Question for Prof X and other Experienced People

I’ve been doing a routine of chest shoulders tris calfs abs/ legs back bis and rotating these every other day so that one week I"m in the gym 3 days, the next 4 days.

My routine looks like this.

Day 1

bench press 3x 6-8
shoulder press 3x 8-10
incline dumbell flys 3x 8-10
lateral shoulder raises 2x10-12
tricep pushdowns 3x 8-12
calf raises 3x 6-10
seated calf raises 2x10-12
abs I do the ab wheel, leg raises and weighted sit ups

Day 2

squat 3x6-8
deadlift 3x5
one legged leg press 2x10-12
The program says leg curls but I do stiff leg deadlifts 2x10-12
rows 3x 6-8
lat pull downs 3x8-10
barbell bicep curls 3x8-12 and I like to add in some wrist curls.

I know a lot of people say its good to do a body part split, but for where I’m at right now, my body is ready to hit the same part within 3 or 4 days so I think its def good that I"m hitting each body part 2 times a week. The only slight issues I have is that I cant shoulder press as heavy as I used to becuase I’m doing it after bench press and cant bicep curl as much as I would normally be able to since they’re fatigued from back.

At my stage of development would this program be ideal? I was also considering an upper lower split 4 days a week or possibly a push pull where its either 4 or 5 days in the gym but less frequency. The last workout I benched 205 5 times(highest ever was 230 5 times), squatted 215( most I"ve every done last year was 325 just started low adding 10 pounds a workout) deadlifted 350(highest at peak was 365), and military pressed 105( used to do 155 last year).

I’m 28 years old now and realized I’ve wasted a lot of time spinning my wheels so I need to make a big push to get huge like I’ve always wanted to be. I’m 6’4 213 right now. I’ve had issues with a pot belly but I’m thinking maybe I’ll just have to live with that if I want to get big. Just want some advice and feedback on what its going to take. I’m eating 3400 calories on workout days and 2700 on non workout days

Just eat and lift man. You still have a lot of work to do to get out of the beginner stage here. Just pick any of the 1000’s of programs on this site and stick with it for a year and then come back.

There is no magic program that will be “best” for you - they all will work.

[quote]mezcal wrote:
Just eat and lift man. You still have a lot of work to do to get out of the beginner stage here. Just pick any of the 1000’s of programs on this site and stick with it for a year and then come back.

There is no magic program that will be “best” for you - they all will work.[/quote]

Not quite. Pretty much everyone who subscribes to this site “just eats and lifts.” How come they don’t all look like Zraw?

[quote]jskrabac wrote:
Not quite. Pretty much everyone who subscribes to this site “just eats and lifts.” How come they don’t all look like Zraw? [/quote]

Look at his numbers. I’m a noob too so feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, but everything I’ve read on this site by anyone with any credibility has said that when you’re middling around still at beginner numbers, almost any balanced program (and diet) will be fine, as long as you’re consistently progressing and being intelligent about it.

Summary: there’s no need for him to lift like Ronnie Coleman when he’s as strong as McLovin and a beginner program will suffice just fine.

I’m really dedicated to this goal of getting huge, I buy a lot of food, cook my own food and eat primarily chicken breast and vegetables, cottage cheese with fruit and whey protein oatmeal with peanut butter, eggs and egg whites with cheese, sweet potatoes and yams, cashews and pistachios, and take creatine, fish oil, beef liver pills, and I eat this everyday.

Is there anything I need to add? I’m finding that squatting every 4 days rather than every 2 motivates me to go to the gym more, but in a way I feel like maybe I’m short changing gains. Is my routine sound or does it need to be split into a push pull legs? It feels like I’ve been at this for such a long time and it consumes so much of my time, but in the past I know I lacked 100% consistency and missed workouts, took weeks off and changed goals from cutting to bulking too much.

I just want to make sure I’m on the right path so that by the time I’m 31 or so I definitely will be huge. Would it be smarter to maybe jump back on starting strength and get my squats and deads up even faster or is what I’m doing a good program for my goals.

You should definitely not, not do Starting Strenght.

