my workout. criticism, suggestions, opinions please.

hey, hows everyone doing? im new to the forums. a little about myself: i was working out on and off for the past year and a half just casually and whenever i felt like it but i would not eat right to really get the full effect and gains from it. i still got some gains and my pecs are not bad at all but i've never been able to build up my biceps and my pecs at the same time could be much, much better. im in my second year of college and the start of this school year i decided i would really dedicate myself to working out because i really want to get a nice, muscular body(very toned, good size pecs, biceps, shoulders. example would be someone like kobe bryant if you watch basketball). i bought myself some whey protien and im gonna go get myself a multivitamin as well in the next few days. im debating if i should get some dextrose as ive heard it would be good for after my workout along with the protien. here is how im doing my workouts and what im eating etc etc. all criticism and suggestions are very welcome and i appreciate them in advance. consider me a novice but i still know a good amount about working out but ive never really dedicated myself to show for it. here it goes:

I am 6'0. 195 lbs. pretty athletic

mondays/wednesdays: chest, biceps, abs, run 1 mile
tuesdays/thursdays: back, shoulders, triceps, abs, run 1 mile

-chest: start of with 155lbs on bench. i do about 3 sets of 6-8 reps. then ill move up to 165lbs and do about 2-3 sets of 4-5 reps. then i go to the chest machines. there is a decline chest machine and regular straight bench machine. ill do about 145lbs on both machines and 3 sets of 8-12 on both machines and then im done with chest.

-biceps: ill do curls with either a long bar(70lbs) or with regular dumbbells(35lbs) at 3 sets of 10-12 reps. then ill do the curl machine at 95lbs and do 3 sets of 8-10 reps and then move on and do preacher curls with 10-15lbs on each side and do around 3 sets of 4-7 reps and then im done with biceps.

-abs: i use the ab machine and i do 4-5 sets of 12 reps. this is the last thing i do in the gym. the ab machine really gives a good ab workout. i have a hard time doing the 12 reps as it is.

-back: i use the back machine and i do 3 sets of 10 reps. i don't remember what weight i use.

-shoulders: i use the shoulder machine and i do 3 sets of 10-12 reps at 105 lbs. then i do shoulder press's with 35lb dumbbells.


my diet looks like this:

-morning: protien bar. half a plastic container of yogurt, banana, and a bottle of water. i dont have much time for anything else as i have to make it to class on time.

-lunch: 2 cans of tuna or salmon. another protien bar. half a plastic container of yogurt. bottle of water.

-before workout: ill usually have poptarts 40 minutes before i workout, a protien bar, and a bottle of water

-during workout: i head to the water fountain after every set or two

-immediatly after workout: whey protien shake with 2 scoops of whey protien.
(**this is where i have a question: i hear dextrose or maltodextrin would be good immediatly after my workout but would gatorade be equivalent to this? most people use gatorade pouches but can i just buy regular gatorade and drink a bottle or two of that?)
-multivitamin
-bagel and fruit juice
-bottle of water
(ive heard stuff about also taking l-glutamine, 200 mcg chromium picolinate and 200 mcg ALA and creatine. im debating if i really need to go buy this stuff but if it helps gains significantly then i will)

-hour and thirty minutes after working out(dinner): i switch it up between healthy choice dinners(country fried steak with mashed potatoes and corn, chicken and shrimp dinner) or prime rib sub from quiznos or a turkey or chicken breast sandwhich from subway or some ramen noodles or some sort of pasta. i might have a can of tuna here as well depending on if im still hungry and a protien bar.

-i try to run a mile 20-30 minutes after my dinner. is this the right time to run or would a different time be better suited?

-on the weekends i eat stuff liked baked potatoes, salmon, tilapia, asparagus, pasta, bagels. my family has cookouts every weekend so ill have some steak, etc.

-i eat wings atleast once a week on any given night.

