Wanting to become the best version of myself that I possibly can

[New alias]

Without making this too long, I am really hoping for some insight from those of you who are farther along on this journey than I am. Or anybody who has anything positive or negative to contribute to help me progress; please critique me.

Fitness has done so much for my life, I was a pill head with low self-confidence and didn't have many reasons to want to be alive. This lifestyle.... Is everything to me really; I hope to achieve the body of a pro physique competitor.

I started a few years ago, 120lbs, no athleticism 0 knowledge of how to train or how to eat for muscle growth.

Currently 195, 5'11, not sure on bf... Maybe 13%.

I have never counted macros, in my mind my diet is currently a clean bulk.

I want to explain a couple things about my training, I do not do both push and pull days heavy in 1 week, I alternate them as either hypertrophy or strength. Legs is my strong point, and not really concerned with getting them much bigger currently. I am doing calisthenics for legs to maintain size as well as help with my weak point(core). Whenever I finish a muscle group(except on heavy lats/pecs) I ALWAYS do a drop set to completely burn out that muscle. I also rotate/change exercises each work out but keep the muscle group order the same.

I feel I need to be training chest and back twice a week, I am just not sure how to get it in on my current split(which I am really enjoying). A competition judge at my gym told me I really need to work on my v taper particularly lats/side delts.

1
core (5-10 min superseted, 20 sec set, 10 sec rest)
forearms
cardio(30 min stairmaster moderate pace)
calves

2 Push
OHP(5x5)
INC B(5x5)
Side delts(2 ex, 4 set ea, 10+ rep)
Tris(2 ex, 4 set ea, 10+ rep)

3
Bi(2 ex, 4 set ea, -10 rep)
forearms
cardio(30 min stairmaster moderate pace)
core (5-10 min superseted, 20 sec set, 10 sec rest)

4
Pistol squats(10+ reps)
Straight leg single leg dls(10+ reps)
Side delts(2 ex, 4 set ea,-10 reps)
Rear delts(2 ex, 4 set ea,-10 reps)

5
Tris(2 ex, 4 set ea, -10 rep)
forearms
cardio(30 min stairmaster moderate pace)
core (5-10 min superseted, 20 sec set, 10 sec rest)

6 Pull
ROW(5X5)
PULL UP(5X5)
Rear delts(2 ex, 4 set ea, 10+ rep)
Bis(2 ex, 4 set ea, 10+ rep)

7
Rest

 

[49ER]

What have you used? What are your goals? You have very little body fat theres so much stuff you can use that i would not touch because i have alot of bf around the waist. You look pretty good just depends the look you want a good bulk with npp would probably do you some good. Congrats on coming off the drugs and improving your life.

 

[Roush]

my advice in regards to bringing up a lagging muscle group or as to how to hit a muscle more often, is just to simply add in a few exercises for that muscle on a day that it is not scheduled..

example -- I do

leg day
chest day
back day
arm day
shoulder day

each muscle group gets hit close to twice per week and is worked out an hour per session -- now I'm wanting to bring out my chest more as well as calves.. so on arm day I hit calves on that day as well,, also, on shoulder day I hit chest on that day as well,, but only a few exercises for around 15 minutes.. If and when I have other body parts lagging I want to bring out,, then I will mix those in on non scheduled days as well..


For you,, your wanting to bring your back out and more V taper. I recommend adding a pull up routine and doing it 3 days a week-- doesn't' have to be on back day.. heck do pull ups on back day two.. but just take 15 minutes after your leg work out and go do 8-10 sets of 6-15 reps of pull ups.. go do that again on arm day as well.. once you get stronger do it 4 days a week.
after 4 weeks you'll notice your back is coming out nicely and your V taper is getting better.. make sure to use controlled movements with plenty of contraction and squeezing of the muscle, especially at the top, do not neglect the negative portion of the pull up, keep the back and lats contracted on the way down too.

