# constructive critisizm



## nova1970sb (Sep 29, 2010)

hey, i am changing my routine a bit and would like some constructive critisizm if you all would be so kind. i would like to start a new routine come monday, as i am getting a little bored with mine now. so tell me what you think of what i came up with, and what you would change (if anything) if it was you doing it. my goal is primarily strength gains.

day 1(monday)
RDL 3x10
bench press 5x5
b/o rows 3x8
incline db press 3x8
single arm cable rows 3x10
db flyes 3x10-12
donkey calve raises 3x10

day 2(tuesday)
squats 5x5
military press 5x5
standing BB curl 3x8-10
reverse curl 3x8-10
finger curls 3x10
cable ab crunches 3x12

day 3(thursday)
lat pull downs 5x5
face pulls 3x8
db pullovers 5x5
lat raise 3x8
lat row 3x10-12

day 4(friday)
deadlifts 5x5
good mornings 3x8
leg extensions 3x12
skull crushers 5x5
cable press downs 3x8-12
preacher curls 5x5

rest wednesday/saturday/sunday

on day 2 i do reverse curls and finger curls to up grip stength to help me with my deads.


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## cshea2 (Sep 29, 2010)

Looks good, except that's more volume than I am accustomed to. Idk about you though.

Day 1: I would cut out db flyes, and either cut out incline db press or reduce the bench press to 3 sets and keep the incline db press.

Day 2: I would cut out BB curls, and I don't think reverse curls or finger curls are that effective for grip. There are so many fun things you can do for grip; Farmers Walks, tire flips, atlas stones, or even just swinging an axe around these really turn you into a beast. I don't know if you have the equipment for this though.

Day 3: What are lat raises and lat rows?

Day 4: I like the good mornings. I would cut out leg extentions and press downs. A little biceps is fine.

Overall pretty balanced though, maybe just reduce the volume a little bit.


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## cshea2 (Sep 29, 2010)

Oh yah, and how could i forget Periodization. How do you plan to progress from week to week to reach your goal, which is strength. Check out gtbmed's sticky for rep ranges and intensities. Other members will be better able to help you with this.


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## nova1970sb (Sep 29, 2010)

latteral row: YouTube - Curl Bar Lateral - Up Right Row for Shoulders & Deltoid Development

latteral raise: YouTube - Weight Lifting Exercises for Beginners : Lateral Raise Weight Lifting Exercise for Beginners

i dont understand what you mean by cut out press downs, as a little bicep is fine. thats a tricep excersize.

my goal for increasing strength is to complete the sets and reps and go up in weight as they get easier to do.
i also do not have access to giant tires, or atlas stones, my gym is kinda small so there is not much room for farmers walks either. so stationary excersizes work better for me


i was wondering about overkill but i think i can accomplish each one of these days in under 1 hour.

oh and on my thursday i plan on throwing in another calve excersize


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## cshea2 (Sep 29, 2010)

I think skull crushers on that day are enough for the tries, so i think press downs would be over kill. 

Sorry, I meant to say the preacher curls are fine to keep or you can put the barbell curls in there. But I think barbell curls and preacher curls on different days will not really be beneficial, JMO.


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## Marat (Sep 29, 2010)

nova1970sb said:


> my goal for increasing strength is to complete the sets and reps and go up in weight as they get easier to do.



This isn't an effective way to periodize. I highly recommend the 5/3/1 or Westside program.


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## gtbmed (Sep 29, 2010)

Do you have a more specific goal than gaining strength?  Do you want to gain strength for a sport?  Do you want to improve certain lifts?

I think the program seems a bit heavy on volume to me.  But getting more specific with your goals will allow us to help you more.


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## nova1970sb (Sep 29, 2010)

would like to increase strength mainly in squats deadlifts and bench press


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## cshea2 (Sep 29, 2010)

I second the 5/3/1. Getting the big three up doesn't require nearly that much volume, I would cut the volume in half. I tried to get specific, but the assistance exercises are more of a personal preference thing than anything. 

So each day: Squat, Bench, Deads, OH Press follow these with two assistance exercises 5 sets a piece, that's really all you need. They assist, they don't really make or break your success.


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## Marat (Sep 29, 2010)

nova1970sb, what are your current 5RMs in the squat, bench, and deadlift?

In addition to what cshea2 said, perhaps you can try out some basic linear periodization before you move on.


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## nova1970sb (Sep 29, 2010)

im not sure what my 5rm's are except for with deadlifts. i deadlift 365x5 and grip starts to wear out. if i had to guess on bench i would say 185, and squats are probly around 245. 

i do like doing a bit more work that the 5/3/1 training requires, as the gym is the only place where i really get to relieve stress and get away from everything around me, it keeps me with a level head.


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## Marat (Sep 29, 2010)

What do you mean, specifically, about wanting to do more work than 5/3/1 requires? Are you uncomfortable with the volume? exercise selection?


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## nova1970sb (Sep 29, 2010)

just something that will keep me in the gym longer and away from everything, i was looking at that program and it looked like something that could be accomplished in about 25 min.


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## Marat (Sep 30, 2010)

Takes about 10 or 15 minutes or so to do the warmup, about 45 - 60min to do the program and about another 15 minutes or so afterwards. 

