Tall

As my diet and training routine has changed recently, I decided to start a new log.

Previous routine: 2 day split, going b@lls to the wall, eating upto 5kcals per day.
Pros: Packed on some good muscle
Cons: Stomach got swollen from all the serious eating.

New Routine (Push/Pull/Legs)

(Note - Every exercise will have a warmup set.)

Legs
Leg Extensions - 2x Triple Drop Set
Leg Press - 2x 20 Reps plus 5/5/5 Matrix
Leg Curls - 3 x 20 Reps
Calves: Triple Drop Set

Push
Flat DB Flies: 2x 15-20 Reps
Incline DB Bench: 2x 15-20 Reps
Military Press: 1 x 15-20 Reps
Side Lateral DB Raises: 2 x 15 Reps
Lying DB Raises: 2 x 15-20 Reps
Tricep Pushdowns: 2x 15 Reps plus 5/5/5 Matrix

Pull
Straight Arm Pulldowns: 2x 15-20 Reps
Lat Pulldowns: 2 x 15-20 Reps
Bent Over Rows: 2x 15-20 Reps
Shrugs: 2x 15-20 Reps
DB Bicep Curls: 2x 15-20 Reps
Deadlifts every second week.

New goals are slightly different - I want to gain a nice shape while staying relatively lean all year round.

Ali M

Hello Sir... interesting training routine you got going there dude, couple of questions for you, do you feel that the muscle gets a good workout? you don't seem to be doing much for shoulders do you feel that they are getting a good workout?

P.s. i like the look of putting the pulls together and pushes together, do you feel that you have benefited better from this unaurthodoxed style of training?

Tall

Howdee mate.

Push/Pull/Legs is a fairly common 3day split.

Now the routine I didn't design - Pikey did that for me.

Pikey will prob dive in and explain better than me but he's what I understood from what he told me.

Basically everything is to failure - so weight selection is very important. I'm using moderate weight for reps to try and stimulate growth.

Everything is done very intensely which is important.

I looked at the routine and thought it would be fairly easy. Simply put - I was wrong.

Leg day I can barely walk afterwards (but in a good way) and I've never had a chest workout as good as the push day. Still need to do his pull day which will be tonight (had to shift training around a bit this week)

With the moderate weights and going for reps, I'm pre-exhausting the muscle and then using a variety of exercises to ensure as much of each are of the muscle is stimulated as possible.

I've never done pre-exhausts before but I tell you what they are much harder than I thought.

Shoulders are getting more work that before mate (they were lagging a bit) in the form of:

Military Press
Side Lateral DB Raises
Lying DB Raises
and Shrugs

To be honest I would never have picked this routine for myself - but when a bloke of Pikey's experience designs a training schedule for you personally its time to listen and learn...

I like doing the big lifts cos its a good ego boost. This routine leaves the ego at the door seriously... I ended up having to do a drop set on the last set of incline DB presses where I was only using 16kg dumbs for 5reps...

Lying DB raises were done with the girly silver 6kg dumbs...

The routine gets each muscle to failure and makes you keep going...

Bodyworks

good luck with that sir. for me, 15 to 20 reps is too high for maximum growth.

and i'd also up the kcals, up to 5 a day, impressive.

Tall

PMSL.

I don't think I'm dropping below 2000kcals per day on the new routine.

If zee reps don't work I can always alter them.

Pikey

I normally aim to fail something above 15 reps certainly on the first working set as it just stimulates me better – we’re all different the key is to keep experimenting till you find what works for you. Last set is highly likely to be 6-8 reps and probably with the same weight…

Anything less than 20 on legs and I seem to build mass but not quality – I know different things but I’ll grow on 20 plus and my legs look better. My ex training partner had to work on sub 8 reps else he just lost muscle – everyone’s different and while he’s a top bloke it’s why we don’t train together anymore.

The reason I started with pre exhaust is that after 25 years of heavy compound and Weightlifting exercises my joints were continually sore I’d more niggly injuries than I could shake a stick at and I found it very difficult to focus my mind into a muscle while doing compound as opposed to focusing on moving the weight.

I’d say to anyone give it a go for a month and see how it goes but don’t stagnate I think its key to keep changing and not fall into the rut of the same old exercises with the same weight for the same reps…

Tall

Progress is definitely the key.

I'll bear that in mind about the last set and adjust the weight accordingly.

I had guessed that pre-exhaust work would reduce the risk of injuries but didn't know if it was a definite so kept quiet

Tall

Evening training session today... Which meant... You guessed it - deadlifts

Straight Arm Pulldowns:
Warm up + 15 & 8 @ 26kg

Deadlifts:
10 @ 80kg
5 @ 80kg
3 @ 120kg
3 @ 140kg
3 @ 150kg
1 @ 162.5kg - was aiming for 2/3 reps but some bigger boys went and did DB Bench behind where I was lifting which put me off...

162.5kg however is a PB

Lat Pulldowns:
Warm Up + 15, 12 @ 56kg

Bent Over Rows:
5 @ 50kg - and stopped. Couldn't get the motion right.

Seated Rows:
15, 12 @ 59kg

Shrugs:
12, 10 @ 35kg per DB

Negative DB Bicep Curls
10 (per arm) @ 26kg

Incline DB Curls
10 (per arm) @ 10kg

Bi's had hit failure on the Heavy negatives so added light Incline DB Curls in to finish them off.


Deadlifts every second week.

Ali M

Something strange you say pikey put your programme together and apart from the high reps it looks solid, now i understand the first set been light to failure as i do this as a warm up but then as pikey said my last set ill aim for max 8 reps to complete failure and yeah the muscle will be pre exhausted.

Question for you TH&S why are your last sets not as pikeys are i.e. 8 reps?

not picking here, im reading this with interest and thinking of changing over to it, however id have to tinker with it as i dont like the high reps, each to there own on that.

Tall

Howdee mate.

It was the first time I'd done the routine so I'm still trying to get the weights set correctly.

Just needs a slight adjustment of perhaps 5kg per exercise and I'll be there next week I think.