Time for a change in my training program

[CellTech Member Find all posts View Profile Close CellTech]

I like to follow the "don't change it if it's working" thought and so far I can say that whatever I do for my back,legs and shoulders they will always grow.Especially my back.It's gotten to the point where my biceps aren't strong enough for my back,and my chest is so underdeveloped that my shoulders do most of the work + my tri's. I'm even shy to post a pic of myself from the front,I always take back shots lol. Anyway I would like to get some tips from you guys,because I know most of you have a LOT of experience.I've been training for almost 5 years now.

The plan is : keep doing what I'm doing for my back , shoulders , legs and change/improve my chest & arms workouts.

Here's what I usually do for chest:

1: flat bench 2x warmup sets and 3 working sets (reps go from 14 to as low as 6)
2: incline bench 1x medium set and 2x working sets (~ 10 reps)
3: db fly's or pec-deck 3x sets (~ 14 reps)
4: this one is optional,but I usually do 1-2 sets of dips or 2 sets of cable cross overs

Arms (I train bi's and tri's on the same day):
[triceps]
1: close grip bench 2x warmup sets and 2 working sets (reps go from 12 to as low as 6)
2: cable push down with rope 2 sets (~ 12 reps)
3: skull crushers 2 sets (~ 12 reps)
4: similar to s.c. but in seated position and with a neutral grip 2 sets (~12 reps)
[biceps]
1: barbell or db curls 1x warmup 2x working sets (~12 reps)
2: preacher curls 2x sets (~12 reps)
3: hammer curls 2x sets (~12 reps)

after that I do 2 supersets of cable push down with one hand and preacher curls on a machine

The main thing lacking in my biceps is the peak.And whenever I get a pump the peak looks even smaller lol (almost non existent) , although the arms are bigger.The triceps need more outer head development and they lack the "roundness" (mid and low section).

Another thing is that my arms look good from the side,but from the front they don't look as "thick" ,but I guess that's due to them being quite long (lol).

My chest is very flat.I've always been like that even as a kid.I always had overpowering shoulders & back.

I would really like to hear some tips from you guys,because you obviously know what you're doing.Thanks.

[Big L Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Big L]

I was told by greg valentino on chest day instead of running right to the bench go over and do cable crossovers with the d rings And focus on chest. Get the blood pumping when your ready go hit the bench. He said you gotta get blood pumping in the muscle you want to work. When u dont your first couple sets are all tedons and not ur chest alone I tried it i am a fan Im not a guy that looks in the mirror and is satisfied. I measure every body part and see gains that way. In 2 weeks doing the cables first my chest grew an inch and a half and that was 2 days after a chest workout i know it doesnt sound like alot but at least the tape measure moved
Goodluck

[MrBig Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close MrBig]

Ok celltech, this is my opinion, I'm going to be very honest with you. That workout show why your lacking in those areas. When trying to but on size and this what I'm assuming your trying to do, because you say your lacking in these areas. First thing is when your going for size, any reps over ten should be considered part of you warm up. you should be doing around 3-4 warm up sets that are around 10-20reps. Your working set can be any where from 3-8, I prefer to stay around 3-6 reps. You need to work those slow twitch fibers in the muscles, thats what will put the size on. Use this for all your lacking parts and I can almost guarantee you will put some good size on, as long as your diet is on point. Again this is jm2c.

[Pauliuch Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pauliuch]

Ok celltech, this is my opinion, I'm going to be very honest with you. That workout show why your lacking in those areas. When trying to but on size and this what I'm assuming your trying to do, because you say your lacking in these areas. First thing is when your going for size, any reps over ten should be considered part of you warm up. you should be doing around 3-4 warm up sets that are around 10-20reps. Your working set can be any where from 3-8, I prefer to stay around 3-6 reps. You need to work those slow twitch fibers in the muscles, thats what will put the size on. Use this for all your lacking parts and I can almost guarantee you will put some good size on, as long as your diet is on point. Again this is jm2c.

