T Nation

First Routine I've Come Up With

Bodybuilding
#1

Hey, so I’ve been working out and eating clean for 5 months, I’m 15. I’ve been doing a full body split with full upper body being done Monday/Wednesday/Friday
I feel that it’s time for a body part split and I have gathered that past a certain point, this is the way to progress.
I am also tightening up my diet and am currently recording everything that I eat/drink for 2 weeks. I will take pictures today and in 2 weeks. I don’t expect major changes, but it can’t hurt.
Here is the routine that I have come up with:

Week 1
Monday: back/arms
3xMax horizontal to the floor machine Rows
3xMax palms facing me Pull Ups
3xMax shoulder width grip cable Rear-Delt Rows
3xMax standing, little wider than shoulder width grip Rows, pulling bar to chest
4xMax lower back hyperextensions, holding plate in hands

3xMax dumbbell full arm Curls
3xMax hammer Curls
3xMax shoulder width grip EZ Curl bar Curls
3xMaxClosed rip EZ Curl bar Curls
3xMax wide grip EZ Curl bar Curls

3xMax closed grip Skull Crushers
3xMax cable Tricep extensions with bar, hands parallel to the floor
3xMax cable Tricep extensions with rope, hands vertical to the floor

3xMax behind the back EZ Curl bar closed grip Wrist Curls
3xMax EZ Curl bar reverse Wrist Curls over a bench

Tuesday: legs/abs
3xMax one-legged downward leg pushes, Squat movement but no stress on the spine
3xMax seated Leg Curls
3xMax seated reverse Leg Curls
3xMax one-legged standing Calf Raises on a platform holding a wall for support, weight belt if needed

2xMax Sit Ups
2xMax lying Leg Raises
2xMax elbow to knee Crunches
2xMax Crunches

Wednesday: chest/shoulders
3xMax dumbbell Flat Bench
3xMax Dumbell Inclined Bench
3xMax Declined Bench
3xMax Dips
3xMax machine Flys

3xMax machine seated Shoulder Press
3xMax shoulder width grip, seated, behind the head cable Pull Downs
3xMax dumbbell arms straight Side Raises
3xMax dumbbell arms straight Front Raises
Thursday: legs/abs
same as before

Friday: back/arms
same as before

Saturday: abs/cardio
2xMax Sit Ups
2xMax lying Leg Raises
2xMax elbow to knee Crunches
2xMax Crunches
5 3-4 minute heavy bag kickboxing sessions
1 hour of HIIT cardio on the elliptical

Sunday: cardio
5 3-4 minute heavy bag kickboxing sessions
1 hour of HIIT cardio on the elliptical

Week 2
Monday: chest/arms
3xMax dumbbell Flat Bench
3xMax Dumbell Inclined Bench
3xMax Declined Bench
3xMax Dips
3xMax machine Flys

3xMax dumbbell full arm Curls
3xMax hammer Curls
3xMax shoulder width grip EZ Curl bar Curls
3xMaxClosed rip EZ Curl bar Curls
3xMax wide grip EZ Curl bar Curls

3xMax closed grip Skull Crushers
3xMax cable Tricep extensions with bar, hands parallel to the floor
3xMax cable Tricep extensions with rope, hands vertical to the floor

3xMax behind the back EZ Curl bar closed grip Wrist Curls
3xMax EZ Curl bar reverse Wrist Curls over a bench

Tuesday: legs
same as before

Wednesday: back/shoulders
3xMax horizontal to the floor machine Rows
3xMax palms facing me Pull Ups
3xMax shoulder width grip cable Rear-Delt Rows
3xMax standing, little wider than shoulder width grip Rows, pulling bar to chest
4xMax lower back hyperextensions, holding plate in hands

3xMax machine seated Shoulder Press
3xMax shoulder width grip, seated, behind the head cable Pull Downs
3xMax dumbbell arms straight Side Raises
3xMax dumbbell arms straight Front Raises

Thursday: legs
same as before

Friday: chest/arms
same as before

Saturday: abs/cardio
same as before

Sunday: cardio
same as before

-reps will be done about 1-2 reps less than max with the last set of an exercise done to failure

Goals: constantly increasing strength/size/definition/ overall health
Diet: mostly meat/fish/vegetables. I am recording everything that I eat for two weeks.
Supplements: Protein Powder, Creatine, BCAAs capsules, Buffered Vitamin C capsules, Colostrum Gold, Cod Liver Oil, Vitamin E capsules

I was thinking of doing this 3x8 maybe and moving up in weight whenever I can do 8 reps on all sets.

