How often to change gym routines?

[jaustin]

Hey everyone,

Since starting working out (about 1 1/2 years ago) I have been using pretty much the same routine. I've heard that your body adapts to doing the same thing over and over so it's important to change the types of exercises you do. Is this right?

Secondly, I've been really slacking off as far as lifting goes recently. I have been very infrequent in the past 3 months, but I am about to start working out diligently again. I'll be focusing on weight gain (eating a ton and such) and I was wondering if I should just keep the same routine I've been doing or use a new one. Because I have been working out so infrequently recently I thought I might be able to get away with the old one.

My current routine:

Monday: Chest - all done in 10/8/6/4 reps
4 X bench
4 X incline dumbell
4 X flies

Wed: Back - also all done in 10/8/6/4 pyramid
4 X lat pulldown
4 X rows
4 X shrugs

Fri: arms - 10/8/6/4 again
4 X bicep curls
4 X tricep dips
4 X forearms


I should probably be doing a bit more each time I go to the gym also, so if anyone has recommendations please tell me.

P.S. I know I need to have a legs day, and will add it once I start my new routine. Also I will add stomach/core exercises.

Thanks

 

[adversity04]

Change routines every 3-4 weeks at the very max. Anything beyond that time period is too long imo. I won't make a comment on your program because I'm assuming your goals are much different than mine and that routine seems much too imbalanced, spread out and pointless to me.

 

[Eason]

Yeah seriously what's with the beach muscle workout? I like how you spend as much time on your back and chest, huge muscle groups, as you do on tiny muscle groups like the arms, which get worked already a bit when you do back and chest.

I'm just kidding, the workout's fine. I would not add in any leg day at all, actually. The upper body will look bigger in proportion to your lower body, so your goal should be to get the legs as small as possible while maximizing upper body size.

Another thing to try is a new left/right body split. You've probably heard of an upper/lower split or a bodybuilding split, and a left/right body split is a 3x/week workout where you only work out one side of the WHOLE BODY (this is important, to get all muscle groups on that side and maximize growth of the sternocleidomastoid and teres minor, big "beach muscles" sure to attract women). For example, monday, if you are right handed, you should do only bilateral exercises for your right side. Wednesday, you should do exercises for the left side only. Friday, back to the right side. Next week, begin with the left side, and so on. Obviously, you'll have to limit the kind of exercises you perform, you'll be doing lots of dumbell work, single leg presses, single leg squats, single arm snatches, etc, but it's very important. Any ab work should be done on the internal obliques, and not the rectus as it is on the middle sagital plane and will alter your hypertrophy gains for the worse.

 

[adversity04]

golden.

 

[jaustin]

Originally Posted by Eason

Yeah seriously what's with the beach muscle workout? I like how you spend as much time on your back and chest, huge muscle groups, as you do on tiny muscle groups like the arms, which get worked already a bit when you do back and chest.

I'm just kidding, the workout's fine. I would not add in any leg day at all, actually. The upper body will look bigger in proportion to your lower body, so your goal should be to get the legs as small as possible while maximizing upper body size.

Another thing to try is a new left/right body split. You've probably heard of an upper/lower split or a bodybuilding split, and a left/right body split is a 3x/week workout where you only work out one side of the WHOLE BODY (this is important, to get all muscle groups on that side and maximize growth of the sternocleidomastoid and teres minor, big "beach muscles" sure to attract women). For example, monday, if you are right handed, you should do only bilateral exercises for your right side. Wednesday, you should do exercises for the left side only. Friday, back to the right side. Next week, begin with the left side, and so on. Obviously, you'll have to limit the kind of exercises you perform, you'll be doing lots of dumbell work, single leg presses, single leg squats, single arm snatches, etc, but it's very important. Any ab work should be done on the internal obliques, and not the rectus as it is on the middle sagital plane and will alter your hypertrophy gains for the worse.


Was it really that ridiculous of a question?

 

[Eason]

No I'm just kind of a bastard

 

[lefty]

Originally Posted by jaustin

Was it really that ridiculous of a question?

Yes.

Go buy Starting Strength for $17.

lefty

 

[adversity04]

Originally Posted by lefty

Yes.

Go buy Starting Strength for $17.

lefty

++ But the second edition is out. I guess it has better pictures and good revisions
2nd Edition

 

[Threadbearer]

Hey jaustin. Sorry you got flamed instead of being taken seriously. Your question was not ridiculous.

I always try to change up routines about every 8 weeks. I feel that if you go longer than that, you body becomes adjusted to the routine and you get too efficient at the lifts to benefit much. Likewise, when you change up more frequently than that, you cheat yourself out of the opportunity to build up to maximum loads for each lift.

As one example, each day that you go in to the gym to do, say, incline bench presses, you should be able to increase the load over what you did the last time. Once you've gone a couple of workouts without being able to increase the load, switch to flat bench or decline bench, or switch from barbell to dumbells. Most people hit that wall at around 6-8 weeks, but it will depend on a lot of variables, such as how often you're working that part of your body.

If your goal is like most people's -- maximum payoff for minimum hours of gym time -- then I recommend that you get some squats, deadlifts, and lunges into that routine of yours pronto. I know it seems counterintuitive to work muscles that don't get noticed the way pecs and biceps do, but those three exercises in particular will pump you up all over and they'll strengthen your core in the process. Better yet, they'll give you a set of ass cheeks you can crack walnuts with. Let's not forget that the ladies appreciate our butts as much as we appreciate theirs.

 

[adversity04]

I answered his question in my first response. Of course the period I posted is what I view as the appropriate amount of time, no studies to back it up that I can recall, but it allows you to develop the lift a little then change to another that targets the muscle group a different way.

And the fact that we post advice every day on proper routines and he posts that dreadful split means we can poke and prod any ways we like. Looking at previous threads isn't that much to ask.

 

[jaustin]

Thanks for the info threadbearer. I didn't realize that people changed routines because they hit that wall. I had been increasing weight on all my exercises and then for the past few months not seeing any gains as far as strength go.

I got a training book that I'm going to base my routine off of and it is hugely rooted in squats, deadlifts, and cleans. I'd never done these exercises before because I thought I was just too measley, but the book explained well why ectomorphs have to base their routines in those exercises. It also keeps the routine changing workouts every 4-5 weeks or so. Hopefully it'll work for me.

Originally Posted by adversity04

I answered his question in my first response. Of course the period I posted is what I view as the appropriate amount of time, no studies to back it up that I can recall, but it allows you to develop the lift a little then change to another that targets the muscle group a different way.

And the fact that we post advice every day on proper routines and he posts that dreadful split means we can poke and prod any ways we like. Looking at previous threads isn't that much to ask.

I actually got that original routine from this forum when I asked what routine to start weight training with, that's why I've kept it. I also tried looking up previous threads, but I didn't find anything with exactly this question. Maybe I'm just bad at searching though.