Hey guys,
I’m trying to plan my first training cycle for my first few months of college and this is what I have so far. It’s kind of a cross between a bunch of different programs. The main goal is to create a solid strength and size base by slowly increasing weights on some basic exercises and eating a whole lot. I’m not too worried about imbalances in development right now. I’ll worry about being delt dominant on the bench press later…
Here’s some basic information: I’m 17 years old, 5’10", 160 pounds, bodyfat just under 10% I think. I squat 225 for 5 reps, bench 200 for 5 reps, and deadlift 270 for 5 reps. I have trouble putting on weight so I eat a whole lot and I’m pretty anal about making sure what I eat is clean and making sure that I’ve got all my nutrients. For supplements, I just drink a whey, creatine, glutamine, and BCAA shake after training. Sometimes I’ll drink some BCAAs and glutamine before bed.
And just to be completely clear: My goal is to get very muscular and big, not to be super strong. However I recognize the need to be stronger and have a well-developed CNS before I can actually put on a serious amount of weight, and hopefully this routine is frequent enough for CNS efficiency, and will increase my strength, but also get me a bit bigger (although maybe not as big as a super hypertrophy program or whatever).
So here’s the split, nothing fancy.
Mon - quads, push
Tues - hams, pull
Wed - rest
Thur - quads, push
Fri - rest
Sat - hams, pull
Sun - rest
Workout A (quads, push)
(main exercises)
Back Squat 1-3 X 5
Flat Barbell Press 1-3 X 5
High-Incline Barbell Press 1-3 X 5
(auxilary exercises)
Close-Grip Barbell Press 1-2 X 8
Thick Bar Hold 60sec hold/60sec rest/30sec hold
Incline Reverse Crunches 2 X failure
Neck Raises 2 X 10-15
Workout B (hams, pull)
(main exercises)
Sumo Deadlift 1-3 X 5
Overhand Barbell Row 1-3 X 5
Neutral-Grip Pullups 1-3 X 5
(auxilary exercises)
Incline Barbell Shrugs 2 X 12
Lying Dumbbell Pullovers 2 X 12
Standing Calf Raises 2 X 10
I rest 2-4 minutes between sets (4 minutes for deadlifts and squats, 2-3 for most other stuff, sometimes only a minute for the auxilary exercises).
I lift explosively on the main exercises (as explosively as I can with a 5RM) and I lower under control, but not super slow or anything.
So this is how the cycle works:
I give myself about 3 weeks to work back up to the poundages I was using in my last cycle. So I start with 3 sets of 5 reps of about 85% of my previous 5RM. Each workout I increase the weight until I’m at my previous 5RM.
Then I start increasing the weight in even smaller increments, only 1-2 pounds per workout (so 2-4 pounds a week) with my nifty little .5lb and 1lb plates. When I can no longer increase the weight each week and reach the full 3 sets of 5 reps after two attempts, I decrease the number of sets to 2 sets of 5 reps and do the same until I can’t complete those 2 sets of 5 reps either after two workouts. Then I go down to just 1 set per exercise and remove all auxilary exercises. When the weights stall at this point, I end the cycle and take a couple weeks off, switch up the exercises (same movements, but with variation).
It is my hope that I’ll be able to increase my weights for each exercise by a good 20-25 pounds before the cycle ends. Hopefully, if I’ve eaten enough as well, I’ll have grown several pounds as well.
I’ve got to go now, but I can explain my exercise choices, as well as a better explanation of my long term goals in a future post.
Thanks in advance for any feedback. I’d like to know what you guys think. If any of the coaches want to post anything too, I’d be really happy…