T Nation

Your Wise Thoughts on My Routine

Over 35 Lifter
#1

Please assess my crappe routine. All weights in lbs.

Are there things I am doing wrong, or that you gents would suggest I do differently? Thanks in advance for your guidance.

Saturday:
5 X 7 dbs
o Incline: 60s, 65s, 70s, 75s
o Military: 40s, 45s, 50s, 60s,
o Flat bench: 65s, 70s, 75s, 80s

Push press 5x5 O-bar
o 85, 95, 115, 135

5 X 8 sets dips

5x 9 tricep pulldowns
o 50, 55, 60
250 crunches, 200 medicine ball twists

Sunday:
3 x 5 Power Cleans: 95, 115, 135
5 x 5 Deadlifts, 135, 185, 200, 220
3 x 5 Hang cleans 95, 115, 135

4 x 10 Seated Rows (machine)
4 x 10 Lat pulls (machine)

250 crunches, 4 x 10 ab-roller

Monday:
Interval Sprinting Exercises

Tuesday:
Rest

Wednesday:
Same as Saturday

Thursday:
Same as Sunday

Friday:
Rest

#2

Oh, and as thanks for your assistance:

http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/490/27251514at5.png

http://img359.imageshack.us/img359/8666/06annev17zv7.jpg

#3

[quote]Bas Chabal wrote:
Please assess my crappe routine. All weights in lbs.

Are there things I am doing wrong, or that you gents would suggest I do differently? Thanks in advance for your guidance.

Saturday:
5 X 7 dbs
o Incline: 60s, 65s, 70s, 75s
o Military: 40s, 45s, 50s, 60s,
o Flat bench: 65s, 70s, 75s, 80s

Push press 5x5 O-bar
o 85, 95, 115, 135

5 X 8 sets dips

5x 9 tricep pulldowns
o 50, 55, 60
250 crunches, 200 medicine ball twists

Sunday:
3 x 5 Power Cleans: 95, 115, 135
5 x 5 Deadlifts, 135, 185, 200, 220
3 x 5 Hang cleans 95, 115, 135

4 x 10 Seated Rows (machine)
4 x 10 Lat pulls (machine)

250 crunches, 4 x 10 ab-roller

Monday:
Interval Sprinting Exercises

Tuesday:
Rest

Wednesday:
Same as Saturday

Thursday:
Same as Sunday

Friday:
Rest

[/quote]

I’m not quite sure how to read this - you do 5 sets of 7 reps each with 60,65,70,75?

What sort of results are you looking for from your training?

#4

[quote]skidmark wrote:
I’m not quite sure how to read this - you do 5 sets of 7 reps each with 60,65,70,75?

What sort of results are you looking for from your training?

[/quote]
Sorry if it was confusing.

5 sets of 7 reps escalating in weight until I can’t escalate any more. These days for incline I start with 60 pound dumbells and finish with 75s. Same formatting decribes the other lifts.

I do this approach for incline, flat bench and military.

I’m trying to get stronger, look better and stay healthy basically.

#5

I’d take out some of that ab work and add some squats and pull-ups.

Why do you call the routine crappie? Are you not getting what you want out of it? How long have you been doing this routine? When you say “to get stronger” do you mean muscle size or just pure strength?

#6

[quote]Stiltz wrote:
I’d take out some of that ab work and add some squats and pull-ups.

Why do you call the routine crappie? Are you not getting what you want out of it? How long have you been doing this routine? When you say “to get stronger” do you mean muscle size or just pure strength?[/quote]

Welcome Stiltz!

I concur with the above (re-abs)… need more info… goals, past experience, current age, height, weight, medical conditions etc… what is your diet like?

#7

[quote]Stiltz wrote:
I’d take out some of that ab work and add some squats and pull-ups.

Why do you call the routine crappie? Are you not getting what you want out of it? How long have you been doing this routine? When you say “to get stronger” do you mean muscle size or just pure strength?[/quote]

just being self depricating I guess on the crap front. I only recently got aggressive about lifting as heavy a weight as I can and adding in the compound lifts (dl, cleans). As for stronger, yes and yes. I’m no longer a practicing athlete (I played rugby until a few years ago) but I am eager to stay fit and find going to the gym a helpful mental release for a guy my age who spends his days in an office.

#8

[quote]bunny7568 wrote:
I concur with the above (re-abs)… need more info… goals, past experience, current age, height, weight, medical conditions etc… what is your diet like?

[/quote]

OK. 35. 5’10, 190. Joint pain from years of contact sports. Otherwise reasonably healthy.

goals…I guess…to improve my appearance, my ability to lift heavy shit and my long term bone and muscle health.

diet could be better. i eat a lot of fish and chicken, moderate carbs, could eat more vegatables. booze is part of my job so I drink more than I should.

#9

[quote]Bas Chabal wrote:
bunny7568 wrote:
I concur with the above (re-abs)… need more info… goals, past experience, current age, height, weight, medical conditions etc… what is your diet like?

OK. 35. 5’10, 190. Joint pain from years of contact sports. Otherwise reasonably healthy.

goals…I guess…to improve my appearance, my ability to lift heavy shit and my long term bone and muscle health.

diet could be better. i eat a lot of fish and chicken, moderate carbs, could eat more vegatables. booze is part of my job so I drink more than I should. [/quote]

If you want to lift heavy s**t, it might be worth considering saving volume for backoff weeks and hitting one or two exercises hard for the main bodyparts - chest/shoulders, back and legs just once or twice a week. Multiple sets don’t do much fer ya but tire ya out, energy that could go into recovery.

Everybody’s different though. I like your ascending sets and your sprint day.

#10

maybe front squat (5x7)
RDL (2x6)
Bench (4x4) incresing weight
Rows 5x7
OHP 3x5
???

#11

[quote]caveman101 wrote:
maybe front squat (5x7)
RDL (2x6)
Bench (4x4) incresing weight
Rows 5x7
OHP 3x5
???[/quote]

So you’re saying focus on fewer exercises with more weight?

I don’t squat, that’s something i am considering adding. i am more eager to get stronger from the waist up, hence the cleans and deadlifts are the principal compound exercises i do plus all the other chest, shoulders and back exercises.

#12

Considering squats…??? That’s like considering deadlifts. I’d be surprised if you found anyone here you’d consider strong that doesn’t include squats in their routine. Working the lower body will help the upper body grow as well.

#13

Maybe check out a westside template or CT beast building series. Its hard to argue with the success that these guys have produced. good luck and happy training

#14

[quote]Stiltz wrote:
Considering squats…??? That’s like considering deadlifts. I’d be surprised if you found anyone here you’d consider strong that doesn’t include squats in their routine. Working the lower body will help the upper body grow as well.[/quote]

maybe a better expression would have been “worrying” about squats. I have heard the argument you are making before many times and I just need to figure out how to work them into the schedule.

I am on holiday next week and when I come back I’ll probably revisit the plan. I can add 3-4 sets of squats into the tuesday schedule probably, right?

#15

You could, but Tues is a rest day right now - not sure what your schedule is like or if you will be over training working 6 days a week.

I’d take Weds and make it a squat, row, chin-up day. Looking at your program you are not doing much for the back. Your chest won’t grow if it isn’t balanced by the back. Try some jump squats at the end to really push it.

#16

[quote]Stiltz wrote:
You could, but Tues is a rest day right now - not sure what your schedule is like or if you will be over training working 6 days a week.

I’d take Weds and make it a squat, row, chin-up day. Looking at your program you are not doing much for the back. Your chest won’t grow if it isn’t balanced by the back. Try some jump squats at the end to really push it.[/quote]

meant sunday. good advice, though thanks.