How does this routine look? Tips for building Chest?

[Hobbs]

Hey guys,
This is my current routine, for those who messaged me asking about my PIC i posted.
Trying to pack on another 10lbs and focus on my chest since its lacking.
Let me know of any changes, or how I can fit chest in here again.
Thanks.

Monday - Chest
warm up with cables 1x15
warm up with pec machine 1x15
4x8 - Incline Dumbell
4x8 - Flat Dumbell
3x8 - Chest Fly
(should I be doing 3x8 or 4x8?
I was also thinking maybe doing 4x6 or 3x6 instead 8 for mass?
I just read 8 is a good rep range for sarcoplasmic hypertrophy)
Every second week I add weighted pull overs 2x10

Tuesday - Back
4x10 - wide grip pull-ups
4x10 - deadlifts
4x10 - lat pull downs
4x10 - bent-over rows

Wednsday - Bicep/Tricep
4x10 - weighted dips
4x10 - Barbell curls
4x10 - Rope extensions
4x10 - Inc bench curls
2 sets of 21's

Thursday - Legs
4x10 - Romanian Deadlift
4x10 - Squats
4x10 - Front-squats
4x10 - Leg press

Friday - Shoulder/Abs
4x10 - Military Press
4x10 - Side Lat Raises
4x10 - Front Lat Raises
( I super set the military press with the Front Lat Raises)

3x15 - Hanging Leg Raises
Then I do the following circuit twice
1x15- Crunches
1x15- Leg Raises
1x15- Raised leg crunch

Any improvements would be good.
I'm starting to think I might be doing to many sets, maybe I should switch to 3 sets and higher weights?
Should I keep the same rep range? of 8-10 Or should I change it to 6 and increase weight?

 

[user43770]

That's way too much volume, man. You're a smaller guy and should be focusing on putting on mass. The best way to do this is with heavy compound lifts. I don't want to tell you what exercises you should be doing, mainly because I don't know what you're comfortable with, but I'll post my routine just for an example. Keep in mind that my sessions are short and intense - an hour or less.

Monday
Deadlift 2x3-5
Chins 3x4-6
Pendlay rows 2x8-10

Wednesday
Bench press 3x8-12
Military press 2x4-6
Dips 2x8-10

Friday
Squats 3x4-6
Stiff leg dead 2x8-10
Calf raises 3x15

I'm currently 145 lbs at about 5'8. About 10-12% body fat.
Deadlift: 275x4
Squat: 230x4
Bench: 165x10
Chins: 70x4
Dips: 75x8

I strained a hip flexor and have had to cut back, but I was in the 240x6 range before. I focus on those lifts and try to get stronger every week. Short and intense.

 

[user43770]

I should also mention that I just got through a cutting phase where I lost about 20 pounds. I intend to start bulking here soon and I'm going to stick with the same routine, just consume more calories.

 

[Hobbs]

That's way too much volume, man.

My exercises only last 1 hour at most when I go in the gym.
I take 45 - 90 seconds in between sets as a rest.
and I do have some compounds in there.
Deadlift, squat, bench, dips, military press, rows

By too much volume would this be better?

Monday - Chest
warm up with cables 1x15
warm up with pec machine 1x15
3x6 - Incline Dumbell
3x6 - Flat Dumbell
3x6 - Chest Fly

Tuesday - Back
3x6 - wide grip pull-ups
3x8 - deadlifts
3x6 - lat pull downs
3x6 - bent-over rows

Wednsday - Bicep/Tricep
3x6 - weighted dips
4x6 - Barbell curls
3x6 - Rope extensions
3x6 - Inc bench curls
2 sets of 21's

Thursday - Legs
3x6 - Romanian Deadlift
3x6 - Squats
3x6 - Leg press

Friday - Shoulder/Abs
3x6 - Military Press
2x6 - Side Lat Raises
2x6 - Front Lat Raises
( I super set the military press with the Front Lat Raises)

3x15 - Hanging Leg Raises
Then I do the following circuit twice
1x15- Crunches
1x15- Leg Raises
1x15- Raised leg crunch

??
Is that better if I increase the weight and just do a lower rep range/less sets but a higher intensity?

