Best size routine..

[Silverback]

What type of routine do you guys think is best for pure size, not worrying about strength or anything else..

Right now I doing something like a push/pull/legs routine doing each routine every 4 days, doing about 1-2 exercises per bodypart 4-6 reps..

What do you ladies think?

[Silverback]

39 views.. and no responses?

I guess everyone here wants to look like an abercrombie model..lol

[ForemanRules]

Originally Posted by Silverback

What type of routine do you guys think is best for pure size, not worrying about strength or anything else..

Right now I doing something like a push/pull/legs routine doing each routine every 4 days, doing about 1-2 exercises per bodypart 4-6 reps..

What do you ladies think?

Compound movements, reps vary from 5 to 12 and hitting each muscle group 1-2x a week depending on volume.

[combat_action]

The best routine is always the one you're not on...

It's simple. If you've been doing a 3 day split, try an upper/lower or three full body's. If you've been doing 4-6 reps, try 6-10 or 10-15 reps.

[Diesel Machine]

Originally Posted by Silverback

What type of routine do you guys think is best for pure size, not worrying about strength or anything else..

Right now I doing something like a push/pull/legs routine doing each routine every 4 days, doing about 1-2 exercises per bodypart 4-6 reps..

What do you ladies think?

Strength and muscle size goes hand in hand... If you are constantly getting stronger, youre building muscle.. So the big question is whats better, volume or intensity? I'll take both... Ive been blessed to work with some of the best trainers that the ironworld has had to offer, Trevor Smith for example... Smith was more volume/intensity and HIT is very low volume and high intensity, but which is better?

Honestly, Im torn because theyve both aided me in widdling 275lbs onto my 5'8" and created an 800+ squat... With a waist that still lurks around 33" (yes i know, shamless self promotion.. LOL) But how can I argue with the results? Because I believe you can never be good enough... Heres my idea that I think takes the best of both worlds, and I think will be able to push me into the next level of size AND strength...

Out of all the bbers in recent history, I believe Yates has been able to do the most with his god given genes.. Yes, he has exceptional genetics, but when hes compared to other IFBB pros, his genetics are good at best, yet he DOMINATED the 90's... Why? I believe it was a perfect mixture of intensity and volume... Did he deadlift, yes but not all that much.... Theres something to that...

I believe rows are THE most important exercise for your back as far as adding mass... The combo of bent rows, T-bar rows, one arm hammer rows, one arm DB rows, with deads thrown in every several weeks will build the biggest back your genetics will allow... I feel pulldowns and that type of movement are great for warmups, but thats it... And to toast off the back workout, I think bent laterals should be performed to add depth and percieved width to your lat spread...

Here's what I think is an ideal split and volume combo.... The tradional 4-1 split (ala Yates)..

Major Bodyparts - 2 exercises, 2 work sets each exercise
(1st 6-10 straight, 2nd set 20-30 or a drop set)
(ie. chest, shoulders, quads, hams)

Minor bodyparts - 1 exercise, 2 work sets
(1st 6-10 straight, 2nd set 20-30 or a drop set)
(ie. bis, tris, calves)

Back - 3 exercises, 2 work sets each
(1st 6-10 straight, 2nd set 20-30 or a drop set)
**In addition to the 3 sets, add bent laterals to fry off the rear delts with a 10-12 rep straight set

This is my outlook of optimal training... Now I posted this for discussuion purposes and I invite experts and vets to give their view on whether the agree or disagree alike....

Like I said, alot of my theories are based on Dorian's training and Trevor Smith's BFT... IMO, the best two systems out there for advanced guys... But here's where I tend to differ from the other two... the split will actually change throughout the time youre training up until you need a complete break away from the gym, which should be around 8-12 weeks... Here's what worked the best for me in terms of the split morphing thru the "blast":

Week 1 - 4 (Typical 4-1 split with the second set being a tortured drop set for each exercise)

Day 1 - Chest, bis, forearms

Day 2 - Legs

Day 3 - Shoulders, tris, forearms

Day 4 - Back, rear delts, calves

Day 5 - Rest

Day 6 - Repeat

----------------------------------------------------------

Week 5 - 8 (Add an extra day of rest, making it a 2-1 split, Drop sets still employed)

Day 1 - Chest, bis, forearms

Day 2 - Legs

Day 3 - Rest

Day 4 - Shoulders, tris, forearms

Day 5 - Back, rear delts, calves

Day 6 - Rest

Day 7 - Repeat

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Week 9 - 12 (Drop the drop set in favor for a single high rep set (20-30 reps))