[quote]jskrabac wrote:

Not quite. Pretty much everyone who subscribes to this site “just eats and lifts.” How come they don’t all look like Zraw? [/quote]

Lol…I can think of at least one very good reason…

[quote]mezcal wrote:

[quote]jskrabac wrote:
Not quite. Pretty much everyone who subscribes to this site “just eats and lifts.” How come they don’t all look like Zraw? [/quote]

Look at his numbers. I’m a noob too so feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, but everything I’ve read on this site by anyone with any credibility has said that when you’re middling around still at beginner numbers, almost any balanced program (and diet) will be fine, as long as you’re consistently progressing and being intelligent about it.
[/quote]

While I agree that this is true, any decent program and diet will help a begginer make gains, why shouldnt a noob take advantage of these “begginer gains” by having an “optimal” diet/program…?

Why should one wait to be at an intermediate level for this?

Having a structured routine will break into the newbie the habit of discipline which (the lack of) is the downfall of many in the beginning.

[quote]The3Commandments wrote:

[quote]jskrabac wrote:

Not quite. Pretty much everyone who subscribes to this site “just eats and lifts.” How come they don’t all look like Zraw? [/quote]

Lol…I can think of at least one very good reason…[/quote]

if only it was just that easy though. not saying its not a reason but it seems like a lot of people put way too much emphasis on such things lately as far as im concerned :frowning:

[quote]zraw wrote:

[quote]The3Commandments wrote:

[quote]jskrabac wrote:

Not quite. Pretty much everyone who subscribes to this site “just eats and lifts.” How come they don’t all look like Zraw? [/quote]

Lol…I can think of at least one very good reason…[/quote]

if only it was just that easy though. not saying its not a reason but it seems like a lot of people put way too much emphasis on such things lately as far as im concerned :([/quote]

What do you mean, are you saying people are putting down your achievements because of your openness about anabolics?

[quote]zraw wrote:

[quote]The3Commandments wrote:

[quote]jskrabac wrote:

Not quite. Pretty much everyone who subscribes to this site “just eats and lifts.” How come they don’t all look like Zraw? [/quote]

Lol…I can think of at least one very good reason…[/quote]

if only it was just that easy though. not saying its not a reason but it seems like a lot of people put way too much emphasis on such things lately as far as im concerned :([/quote]

It makes me happy to hear things like this from those who have been there and done the thing. Makes it a lot easier to chill out and be patient as a young’n

[quote]mezcal wrote:

[quote]jskrabac wrote:
Not quite. Pretty much everyone who subscribes to this site “just eats and lifts.” How come they don’t all look like Zraw? [/quote]

Look at his numbers. I’m a noob too so feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, but everything I’ve read on this site by anyone with any credibility has said that when you’re middling around still at beginner numbers, almost any balanced program (and diet) will be fine, as long as you’re consistently progressing and being intelligent about it.

Summary: there’s no need for him to lift like Ronnie Coleman when he’s as strong as McLovin and a beginner program will suffice just fine.[/quote]

I suppose I have a different experience. I train at a gym full of competitors and see new-ish lifters with impressive hamstrings who I never see doing RDLs with anything more than a buck 85 on the bar…YET, you can see damned well they are connecting with that muscle the whole way down and understand control, time under tension, and blah blah blah. Contrast that with someone like me who was deadlifting 500lb for triples and had shit for hammies when I started there.

There’s a whole other world out there focused on training optimally from the onset and learning the right form on all lifts. A structured program like WS4SB, 5/3/1, etc. does not even remotely touch on any of that stuff. And I’m not talking about “good form” as in SAFE form, I mean optimal for the target muscle. Never too early to learn such things alongside progressing in strength, mobility, etc. In fact, it is BETTER to learn them right away instead of having to unlearn bad habits and relearn all this shit later on like most of us have to do when we REALLY make the jump to a bodybuilding focus.

Don’t get me wrong, these popular training programs are great for recreational lifters or guys looking to get into lifting more for improving athletic performance later on. But to the newer lifters who are serious about eventually stepping on stage or having a very aesthetic fitness model look…the landscape changes dramatically.

