Looking for help to better my workout

[Traxiz]

This is my first post here I think, although I have been reading the forums for a while and have been trying to learn from the different information I’ve found on this site. I have been working out probably going on 3 years now with the first 2 having been at my friend’s apartment complex workout room and the last year at gold’s gym. The problem I am having is that over the last 9 months or so I have not grown muscle wise very much at all, I maintain just fine and sometimes will have a slight increase in some areas but for the most part nothing changes.

Currently I weigh around 170lbs and I am 5’ 11’ ish

My sleep schedule is by no means normal for the time being due to both school and work.
I Generally wake up around 1-2pm and get to sleep around 5-6am. I workout around 10-11 pm on weekdays and usually around 7pm on weekends.

I also usually do cardio 2 to 3 times a week, running about 3-4 miles each time.

On the days that I do cardio and workout I do the cardio about 30 minutes to an hour after I have had breakfast for the day.

Also it is very rare that I have a spotter for anything, my friend that I used to workout with doesn’t really go to the gym much anymore. Usually I can get someone to spot me if I am going heavy on bench but that is about it.

This is not exactly what my workout looks like but it is pretty close, some days I will switch out specific exercises with others depending on my mood and what I feel needs work. In the past I have tried different ways including working 1 muscle group a day and resting 2 days, with the exception of triceps being combined with chest.


Workout


Each set I increase the weight slightly for each exercise.

Monday - Chest/Triceps/Abs


Chest

Flat Bench 1x10, 1x8, 1x6, 1x4, 1x2 then another 1x10 (light)
Incline Bench 3x10
Decline Bench 3 x10
Machine Butterflies 3x10


Triceps

Skull Crushers 3x10
Cable Pushdown 3x10
Dumbbell Kickback 3x10
Overhead Triceps Extension Lever 3x10

Abs

Dumbbell Side Bend 3x25
Incline Sit up 5x20
Leg Lifts 5x20



Tuesday – Legs/Shoulders and Cardio


Legs

Squats or Leg Press 3x10
Leg Extension 3x10
Seated and Standing calf raises 2x10 for each
Dead lifts 3x10
Lever Lying Leg Curl 3x10

Shoulders

Cable Front Raise 3x10
Behind Neck Press Lever 3x10
Smith Upright Row 3x10
Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3x10

Wednesday – Back/Biceps/Abs


Back

Seated Row Lever or Seated Row Cable 3x10
Close Grip Pull down or Lat Pull down 3x10
Pull-up 3x10 or Rear Pull up 6x5
Dumbbell Shrug 3x10 (Not really sure if this is more of a back or a shoulder exercise, I know some people who do it on back days and others on shoulders)

Biceps

Barbell curl 3x10
Dumbbell curl 3x10
Lever preacher curl 3x10
Usually something using cables 3x10

Abs

Lever Twist 4x15
Seated Crunch 5x20
Leg Lifts 5x20


Thursday - Rest


Friday – Chest/Triceps and Cardio


Dumbbell Press 3x10
Dumbbell or Hammer Strength Incline 3x10
Hammer Strength Decline 3x10
Wide Grip Flat Bench 3x10

Saturday – Shoulders/Biceps/Abs


Shoulders

Similar to Tuesday with 1 or 2 exercises switched up

Biceps

Similar to Wednesday

Abs

Combination of workouts from previous days

Sunday – Workout or Cardio


Sometimes I rest on this day and sometimes I will repeat my back workout from Wednesday or at least something similar to it. If I do not workout then I do Cardio.

Diet


I do not have a set diet but I will try and give a general idea of what I eat in a day.

1-2 pm ¾ oatmeal mixed with a scoop of whey and a little fat free milk.

4-5 pm usually some kind of fruit and maybe a sandwich

7-8 pm often times more oatmeal at this point and whatever else I can find
*this meal sometimes comes closer to 10 because sometimes I can’t find the time to get anything healthy to eat*

11-11:30pm pwo drink and sometimes some fat free yogurt or something with some sugar and low fat

12-1am this is generally my dinner which is never really set as it depends if I am at my house, a friend’s house, or my girlfriend’s. Most often I try and eat maybe ¾ pound of boneless skinless chicken breast with some vegetables or a salad as well as maybe a small amount of a carb such as corn or whole-wheat pasta, if not that then whatever is lying around.

4-5am 1 cup or so of 1% cottage cheese

Also sometimes I will have random snacks throughout the day if my girlfriend or friends make something.

In addition to this I try and drink lots of water and to avoid foods with enriched flours, high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oils, and very high sodium content.

I don’t drink regular soda but I do sometimes drink diet soda although I have been cutting back more and more.


I’m not sure what my problem might be, whether it is a caloric issue or maybe I am over training, or training in the wrong way. Any help or insight you may have for me would be greatly appreciated.

[JohnMatrix]

I cant see anything fundamentally wrong with your workout, maybe over training slightly.

I think your sleep pattern and times you are eating/training may be your biggest problem.

I used to work a night shift for 7 days of each month and it used to mess me up big time! There was no way I could train properly on these days and if your working late every day I would say this could be your main issue.

[JohnMatrix]

actually having re-read your post looks like your over training.

1. Your working shoulders the day after chest, on which there gonna get worked anyway. You should really try and separate these days.

2. In my opinion 3 days in a row (mon, tue, wed) is a bad idea. I never work more than 2 in a row. Find im way too tired and the 3rd is just a waste.

3. friday your doing chest again?! then sat your doing shoulders again?! your now effectively working shoulders 4 times a week!

If i was u i would limit to 4 workouts per week and stop over training shoulders. The other thing is try and get a job where you dont have to work late hours.

[midgetcop]

Well, you have a 3-day split that you're repeating more than 3 days per week. I second JohnMatrix - you may be overtraining. Your workouts look pretty intense as it is, take that split and train each body part once per week. i.e chest/triceps/abs on Monday, legs/shoulders on Wednesday, and back/biceps on Fridays. Do cardio on off days, and keep 1 day for total rest.

Your sleeping pattern shouldn't really be affecting your workout, as long as you are getting adequate sleep and rest.

As for nutrition - where are you getting your protein??