How should I change up my lifting schedule?

[dah328]

I have mixed lifting with running for about 15 years with pretty good results but I am increasingly recognizing that lifing has been more beneficial than running to maintaining my fitness level. To that end, I would like to change my current mix of 2 lifting days and 3 running days per week to 3 lifting days and 2 running days. My current lifting program is:

Day 1 -- chest and triceps:
Bench press: 3x5 reps
Dumbbell press: 3x8
Skull crushers: 3x8
Close-grip bench: 3x8

Day 2 -- legs and back:
Deadlift: 3x5
Clean and jerk: 3x5
Squat: 3x5

My running days are usually about 30 minutes of intervals and I finish all five days with pull-ups and ab work.

My question is what kind of lifts would you recommend adding into the mix? I tend to prefer larger, multi-joint exercises and I'm certainly open to changing up what lifts get done on what day.

 

[Nicola]

Split the deadlifts and squats up.

Some place add military press.

You aren't rowing so add that to the back day.

Consider a deadlift variation straight leg whatever.

The first two you need. You're benching a lot and not rowing. Sooner or later you'll regret that.

 

[virus646]

Nothing wrong with squatting and deadlifting in the same day...but you may find difficult to also clean and jerk. Depending on your recuperation capability, you may want to have squats-dl and something like glute-ham raises.

Rowing would be a nice addition, you could add it to your legs day instead of clean and jerks.

 

[Pennglock]

Are you pretty much plateaued on your lifts currently?

It's not really possible to draw you up a program without knowing your level of training advancement.

Knowing nothing else, I would advise you to make a run with Wendler's 5-3-1. You can use all of the lifts from your current split, and the program will definitely start adding poundage to your lifts if youve been stuck.

 

[dah328]

Thanks for the suggestions. Are the rowing suggestions because you think my chest work is not balanced with back work? I would have thought that dead lifts, pull-ups, and to a lesser degree, cleans all worked my back decently well.

As for plateaus, I'm reasonably strong now (e.g., I do un-spotted reps at ~185% body weight on the bench press) and I would prefer not to gain a whole lot more size unless I'm correcting an imbalance because altering all my tailored clothing would be prohibitively expensive.

 

[Nicola]

Yup you're benching is in one plane. Your other stuff is all vertical.

Think of it this way. Your benching pulls your shoulders forward. The rowing pulls them back. Deadlifts go up/down not forward/back.

 

[dah328]

Originally Posted by Nicola

Yup you're benching is in one plane. Your other stuff is all vertical.

Think of it this way. Your benching pulls your shoulders forward. The rowing pulls them back. Deadlifts go up/down not forward/back.

Ah, that makes sense. Thanks, I'll be sure to add some kind of rowing exercise in there.

 

[Nicola]

Bent over rows

 

[fuji]

Your not really doing any lat work, I agree with Nicola you should add bent over rows. Also you're not really doing any shoulder work at all? The jerk part of the clean and jerk is pretty much just momentum, I never really feel it in my shoulders. You could just do a normal press for your shoulders. I don't see anything wrong with squatting and deadlifting on the same day, I do it and its fine.

 

[Cool The Kid]

I like cable rows more than bent rows...

Also I would add some body weight exercises... chinups and dips

And shoulder press

Then you will have everything covered.