 I recommend giving it a try.


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## nova1970sb (Sep 30, 2010)

im tired and getting ready for bed, anyone have a good link they can post for the 531 training. i will read up tomorrow on it.


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## Marat (Sep 30, 2010)

5/3/1


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## gtbmed (Sep 30, 2010)

Use the extra time for things people often neglect:  warmup, GPP (cardio/circuits), flexibility, injury prevention, mobility patterns, etc.

It's better to put in 25 minutes of good work than to put in 75 minutes of mediocre work.  Work hard on your main lifts, then take your time and work on weaknesses.  That will help you more than you can imagine.


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## nova1970sb (Sep 30, 2010)

i'm kinda broke right now. its either food on the table, or 531 book. thanks for the link though marat


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## gtbmed (Sep 30, 2010)

This is not the book and won't give you nearly as much information, but it lays out the basic program for you.


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## nova1970sb (Sep 30, 2010)

thanks gtb, that sounds pretty interesting. i will work more on it later today


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## nova1970sb (Sep 30, 2010)

ok guys, thanks for the help. i have had plenty of time now to research and i do think i am going to go with the 531 training. so i didnt know all my 1rm's so i used the calculator to figure it all out, and it sounds exciting, i am looking forward to it! so here is what i came up with.

Day 1
Military press 5/3/1
db incline press 5x10-20
db rows 5x10-20
tricep pushdowns 5x10-20

day 2
deadlift 5/3/1
leg curls 5x10-20
leg press 5x10-20
abs 5x10-20

day 3
bench press 5/3/1
db military press 5x10-20
lat pull downs 5x10-20
tricep extensions 5x10-20

day 4 
squats 5/3/1
good mornings 5x10-20
lunges 5x10-20
abs 5x10-20

plan on working out mon/tues/thurs/fri

used the 1rm calculator and subtracted 10 percent like suggested for beginning this training. the amounts seem super light for the first week, but we will see how this goes. like i said i am very excited to give this a go around. and thanks very much to marat,gtbmed,and cshea2!


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## Marat (Sep 30, 2010)

It looks like you chose The Triumvirate variety of assistance work but it looks a bit odd. 

The most obvious thing is that you have one movement more than what you need. Why not just do the template that Wendler put down and then go from there?


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## nova1970sb (Sep 30, 2010)

maybe i just suck at reading, but it looked like in the template he suggested 3 accessorie exercises. what would you change around? one thing i also didnt think about was i really have been working hard on developing my calves and they have gotten quite a bit bigger, would i be fine throwing in a direct calve excersize on day one?


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## Marat (Sep 30, 2010)

Three total movements per day. The mainlift + 2 accessories. 

Military Press – 5/3/1 
Dips – 5 sets of 15 reps 
Chin-ups – 5 sets of 10 reps

 Deadlift – 5/3/1 
Good Morning – 5 sets of 12 reps 
Hanging Leg Raise – 5 sets of 15 reps 

Bench Press - 5/3/1 
Dumbbell Bench Press – 5 sets of 15 reps 
Dumbbell Row – 5 sets of 10 reps 

Squat - 5/3/1 
Leg Press - 5 sets of 15 reps
Leg Curl - 5 sets of 10 reps

The calves seem to be one of those body parts that respond to frequency. Try doing some work like three times a week and then dial it back if you feel like it's too much.


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## nova1970sb (Sep 30, 2010)

all is great, except for i couldnt probly do any more than 2 sets of chins at the moment. should i do as many as i can then do the rest with pull downs, and work my way up to completely replace the pull downs?


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## Marat (Sep 30, 2010)

nova1970sb said:


> all is great, except for i couldnt probly do any more than 2 sets of chins at the moment. should i do as many as i can then do the rest with pull downs, and work my way up to completely replace the pull downs?



Do you have one of those assisted chin up machines?  If not, yea, do as many chins as you can than switch to the pull down.


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## nova1970sb (Sep 30, 2010)

perfect, there is one of those at my gym


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## gtbmed (Sep 30, 2010)

You can also use bands to help lighten the load.


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## dmcsas (Oct 1, 2010)

Pretty good write-up on 5/3/1

http : // forum.bodybuilding.com / showthread.php?t=112382761

Sorry for having to spread things out but couldn't post link yet.  2 more posts to go!


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## nova1970sb (Oct 4, 2010)

HOLY SANTA CLAUS SHIT!!!

so today was day 1, and wow.. it kicked my ass! i think im going to like this program! 

so i went by everything jim said in the e-book, and what marat helped me out with. so here we go.

military press 3x5
75x5 85x5 100x8 (did 8 because it still felt light)
dips(i really suck at these and just found out i can really do them last week after never being able to my whole life!) 
5x15 was goal
what i did was 11 reps, 10 reps, 10 reps, 6 reps, 6 reps.. my shoulders are sore as hell!
chins (had to use the vagtastic assistance machine on this one) goal was 5x10. i got 10 reps -40, 10 -50, 8 -50, 8 -50, 6 -50.

this program so far has humbled me quite a bit i will be looking forward to see what it will do for me in the long run. thanks again all for your help!


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