Evaluate My New Workout Plan Please?

[kenyon21]

Principles:
*7-8 total sets per muscle group, no more, no less.
*One muscle worked majorly per day, one\two minorly.
*72 hours before re-working a muscle that was used majorly.

=[Weeks 1-8]=

MONDAY - Chest (Triceps) (Abs) (Forearms)
Warmup: Bench Press / 12x50%, 10x50%, 6x70%, 3x80%, 1x90%
Bench Press / 2 x 6
Decline Dumbbell / 3 x 4-6
Incline Bench / 3 x 4-6
(Dips) / 2 x 4-6
(Pushdowns) / 2 x 4-6


TUESDAY - Back (Biceps) (Abs) (Forearms)
Warmup: Rows / 12x50%, 10x50%, 6x50%, 3x80%, 1x90%
Barbell Rows / 3 x 4-6
Dumbbell Rows / 2 x 4-6
Stiff Deadlift / 2 x 4-6
(Straight Curls) / 2 x 4-6
(Alt. Dumb.) / 2 x 4-6

WEDNESDAY - Shoulders, Traps (Abs) (Forearms)
Warmup: Military Press / 12x50%, 10x50%, 6x50%, 3x80%, 1x90%
Military Press / 3 x 4-6
Dumbbell Press / 2 x 4-6
Front\Side Lat. / 2 x 6-8
Upright Rows / 2 x 4-6
Shrugs / 2 x 4-6

THURSDAY - Triceps (Chest) (Abs) (Forearms)
Warmup: Close-Grip Bench / 12x50%, 10x50%, 6x50%, 3x80%, 1x90%
Close-Grip Bench / 3 x 4-6
Lying Extensions / 2 x 4-6
Dumb. Extensions / 2 x 4-6
(Incline Bench) / 2 x 4-6
(Decline Dumb.) / 2 x 4-6

FRIDAY - Biceps (Back) Legs
Warmup: Straight Curls / 12x50%, 10x50%, 6x50%, 3x80%, 1x90%
Straight Curls / 3 x 4-6
Curlbar Curls / 2 x 4-6
Cable Curls / 2 x 4-6
(Cable Rows) / 2 x 4-6
(Lat Pulls) / 2 x 4-6
Warmup: Squats / 12x50%, 10x50%, 6x50%, 3x80%, 1x90%
Squats / 2 x 4-6
Leg Press / 2 x 4-6

I used Max-OT for the 12-week plan last semester and it worked really, really well. Because of a lot of issues the 6 month plan just kind of fell through for me... Anyways, the point is i've done a little bit of research into some different programs and whatnot, so i decided to try and combine some principles i've learned from other programs. Abs and forearms i didn't write out, but its just basically a high-rep situp routine and the good old fashioned "weight on a stick with a string" twisting thing for forearms and wrists. i'll probly add in some wrist curls instead, we'll see. I'll most likely be adding in some Power Cleans to the workout as well, and any suggestions on which day to add them in would be appreciated as well. Anyway, i was just wondering what you guys thought of this as a plan and what changes you think i should make to it?

Here's the goals, by the way:
Currently: 6'4, 185lbs, 16%BF, 32inch vertical, 205lb bench
Goals: 6'4, 205lbs, 7%BF, 48inch vertical, ???lb bench.
-Trying to increase overall size of the upper body and explosiveness.

As far as vertical leap goes, i'm doing a plyometric program that has worked astoundingly for me in the past, so the vertical leap gains will be there. My questions are do you guys think this will be an effective program is combined with a 6 meal plan that is structured correctly? Please give your reasoning either way as i'm curious and i have about another week to reformulate my plan if need be. Thanks for the help.

[twan]

Looks good to me. Get your diet in check and fly baby fly !

Only thing i see is that you have ABS listed 4 days in a row.
Maybe try less frequency but more intensity for them?

[kenyon21]

yeah that's something i had a question about, with both those and forearms. as far as abs are concerned, i dont want real big bulky bodybuilder abs, i'm going more for them being cut and useful as stabilizers. i'm a basketball guard, so i don't wanna be super huge or anything.

any suggestions about what i should do for abs with goals like this?

[Firehawk]

It looks good man. All I can say is, dont make it too complex. Try this out, and if it doesnt work, go back to the mAX OT style because you know it worked. Im a big fan of MAX OT.

Just keep things simple. It doesnt take a rocket scientist to work out and get strong and get big. It takes consistency, determination, and fundamentals. You dont need to study every article that is published on bodybuilding or powerlifting to get results.

Stay focused, stay determined, and be CONSISTENT. Dont miss a workout for ANYTHING. I dont care if its christmas day. Get up at 6am and do you rworkout on that day if you have to. NOTHING STANDS IN YOUR WAY. Good luck.

[kenyon21]

Yeah consistency is what a large part of the problem was this semester, mainly because my roommate\lifting partner got lazy and went through stints of not wanting to workout. i was really skeptical about working out alone b\c of the low reps\heavy weights and because i'd just never done it before. eventually i started just working out on my own and i'm fine with it now. this summer i got a job as a trainer at the local YMCA so i'll be at the gym and around it all the time which is motivation enough for me, combined with basketball. thats my goal for the summer is to not miss any workouts at all, and not go a day without touching a basketball. thanks for the help and support, keep it comin!

