Strength/Mass lifting suggestions

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posted by AmSFighter

Hey Guys/Gals,

I've been a lurker on this forum for the past few months and finally decided to post. I started lifting about a month ago for the first time in 7 years and need some advice/constructive criticism/suggestions. Here's my routine:

Monday: Chest
-Dumbell bench presses, 16 (warm up), 10, 10, 8, 6
-Incline dumbell bench presses, 10, 10, 8, 6
-Standing cable presses, 10, 10 , 8, 6
-Standing upper chest cable presses, 10, 10, 8, 6
-Cable crossovers, 10, 10, 8, 6
-Supinating dumbell flyes, 10, 10, 10, 10

Tuesday: Legs
-Leg presses, 16 (warm up), 10, 10, 8, 6
-Seated Leg curls, 10, 10, 8, 6
-Seated leg extensions, 10, 10, 8, 6
-Seated calf presses, 16, 16, 16, 16
-Adductions, 10, 10, 10, 10
-Abductions, 10, 10, 10, 10

Wednesday: Back
-widegrip pull downs, 16 (warm up), 10, 10, 8, 6
-seated machine row (gym I work out at doesn't have seated cable rows), 10, 10, 8, 6
-seated hammer strength rows, 10, 10, 8, 6
-standing hammer strength rows, 10, 10, 8, 6
-rear delt flyes, 10, 10, 8, 6
-dumbell shrugs, 10, 10, 10, 10

Thursday off

Friday: Arms
-incline single arm cable curls: 16 (warm up), 10, 10, 8, 6
-straight bar pushdowns, 16 (warm up), 10, 10, 8, 6
-standing cable curls (straight bar): 10, 10, 8, 6
-V-bar pushdowns, 10, 10, 8, 6
-preacher curls: 10, 10, 8, 6
-rope pushdowns: 10, 10, 8, 6
-headcrushers: 10, 10, 8, 6

Sat/Sun off

Supplements: cellmass (2x's day per instructions), ON whey protein (1 in morning after waking up, 1 before bed), NO-xplode (before workout), and of course vitamins/Minerals/calcium.
Eat: 5x's a day: (4x meals+1xmeal replacement (Lean Body))
Protein: ~1.5g/1lb body weight.
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 175lbs
BF: don't know...~15% last time I checked, but that was a few months ago

Am I overdoing it or do I need to do more? Do I need to start using more free weights and less cables/machines?

My main goal is to get huge (not fat, but muscular) and strong...like Ken Shamrock, Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman, etc... back when they were at their prime fighting age.

ANY input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
James

posted by Joe_Ice

dudd you have to vary your rep ranges... doing sets of 10 and 8 is best for hypertrophy yes, but you need to do strength rep ranges first and foremost (strength is #1, mass follows )

2. for legs you NEED TO SQUAT AND DEAD LIFT IF YOU WANNA GET BIG OR STRONG!!!! Leg press is NOT a substitute.

3. for the most part machines are crap(90% of them). go with free weights and big compound movements.

4. I would cut th volume a little bit and add bigger lifts.

posted by AmSFighter

thanks for the advice! Yeah, I've been thinking about switching over to squats and deadlifts. How much should I cut down in terms of sets? Should I do "pyramid" sets?

posted by Joe_Ice

No to the pyramid sets, they have shown to be the exact same of doing all the sets the same rep scheme. It's hard to say how much you should cut down, I would take one exercise out for each BP and go from there and DEFINATELY do squats and deads... If your weights go up every week u got yourself a winner, if not come back to the drawing board

posted by estray

Imo, you should be doing more core exercises and less iso if youre just coming back after a 7 year layoff. Bump Joe Ice on the no to the pyramid sets. I tried that coming back after a long layoff and had minimal sucess. You gotta build up the strength first and the best way is to do 3-4set of 12 reps with 60% of your max wt. So yeah, to answer the your question if youre overdoing it. Yeah, definanitely too many sets, esp on chest and arms days. Check out a 3 day split.

posted by SkinnyManKyle

duude for your arms, you need to do more exercises in my opinion. i do 12 sets for biceps, 12 for triceps, and 13 for shoulders. (yes people tell me thats too much but ive been doin it for a while so if i cut down itd hurt me) they say try to get 10 sets for each group. idk i dont have much time now but ill repost you a more thorough suggestion.

posted by Joe_Ice

i can see how you got ur nick name :D

posted by bignready

Lmao!

posted by SkinnyManKyle

thanks dicks

posted by CUTS

dont worry about it Kyle....