 

[New alias]

What have you used? What are your goals? You have very little body fat theres so much stuff you can use that i would not touch because i have alot of bf around the waist. You look pretty good just depends the look you want a good bulk with npp would probably do you some good. Congrats on coming off the drugs and improving your life.

Thank you so much for the compliment on my lifestyle change, im really lucky I didnt die and the past few years have been a second shot at life for me.

I did a couple test cycles, found out I had low t months after pct from the second. I believe I had low t from the abuse I put my body through from the drugs and lifestlye I lived before I got sober. I cycled correctly, pctd correctly, so I dont think the cycles messed me up.

All I have used is test e, c, dbol once, winny once and npp once.

Next blast is scheduled to consist of npp, masteron, test.... I would like to add something else maybe

 

[Southernfish]

So, first of all i am assuming you want to build muscle, correct?

The amount of weight you lift has nothing to do with how well or how much muscle youll build. What determins that is time under tension and progressive overload NOT THE AMOUNT OF WEIGHT ON THE BAR! With that said i would axe the 5x5, although beneficial from time to time, that set up should not be a staple in your routine. A weight that is appropriate for the muscle group your train with reps between 8-12 is going to be the best for hypertrophy. And, when I say an appropriate weight, I mean a weight that the intended muscle group is going to be able to work with and not be able to do any more that 12 reps with or any less than 8 reps with.

A lot of people get mixed up when they hear they need to lift heavy weight. You need to lift heavy but not so heavy your using every single muscle and joint to get it up. You need to lift as heavy as the muscle group your training will allow. And if thats 135 on flat bench then so fuckin be it, if thats the weight you chest can take the full load on then thats the way it is. You are far better of doing that then push 225 using delt tris and all your joints for most of the lift. I can load 135 on flat bench and lift it a certain way and have my pecs ready to rip through my skin by the end of three sets. Meanwhile the guy next to me is benching 225 and has no chest whatsoever. So keep that in mind. Use a weight that is appropriate for the muscle group your training.

Now thats my rant in that, excuse me if that was long winded.

The workout routine you have layed out isnt going to benefit you. There isnt enough volume, and it seems very scattered. Also 6 days in a row is too much, if you are training correctly you will not be able to bang out 6 days straight without your body telling you you need a break, juice or no juice. Some will argue that but thats how i see it. PLUS, you dont grow when you workout, you break down. You grow when you rest. So if we train balls out for 3 days then take one off then train 3 more balls out and take one off again would that not cause quicker growth? Of course it would.

This routine, if doable in your schedule is the best IMO for growth. It is basically a push, pull, and legs of course, crammed into 3 days then a rest day.

Chest/Front and side Delts/Tris
Legs
Back/Side and Rear Delts/Bis

Now I cant say how many exercises for each as i have no idea of how your body works and recovers, only you know that.

But a general guideline id say would look something like this.

4 exercises for chest/ front raises and side raises of somesort/2 exercises for tris

3 exercises for quads and hams/2 for calves

5 exercises for back/side raises and rear delts/2 exercises for bis

Then rest, and repeat with different exercises then next time around. The worst thing you can do is do the same exercises over and over and over again.

I wouldnt spend any time working forearms as they get worked indirectly pretty much with anything you do.

And dont be afraid to use machines. In fact they are VERY beneficial in a routine. They create WAY more tension on the muscle. I use MANY machines and cables. Usually only one free weight exercises on large muscle groups maybe a few for smaller groups.

And one last thing, i dont know the status of your calves but chances are your like the majority of us and arent genetically gifted in that department. If thats the case train those suckers every day your in the gym, sore or not, train them at the end of every workout without fail.

 

[Southernfish]

Oh and another thing. Congradulations in the positive change in your life brother. Its for the better. Even if sometimes you think its not. And BTW i dont count macros either

 

[halfwit]

I'm going to preface this with the disclaimer that what works for one guy may not work for another. This is why there are a ton of different training programs out there, and each has a legion of faithful supporters.

