Building a new routine...samples, anyone?

[VooDoo Lady]

I am trying to put together a new set of exercises to "keep my body guessing" and make some significant gains in a relatively short amount of time. I have been pouring over the web sites listed in the "Great Links" sticky, and as usual, I am overwhelmed and confused.

If you already have your workout typed out somewhere, can you post it here??

It would kick ass if you had:
- what body part you are working each day of the week
- number of sets and reps for each exercise

I know a lot of people track this kind of stuff diligently, so I thought some of you would have it typed up already.

Thanks!
VDL

 

[wilson6]

You don't need to constantly mix up and create exercise routines. In fact, I think that is counterproductive because you really never reach your limitations on a particular exercise or elicit maximal hypertrophy in all the muscle fibers that are recruited in a particular movement.

I never bought into the "change everything every workout." Simply changing a rep-set scheme on your heavy days is plenty, even if it is the same exercise week after week. While most bodybuilders talk of stagnation if the exercise is not changed constantly, explain to me how powerlifters or olympic lifters that focus on 3 or 2 basic movements, respectively, for many years continue to make progress in these lifts. You'd think that after a few months they'd all plateau and no one would be benching more than 200 lbs., but that is not the case. You certainly don't see them doing flat bench one week, dumbells the next, declines the third, inclines the fourth, hammer machine flat the fifth and so on. They focus on the flat bench and some accessory movements, but they don't go in and bench to failure every week using the same rep-set scheme that many BBs do, and yet some of these guys are benching 700 and women 400 +, far more than almost any bodybuilder. Hmmmmmm...........

If more bodybuilders used basic principles of training such as periodization or undulated periodization, they'd be bigger and stronger than they are now, with or without drugs.

The concept of crushing every bodypart every week with different exercises will limit progress. If it didn't, world class powerlifters would be doing that all the time.

Think about it.

W6

 

[wilson6]

Depends on how much change. Change the small stuff, but keep the core movements (bench, overhead press, squat, etc.) consistent exercise wise, just alter the rep-set scheme.

"As much as this will kill you, W6, I don't think we're disagreeing. "

Not sure what you mean?

"I don't decide before I go to the gym what machines I'm going to use. I would be injured if I did."

So then why aren't powerlifters injured all the time? They come in and bench, squat and deadlift all the time.

W6

 

[wilson6]

That's fine SPAT. We are on the same page.

Just like to rattle your ovaries a bit from time to time to keep you honest.

W6