Am I working out wrong? .... 22y/o - 5'8" - 147 Lb

[histruth]

@mamajaiy Full body workouts instead or look at phul. This is the variation I'm doing currently and I love it. Don't have to do every workout every day. Generally it's 2 days on 2 off. Of course you can always switch things up.

Upper Power:*
Barbell bench 4 x 4 - 6
DB incline 3-4x6-10
Bent Over Row 3-4x3-5
OHP 3x8-12
Skull crusher 2-3x6-10
Lat Pull Down/Pull up 3-4x6-10
BB Curl 2-3x6-10
Facepulls 3-4x6-10
21 bicep curls

Lower Power:
Squat 3 x 5
Leg Press 3-5x10-15
Leg Curl 3-4x6-10
Calf 4x6-10
Lunges

Upper Hypertrophy:
OHP 3-4 x 5 -6
DB Incline 3-4x8-12
Machine fly 3-4x8-12
Weighted tricep dips 3-4x8-12
Seated cable rows 3-4x8-12
DB shoulder press 3-4x8-12
Weighted chin ups 3-4x8-12
Overhead tricep extension 3-4x8-12
DB lateral raises 3-4x8-12
Incline dumbbell curls 3-4x8-12
V-bar Lat pulldowns 3-4x8-12

Lower Hypertrophy:
Deadlift 3-4x 5
Front squat 3-4x8-12
BB Lunge/Hack squat 3-4x8-12
Leg Extension 3-4x10-15
Leg Curl 3-4x10-15
Seated Calf Raise 3-4x8-12
Calf Press 3-4x8-12

Abs at end of days.

 

[mamajaiy]

@histruth Looks like a solid routine, thanks for writing it all out! I'll be starting a new routine next week for sure!

 

[histruth]

@mamajaiy Lol to be fair I copied and pasted from my spreadsheet. But good luck!

 

[mamajaiy]

@histruth Now 1 question I had about the PHUL workout. It seems to be only 4 days a week. It's good that every muscle set is hit twice a week, but do I need a 6 day routine with 1 day rest like PPL/PPL/R or PPL/R/PPL/? 4 days seems more doable in terms of rest time. Not sure if 6 days would be better for me though

 

[histruth]

@mamajaiy Guess it depends on preference really. 4 days + a physical job is plenty for me

 

[mamajaiy]

@histruth I'm going to try out the 6 day on 1 day rest for a little while. Doing a PPL/PPL/R 3 days hypertrophy & 3 days strength. Keeping track of my volume though. Someone earlier posted this great article. https://renaissanceperiodization.com/training-volume-landmarks-muscle-growth/ I'll see where I'm at after the first week and adjust from there.

Did a Pull routine today with relatively light weight and I felt waaaay more of a pump. Expecting some soreness this week for sure.

 

[histruth]

@mamajaiy I've heard nothing but good things about ppl. I'll check out that article

 

[agnostic2christ]

@mamajaiy Yeah you need higher reps, feel the contraction. Use lighter weights and just keep going until the pump hurts. Do the reps slow too just to feel it more. I know this is lazy advice but essentially just do a bro split with 8 to 16 even just to get the pump then drink a post workout carb. Get dextrose or maltodextrin. Gainz straight to the muscle post workout and not the gut. For compound movements, if you want to get stronger still, use lower reps like 5x5. But for everything else for accessory or iso stuff do what I previously stated

 

[mamajaiy]

@agnostic2christ Yeah I agree with that. I think I do too much ego-lifting. Whenever I do super low weight but high reps I feel more of a burn and pump than heavy weight ironically. I'm sure there's a scientific explanation to it, but I know I need to fix my routine now before I start to injure myself or continue to not make substantial gains. What are some good compound exercises?

 

[agnostic2christ]

@mamajaiy Here is a simple workout split you can follow

Monday Chest and Tris
Main compound lift is bench press
Then follow with chest exercises and finish off with triceps, 8 to 16 reps by 3 sets for all.

Tuesday Back and Bi
Main compound lift is deadlift
Follow with back exercises (lat pull downs and rows mandatory plus other) finish off with biceps. Same rep scheme.