My first question is what exactly are you looking to do? Your regimen looks like you're mixing strength training with a caloric deficit inducing exercise. Am I correct in that you're trying to cut?

While strength training programs like 5x5 can induce hypertrophy, I'm a big fan of the school of thought that increased time under tension is superior for building size like 4x10 with a 5 day split.

Diet matters too regarding your goals. Eating clean is great if you're just in maintenance, but whether you're cutting/bulking, your total calories do matter as well.

Once I have an idea where you are currently heading, I can give more specific advice, otherwise I can only keep it fairly general. I do second the sentiments in recovering from addiction; shit's no joke, and takes serious fortitude to overcome.

My .02c

 

[49ER]

Ya that^^ lol i dont know much exept pinn hormones and go make my muscleys. I have no strategy nothing sciency to me wish i could help but i feel you gotta become your own master and find what works for you. If give you advice its gonn involve tren haha

 

[New alias]

I'm really appreciating all the feedback right now!!! Ideally I'd like to look like Gregg Plitt... With Arnold's chest, and Frank Mcgrath's forearms lmao

 

[New alias]

my advice in regards to bringing up a lagging muscle group or as to how to hit a muscle more often, is just to simply add in a few exercises for that muscle on a day that it is not scheduled..

example -- I do

leg day
chest day
back day
arm day
shoulder day

each muscle group gets hit close to twice per week and is worked out an hour per session -- now I'm wanting to bring out my chest more as well as calves.. so on arm day I hit calves on that day as well,, also, on shoulder day I hit chest on that day as well,, but only a few exercises for around 15 minutes.. If and when I have other body parts lagging I want to bring out,, then I will mix those in on non scheduled days as well..


For you,, your wanting to bring your back out and more V taper. I recommend adding a pull up routine and doing it 3 days a week-- doesn't' have to be on back day.. heck do pull ups on back day two.. but just take 15 minutes after your leg work out and go do 8-10 sets of 6-15 reps of pull ups.. go do that again on arm day as well.. once you get stronger do it 4 days a week.
after 4 weeks you'll notice your back is coming out nicely and your V taper is getting better.. make sure to use controlled movements with plenty of contraction and squeezing of the muscle, especially at the top, do not neglect the negative portion of the pull up, keep the back and lats contracted on the way down too.

I REALLY like this idea, I'm gonna have to weight out everyones opinions here, but this is a small change, that could potentially benefit me greatly and not take up much time.

 

[Southernfish]

Do yourself a favor. And learn from these three guys. Study them and use theyre knowledge to benefit yourself....

Ben Pakulski
Dennis James
Milos Sarcev

 

[New alias]

So, first of all i am assuming you want to build muscle, correct?

The amount of weight you lift has nothing to do with how well or how much muscle youll build. What determins that is time under tension and progressive overload NOT THE AMOUNT OF WEIGHT ON THE BAR! With that said i would axe the 5x5, although beneficial from time to time, that set up should not be a staple in your routine. A weight that is appropriate for the muscle group your train with reps between 8-12 is going to be the best for hypertrophy. And, when I say an appropriate weight, I mean a weight that the intended muscle group is going to be able to work with and not be able to do any more that 12 reps with or any less than 8 reps with.

A lot of people get mixed up when they hear they need to lift heavy weight. You need to lift heavy but not so heavy your using every single muscle and joint to get it up. You need to lift as heavy as the muscle group your training will allow. And if thats 135 on flat bench then so fuckin be it, if thats the weight you chest can take the full load on then thats the way it is. You are far better of doing that then push 225 using delt tris and all your joints for most of the lift. I can load 135 on flat bench and lift it a certain way and have my pecs ready to rip through my skin by the end of three sets. Meanwhile the guy next to me is benching 225 and has no chest whatsoever. So keep that in mind. Use a weight that is appropriate for the muscle group your training.

Now thats my rant in that, excuse me if that was long winded.