[Firehawk]

Thats a good goal to have, but dont get discouraged if you do have to miss one. If I miss a workout, its a cardio workout, not a weightlifting one. All cardio does is burn you a few extra calories a day. If you miss one, its not as big a deal as missing a weightlifting session, but this is my opinion.

Dont set yourself up for failure. Take it in blocks. Say to yourself, for the next 4 weeks, im gonna be perfect in my workouts. And then DO IT.

In my book, because your roomate "puzzied" out and got lazy is NO excuse for why YOU did not continue to work out. I know you can get worried about heavy weights and low reps. I work out alone too. But hey, you gotat do what you gotta do. Am I gonna NOT work out because I have no workout partner? LOL F that. You can always tilt the weight off of you or drop it if you need to. The bench press is really the one to be concerned about when weightlifting alone. Just make sure you dont have the collars on so that you can tilt off the weight if you absolutely had to.

What I do is i stop if I dont feel very confident taht I can get another rep. Its fine, you still make good gains. Dont let this be the reason taht you miss a workout. You have nobody to blame but yourself.

[Firehawk]

You know i just happened to glance at your back/bi/leg day and i noticed you have 7 sets to work your bis, then you have 5 sets to work your legs.

Let me tell ya first off, your legs are a much larger muscle than your biceps. Why are you doing less for your legs? It shoudl be the other way aroud. YOu should be doing more on your legs and less on your biceps.

Also, I HATE the leg press machine. It doesnt do ANYTHING for you in my opinion. If you wanna build strength and mass, DO NOT do that exercise. Do Squats/Straight Leg Deadlifts for your legs. Those both build good mass on your quads and hamstrings.

Id take out the curlbar curls exercise from your biceps. Remmeber, when you train back as well, you are training your biceps to some degree. How come you arent doing BB bent over rows? This is probably the best exercise for building mass on your lats and making them strong.

This is how I would lay out that workout if I was gonna do all 3 of those body parts in one session:

Back First
Barbell Bent over rows 2-3sets 4-6 reps
Deadlifts (YOU MUST DO THIS FOR STRENGTH AND MASS) 2-3 sets 4-6 reps
Good Mornings (makes lower back strong as steal cables) 2-3 sets 4-6 reps

Biceps next
Barbell Curls 2 sets 4-6 reps
Cable Curls (Id rather do alternating dumbbell curls though) 2sets 4-6 reps

Legs
Squats (A MUST, and go DEEP) 2-3 sets 4-6 reps
Straight Leg Deadlifts 2-3 sets 4-6 reps
(optional or substitute) Lunges 2-3 sets 4-6 reps.

[Firehawk]

Well, i looked at your ENTIRE workout after i just posted again, and to tell ya the truth I dont really like it. YOu are working muscles too often IMO. Why not just stick with 1 day a week?

[kenyon21]

Originally Posted by Firehawk

In my book, because your roomate "puzzied" out and got lazy is NO excuse for why YOU did not continue to work out. I know you can get worried about heavy weights and low reps. I work out alone too. But hey, you gotat do what you gotta do. Am I gonna NOT work out because I have no workout partner? LOL F that. You can always tilt the weight off of you or drop it if you need to. The bench press is really the one to be concerned about when weightlifting alone. Just make sure you dont have the collars on so that you can tilt off the weight if you absolutely had to.

What I do is i stop if I dont feel very confident taht I can get another rep. Its fine, you still make good gains. Dont let this be the reason taht you miss a workout. You have nobody to blame but yourself.

notice i said that eventually i just started going alone anyways. i know it wasn't an excuse and once i just told myself "f it, go alone" i started going the last month or two by myself. as for the legs, i'm doing Air Alert 2 (plyometrics) that's 5 days a week. i already have big legs proportionally to my upper body, and i don't really want to put anymore size into them. hopefully after these two months or so i'll re-evaluate myself. i didn't want to leave legs out entirely. i already have stiff\straight leg deadlifts on my routine for the back, but as for leg press its been a good exercise to me. lunges is a good suggestion though.

[kenyon21]

i read that your muscles fully recover from a workout after 72 hours, so that's why i have it spread out that way. 72 hours between working out each muscle. is that incorrect information?

[Firehawk]

ive read that too...however if that was the case, then why is MAX OT so effective? Ive heard all sorts of things, including that muscle begins to break down after 72 hours. I just dont believe that anymore. IF that were the case id be making ZERO gains.

Someone else might give a better answer for that. Quite a few of the big muscle building guys only do 1 body part per week.

I noticed that you said you did start to go alone, i just wanted to drive that point home

[kenyon21]

i'm working at the local YMCA, aka my second home between weightlifting and basketball, as sort of a personal trainer's assitant kinda thing, so now i know a ton of people there that can give me a spot if i ever need it. i've made some changes to the workout plan, i sent it to a few guys on the board as a PM, so whenever they respond with their thoughts i'll try and make a few changes according to that and post up the final version to be started this monday thanks for the help fire