Your thoughts please

[Ross86]

New routine coming up...deloaded this week. I'm pretty much maxed out on my 5X5 routine. My workout buddy has been on the following schedule with push & pull days, heavy & light days...but different exercises. He has had good results. I'm going to do this for 4-6 weeks, deload, and then start back into the same 5X5 routine that I was doing for as long as I can stand it. After doing the 5X5 with mostly just the "Big Three", I have noticed some areas that I'd like to give a little more attention (lats, traps, calves, upper chest). Going heavy 3 days a week killed me, so this is somewhat of a compromise.

Let me know what you think about frequency, rep range, number of sets on particular exercises if it looks out of place, etc.

Monday - Push, heavy
Incline BB Bench Press - 4X6
Squats - 4X6
Flat DB Bench Press - 4X6
Military Press - 4X6
25 min cardio

Tuesday - Pull, light
DB Rows - 4X8
Romanian Deadlifts - 4X8
Shrugs - 4X8
Assorted Curls - 4X8
Ab work
25 min cardio

Wednesday - Rest

Thursday - Push, light
Incline Cable Fly - 4X8
Squats 80% - 4X8
Arnolds - 4X8
Closehand BB Bench Press - 4X8
Assorted Tricep stuff 4X8
Ab work

Friday - Pull, heavy
Deadlifts - 4/5X3
T-Bar Rows - 4X6
Lat Pulls - 4X6
Upright rows - 4X6
25 min cardio

Thanks for the comments

[Darkhorse]

In short, I have a hard time seeing you doing squats followed by deadlifts the following day, rest, repeat! Even with a heavy light format. Deadlifts drain your CNS like none other. Doing them twice a week with squats in between? Keep in mind you're coming from a "meat and potatoes" 5x5. Now you're going to do three times the amount of volume that you're used to.

Monday - Push, heavy
Incline BB Bench Press - 4X6
Squats - 4X6
Flat DB Bench Press - 4X6
Military Press - 4X6
25 min cardio

It'll take too long to go over why it looks fucked up, so I'll just pull your first example to show you why. You have incline barbell bench (which places a lot of stress on your anterior delts), then want to do military presses (which places a lot more stress on your delts). I could see maybe flat/declines followed by OHP's, but incline barbells serve the same purpose. Another thing, you don't need to have all "push" exercises (ie all pressing). You should think of it more as "push" muscles (ie. chest, shoulders, triceps). So if you're doing a lot of pressing for your chest, maybe another press or an extension for triceps, I would consider doing an isolation for your shoulders. Finally, don't just toss in squats like they don't matter... It's like you're saying, "Oh, btw, I'll throw in a few squats since I liked them from the 5x5." Remember going from three days in the gym (full body) to four days will be challenging enough. Now add in more volume. Think you'll be sore?

EDIT:

Thursday - Push, light
Incline Cable Fly - 4X8

I have to ask. Why would you have your primary chest exercise as "incline cable fly"? Don't say it's a "light exercise" OR that you want to "isolate" your upper chest..

[Ross86]

I told my buddy the same thing when he made up a similar workout. He has had decent results so far. I think I can credit that to the fact that after a couple months of giving him hell, he finally started to plan his workouts and progression.

I couldn't figure out how to fit all of the muscles that I wanted to target into the workout. That's why there is so much repetition as far as presses go. I noticed that too. I just wasn't sure how to incorporate them without over training other muscles.

The squat/deadlift thing is definitely fucked up. That's one of the main reasons that I posted the workout. I'm going to be doing conventional deadlifts every other week. And I'll be doing romanian deadlifts with light weight.

Cable flyes...enough said. Don't really know why I put them on there to begin with.

Thanks for the feedback 0311. You pointed out mostly stuff that I wasn't sure of myself. I just needed to hear it from someone else. I am going to read some more in the stickies and try again.

[Darkhorse]

I told my buddy the same thing when he made up a similar workout. He has had decent results so far.

Anyone can have decent results doing anything. If you don't get a good vibe looking at someone else's workout plan, then you shouldn't jump on the bandwagon. You've been here long enough to where you can sort through the bullshit without anyone holding your hand. Remember too that you've been learning here whereas he probably hasn't by the sounds of it. If I get tremendous results from doing a four day split, that doesn't mean you will. Same thought process as you gaining really well off of full body workouts whereas I don't.

There's nothing really in the stickies that will tell you what to do. Just a bunch of guidelines that will help. Go off of what you listed above and create something more feasable. There's two routes that would probably be a good route for you:

upper/lower/off/upper/lower/off/off

chest-shoulders-triceps/back-biceps-legs/off/repeat/repeat/off/off

[Ross86]

I was just looking at the upper/lower workouts. I think that's what I'm going with. Haha, btw...the Monday example on "The bottom line on higher frequency training" article in the sticky section is about as messed up as the idea that I had.

[Ross86]

Monday - Upper, heavy
Incline BB Bench Press - 4X6
T-bar Row - 4X6
Flat DB Bench Press - 4X6
Overhead tricep ext - 4X8
Ab work
25 min cardio

Tuesday - Lower, light
Front Squats - 4X8
Calve raises - 4X15
Weighted lunges - 4X15
Ab work
25 min cardio

Wednesday - descanso

Thursday - Upper, light
Closehand Bench Press - 4X8
Shrugs - 4X8
Pull ups - 4X8
DB Rows - 4X8
Curls - 4X8
25 min cardio

Friday - Lower, heavy
Week A - Deadlifts - 4/5X3
Week B - Squats - 4X6 + Romanian Deadlifts - 4X8 (light)
Leg Press - 4X6
Calve Raises - 4X15
Ab work

How does this look?

[Darkhorse]

Better.

[Ross86]

I cut out rows on Thursday...there was still too much going on for that to be a light day. I'm starting today & I'm looking forward to it.

Thanks for the help

[Darkhorse]

Good idea. What I prefer to do is to have back thickness (rowing) on one day, and the width (vertical pulling) on the other.