This is the first real routine that I have ever come up with, so any advice on how to improve this is appreciated.
Thank You

#2

You’re putting way too much thought into your routine. You’ve been lifting for 5 months, and just moving to a split alone will renew growth tendencies. Also, you should be doing back and chest at least once a week each, if not more often. If you’re doing squats and deadlifts, you won’t need to do any ab work because you are working them so well during those lifts.

Also, the whole “3 x max” thing is confusing me. Are you doing 1 set of 3 with your max weight you can do for 3 reps or are you doing 3 sets with a 1 rep max? Or do you mean that you’re doing 3 sets with as much weight as you can, but for actually more than 1 rep? If you want to list how many sets and how many reps of an exercise you plan on doing, do it like this:

Barbell Benchpress: 3x10 (This indicates that I am doing 3 sets of 10 reps. We will already assume that the 10 reps will be very close to your 10-rep max for that exercise. No one cares how much weight you are using.) If you are actually doing 3 sets of each of those variations of the exercises, then that is WAY too much volume for 1 day. You need to cut that in about 1/3 of what the routine is, half at most.

Just remember that if you are trying to gain weight and you have trouble doing so, you really shouldn’t do so. With this statement said, keep in mind that this is a bodybuilding site and not a men’s health site. Bodybuilders don’t do cardio for health as the primary reason. They do it for losing fat. But by all means, don’t let me stop you. Just keep in mind that if you do cardio, make sure you eat enough to compensate for such things.

As for the supplements, what I have seen as a trend is young teens such as yourself thinking that supplements are the answer to getting swole. Just remember that this is completely untrue. The basics for supplements include fish oil, creatine, protein powder, and multi-vitamins (bodybuilder ones). Eat carbs and protein before and after you work out because your workout is the most stressful part of your day.

It looks like your diet is lacking carbs. If you are trying to gain weight, you will most likely need carbs. I don’t know your body, so I can’t say for sure, but most people eat plenty of complex carbs when they are trying to gain weight so that they have plenty of energy. Eat tons.

Well, that’s all I care to say. My friends are watching the “Back to the Future” trilogy as we speak, so I’m missing out on some pretty serious shit. Good luck.

#3

By 3xMax, I meant 3 sets of the max weight I can do for 10-12 reps, but I’ve been thinking of moving to doing 3x8 and moving up in weight when I can do 8 reps for all 3 sets.

About the chest and back: I’m doing chest twice a week and back once for one week and then back twice and chest once for the next week.

#4

Yeah, that’s a ton of volume you have there. I would tone it down a bit. Also, you seem to be working muscles that are already being worked on any given day. Instead of doing back and arms or chest and arms on one day, do back and calves or chest and traps on one day. Here’s my routine:

Day 1: Legs and Shoulders
Day 2: Back and Calves
Day 3: Chest and Traps
Day 4: Biceps and Triceps

As you can see, I make sure that I don’t work muscles on a day where they’ve already been worked.

#5

Not only does it seem like a lot of volume, it also seems like you have a lot of redundant exercise choices.

#6

You are 15 and very new to lifting. It is my opinion that you would do far more for yourself finding a good solid total body training program and working on that for a couple of months. You have made your own program, but it has an excessive amount of volume with a poor exercise selection and poor set/rep scheme.

You are a beginner, stick to a program that has been designed for someone like you. With total body training, or an upper/lower split you will be able to recruit more muscle fibers more often which should stimulate more growth in a new lifter, leave the full splits for those with a more advanced training age.