posted by AMERFOOTBALL

13 sets is too much kyle.

posted by SkinnyManKyle

yes im aware its too much. but i tried to do less and i didnt see as many gains. probably cuz ive been doing that many for so long and my body is used to them.

posted by absolut0415

than go heavier. if you can bang out that many sets for arms go heavier. Or do some negatives that you know you can't lift the weight. You gotta get creative especially if your stuck in a slump

posted by SkinnyManKyle

what are negatives? i just did 12 sets of biceps today and theres no way in hell i coulda gotten 13, so I'm pushing them to the max.

posted by estray

Negatives are a very slow controlled release after the contraction. How much weight are you using BTW. Just cause you can bang out 12 sets doesnt mean theres any benefit to it. I could bang out 12 sets too with a lighter weight but my arms would never get any bigger.

posted by goldentornado22

good point estray ive got to agree with that 100%

posted by SkinnyManKyle

my reps are like 10 8 7 6, 10 8 7 6, 10 8 7 6

posted by Joe_Ice

Unless you're gigantic you're doing urself a a disfavor by worrying about your arms. worry about getting your squat dead and bench bigger. THEN worry about your arms. IM not saying dont do them, but do a couple sets every weak maybe and thats about it

posted by Improvise

Here's an article out of FLEX magazine about Gustavo Badell and how he trains his biceps. His lifts and detailed description of how to correctly do each lift is explained well and good information but take it for what it's worth. Personally, he does a ton of sets (20) which WILL NOT work for most people and will probably only work for people who are on gear.

I just like the different variety of bicep exercises he goes through and how he does each one.

Link: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0801/is_8_65/ai_n6116966/print

posted by SkinnyManKyle

damn he works out 2 times a day.... whats the advantage of that?

posted by estray

Hes using aas. His recovery time is way faster than someone who isnt. Im convinced these mags are where all these kids are getting the idea that working out everyday and doin a shitload of sets is the way to go. So thats why we say doing all those sets is not doing you any good. Unless your taking test and havent told us.

posted by CUTS

even when doing test i dont do 20 sets. but hes alot bigger than me :)

posted by Joe_Ice

Put DOWN the flex, u're going to find info from overly advanced super humans that guys like me and you have no biz doing

posted by Joe_Ice

Just bc you take test doesnt mean you can go train like a Pro-bber.. gear helps recovery doesnt make it a non-existing factor

however u're correct on the mags and ruining strength training... Like I said before, if you dont have legit lean 18 inch arms, get under the squat rack and stop worrying about your puny little arms.

posted by SkinnyManKyle

dude ur such a dick. just shut the fck up if ur gona be a douche bag like that.

posted by Joe_Ice

Hey dude, im just telling the truth, my arms arent 18inches and lean yet either, but i can tell you i made 0 progress when all i worried about as my biceps and little shit like that..... Until you're throwing up huge weight on the big 3 than you can start worrying, just trust me on that one.

posted by estray

Hes right on. I was doing a split when I started and making minimal gains. When I switched my routine and took all the little bs isolation lifts out and started focusing on the big compound movements, I started growing all over. I dont even do tris or shoulders and theyre getting bigger.

posted by SkinnyManKyle

im just sayin ive been noticing results. Shoulders got huge, havent been growing lately but they got huge when I started my new shoulder routine like 3 months ago. Triceps are growing a ton, thats the part I've been noticing the best gains recently. And my biceps are growing, slowly but surely. So I'm jsut sayin whatever works....

posted by Improvise

You obviously have trouble reading because I clearly said that the amount of sets he does will not benefit most people and only people on gear. The exercises and how to perform each lift is good information that can be beneficial for people who don't work their biceps correctly by not focusing on contracting their muscles.

posted by Improvise

Big 3 = Squat, Bench, Clean?

posted by Joe_Ice

close, squat bench dead

posted by Improvise

The majority of people that do deadlifts don't even do them right because their hamstrings are way too tight and they think they can deadlift way more weight than they really should be. It's a great lift if you can do it correctly, but I can't because my hamstrings are too tight and lowerback back problems so I don't even bother with them. Frustrating.

posted by SkinnyManKyle

I SAID IT WORKS FOR ME SO WHY WOULD I STOP IT?

posted by Improvise

Stop yelling at me you're scaring me. And I was talking to Joe not you. And I really hope you don't do 20 sets of bicep curls during a workout, but if you do, way to go man!!

posted by estray

Haha!

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