Muscle growth schedule - opinions pls

nukemdukem

nukemdukem

nukemdukem

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25 Dec 2008
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187
Hi All,

I have been going to the gym everyday for the last 3 months, with my main goal being fat loss. I have had some guides put together by my gym which were good, but now i feel i am ready to go to the next level - focus on building muscle mass. From speaking to a few people i have come up with the following 3 month plan, would be great to hear peoples opinions. The goal is to build my chest, back and arm muscles. I will also do leg workouts, but initially going for the other areas mentioned. I can go to the gym everyday, but during the week can only do around 40 mins.

Day 1 - Chest
Decline bench press - 3 sets of 8-10 reps, pyramid weight.
Incline bench press - 3 sets of 8-10 reps, pyramid weight.
Flat bench press - 3 sets of 8-10 reps, pyramid weight.
Barbell squat - 2 sets of 8-10 reps.
Crunches.

Day 2 - Cardio - 30 mins bike broken into 5 mins at 140 bpm, 5 mins at 150bpm and 2 mins at 160bpm - repeat.

Day 3 - Arms
Ez bicep bar curl - 3 sets - 8-10 reps - pyramid weights.
Tricep rope press down - 3 sets - 8-10 reps - pyramid weights.
Bicep rope cable curl - 3 sets - 8-10 reps - pyramid weights.
Seated dips - tricep and chest - 3 sets - 8-10 reps
Barbell squat - 2 sets of 8-10 reps.
Crunches

Day 4 - Cardio - 30 mins bike broken into 5 mins at 140 bpm, 5 mins at 150bpm and 2 mins at 160bpm - repeat.

Day 5 - Back
Lateral pull down - 3 sets - 8-10 reps - pyramid weights.
Cable row - 3 sets - 8-10 reps - pyramid weights.
Dumbell upright row and shrug - 3 sets - 8-10 reps - pyramid weights.
Barbell squat - 2 sets of 8-10 reps.
Crunches

Day 6 - Cardio - 30 mins bike broken into 5 mins at 140 bpm, 5 mins at 150bpm and 2 mins at 160bpm - repeat.

Day 7 - rest

At the end of every weights workout session i will take reflex growth matrix to aid in muscle mass growth and on cardio days i will just take protein shots.

What do people think, is this a good workout schedule, after 3 months i would change it.

Thanks
 
Personally I think it's a bad move neglecting legs (although I see you have included Squatting 3 times per week).

I would include some deadlifts during your back day as one of your "staple" lifts.

Also it appears you aren't including much shoulder exercises (except the Upright Rows)

I personally would drop one of those Cardio days and move the shoulders and legs there or forget about the arms day since it's really not required so early into your lifting lifestyle
 
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Do 2 muscle groups a day, eg Monday Back and triceps, Tuesday - Legs and Chest etc, doing one muscle group a day is IMO not good. Try and workout 5 days not 6 they say the more rest you can get the more you grow!


You need a leg routine.
 
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Settleddown said:
Do a 2 day split, eg Monday Back and triceps, Tuesday - Legs and Chest etc, doing one muscle group a day is IMO not good. Try and workout 5 days not 6 they say the more rest you can get the more you grow!


You need a leg routine.
Click to expand...

No shoulders?


Arm day but no leg day.

Going gym every day! Crazy
 
ok thanks, so for monday - wednesday how about the below, i've re-arranged my exercises. Or do i need to choose completely different exercises?

Day 1 - Chest / Triceps
Decline bench press - 3 sets of 8-10 reps, pyramid weight.
Incline bench press - 3 sets of 8-10 reps, pyramid weight.
Flat bench press - 3 sets of 8-10 reps, pyramid weight.
Tricep rope press down - 3 sets - 8-10 reps - pyramid weights.
Seated dips - tricep and chest - 3 sets - 8-10 reps

Day 2 - Back / biceps
Lateral pull down - 3 sets - 8-10 reps - pyramid weights.
Cable row - 3 sets - 8-10 reps - pyramid weights.
Dumbell upright row and shrug - 3 sets - 8-10 reps - pyramid weights.
Ez bicep bar curl - 3 sets - 8-10 reps - pyramid weights.
Bicep rope cable curl - 3 sets - 8-10 reps - pyramid weights.

Day 3 - Cardio - 30 mins bike broken into 5 mins at 140 bpm, 5 mins at 150bpm and 2 mins at 160bpm - repeat.
Abs - crunches 3 sets - 15 reps, medicine ball - 3 sets - 15 reps


Will look into exercises for legs and shoulders, but for the legs day will def do squats.
Thanks
 
nukemdukem said:
ok thanks, so for monday - wednesday how about the below, i've re-arranged my exercises. Or do i need to choose completely different exercises?