You are 15, but height/weight. You are tightening your diet, but restricting calories may be the worst thing for you right now. We need more information.

You are a beginner, stick to what has worked for others and programs that were designed by experienced individuals. The lifts that you should focus on are in this order are: deadlift/squat/chin up/dip/bench.

Good job writing everything that you eat down, that is a very smart move. Good job starting young, now is time your you to get some experience.

#7

Here’s a revised one after talking to Gerdy. He took out the dips and changed up my Bicep exercises and some other things. We’re still revising it though.

Week 1
Monday: back/arms
2x8 palms facing me Pull Ups
2x8 Palms facing away Pull Ups
3x8 horizontal to the floor machine Rows
3x8 shoulder width grip cable Rear-Delt Rows
3x8 standing, little wider than shoulder width grip Rows, pulling bar to chest
4x30 lower back hyperextensions, holding plate in hands to chest

3x8 barbell Curls
3x8 Hamer Curls
3x8 dumbell full arm Curls
3x8 dumbell Preacher Curls

3x8 closed grip Skull Crushers
3x8 cable Tricep extensions with bar, hands parallel to the floor
3x8 cable Tricep extensions with rope, hands vertical to the floor

3x14 behind the back EZ Curld bar closed grip Wrist Curls
3x14 barbell reverse wrist curls
Tuesday: legs/abs
4x12 one-legged downward leg pushes, Squat movement but no stress on the spine
4x12 seated one-legged Curls
4x12 seated reverse leg Curls
4x12 one-legged standing Calf Raises on a platform holding a wall for support, weight belt if needed

2xMax Sit Ups
2xMax lying Leg Raises
2xMax elbow to knee Crunches
2xMax Crunches

Wednesday: chest/shoulders
3x8 dumbbell Flat Bench
3x8 Dumbell Inclined Bench
3x8 dumbell Declined Bench
3x8 machine Flys

3x8 machine seated Shoulder Press
3x8 shoulder width grip, seated, behind the head cable Pull Downs
3x8 palms facing me dumbbell Shoulder Press
3x8 dumbbell arms straight Side Raises
3x8 dumbbell arms straight Front Raises
Thursday: legs/abs
same as before

Friday: back/arms
same as before

Saturday: abs/cardio
2xMax Sit Ups
2xMax lying Leg Raises
2xMax elbow to knee Crunches
2xMax Crunches
5 3-4 minute heavy bag kickboxing sessions
1 hour of HIIT cardio on the elliptical

Sunday: cardio or off
5 3-4 minute heavy bag kickboxing sessions
1 hour of HIIT cardio on the elliptical

Week 2
Monday: chest/arms
3x8 dumbbell Flat Bench
3x8 Dumbell Inclined Bench
3x8 Declined Bench
3x8 machine Flys

3x8 barbell curls
3x8 hammer Curls
3x8 dumbell full arm Curls
3x8 dumbell Preacher Curls

3x8 closed grip Skull Crushers
3x8 cable Tricep extensions with bar, hands parallel to the floor
3x8 cable Tricep extensions with rope, hands vertical to the floor

3x14 behind the back EZ Curl bar closed grip Wrist Curls
3x14 barbell reverse Wrist Curls

Tuesday: legs
same as before

Wednesday: back/shoulders
2x8 palms facing me Pull Ups
2x8 Palms facing away Pull Ups
3x8 horizontal to the floor machine Rows
3x8 shoulder width grip cable Rear-Delt Rows
3x8 standing, little wider than shoulder width grip Rows, pulling bar to chest
4x30 lower back hyperextensions, holding plate in hands to chest

3x8 machine seated Shoulder Press
3x8 shoulder width grip, seated, behind the head cable Pull Downs
3x8 palms facing me dumbbell Shoulder Press
3x8 dumbbell arms straight Side Raises
3x8 dumbbell arms straight Front Raises

Thursday: legs
same as before

Friday: chest/arms
same as before

Saturday: abs/cardio
same as before

Sunday: cardio/off
same as before