Rate my [improved] plan!

[broken649]

I posted here a few months ago as I was looking to have a solid workout routine…and built my own. The overwhelming consensus is that I focus on the Big 5 for a while instead of making a plan that was as one said “just a list of exercises.”

I’m 42M 6’6” 180lbs, do fine athletically and like to run, so I started with an ok fitness base. I’m really just trying to look better than average with my shirt off for my wife. I’d like to add 10lbs of muscle in the next year or so. I eat very little in animal products, but I’m tracking nutrition and looks like I’m doing fine there, except eating this much without meat is starting to be a huge pain. All I do is poop anymore.

I took y’all’s advice and used the basic r/fitness routine based on compound exercises. I added a couple isolation exercises because I like being in the gym and want a few more things I can do without wasting time. I feel like I could use a) evaluation of the plan, b) ideas for a few more exercises to swap in if it would help, and c) an idea if the exercises are on the right days.

I do this 4 days a week, with A on Mondays and Thursdays, B on Tuesdays and Fridays, and Orange Theory Wednesday and/or Saturday for cardio and core work. I’ve been on this specific routine about a month or so and injury free. My quads for some reason get horrible DOMS if I’m not careful; no other muscles do that.

A
Bench press 5x6 (dumbbell), goblet squat 3x6 or 4x6, seated cable row 5x6, lat raise 4x6, tricep extensions 5x6. Warmup is some running/stretching and core-focused floor routines at about 15mins total.

B
Deadlift 5x6, chest fly 4x6, lat pulldown 5x6, military dumbbell press 5x6, dumbbell bicep curls 5x6. Same warmup.

Cardio 2x a week for 2 hours total.

Is there anything I can add? Are these all on the right days, or should I reorder them?

 

[elishiva]

@broken649 It’s similar to a 5x5 routine in which a lot of people will complain of shoulder and or joint issues after a few months of progressively loading the weight.

Seeing as you’re over 40, you may want to consider a c workout where you’re more higher reps think 15+ with less weight (hypertrophy can still build muscle). This will reduce the load against your joints.

Alternatively you could consider a tried and true routine like as mentioned bill starrs 5x5, Jim wendlers 5/3/1 and updated versions, mind pump, starting strength and more.

You’re doing full body, which is actually better for most and tbh, you could probably see the same results or better working out 3 days a week vs 4.

 

[broken649]

@elishiva Great advice! Thanks! I’m interested in the 5/3/1 starting in the fall or winter after running this one a while. I basically took the 5x5 routine and modified it for what is most readily available: dumbbells.

 

[steve126]

@broken649 This is not the beginner fitness routine fyi. That routine is essentially greyskulls which is full body compound BARBELL movements three time a week. You are likely working out too much and doing a bunch of dumbell variations for no good reason. Get under the barbell man it will improve your physique so much faster than what you posted. Also for a natural male doing full body do it 3 times a week with cardio on off days. Something like this is what you should aim for. Again barbell is king.

A: barbell back squat, barbell bench press, barbell row. Do two sets of 5 and then a third set as many reps as possible before form breaks down.
B: barbell overhead press, weighted chin ups, barbell deadlifts. Again two sets of 5 then an amrap set.

Do all this with heavy barbell and you wont want to do a bunch of “isolation” work after as it wont be needed.

I usually do abs and jumps at the end of these days.

Another good option is to buy Wendlers books and start 531 for beginners. Right now your still just fucking around

 

[broken649]

@steve126 Thanks for the input!

I live in two different houses. At the one I’m at the most, the Y has a great weight room with lots of options for bars. The thing is, my other one I go to has very little of that and the spot is always busy. So I stuck with dumbbells. Besides, I’m doing 35lbs goblet squats while still struggling with hamstring health. I don’t think I’m to the bar yet. I move my plan around so I can do deadlifts on the bar tho.

The 5/3/1 option is next, probably starting December. I’m just trying to get some base strength.

 

[steve126]

@broken649 well in my opinion your plan is not going to give you the base strength you are looking for. Get under the bar you can do it man

 

[antponetteoaks]

@broken649 It's fine, don't worry about it. Run it for 6 months and see what happens.

 

[freethinker711]

@broken649 With literally hundreds of free, well designed, programs written by experts, why do you want to create your own?

You are doing full body training, so I recommend exactly what r fitness beginner program recommends, exactly what 531 for beginners recommends: that you keep a day of rest between lifting sessions. If you want to go Monday Tuesday, Thursday Friday, then you should probably switch to upper lower. I'm not recommending that though. My recommendation would be to keep a full body training program, but do it Monday Wednesday Friday or the like.

Muscle building is about consistency over time. Nothing kills consistency like an injury. One of the great values in using a program that was made by a professional is that it factors in recovery. If you're still experiencing delayed onset muscle soreness after a month in that program, you can be certain that your recovery is in need of attention.

I'm going to copy and paste something below

While it doesn’t generally matter much which routine you follow, it’s still important that you do follow a structured routine. It’s always better to defer to existing, proven routines that came from experienced professionals than it is to try to reinvent the wheel – at best you’ll come up with something equivalent, but more likely you’ll come up with something worse. You can read more about this in the Importance of Having a Program section of the Adding Physical Activity page.

A list of reliable, quality routines that r/Fitness and r/weightroom users commonly recommend can be found on the Recommended Routines – Strength Training / Muscle Building page.

https://thefitness.wiki/muscle-building-101/