*should i continue having protien shakes on the days that im not working out along with the protien bars?
*are carbohydrate energy bars any good?
*is oatmeal any good for breakfast? ive never tried it.


this is what ive been working with for the past couple of weeks since school started. i just want to make sure i'm doing everything that i can control right and hope for the best gains. all criticism, suggestions, and opinions are very appreciated so please reply away. thanks for your time.
 
mondays/wednesdays: chest, biceps, abs, run 1 mile
tuesdays/thursdays: back, shoulders, triceps, abs, run 1 mile

This is all I needed to read to tell you one most important thing that will make you get bigger (well diet is most important, but forget about that right now). You need to work the legs.

There are no squats, deads, or unilateral exercises like lunges, stepups, or bulgarian squats.

The best way of putting on muscle for the general population is a Full body workout 3 times a week.
Also, you need to do heavy compound exercises to get mass. Instead of doing curls, do pullups. Exercises that require the most muscle fibers and the most energy stimulate the most growth.
BTW, forget the machines, just drop them. Free weights are much better. the only machine I'd advise someone to sue is a cable machine for rows.

Squats and deads are most important as they put stress not only tremendously on the lower body but on the upper body as well. This causes the body to release more growth hormone which in turn induces growth.

A good FBW contains
squat/dead
horizontal push
horizontal pull
vertical push
vertical pull
unilateral leg motion.


btw, protein isn't everything in terms of bulking. You need a good combination of proteins, complex carbs, and healthy lipids (fats) like from nuts.
 
Ok, there are a lot of reasons this isn't working.

1. There's no easy way to say it, but that routine is awful.
2. Whether bulking or cutting, the diet is poor, too. If you're looking to lose fat, it's particularly bad.

Routine

Ah, I just saw Dave's response. Essentially, yeah, there's no leg work at all (yes, squats, deadlifts, lunges, etc.). Bunch of isolation exercises and machine exercises, both of which are suboptimal.

Look at some of the workouts here or elsewhere, find one that looks good (and that you can do) and repost it. The one you have though should be entirely scrapped.

Diet

Read the nutrition stickies in the other forum. Wings, baked potatoes, pasta, Quizno's, fruit juice and steak are probably going to add more fat than you want. You really need to look at what you're eating if you want to get results.
 
ok i appreciate the comments. thats why i posted on here. i've been trying to search through the website for examples of good diets but i really havent found any. could someone make a quick 5-6 meal plan as an example? am i suppose to have protien(protein bar or turkey breast, a complex carb(oatmeal), a fibrous carb(celery), a fruit(banana), and a "healthy fat"(peanut butter or flax oil, etc) for every one of the 5-6 meals im suppose to be eating everyday? i have figured out i need around 200 grams of protein a day and fats should be 25% of my total calorie intake but i havent figured out how much calories i should be taking in. i figured it should be between 2500-3000 but once again im not sure if that might be too much. my main concern is i want to bulk up and get big and as long as i lose my belly fat through time it doesnt matter to me how long it would take. do i have a representive of each one of those groups i mentioned above in each of my 5-6 meals? i was making myself a diet plan and having flax oil each time didnt look like it was right to me. can someone with alot of knowledge and experience elaborate for me. please dont flame me as im trying to learn and thats why im posting on this website. everyone starts somewhere. thanks once again in advance for any responses.

also i have decided to quit the machines. im taking workout exercises to do from this website(ExRx Exercise & Muscle Directory) and im gonna start adding some leg exercises to my workout. is more reps or less reps better to build muscle?

i know i am asking alot of questions in one post but please bear with me and all your answers are very appreciated.

you can tell im trying to be really dedicated to this but first i must learn what to do so i wont become dedicated to doing the wrong things that i believe is right.
 
You'll need a fbw planned, did you already find one or do you need one?

As to the reps, you'll want a combination of different sets, reps, and rest times.
 
full body workout. search some up, if you can't find any i'll help you make one.
 
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