I think this is the right forum for this post. It says “ask for a review of your current workout” which is what I’m after. I’ll try to toss in some humor where I can.
I’m 37. I can’t even believe I just typed that number. Between two kids, a job, an ex wife, a new wife, the new wife’s yappy fucking dog, and some kind of hormonal cliff I fell off of upon turning 35, I put on about 30 lbs of burgers, beer, and blub in the last two years. It’s like I take my shirt off, and I am still wearing another shirt, but it is flesh colored and made of an inch of fat. Not that it wasn’t fun. I had a blast. But this is miserable. Just fucking pathetic. I can’t go on like this.
Anyway. I’m 6’3", 238 pounds. No idea on body fat percentage. I was, at one time, in very impressive shape, and I feel like I know how to do some lifts properly, most notably deads, squats, bench.
My goals are to put on some muscle for two months, then lean out, then rinse and repeat. I’d really like to figure out how to put some mass on my delts and upper back. I’d also like to get some mass on my back between my shoulder blades. Chest grows fine, arms grow fine, legs need to shrink if anything, but my shoulders and back never seem to grow.
Here’s what I’ve been doing:
Day 1
Deadlift 135 x 15 (5 or 6 sets)
Machine row 110 x 15 (5 or 6 sets)
Cable row 70 x 1, 80 x 1, 90 x 1, 80 x 1, 70 x 1
Rear Machine Flyes 30 x 15 (5 sets)
Day 2
Clean and Press 90 x 12 (4 sets right now)
Arnold Press 30 x 12 (usually 3 or 4 sets)
Cable shoulder press 20 x 15 (5 sets)
Front dumbbell raise with rotation 10 x 12 (4 sets)
Side dumbbell raise 10 x 12 (4 sets)
Day 3
Trap bar squat 135 x 12 (4 or 5 sets)
Shoulder shrug machine 90 x 10 (5 sets)
Upright row 65 x 15 (4 sets)
Cable upright row 40 x 15 (5 sets)
Day 4
Cable chest press 60 x 15, 70 x 15, 80 x 15, 70 x 15, 60 x 15, then as many sets of whatever weight felt the best
Overhead Flyes 20 x 15 (5 sets)
Low Flyes 30 x 15 (5 sets)
I’ve been screwing around with this routine for about a month and I’ve seen some results. Weight has stayed exactly the same, which is funny, but my pants don’t fit anymore. I’m starting to see more mass and definition in my upper body, but I have a loooooong way to go. I have more energy which is awesome.
Issues that suck:
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My shoulders are unstable. I have partially torn labrums in both. Left worse than right. They really limit the weight I can do with my shoulders and they completely prevent me from doing flat bench with heavy weight. Luckily, my gym has a cable chest press thing that seems to really fatigue my chest just how it needs to be and it works well.
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I have inconsistent workouts. I always work out early in the morning. I start with a protein shake and an apple and drink BCAs at the gym. Somedays, I can really feel the “mind muscle connection” (I think. WTF do I know?) Other days, I can’t fatigue my muscles at all. It feels like being halfway through a movie you haven’t seen the end of, but you know you’re going to hate it because Keanu Reeves is a shitty actor and that’s just the way things are, but you’ve already spent an hour so you just see it through. . . That’s what some of my workouts are like. 16 Samurai of whatever that steaming pile of film was. I just slog through and come back again and hope for the best.
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I’m confused as hell about supplements. I use protein powder, BCAs, fish oil, and vitamins. I usually get 60 grams of protein a day. I tend to just wing it with the BCAs, like a teenager that has no idea how to make a martini just splashing around some vodka and olives. I don’t know what else I should be taking or how much, and God bless those supplement store guys. . . They try, but I can tell when they are just regurgitating a bunch of bullshit.
I would really appreciate the following:
- Suggestions on movements/alterations of the current movements to increase size on the delts and upper back first, and any suggestions on the spots between the shoulder blades second.
- Suggestions on rep/weight variation.
- Suggestions on how to improve the time I have in the gym, ie when a set or movement just isn’t causing muscle fatigue, what do you guys do?
- Anything else you can think of.
Thanks in advance. I appreciate any thoughts.