Full Body Workouts

Hi all,
Just joined so I thought I would get the ball rolling and get your opinions on my new workout.

I have tried various programs like GVT,Splits,5x5 but due to new commitments (New baby soon,longer work hours) I have found myself needing to make the most out of every minute in the gym.

The workout below is over 5 days and hit each body part every day over 5 days.

*Chest
*Shoulders
*Legs
*Back
*Bi
*Tri

For each body part I choose 1 of the following exercises but make sure I do all of them over the course of the 5 days and each is 4 sets of 12.

Chest
Flat Bench - bar
Incline Bench - bar
Decline Bench - bar
Flat Dumbbell
Incline Dumbbell

Shoulder
Military Press
Bar shrug
Side raise
Upright row
Behind neck raise

Back
Seated row
Narrow grip Lat pulldown
Wide grip lat pull down
Pull ups
Bent over dumbbell row

Legs
Deadlift
Squat
Quad Curl
Calve raise
Kickback

Bicep
Hammer Curl
Bent bar curl
Seated half dumbbell curl
Standard dumbbell curl
21s

Tricep
Dips
Narrow grip bench
Rope pulldowns
Skull crushers
French Press with dumbbell

What I like the most about the program is because I only hit 1 body part directly a day, I can go heavy without the normal soreness.

My aim is to maintain or cut down slightly while maintaining the strength I built up in my previous programs. I am 220lbs,6 ft and have been training for 11 years (27 years old)

If anyone has any feedback or ways I could alter the workout,let me know!

Thanks

Ste

Hi Ste,

Welcome to the forum! Sorry it's taken so long to get a response!

Firstly I'd say that I've known a few people do a 5 day split like this, with variable results. I think it comes down to diet and number of sets/reps. Personally, I've never done this sort of split so can't really speculate.

I'd say in terms of doing a 5 day split, your routine looks pretty solid. Two gripes I would have are the chest routine and performing deadlifts during your leg workout.

Firstly, I think you are really overdoing the pressing movements during your chest day. You're effectively doing flat and incline press twice, which is counter productive. You're also not hitting the outer chest with flies. I reckon you should stick with flat barbell bench, then choose either of incline or decline press and do it with dumbbells -each week, rotate it so if you do this:

week 1: flat bbell, incline dumbell
week 2: dumbell flat, bbell incline
week 3: dumbell incline, bbell decline etc.

Just keep changing it up so that your muscles are constantly shocked into using a barbell or dumbbells. Hitting different areas of your chest each week will also hopefully stop a plateau emerging. Then choose two exercises from incline, decline or flat flies. After 4 weight exercises on chest, a simple press up or dip set should annihilate any remaining fibres.

So, to conclude, I think you should maybe try this for your chest routine:

Two pressing movements using different equipment (flat, incline, decline), two fly exercises (flat, incline, decline, or cables), push up/dip superset.

It ensures that you hit all portions of your chest during the routines, and will also take a lot of strain off your front shoulders compared to doing 5 pressing movements.

Finally, I reckon maybe doing deadlifts with your back routine might be better than doing it with your legs. It will let you go heavier on both compound movements, and improve your overall strength, size and core stability. Obviously, you'll have to shuffle the routine around so that you don't do legs the day after back, or vice versa.

Just seen that's quite a long response- hope it hasn't come across as a rant or sanctimonious.

I'm sure there are people on here who disagree with me, but that's a routine I've found that has really helped develop my chest, and helped increase my strength.

Hi,

Thanks for the advice.I was a bit concerned about all the pressing exerecises on chest so I will have 2 days of alternative chest movements.

With deadlift,would you have squat in the same week or alternate every other week as to me the movements feel very similar.

I'd have them in the same week, but would try and have them as far apart as possible. Squats and deadlifts do use similar muscles, but the overall effect is very different. Try starting a bit lower on your deadlifts and really engaging your hamstrings, before straightening up and using your back at the mid-point of the movement.

Got to take it easy on your shoulders when it comes to pressing! I did my rotar-cuff in playing rugby and bench just made it worse. Only just gone back to it in the last 4 months or so after 9 months away from it!