 

[user43770]

Yeah, man, that's better. Personally, I'd also mix shoulder and tris in with chest day, and go ahead and mix biceps with back day. You know, since you're already working those muscles. Days off are good. Your body grows when you rest and eat, not when you lift.

Edit - I'd also lose the chest flies, lat pull downs and 1 of those biceps exercises; waste of time, in my opinion.

 

[DanZy]

You should focus pretty much just on compound lifts. All those isolation excersizes won't do much in this situation. Do something along the lines of Stronglifts. It's simple but will yield great results.

 

[cuzza]

Bollocks it's too much volume.

All routines in this thread look fine. The one you've posted to begin with looks solid. The only weird thing is the chest warmup. Why would you ''warmup'' with a machine and cables? You warm up with the exercise you're doing.

 

[Hobbs]

The only weird thing is the chest warmup. Why would you ''warmup'' with a machine and cables? You warm up with the exercise you're doing.

I do the warm up for pre-exhaustion
I have trouble building my chest and i suspect its because my triceps are fairly big from trade work i've done in the past where as my chest didnt have as much of a starting point.

So i've started to do my reps 3/4 of the way (not locking my elbows on every bench)
And also doing fly's etc.. to pre-exhaust my chest (these workouts dont require any tricep)
So that when I move onto compound exercises like benchpress
when I hit failure it's because i've reached the right muscle
Where as before I believe when I hit failure it was my triceps giving out and my chest not being worked enough.

So far its actually working really well

 

[DanZy]

I do the warm up for pre-exhaustion
I have trouble building my chest and i suspect its because my triceps are fairly big from trade work i've done in the past where as my chest didnt have as much of a starting point.

So i've started to do my reps 3/4 of the way (not locking my elbows on every bench)
And also doing fly's etc.. to pre-exhaust my chest (these workouts dont require any tricep)
So that when I move onto compound exercises like benchpress
when I hit failure it's because i've reached the right muscle
Where as before I believe when I hit failure it was my triceps giving out and my chest not being worked enough.

So far its actually working really well

Wait so you're saying that because your triceps are bigger, they're tiring out first? That doesn't seem right.

 

[Hobbs]

Wait so you're saying that because your triceps are bigger, they're tiring out first? That doesn't seem right.

What? No.
I'm saying that because my triceps are ahead of my chest they're doing most the work.
So if I lift heavy by the time my triceps start to fail my chest just starts to feel like its getting worked.

 

[user43770]

Bollocks it's too much volume.

All routines in this thread look fine. The one you've posted to begin with looks solid.

40 repetitions of every exercise isn't excessive for a novice trying to put on mass? Certainly goes against everything I've read over the past decade or so.

 

[cuzza]

Fair enough with the pre-exhaust. And yes, it does make sense his triceps would tire out first, as they're carrying the brunt of the weight.

And of course. Since when has 16 sets per bodypart been too much volume? If you can't recover from that when doing a body part split then you aren't eating.

 

[user43770]

Original poster, I'd suggest you do a little research of your own. I don't think you will find many beginner size/strength routines that look like the initial one you posted.

 

[Krueg]

Hobbs, if what your doing is working for your body then, I think you should stay with your program. Personally, for me, just doing flat bench and incline presses are building my chest.

 

[cuzza]

I just don't really see how this is particularly high volume. There's effectively 3 exercises per body part. Ramped up to a top set, four sets is fairly standard.

 

[user43770]

I just don't really see how this is particularly high volume. There's effectively 3 exercises per body part. Ramped up to a top set, four sets is fairly standard.

I'm not an expert, but I've read plenty of research by experts over the years. I also learned what worked best for me as a novice lifter trying to put on muscle and strength. Starting Strength (routine I started out on), Stronglifts 5x5 and Reverse Pyramid Training (my current program) all call for considerably less volume. I don't really get what you would be shooting for with all of those 4x10s. Hypertrophy? Would you not want to make considerable strength gains as well? Just seems inefficient to me.

A beginner shouldn't be working out 5 days a week. If he tried to squeeze his initial routine into the 3 days that most find optimal, he is going to be in the gym for around 2 hours. Nobody should be in the gym for 2 hours.

 

[marmel75]

2 Decline Static Holds followed immediately by 4-6 sets of weighted dips...

 

[The Karate Kid]

When in doubt, Starting Strength