The workout routine you have layed out isnt going to benefit you. There isnt enough volume, and it seems very scattered. Also 6 days in a row is too much, if you are training correctly you will not be able to bang out 6 days straight without your body telling you you need a break, juice or no juice. Some will argue that but thats how i see it. PLUS, you dont grow when you workout, you break down. You grow when you rest. So if we train balls out for 3 days then take one off then train 3 more balls out and take one off again would that not cause quicker growth? Of course it would.

This routine, if doable in your schedule is the best IMO for growth. It is basically a push, pull, and legs of course, crammed into 3 days then a rest day.

Chest/Front and side Delts/Tris
Legs
Back/Side and Rear Delts/Bis

Now I cant say how many exercises for each as i have no idea of how your body works and recovers, only you know that.

But a general guideline id say would look something like this.

4 exercises for chest/ front raises and side raises of somesort/2 exercises for tris

3 exercises for quads and hams/2 for calves

5 exercises for back/side raises and rear delts/2 exercises for bis

Then rest, and repeat with different exercises then next time around. The worst thing you can do is do the same exercises over and over and over again.

I wouldnt spend any time working forearms as they get worked indirectly pretty much with anything you do.

And dont be afraid to use machines. In fact they are VERY beneficial in a routine. They create WAY more tension on the muscle. I use MANY machines and cables. Usually only one free weight exercises on large muscle groups maybe a few for smaller groups.

And one last thing, i dont know the status of your calves but chances are your like the majority of us and arent genetically gifted in that department. If thats the case train those suckers every day your in the gym, sore or not, train them at the end of every workout without fail.

So I spent my first couple years focusing exclusively on hypertrophy and it has only been the last year or so that I started to implement more strength work.

My consensus was that if I can spend some time getting stronger, I will be able to lift with more weight on my hypertrophy work, thus yielding greater gains.

I like the push, legs, pull split... But I spent a whole year doing squats, and deadlifts three days a week when I first started doing 5x5 and strength training, now my legs are too big imo. I'm going for the physique look, I don't want to spend 2 whole days a week doing legs.

 

[New alias]

I'm going to preface this with the disclaimer that what works for one guy may not work for another. This is why there are a ton of different training programs out there, and each has a legion of faithful supporters.

My first question is what exactly are you looking to do? Your regimen looks like you're mixing strength training with a caloric deficit inducing exercise. Am I correct in that you're trying to cut?

While strength training programs like 5x5 can induce hypertrophy, I'm a big fan of the school of thought that increased time under tension is superior for building size like 4x10 with a 5 day split.

Diet matters too regarding your goals. Eating clean is great if you're just in maintenance, but whether you're cutting/bulking, your total calories do matter as well.

Once I have an idea where you are currently heading, I can give more specific advice, otherwise I can only keep it fairly general. I do second the sentiments in recovering from addiction; shit's no joke, and takes serious fortitude to overcome.

My .02c

I am trying to make lean gains.... I only just added in the cardio a couple weeks ago so my abs could pop out a lil bit for summer. I also feel cardio is something I need to be doing and havn't in the last few years, so I think I am going to maintain cardio in my routine permanently.

Most of u really don't seem to like my 6 days a week training, I can honestly say I feel great, don't notice weak workouts towards the end of the week. I always drink some gatorade and a protein shake with maltodextrin about half way through my workouts.

U guys definitely know better than I do, I can't front on that lol. My npp/test blast will be ending in a week, I will drop training back.... Either 5 days a week as u reccomend, or 3 on 1 off as Schredder recommends.

 

[Southernfish]

So I spent my first couple years focusing exclusively on hypertrophy and it has only been the last year or so that I started to implement more strength work.

My consensus was that if I can spend some time getting stronger, I will be able to lift with more weight on my hypertrophy work, thus yielding greater gains.

I like the push, legs, pull split... But I spent a whole year doing squats, and deadlifts three days a week when I first started doing 5x5 and strength training, now my legs are too big imo. I'm going for the physique look, I don't want to spend 2 whole days a week doing legs.

