Personal Favorite Workouts Routines for Mass- Post Em

[rochabp]

Ive been trying to find out which ones are the best routines out there for mass, there are so many, hst, dc, fst-7, high volume, low volume, double pyramid scheme, etc. DC is great but on cycle i dont feel it does the job because the volume isnt there and recovery is too good on cycle. i just wanted to hear some ideas, what are you guys doing that you guys have found great success with maybe some new owrkouts or maybe the good ol fashion ones. post em up please i wanna learn, and apply them to improve myself. What is the best to gain some size aswell as density.

 

[g0hardorgohom]

DC is my favourite but here is some others worth trying too: Dorian Yates' HIT, Max-OT, German Volume Training, Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 and Growth Stimulus Training.

 

[rochabp]

youve tried those other listed?

 

[dunhill225]

Ok I am just gonna basically copy what I posted in another thread for what my workouts are like but a lot depends on your level of development.
Example: a beginner can easily train with a "labrada" style routine, 6-8 sets a body part with body split in half and each muscle trained twice a week... But I could never recover from such a routine. To me a Max-ot style routine is the next step after a labrada style routine when I train people. The next step after that is a variation of a HIT routine...

Here is mine:


Rt now I train 4Xs a week as follows.
Mon:
Delts and arms
Tues:
Legs
Thursday:
Chest and lt tris
Friday:
Back and lt bis

Each body part usually gets 3-5 total sets. 1 ex stays the same every work out for each body part and the rest changes every work out. Why? That was originally inspired by a study that showed that subjects that performed BB curls 3Xs a week for 6 weeks became more and more efficient at the ex and by the end of 6 weeks they were recruiting 25% FEWER fibers than at the begining of the study. They learned to relax antagonist muscles, learned the most efficient rep speed and path, etc... Makes total sense considering all growth is just an adaptation by your body in an attempt to protect itself and make the demands placed on it as easy as possible.
So why do I keep any exs the same? Well because I believe when it comes to large heavy compound exs there is an adaptation that can't really be measured strictly by fiber recruitment... I believe when I always include ...say.... Incline smith presses and become more and more efficient at the ex that there is an adaptation... An attempt by your body to protect itself by getting thicker just because it is compressed under a heavy load. So I attempt to become as efficient or have my body be as 'intelligent' as possible at one ex for each body part.
The rest of the exs change every workout for each body part. I want my body to be an 'idiot' at any other exs I perform...I go as heavy as I can with good to perfect form. I am a stickler for good form and rep speed. If I happen to choose a wt that's a lill lt for an ex I just slow my reps down to make the ex harder.

An example of a recent chest day.

Incline smith benches for 1 post warm up set.
Weighted dips for 1 set to failure (when an ex is as drastically different in its plain of resistance i will perform a warm up of the new ex)
Seated fly machine 1 set to failure
Seated incline hammer bench 1 set to failure.

After the 1st ex I want the wt to be heavy but its not as important as form. Reps don't really matter to me... I just go for as long as i can. In the above work out I had chosen a wt for the incline hammer that was a lill to lt sp I just slowed my reps down to a rep speed of about 6 or sp seconds for the possitive and negative.

Anyway above is an example of my last chest day... And above that is a BASIC explanation of how I train.

 

[rochabp]

so you like the 2 muscle group a day
as opposed to upper body lower body split?

 

[dunhill225]

so you like the 2 muscle group a day
as opposed to upper body lower body split?

Depends.
For a beginner I like the
day 1 and 4 chest, delts and tris

Day 2 and 5 back, bis and legs.

For myself training 4xs a week... My split is like it is cause I consider my arms my weak spot... And its just the best way I have found to split my body over 4 days.

When I do a 3 way split its day 1 legs, day 3 chest, delts and tris and day 5 back and bis.

 

[g0hardorgohom]

youve tried those other listed?

Not every one of them but most. GVT and Wendler's 5/3/1 are still waiting to be tried. I'm sure at least Wendler's routine will do wonders for me My goal is strength but I gained mass with those routines too..

 

[Rodja]

For the past 3 years, I've exclusively used 5/3/1 or Westside for Skinny Bastards. I love the conjugate periodization of WS4SB and the flexibility of 5/3/1. If you go with 5/3/1, though, then buy the ebook.

 

[rochabp]

5/3/1 for mass?

seems more like a strength/power thing

you guys think while on gear it would be best to go higher volume since recovery is already gonna be greatly increased

 

[kmcart]

In for this thread, I'm looking to switch to a full body routine 3x a week with no gear and supps to a minimum, were gonna see how its goes but I'm interested to see what has worked for everyone else.

 

[rochabp]

i personally have tried a simple upper/ lower body split 4 days/week mainly in the 4x12 range for all muscles while on Epistane and i grew like a champ and leaned out quiet nicely, almsot like a hst program but not quiet cus i was hitting 4 sets instead of 2.

anyone else tried anything similar to that.

