versa).

Regarding squat choice, there should be no dichotomy, train all types of squats to develop strength in all types of ranges. For the routine I posted previously, one could do 6 weeks of powerlifting low bar squats and 6 weeks of olympic high bar ATG squats, or front squats, zerchers, etc.

Sparta: What kind of ankle injury?

**Hiro Protagonist** · Posted On: 1/12/2009 12:09pm

Twisted it badly while I was chasing a girl through a forest.
- During a game at a boyscout camp. ;-D

Doctor told me basically that I would have to wait four to six months until it work well again.

That was in early June, but I guess my continuing training has delayed the process a bit.

In effect, I feel pain when I overextend the foot forward (raising it to the knee), or respectively, when I put on a lot of pressure on the leg, like having a barbell over my shoulders and moving up and down.

I'll try it, though, since my ankle got much better over the holidays.

Apart from that, I am really outside the "sculpting league" - that's exactly the point with my new program:

I have done "sculpting" since I enlisted at that gym in early 2002, and I really feel that I've reached a certain personal limit with it, in the sense that the workouts are too long and the progress is diminishing.

**Emevas** · Posted On: 1/12/2009 1:27pm

Yeah, see what you can do. You may give box squats a go with a focus on keeping your shins perpendicular to the floor by sitting back far, or maybe front squats as you'll use significantly less weight on your sets.

**Hiro Protagonist** · Posted On: 1/13/2009 3:35am

Thank you!

Originally Posted by Emevas

Day 1
Squats
Weighted dips
Pull-ups

So, today I will do this, without any further addition:

Fifteen minutes on the stepper before and afterwards, but that will be it!

Is this then a full program, as you would recommend it?

- And since I am still not clear about it: Shall I keep my Day 3 workout, or is there a way to modify it as well?

BTW, I am absolutely amazed by this - it is comparatively short and will be pretty intense! Will save me like 60% of the time I usually spend training, which in turn gives me more time for other villainies.