Day 1 - Chest / Triceps
Decline bench press - 3 sets of 8-10 reps, pyramid weight.
Incline bench press - 3 sets of 8-10 reps, pyramid weight.
Flat bench press - 3 sets of 8-10 reps, pyramid weight.
Tricep rope press down - 3 sets - 8-10 reps - pyramid weights.
Seated dips - tricep and chest - 3 sets - 8-10 reps

Day 2 - Back / biceps
Lateral pull down - 3 sets - 8-10 reps - pyramid weights.
Cable row - 3 sets - 8-10 reps - pyramid weights.
Dumbell upright row and shrug - 3 sets - 8-10 reps - pyramid weights.
Ez bicep bar curl - 3 sets - 8-10 reps - pyramid weights.
Bicep rope cable curl - 3 sets - 8-10 reps - pyramid weights.

Day 3 - Cardio - 30 mins bike broken into 5 mins at 140 bpm, 5 mins at 150bpm and 2 mins at 160bpm - repeat.
Abs - crunches 3 sets - 15 reps, medicine ball - 3 sets - 15 reps


Will look into exercises for legs and shoulders, but for the legs day will def do squats.
Thanks
Click to expand...

Much better :)
 
Training legs hard = developing the rest of your body.

You're hampering your progress by not training your leg properly. I won't bore everyone with the facts and science again in detail. Legs = biggest muscles in body, therefore, more work done, more hormonal releases, promotes more potential for growth with the right exercises and nutrition. :)

New program looks better - definitely need shoulder and leg work in there too though,. :)
 
Hi,

This is what i have put together for days 4 - 7. So in total days 1-7 would be a good workout and after 3 months i should see some noticable muscle growth? will be taking protein shakes after each workout (reflx growth matrix)/

Day 4 - Rest

Day 5 - Legs
Squats - 3 sets - 8-10 reps - pyramid weights.
Romanian deadlift - 3 sets - 8-10 reps - pyramid weights.
Dumb-bell step up - 3 sets - 8-10 reps.
Swiss ball leg curl - 3 sets - 8-10 reps.

Day 6 - Shoulders / Biceps
Shoulder press - 3 sets - 8-10 reps - pyramid weights.
Lateral raise - 3 sets - 8-10 reps - pyramid weights.
High cable wide pull - 3 sets - 8-10 reps - pyramid weights.
Ez bicep bar curl - 3 sets - 8-10 reps - pyramid weights.

Day 7 - Rest
 
Ok I have had a chance to look at this properly and I would suggest ditching the Bicep work on the shoulder day.

My reasoning for this is that the Biceps is a smaller muscle and has a lot to do when working your back, you should be getting a bicep pump doing rows for example. So you are working them on day 2 when doing back and working them again when doing the isolation excerises an additional day of Bicep work in the same week would be overtraining IMO.

I know you want big arms but you would be much better off working on your triceps as they make up two thirds of your arm. Swap the seated dips for proper ones in a cage, do assisted ones to start then move on to weighted ones. There is nothing like beasting out dips with 20kg strapped to your waist for big arms! Also look into Skull Crushers supersetted with close grip bench with the same bar another great tricep workout.
 
You're close to a decent beginners program but you've not said anything about nutrition beyond a presumably quite expensive protein concoction that has something to do with The Matrix and involuntary muscle movements. If you want to grow your muscles you need to have a good (and crucially, BIG) diet.

If your muscles are an unfinished house and your cells are the workers, they need bricks of protein (Reflex mega-matrix-hyper-double-peptide-tri-amino-vascular-laser-muscle-superconductor-anabolic-unrealistic-growth protein for example ) but you need to PAY the workers - these workers are paid in calories. Don't give them enough and your house will never get built.

Honestly, you can have a fairly poor program but still make good progress if you eat enough.
If you have a great program and eat enough you can make great progress.
If you have a great program and don't eat enough, you will not make progress.
 
Hi All,

Thanks for the advice, here is my current diet:

Morning - 9:30am
2 poached eggs, 1 slice of wholegrain bread, small tin of baked beans. Apple juice

Lunch 1 - 12 noon
Leon chilli chicken wrap, drink of water.

Pre workout - 1.30pm - Red bull sugar free

Post work out - 3pm - Reflix growth matrix (straight after workout)

4pm - Pret swandwich (either roast beef or falafel one)

6.30pm - Dinner - 400 - 500 calories, balanced meal.

7pm - Protein shot?

8pm - Cottage cheese and rivata

I am not sure if this is enough, but my aim is also to cut body fat (not mass).

Thanks
 
Hi All,

I thought i would break down my diet, am i eating enough, the protein amounts seem good but the calories are lower than i expected. Someone said aim for 2500-2800? If so should i add in another shake during the day, maybe pre workout?

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Thanks
 
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Well for starters, your protein shot whatever that is does contain calories, ~100

1g = about 4 calories I think


As for the calorie intake as a whole, yea it does look low to me, but I don't usually count calories :o
 
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