How many sets are you doing MrB? I was doing a workout like this and I got real strong but didn't get much size. I thought because maybe I wasn't getting enough total reps.

[CellTech Member Find all posts View Profile Close CellTech]

Thanks for the awesome replies bros.

@Big L: I will surely give this a try.I think I heard Phil Heath doing it too.

@MrBig: I used to train like this for a very long time.I think there is truth in this (although it depends on the person),because I made my best gains on my legs when I did heavy squats with 5 sets and doing like 5-6 reps.I'll try to do it again,but I'm a little worried about injuries.The only downside to this is that when I go heavy and low reps,my dominant muscle groups take over even more and the weaker groups are vulnerable to injury (had pulled/strained my bicep a few times and pulled my chest muscle one time,both muscle groups who are lacking).

[MrBig Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close MrBig]

celltech if your worried about the dominant muscles taking over then you need to make sure that the movement is executed perfectly and that you stay very focused on that movement as you go through it. As for injuries thats something that we all have to deal with, but if you stay focused on the movement you should be able to prevent any injury, meaning you will be doing these movement slow enough you can stop as you feel something may start to happen.

[MrBig Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close MrBig]

Pauliuch,
I normally do 3-4 warmup sets and 4-6 working sets, this all depends on the muscle I'm working at the time. If it's a small muscle I'll stay with 3-4 warm ups and 4 working sets, like arms and shoulders. If I'm working back or legs my warm up set will be 4 sets and my working sets will be 6 sets.

As for you not gaining any size, I would say that you where not get the calories you need to but any size on, that would have been diet.

[CellTech Member Find all posts View Profile Close CellTech]

Alright I did chest today and started with a cable crossover 3 sets.Then I did flat bench,incline bench and a couple sets of pec-deck.Got to say had one of my best chest workouts ever.The pump was noticeably larger and it lasted longer.I also had the same strength as last week on the benches which I didn't expect.Thanks again for the advice about that!

Now I'm starting to wonder: can you implement this method for the other muscle groups?Like starting with a more isolated exercise and then moving to the heavy compound lifts?I always started with the heavy compounds as my first exercises ,but now I'm thinking about trying it on some other muscle groups as well.What do you guys think?

[MrBig Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close MrBig]

Glad to hear your doing better with your lifts, by doing it the way you did, like Big L said you got that blood in the muscle fisrt. Now you just found something that works for you, thats awesome bro keep it up.

[ALEX.18 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close ALEX.18]

Alright I did chest today and started with a cable crossover 3 sets.Then I did flat bench,incline bench and a couple sets of pec-deck.Got to say had one of my best chest workouts ever.The pump was noticeably larger and it lasted longer.I also had the same strength as last week on the benches which I didn't expect.Thanks again for the advice about that!

Now I'm starting to wonder: can you implement this method for the other muscle groups?Like starting with a more isolated exercise and then moving to the heavy compound lifts?I always started with the heavy compounds as my first exercises ,but now I'm thinking about trying it on some other muscle groups as well.What do you guys think?

sure you can, its call pre-exhausting. i do it sometimes on chest, shoulder and leg days. leg days i do leg extensions with 3 sets of 30 before i do leg presses or squats, shoulders, i do dumbbell lateral raises before i do presses, and on chest day, i usually do cable crossovers or pec deck. i always feel like i get a better pump and overall workout when i pre-exhaust. i usually do triple sets for triceps also which really gets em nice and full before i do the rest of my exercises.

also look into fst 7, ive added this into my routine about 2 years ago and have noticed a nice difference in size and shape to my muscles.

[andree23 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close andree23]

Thank you for sharing your workout subway surfers approach. Pre-exhaustion is a training technique that involves isolating a specific muscle group with an exercise before moving on to compound exercises that involve multiple muscle groups. This technique aims to target the intended muscle group more effectively by fatiguing it beforehand.