[quote]zraw wrote:

[quote]The3Commandments wrote:

[quote]jskrabac wrote:

Not quite. Pretty much everyone who subscribes to this site “just eats and lifts.” How come they don’t all look like Zraw? [/quote]

Lol…I can think of at least one very good reason…[/quote]

if only it was just that easy though. not saying its not a reason but it seems like a lot of people put way too much emphasis on such things lately as far as im concerned :([/quote]
No kidding. Not trying to kiss your ass but anybody that’s followed your threads know that you bust your ass in the gym, bust your ass in the kitchen, and also sacrifice a lot of money and time for what you have achieved. Pretty damn disrespectful in my opinion to say something like that as if you would be some tiny guy without “assistance”.

To OP:

If you’re trying to bulk at your size, i would recommend upping your calorie intake on both workout and non-workout days by 4-500 calories…as long as you dont mind the fact that your “pot-belly” wont disappear anytime soon.

Your workout plan looks pretty solid, and i used a similar 2 day split at one point, but if you’re at the point where your workouts have gotten intense enough that its having carry-over to other body parts that is affecting your ability to go as balls-out, then maybe its time to adopt a more traditional 4 or 5 day split.

Either that, or your diet isnt good enough to promote adequate recovery. This may be something you can make better by adding in those extra calories every day (provided you’re not just shoving carbs down your throat, and getting a good mix of fats and proteins)

Hard to give any more of a critique than that based on the info presented. But thats my .02

OP, you should look into a bodybuilding type of a routine if your goals are physique oriented. If you have a “pot belly” at 6’4 215 then you are either not carrying very much muscle or you so not really have a “pot belly.” Do you have any photos to evaluate?

You should experiment with different training volumes and frequencies to see what works best for you. Look at KingBeefs thread which is titled Do This Routine Instead of That Dumb One (or something to that effect) it is full of great routines for every training schedule. The routine doesn’t make the body though. Any routine can be effective as long as you are putting in adequate effort, eating and resting properly. I see a lot of new lifters who think that they need to get ok this new routine or new supplant in order to really make things start happening and that is just not the case.

[quote]dapunisher1 wrote:
I’m 28 years old now and realized I’ve wasted a lot of time spinning my wheels[/quote]
You say this, but you’re not acting like it.

There’s absolutely no reason to have started this thread just to ask the same thing you’ve asked so many times before.

You’re proving my point over and over. It’s nuts.

[quote]jskrabac wrote:

[quote]mezcal wrote:

[quote]jskrabac wrote:
Not quite. Pretty much everyone who subscribes to this site “just eats and lifts.” How come they don’t all look like Zraw? [/quote]

Look at his numbers. I’m a noob too so feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, but everything I’ve read on this site by anyone with any credibility has said that when you’re middling around still at beginner numbers, almost any balanced program (and diet) will be fine, as long as you’re consistently progressing and being intelligent about it.

Summary: there’s no need for him to lift like Ronnie Coleman when he’s as strong as McLovin and a beginner program will suffice just fine.[/quote]

I suppose I have a different experience. I train at a gym full of competitors and see new-ish lifters with impressive hamstrings who I never see doing RDLs with anything more than a buck 85 on the bar…YET, you can see damned well they are connecting with that muscle the whole way down and understand control, time under tension, and blah blah blah. Contrast that with someone like me who was deadlifting 500lb for triples and had shit for hammies when I started there.

There’s a whole other world out there focused on training optimally from the onset and learning the right form on all lifts. A structured program like WS4SB, 5/3/1, etc. does not even remotely touch on any of that stuff. And I’m not talking about “good form” as in SAFE form, I mean optimal for the target muscle. Never too early to learn such things alongside progressing in strength, mobility, etc. In fact, it is BETTER to learn them right away instead of having to unlearn bad habits and relearn all this shit later on like most of us have to do when we REALLY make the jump to a bodybuilding focus.

Don’t get me wrong, these popular training programs are great for recreational lifters or guys looking to get into lifting more for improving athletic performance later on. But to the newer lifters who are serious about eventually stepping on stage or having a very aesthetic fitness model look…the landscape changes dramatically. [/quote]

Great advice. I wish more people thought like this.