You could swap out the 2nd leg day and blast shoulders that days as well. Thus improving the Vtaper.

I understand your thinking on strength training transferring over to bigger lifts in hypertrophy training. But, you also increase risk of injury and also wear out joints ligaments and whatnot. Ive always said to myself i dont need to lift big weight to get big muscles, I need to have big muscles to lift big weights. Train smart. And of course my advise is based on what ive done over the years that i found to be most beneficial for me. Take it all or some or none my friend its just my .02

But i think this thread will be beneficial to you as you have a bunch of different dudes whove been at this some time sharing what they do. So take a bit from here and from there a mix up something of your own.

 

[Mrrippedzilla]

Why not do this:

push
pull
legs
push
pull
off
off

That way you can stick to a split you like, chest/back get hit twice as you want and the 1 leg session per week will allow you to maintain mass but not necessarily add to it.

5x5 can still be optimal for hypertrophy btw, its just a case of knowing how to programme it - 5x5 on compounds, 8-12/12-15 on isolation or certain muscle group moves, etc.

 

[New alias]

Today is my rest day btw, I always love to reflect on my training/goals on my rest day. I can't tell u guys how much I appreciate all the insight.

 

[New alias]

Why not do this:

push
pull
legs
push
pull
off
off

That way you can stick to a split you like, chest/back get hit twice as you want and the 1 leg session per week will allow you to maintain mass but not necessarily add to it.

5x5 can still be optimal for hypertrophy btw, its just a case of knowing how to programme it - 5x5 on compounds, 8-12/12-15 on isolation or certain muscle group moves, etc.

This looks pretty solid to me!

In regards to what your saying about 5x5 this is exactly how I have been using it.

Thanks brother this split is looking really good, because I am a weirdo about wanting ridiculous forearms I will just superset them in on upper body days somehow.

I am wondering if I can do cardio on 1, or both rest days? I hate to be out of the gym for 2 days, I love creeping on all the fitness chicks! lol

 

[Roush]

You could swap out the 2nd leg day and blast shoulders that days as well. Thus improving the Vtaper.

I understand your thinking on strength training transferring over to bigger lifts in hypertrophy training. But, you also increase risk of injury and also wear out joints ligaments and whatnot. Ive always said to myself i dont need to lift big weight to get big muscles, I need to have big muscles to lift big weights. Train smart. And of course my advise is based on what ive done over the years that i found to be most beneficial for me. Take it all or some or none my friend its just my .02

But i think this thread will be beneficial to you as you have a bunch of different dudes whove been at this some time sharing what they do. So take a bit from here and from there a mix up something of your own.

personally,, I know that if the weights themselves were not numbered, i.e. listed in pounds/kgs.. or if I was blind folded and never knew what the weight amount ever was.. I would have made better gains. the muscle does not know or care about how much weight is on the bar,, the muscle and nervous system only know TENSION,, how much tension the muscle is under is ALL that matters.. If your training for sarcoplasmic hypertrophy and physique,, never worry about the amount of weight. focus on contraction and TENSION.. that's why cables are great for a ton of muscle building exercises.

 

[Mrrippedzilla]

This looks pretty solid to me!

In regards to what your saying about 5x5 this is exactly how I have been using it.

Thanks brother this split is looking really good, because I am a weirdo about wanting ridiculous forearms I will just superset them in on upper body days somehow.

I am wondering if I can do cardio on 1, or both rest days? I hate to be out of the gym for 2 days, I love creeping on all the fitness chicks! lol

Some people find that light cardio helps with recovery from workouts so I see no issues with you doing cardio on both rest days, just don't go crazy with it.

 

[New alias]

Some people find that light cardio helps with recovery from workouts so I see no issues with you doing cardio on both rest days, just don't go crazy with it.

Cool, I'll prob take 1 day off tho, u know it's always nice to have a chill day.

Who's that chick in ur avatar?! Man I love fitness chicks, she is looking perfect.