My Routine (19 lean pounds added in 3.5 months)

This routine, designed by the owners of my gym, has worked wonders for me. It's nothing complex, and I'm sure most people here are plenty capable of making a good routine, but I thought I would share it for those of you that are interested. Starting today, I switched to a new routine that's similar, but more complex (I can post if anyone is interested). Either way, this routine has really exceeded my expectations and has not only yielded significant size gains, but I've seen tremendous strength gains as well. Note: when it says Press or Bench Press, that means that you would alternate between each. So, if you did Overhead Press this Monday, next Monday you would perform Bench Press. Anytime you see "or", that means it alternates every week. In addition to this workout, on wed & fri I perform a strength-based met-con/cardio workout that usually lasts 12-20 very intense minutes. Monday - Heavy Back Squat ----- 5 x 5 ----- 3 Minutes Rest Press or Bench Press ---- 5 x 5 ---- 3 Minutes Rest Deadlift ------ 1 x 5 Delt SuperSet (see below) ----- 3 x 8-12 ----- 2 Minutes Rest Upright Row & Side Lateral Raise or Rear Delt Lateral & DB Shrug Grip Work (usually farmer's walk) Wednesday - Light/Recovery Back Squat\t-----\t 2 x 5\t-----\t 2 Minutes Rest Press or Bench Press ----- 3 x 5\t-----\t 2 Minutes Rest Chin-Ups\t-----\t 3 x F\t-----\t 3 Minutes Rest GH Raises\t\t----- 3 x 10\t\t----- 90 Seconds Rest Bicep Curl or Drop Set ----- 2 x Drop\t-----\t2 Minutes Rest Overhead DB Sit-Ups -----\t 5 x 5\t-----\t 60 Seconds Rest Friday - Light/Higher Rep Power Clean\t-----\t 5 x 3\t-----\t 90 Seconds Rest Bench Press or Press ----- 3 x 8-12\t-----\t60-90 Seconds Rest Back Squat\t-----\t 3 x 8-12\t-----\t60-90 Seconds Rest Tricep Work (3 sets, your choice) ----- 2 Minutes Rest Leg Raise or L-Sit\t\t-----\t\t 90 Seconds Rest *On Friday where you see "8-12", alternate between 8,10, and 12 every week. This Monday aim for 8, next Monday for 10, and the final Monday for 12 (adjust weight as needed).

No problem. The minimum rest is primarily on Friday. 3 minutes of rest between each set on Monday. I'm not sure what the "after-burn effect" is...

I took measurements before and after. I added 1/2" to my waist, and that's primarily where I store most of my fat. I have a long posting history here and wouldn't start a thread with anything remotely dishonest in it, especially something that I take seriously. Also, Rambo can attest to my gains, as he had seen me around the time I began this program, and recently, after I had added most of the weight. I'm not juicing, and I'm actually not using any supplements at all, unless you consider protein powder a supplement. Yes and no. I've been training for about a decade, but over the last 3-4 years my training is not what it used to be. I've been larger and much stronger than I am now (naturally, and when I was juicing for a short period, which I've been upfront about on this board several times). It should be mentioned that 19 lean pounds, of course, does not imply that I added zero fat.

That's the right implication, and it should be echoed. The point being that gimmicks don't work, and heavy compound lifts do. There's a continual discussion among people first staring out that seems to imply some secret or magical program that needs to be followed in order to achieve great gains.

While my new program is more complex, I sincerely doubt that I could have done much better over the last few months - so simple may be better.


I appreciate that. My arms are still smaller than yours, though - wanna trade?

Thanks. I'd say my genetics are decent, but far from great. I was never a good athlete in school, and I was very skinny up until the age of 22. I didn't know how to eat properly when I was training from 18-21, and my training wasn't very good then either. Obviously, diet played a huge role here. I've been eating like crazy, and avoiding cheat foods as much as possible. I don't drink anything other than milk and water - unless I'm having drinks, which has been a rare occurrence as of late. I don't eat any junk food. My cheat meals consist of chips at my favorite mexican restaurant, which has no doubt made great contributions to my calorie intake. I've had some not-so-great carb sources on occasion - but for the most part I try to stay pretty clean. The gains came as a bit of a shock to me as well. I had a consultation with the owner before I joined and told him that I'd like to hit this weight eventually, but wasn't sure how long it was going to take. I didn't think it would happen this fast. I'm not sure how much the met-con contributed to my gains, but it certainly didn't hurt. This includes pushing the sled, kettlebells, wall-balls, push presses, running intervals, rowing, etc - so keep in mind that the program isn't quite as simple as it looks because I haven't outlined any of those workouts.

Not untrained, but my training had fallen off for a while (see above where I mentioned this). Even though I was working out before I had started this program, I hadn't trained in a serious manner in several years. I'd say, on average, I was performing a sub-par routine 2 times a week and just coasting along with my diet.