Day 1 - Chest, bis, forearms

Day 2 - Legs

Day 3 - Rest

Day 4 - Shoulders, tris, forearms

Day 5 - Back, rear delts, calves

Day 6 - Rest

Day 7 - Repeat

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

This split is best used this way because through the first 4 weeks, youll be CRUSHING your CNS but will still not be over-trained... At the 5 week mark, you add in another day of rest so your CNS can recoupe... In essence, giving you more time before you have to cruise... The last phase of the split is dropping the drop sets and employing high-rep straight sets... So as this split progresses through time, youre constantly adapting the split to your weakening CNS before you finally have to rest... Usually one, to one and a half weeks COMPLETELY away from the gym is all youll need before you start smoldering the iron again....

[Bob Smith]

For purely size gains with no direct emphasis on strength, I think HST is the way to go. Youll certainly gain strength, but thats not the main goal. For size, hitting a muscle 2-3x/wk is probably about as optimal as it gets, as long as you control for intensity and total volume.

[role model]

Originally Posted by Diesel Machine

Strength and muscle size goes hand in hand... If you are constantly getting stronger, youre building muscle.. So the big question is whats better, volume or intensity? I'll take both... Ive been blessed to work with some of the best trainers that the ironworld has had to offer, Trevor Smith for example... Smith was more volume/intensity and HIT is very low volume and high intensity, but which is better?

Honestly, Im torn because theyve both aided me in widdling 275lbs onto my 5'8" and created an 800+ squat... With a waist that still lurks around 33" (yes i know, shamless self promotion.. LOL) But how can I argue with the results? Because I believe you can never be good enough... Heres my idea that I think takes the best of both worlds, and I think will be able to push me into the next level of size AND strength...

Out of all the bbers in recent history, I believe Yates has been able to do the most with his god given genes.. Yes, he has exceptional genetics, but when hes compared to other IFBB pros, his genetics are good at best, yet he DOMINATED the 90's... Why? I believe it was a perfect mixture of intensity and volume... Did he deadlift, yes but not all that much.... Theres something to that...

I believe rows are THE most important exercise for your back as far as adding mass... The combo of bent rows, T-bar rows, one arm hammer rows, one arm DB rows, with deads thrown in every several weeks will build the biggest back your genetics will allow... I feel pulldowns and that type of movement are great for warmups, but thats it... And to toast off the back workout, I think bent laterals should be performed to add depth and percieved width to your lat spread...

Here's what I think is an ideal split and volume combo.... The tradional 4-1 split (ala Yates)..

Major Bodyparts - 2 exercises, 2 work sets each exercise
(1st 6-10 straight, 2nd set 20-30 or a drop set)
(ie. chest, shoulders, quads, hams)

Minor bodyparts - 1 exercise, 2 work sets
(1st 6-10 straight, 2nd set 20-30 or a drop set)
(ie. bis, tris, calves)

Back - 3 exercises, 2 work sets each
(1st 6-10 straight, 2nd set 20-30 or a drop set)
**In addition to the 3 sets, add bent laterals to fry off the rear delts with a 10-12 rep straight set

This is my outlook of optimal training... Now I posted this for discussuion purposes and I invite experts and vets to give their view on whether the agree or disagree alike....

Like I said, alot of my theories are based on Dorian's training and Trevor Smith's BFT... IMO, the best two systems out there for advanced guys... But here's where I tend to differ from the other two... the split will actually change throughout the time youre training up until you need a complete break away from the gym, which should be around 8-12 weeks... Here's what worked the best for me in terms of the split morphing thru the "blast":

Week 1 - 4 (Typical 4-1 split with the second set being a tortured drop set for each exercise)

Day 1 - Chest, bis, forearms

Day 2 - Legs

Day 3 - Shoulders, tris, forearms

Day 4 - Back, rear delts, calves

Day 5 - Rest

Day 6 - Repeat

----------------------------------------------------------

Week 5 - 8 (Add an extra day of rest, making it a 2-1 split, Drop sets still employed)

Day 1 - Chest, bis, forearms

Day 2 - Legs

Day 3 - Rest

Day 4 - Shoulders, tris, forearms

Day 5 - Back, rear delts, calves

Day 6 - Rest

Day 7 - Repeat

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Week 9 - 12 (Drop the drop set in favor for a single high rep set (20-30 reps))

Day 1 - Chest, bis, forearms

Day 2 - Legs

Day 3 - Rest

Day 4 - Shoulders, tris, forearms

Day 5 - Back, rear delts, calves

Day 6 - Rest

Day 7 - Repeat

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

This split is best used this way because through the first 4 weeks, youll be CRUSHING your CNS but will still not be over-trained... At the 5 week mark, you add in another day of rest so your CNS can recoupe... In essence, giving you more time before you have to cruise... The last phase of the split is dropping the drop sets and employing high-rep straight sets... So as this split progresses through time, youre constantly adapting the split to your weakening CNS before you finally have to rest... Usually one, to one and a half weeks COMPLETELY away from the gym is all youll need before you start smoldering the iron again....

