Need some advice on my workout.

[BuffHippo]

Hey. I'm 20 years old and have been working out since I was 18. Here is what my workout looks like:

Day 1-- triceps/chest

4-5 sets of bench press @ 140 lbs (about 5-6 reps)
4-5 sets of chest dips (about 8-10 reps before failure)
Hammers (3-4 sets)

Day 2--- rest

Day 3--- rest

Day 4-- Biceps/back

4-5 sets of pullups (~15 before failure)
4-5 sets of seated rows
4-5 sets of preacher curls
2-3 sets of barbell curls

I rest 2 days in between each workout (i.e. ill do triceps/chest on monday, biceps on thursday, then back to triceps on sunday, and back to biceps on wednesday, etc...).

for some reason my bench press doesn't seem to get much higher. my bench press has gone up like 20 lbs in the last year... is that sufficient progress? im not really interested in taking creatine or other supplements, just wanna stay totally natural. i've gained 35 pounds since joining the gym, so i know im getting bigger.

however, most of my gains came in my first year or so, and in the last 4-5 months my bench press and other workouts haven't increased in weight much. everything has kind of hit a "plateau."

i was wondering if maybe i should throw in a few sets of bench press on my bicep days... or a few sets of pullups on my tricep days... maybe mix them up a little. or should i just go all out on my tris on one day and all out on my bis on a another day? i was also wondering how often should i switch my workouts up (i.e. replace pullups with lat pull downs or something, or switch bench press with dumbbell presses).

someone told me that as soon as i stop gaining, i should totally change my workout around with different exercises. is this right?

any advice would be greatly appreciated!

thanks!
chris

[candyass]

You've been working out for two years and you don't do legs?! Go do some squats!

No deadlifts on back day?!

Oh, and creatine is natural; but its not like you have to take it to see gains.

To answer your question, yes you should change your workout. Having said that, throwing an extra session of bench on your back day wont do much of anything. Try changing the barbell bench with a dumbell bench and add decline bench. Thats just one example.

If you really want to improve your bench you should check out the powerlifting section.

[m@xpower]

What yours body weight now? 140 lbs bench for 4-6 reps is kind of week for workiing out for 2 years (if ur a guy that is)

change ur routine and target all your muscle. They work with one another to help u gain strength. Working out tricep, chest, and bicep aint gonna do it. Ur missing legs with helps ur alot with bench press (deadlifts, sqauts)

and diet, consume minimum of 1 gram of protein per body weight. Buy protein shake if u have to in order to get this requirement. And u dont need creatine. But u might as well get some since it cost reall cheap. Like creapure micronized creatine.

And using protein supplement and creatine doesnt take away the status of being "all natural" there not steriod.

[gcs118]

If you've been doing that same routine the whole time, I'm surprised you've come this far. Your routine needs a major overhaul bro. Get a structured bench press program in there, don't just go and do a few sets. Do some more tricep work, and if "hammers" refers to machines, get off them. Your back day is pretty ugly too, I don't see any compound movements like BORs. I don't see any lower back/core work. I don't see abs, shoulders or LEGS. Do legs and you'll grow! Do a lot of reading around this site and check out many online journals to get a feel for what needs improving.

Also, how much you weigh? You might need to start eating more if you're a real lightweight.

[.V.]

Originally Posted by m@xpower

What yours body weight now? 140 lbs bench for 4-6 reps is kind of week for workiing out for 2 years (if ur a guy that is)

Hey now watch it, I resemble that remark.


Seriously, you've been working out for 2 years?

Then it is time for this: http://www.ast-ss.com/max-ot/max-ot_intro.asp

Check it out, read it all, understand the philosophy, do it, get huge and strong.

Just take the breaks they reccomend or you will do what I did, end up overtrained and sick. I foolishly thought that the rest could apply to me, but that I didn't really need to take breaks. Do it all, rest included.

[BuffHippo]

I'm not gonna come on here and lie, cuz im here to get help . Im 6'6 and weigh 220 lbs. Can anyone reccommend some good sites to read up on some of this shiz? or should i just browse all through these forums? i've done some browsing on this site but seems to take forever to find pertinant information to what im looking into.

thanks to those of you who have offered your feedback.

(i need some SPECIFICS-- numbers, sets, rest periods, workout length, etc to help me get on the right track!)

thanks again

[.V.]

Hey BuffHippo, go to my first reply to your post and click on the link that I gave you. Go there and register - it's free. The workout there called Max OT is amazing. Do it exactly like they say. There are many people here who do it with some pretty darn good results.

I started out at 300 pounds. Floundered around for a while with ineffective workouts - lost some weight but didn't get the results I was looking for. I got some good advice here and made my workouts better and still didn't get what I wanted. Then I got the best advice yet from a couple of memebers here to go check out Max OT and give it a try. Now, I'm on track to get what I want. I'm in the mid 170's at around 9% body fat. Building muscle - finally getting what I want. Try it, you'll be impressed by what you can accomplish.

And the specifics that you are looking for are there. All pretty straightforward and easy to understand. Heck, even I get it.

Edit: One more thing - according to your height and weight your Body Mass index is 25.4 - not bad actually. Now how much of that is fat and how much is LBM, we don't really know. But if you eat right - a healthy balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fats - lift weights like the Max OT plan says to do, and get your cardiovascular exercise it won't be long until you look and feel the way you want.