Okay, I think you’re getting closer.
Let’s take a look at your split.
Modified Beginner’s Blast off Split:
Monday: Back and Biceps (Deadlift Day)
Pull-ups (3x6)
Heavy Deadlifts (?)
Light Squats [??]
Dumbbell Rows (3x6)
Pull-Downs (light, to try to isolate the lats) (2x8)
1. Drop the Pull-downs. They are pointless. “Isolation” is also a silly notion. Your body works as a unit. You are not Frankenstein, so don’t train your body as a collection of parts.
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Put the heavy deadlifts first in your workout. Pull three sets or so of 3-5 reps at 80%+ of your 1RM. You have no idea what that is right now, but it should feel tough but doable. Put the light squats at the end, you’re just going to be doing a few reps to recall the “groove” of the movement, plus this gives some time for your posterior chain to recover somewhat.
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The revised day will look like this:
Deadlifts 3x(3-5)
Pullups 3x6
DB Rows 3x6
Squats 3x6-8 (concentrate on form, not weight).
Tuesday: Chest and Triceps
Dumbbell Bench Press (4x6)
Dumbbell Flyes (3x6)
Lying Tricep Extension (Skull crushers) (3x6)
Parallel Bar Dips (weighted) (3x6)
This looks fine, though I don’t like DB flyes. Just a matter of personal choice.
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Quads and Hamstrings (Squat Day)
Heavy Squats [Should/can I also add front squats - I like those very much]
Light Deadlifts (or light Deadlift Variation)
Lying hamstring curls
Lunges (Same leg)
1. I think lying hamstring leg curls are a pretty worthless exercise. I’m sure some people like them, but not me. Pulling deadlifts and deadlift variations will strengthen the hammies much more than lying leg curls. So use a better exercise.
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Heavy Back Squats: 3x(3-5)
Front Squats 3x6
Finish with a hamstring exercise–do a search for “hamstrings” on the search engine, and check out the articles by TC, John Davies, and Christian T. Pick ones that look interesting and/or doable. You can try different ones each week until you find one that you like. Follow their loading advice.
Pull some light (“speed”) deadlifts for 3x6-8 reps.
Friday: Shoulders, Calves, and Abs
Dumbbell Overhead Press
Dumbbell Shrugs
Rear Delt Raises on Incline Bench (1 extended set)
Standing Calf Raises- 2 sets
Sitting Calf Raises- 2 sets
It looks like you have plenty of experience with this part of the equation. Looks fine.
***Need to devise abs workout, still working on it
Consider hanging leg raises. I also like standing weighted crunches because they work the abs in the same plane of motion that you’re deadlifting and squatting in. Remember to keep the reps low on these as well! Trust me, “ripped, rugged and dense” isn’t bull. More resting levels of tension in the muscle will lead to more definition… so don’t be afraid to keep the reps low and weight/resistance high. (Oh, and if you haven’t read that yet, check it out. “Ripped, Rugged and Dense” by Joel Marion. You can find it in the search engine.)
You know what I just realized? You built up this whole program without any direct bicep work! That’s huge. Most “upper-body” only people are addicted to direct bicep work. I’m not opposed to it, I just think it’s good that you’re experimenting on doing a cycle without it. I would stick with this cycle for a while–about 4-6 weeks, and then go on to something else, either hypertrophy or a different strength program.
Dan “italics” McVicker