Wednesday rest day

Thursday legs
Main compound lift is squat
Leg workouts, quads, hams, leg press
Same rep scheme

Friday Shoulders
Main compound lift is standing military press/overhead press (OHP)
Have to do front, mid, and rear delts finish with plate raises
Same rep scheme

Weekend rest

If you want to focus on strength, do it only for your compound exercises. Have a goal to increase strength. I suggest 531 program. The rest do bodybuilding reps because your main concern right now is getting big. When you're at the goal weight you want, focus mainly on strength and maintaining. Focus on form

But that's just advice

 

[fibak]

@mamajaiy Bro you ain't even getting close to the volume you need. You need to focus on a couple of things: mind-muscle connection when you lift and increase your reps...like a lot. Try 5 sets of 20 reps on your chest press, for example, and really FOCUS on using those chest muscles and squeeze every rep. You want your chest to be burning and beginning to fail by the time you are done with your exercise. For your 'problem areas' hit them 2 or 3 times a week.

Make sure your diet is dialed in (1 gram of protein per pound body weight - every day!) and if you don't make progress then you will be a miracle of physics and physiology.

 

[mamajaiy]

@fibak Thankyou for the advice! I've been piggybacking off a routine my friend was doing which seemed to be working for him, but clearly I'm going to need to create a custom plan for myself. Will definitely be implementing higher reps with lower weight. Definitely know what you mean about the burning sensation. I always feel it in my legs, but on chest day I barely break a sweat.

 

[dashdash]

@mamajaiy Why create a custom plan if there are tons of very good routines available already? Look at PPL, PHAT, PHUL or NSUNS. All amazing programs that will give you the results you desire.

 

[mamajaiy]

@dashdash That's true! But which one is designed for someone in my level of strength and progress? From what I've been reading on this thread I should begin with high rep range and lower weights to establish more mind-muscle connection. Really feel the burn with the lower weight. Then after a few weeks move down in rep range and up in weight I think? But definitely going to look into all of them The routine I've been doing the last 6 months is mediocre.

 

[dashdash]

@mamajaiy I switched to NSUNS when I had your strength level. Start with relatively low weights to really get that mind-muscle connection an progress linearly every week. Thats what I would do IMO

 

[6jesus6lover6]

@mamajaiy One thing that’s helped me with chest mind muscle connection is really squeeze your shoulder blades together when you set up a bench or other chest lift. Make sure your chest is in front of your shoulders and focus on squeezing the chest when you’re fully pressed

 

[kiddoleknocker]

@mamajaiy Kinda strange that your bench pr and military press pr are the same. Usually people can bench more than they can overhead press.

Looking at your routine, I would suggest benching at least twice a week. You could go heavy one day (5 rep max) and volume the next (5 by 5 at 90% of your 5 rep max).

Also, keep eating. 147 for a 5’8 is relatively light if what you want is to get bigger.

 

[mamajaiy]

@kiddoleknocker I think people can bench more because they have good form. Only until recently have I noticed my bench form is decent, but someone mentioned earlier I need heavier volume. For most of my gym life I've done 6-8 rep range for 3-4 sets. Going to start doing 5x15 or so for a while to get mind-muscle connection made and go heavier. Leaving the ego at home. Yeah I'd like to be around 170 in 6 months but more than that I want to fix all my forms and get stronger lifts. straighten out my posture too and most of all, get a biiiiiggg ol' chest

 

[kiddoleknocker]

@mamajaiy Not sure if doing 5x15 would be the best method to improve technique and get stronger. Usually when you do that many reps (specially for 5 sets), form starts to break down. Maybe it will give you a bigger chest though.

Whichever routine you choose, best of luck in getting that big ol’ chest

 

[mamajaiy]

@kiddoleknocker Yeah I agree, someone recommended trying out a 5x20 bench to get some burn goin. I'm going to take a look through some of the workout posted here and start on my next 10-12 week program. Interesting thing I saw too was de-loading after 6-10 weeks or something like that. I don't think I've ever done that which is bad. I have taken breaks for like 5-6 days before so I'm sure I've deloaded unintentionally. I'll report back in 6 months with a BIG OL CHEST