Critique my routine

[KoolDrew]

Originally posted by: TecHNooB

Originally posted by: KoolDrew
Squat, Bench, Deadlift, OH Press, Row, Chins.

Repeat often.

It's of no use. Supposedly I'm a 140lb kid who reads Men's Health. So who would listen to me? I sure as hell wouldn't, wtf do I know? :roll:

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: halik
I screwed up on the link, here's the whole spiel max-ot. I was under the impression that MaxOT is a version of HIT (low reps, heavy load)

Ok, I took a link at the PDF of the program and what you are doing does NOT conform to max-ot (nor HIT, for that matter). Here are just some of the issues I've spotted after a quick look:

* Almost all of the exercises in your routine are done for 3 sets. Almost all of the exercises in max-ot are done for 2 sets.
* The average number of sets per day recommended in max-ot is 11-15. The average number of sets per day in your routine is 18-20.
* Both of the above will seriously contribute to the CNS overload already mentioned by others.
* Max-OT includes squats. 3 sets of 4-6 reps. Your routine does not. I wrote about the importance of squats before, and you can find TONS more material online, so I won't go into it again here.
* You are doing abs every day. Max-ot has them at most twice per 5 workouts. No, abs are not "special" muscles that should get extra treatment. No, this will not make your 6 pack any more defined.

Originally posted by: halik
The way it's supposed to work is that you're at the point of failure around 6 reps; you're supposed to use weight heavy enough that you can only do some 6 reps. I

There is a big difference between listing "4-6 reps" and "go to failure". The former requires you to pick an appropriately heavy weight that cannot be done for more than 6 reps where as the latter can be done with ANY weight, as long as you keeping doing reps till the muscle can't move. You could do 10lbs dumbbell curls to failure and you can do 60lbs dumbbell curls to failure and the way you wrote your routine, there is no way to tell which you're going for. So, while I think you have the right idea (heavy weight, low reps), you described it poorly in your routine and you should be sure to do it properly.

Originally posted by: halik
I may have to cut some exercises out and/or alternate if it takes too long to get them all done, but I'm fairly sure I can squeeze it all in within an hour.

Looking at the max-ot routine you posted, it clearly says "Each workout should take 30-40 minutes. If your workouts are lasting longer than 40 minutes, something is wrong. In fact, they should be much closer to 30 minutes than 40 minutes." You might be able to squeeze your workout into an hour, but that would still make it almost TWICE as long as it should be.

Now listen, the reason that I took the time to go through the max-ot link and compare it to your routine was NOT to insult you or to be an asshole and if it comes off that way, I apologize. The reason I did it was to show you yet another example of why you should NOT design your own routine. The actual max-ot program looks fairly reasonable, but by tweaking it, you made it SIGNIFICANTLY less effective. You are NOT an expert on weight lifting (otherwise, why would you be asking for advise in this forum?) and the changes you made, although they seem minor, make for a crappy routine. THIS is why KoolDrew, me and others have been so harsh on it. Max-OT is reasonable. What you posted is not.

Originally posted by: halik
I've tried the whole body workout and volume training and it doesn't do anything for me - with the OT I've gained 15lbs in 6 months.

What exactly did you try? I would bet BIG money that if it "didn't do anything for you", you were doing it wrong. It's almost impossible to squat, deadlift, bench, etc heavy 3 times a week and NOT see results, as long as you do the exercises properly and maintain a good diet.

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: KoolDrew

Originally posted by: TecHNooB

Originally posted by: KoolDrew
Squat, Bench, Deadlift, OH Press, Row, Chins.

Repeat often.

It's of no use. Supposedly I'm a 140lb kid who reads Men's Health. So who would listen to me? I sure as hell wouldn't, wtf do I know? :roll:

Hey man you account on wanna be big says you've been working out since summer 2007... you might wanna hit the brakes on the whole "you will respect my authoritae" game.

 

[Alienwho]

Squats are supposed to be uncomfortable when you first do them, it helps to show you how weak you actually are. Do them for a few months and watch how your strength in every other aspect of lifting significantly improves and then it gets to the point where it's not uncomfortable at all.

Seriously, Kooldrew hit it right on: Squat, Dips, Deadlift, Standing Military Press and Chin-ups are the FUNDAMENTALS. Doing any other kind of routine at the expense of skipping these is an extremely inefficient use of time. After doing this, if you decide to do some isolating lifts, go right on ahead.

The importance of squats cannot be stressed enough. Front squats or back squats, whatever, switch it it up. If you could only do one exercise, make it squats. I will bet you if you've never done squats before, doing that alone will increase your bench 15-20 pounds. It combined with some good stretching would probably be a more efficient use of time than your entire leg day.

 

[Alienwho]

Squats will be uncomfortable at first, so start light and use perfect form, even if it's just the bar. Increase the weight gradually, but never sacrifice your form