Couldn't find much info On Trevor Smith But I did find this. "Trevor Smith Dies At 33...420lbs." It didn't give his height but he looked about 6'3, About 4" taller than Ronnie Coleman.

[Diesel Machine]

Originally Posted by role model

Couldn't find much info On Trevor Smith But I did find this. "Trevor Smith Dies At 33...420lbs." It didn't give his height but he looked about 6'3, About 4" taller than Ronnie Coleman.

He was 6'2" and a great guy... He owned Nuclear Nutrition and was the creator of BFT training, great system BTW... Heres some pics of him...

[role model]

Heres a link to Trevor Smith's BFT. http://forum.dutchbodybuilding.com/f...r-smith-76334/
Very similar to what you posted. I, myself always had the most success with Yates blood & guts type training.

[role model]

Originally Posted by Diesel Machine

He was 6'2" and a great guy... He owned Nuclear Nutrition and was the creator of BFT training, great system BTW... Heres some pics of him...

Your workout you posted is nothing like Trevor Smith's workout. Here are just some of his points.

1.You will tend to need an hour or so to recover from the workout so that you can perform daily functions.
2.You cannot train in this manner for more than 6 weeks if you are doing it properly
3.You can only train once a day for a maximum of 4 times per week.
4.You can only spend a maximum of 45 minutes in the gym per session

[Girth]

I would think that the best size routine would involve a fork and plate, many times per day, 7 days per week.

[Silverback]

Originally Posted by Bob Smith

For purely size gains with no direct emphasis on strength, I think HST is the way to go. Youll certainly gain strength, but thats not the main goal. For size, hitting a muscle 2-3x/wk is probably about as optimal as it gets, as long as you control for intensity and total volume.

I looked into HST, but I dont like the fact your not even nearing you max lifts for the 15s, 10s and
5s until the 2nd week of each cycle..

How do you guys like this-- what I said before--

PUSH/PULL/LEGS

Push-----------
Flat bench 2 x 4-6
Dips 45 lb weight, but I need more x 12
DB Presses 2 x 4-6
Close grip bench 2 x 4-6

PULL----------------
Deads 2 x 4-6
Rows 2 x 4-6 EIther T-Bar or Bent over rows
Pull-ups 2 x 4-6
BB-DB curls 2 x 4-6

Legs------------
Squats or Leg presses 2 x 4-6
Hamstring curls 2 x 4-6
Calf raises 2 x 6-8

Each workout done every 4-5 days depending on my schedule.. Also I would like to combine legs with the push or pull..so I dont have to go as often.. My schedule is terrible with work, family and school..but Im not sure the best way..

The last rep of each set, would be the last one I could do before I reach "failure"..

Does this look like overtraining or what modifications would you fellas make to this? Again I like lifting heavy, but my main goal is to reach 260-270 without being a total fatty.. Ive been up to 250 but I had way too much fat.. This time I eating much cleaner and its helping greatly with quality weight


Current stats
5'11 231 visible upper abs.. so bf about 16%
Eating about 4500-5000 cals daily

[Bob Smith]

Originally Posted by Silverback

I looked into HST, but I dont like the fact your not even nearing you max lifts for the 15s, 10s and
5s until the 2nd week of each cycle..

You can start at a higher % and make smaller increases rather than starting lower and making bigger jumps in weight. And its not like you need to be working at 95-100% of your 10rm in order to grow. Either way, the principles of HST are excellent for size gains and IMO, make it one of the very best programs specifically for size.

[Silverback]

Originally Posted by Bob Smith

You can start at a higher % and make smaller increases rather than starting lower and making bigger jumps in weight. And its not like you need to be working at 95-100% of your 10rm in order to grow. Either way, the principles of HST are excellent for size gains and IMO, make it one of the very best programs specifically for size.

I see your point.. I found my max for each rep range last week and then took a week off--- until yesterday when I did a push workout..


Do you think I would have to take another week off before I began the program?

What do you think about the program I listed above.. Which do you think is better for size?