 

[madds87]

I like to switch it up. Doing a multitude of workouts, but ill mainly stick with the 3x12 4-5 workouts of one bodypart 5 times weekly. Ill always ,well mostly, have one day of cardio/athletic workouts. Flipping tires, sprint and drag (you use a 12 strand line thats about 150 ft long that i sprint with. Once i have fully extended the line, i turn around and pull the line to me as fast as possible, then sprint again.) Tire fight (you and another personstand on either saide of the tires and push the tire back and forth to each other, in a competitive matter, trying to make the other person drop the tire just by pushing) Then other workouts step ups. lunges while holding plates with handles. upright rollers. planks. olympic pullups (pullup to the top then bring yourself to the top of the bar and push yourself upward). Lifting weight i always stick to basics like double and triple sets and such. Then of coarse the olympic lifts, DLs and such.
Using tires is always fun, it does work on mass, but also more on cardio. The tires i use are big ole freakin tires. I work on tug boats so we have the ginormous tires to work with. and the 12 strand line is what we use for the ships and all. The sucker is heavy and you can def feel it when you pull the 150ft line back to you.

 

[rochabp]

you sound like an athlete man. nice.

 

[Rodja]

5/3/1 for mass?

seems more like a strength/power thing

you guys think while on gear it would be best to go higher volume since recovery is already gonna be greatly increased

You can easily add mass with the Dave Tate assistance template. You can also add in max singles every 2-3 weeks, but really only do this on a day when you're performing well in the gym. It's not something that you can really plan to do in advance.

 

[JudoJosh]

5/3/1 for mass?

seems more like a strength/power thing

you guys think while on gear it would be best to go higher volume since recovery is already gonna be greatly increased

Boring but big template

 

[ZiR RED]

5/3/1, 5x5 and WS4SB are probably the best pre-constructed workouts.

Br

 

[rochabp]

wow i got to say im shocked that so many vouch for the 5-3-1 and the west side program for mass. im i missing something?

 

[JudoJosh]

wow i got to say im shocked that so many vouch for the 5-3-1 and the west side program for mass. im i missing something?

the versatility of WS4SB just cant be beat when it comes to training athletes and the progression system of 5/3/1 is great for developing maximal effort strength. Everything I do is some sort of variation of both of those programs.

The 5/3/1 Boring but big template will add mass on you for sure.. buy the ebook and give it a read. You wont be disappointed.

 

[ZiR RED]

Most people's eyes are clouded by the programs they see every month in flex, muscle fitness, etc. etc. It's like a virus that reverberates when they go to the gym and nearly everyone there is training chest on monday, back on tuesday, etc. etc.

Br

 

[rochabp]

what kind of monthly progress can someone expect on the 5-3-1

 

[Rodja]

what kind of monthly progress can someone expect on the 5-3-1

With 5/3/1, it's best to think about 6 months progress. The first month is really about establishing baselines as most people do not know their current 1RM on squat, bench, deads, and standing military. I will tell you that I had my best strength gains ever would I adhered to the program and used the Dave Tate assistance template. My deadlift had long been stalled in the 425-435 range, but within 6 months of 5/3/1, I jumped to 475.

 

[rochabp]

but in terms is weight did you add 5lbs, 10lbs 20 lbs in that 6 month frame or what was the average per month

 

[rochabp]

not in strength but your actual bodyweight

 

[Rodja]

not in strength but your actual bodyweight

Gotcha, I added ~8-10lbs in that time, but I also was not really eating to gain mass. There were periods when I did eat well over maintenance and, not coincidentally, that's when I made some huge strength gains.

 

[rochabp]

so 8lbs natty? in 6 months
bf the same or lower?

 

[Rodja]

so 8lbs natty? in 6 months
bf the same or lower?

Yes, BF was roughly the same. This was also during a phase when I was doing some heavy conditioning sessions (Prowler, tire flips, etc.) and helping several people get ready for fights.

If you have any questions about it, whether it be program design or technique, feel free to PM me.

 

[madds87]

This 5-3-1 I will have to check out. Anyone have a link or copy of this info instead of having to buy a book.

 

[Rodja]

Out of respect for Wendler, I recommend buying the book.

 

[rochabp]

anyone tried very high volume for growth?
i was talking to pro at my gym, he was around 190lbs but he looked way bigger than that, anyways he used a routine that went like this:

warm up set
regular set of 12 (Heavy)
set of 20
set of 30

like a reverse pyramid almost. what really impressed me he said he was natural. even though i have suspicions of some peptides here and there. but he does train like a freak

 

[asooneyeonig]

my totally fav way to pack on mass is lifting for way too long each session with silly body part split programs and making several times i day i do plenty of fork curls and spoon lifts. and i am being totally serious. for mass and mass only i am a believer in huge volume at moderate intensity with as much food as i can pack in.

 

[dday39]

so 8lbs natty? in 6 months
bf the same or lower?

you realize that just about anyone is capable of this if they are eating a daily calorie surplus

any program can put mass on you if you eat enough

 

[rochabp]

you realize that just about anyone is capable of this if they are eating a daily calorie surplus

any program can put mass on you if you eat enough

yeah but it shocks me its on a strength training routine, i know whats possible and what isnt cmon. u offend me man.

 

[dday39]

I've offended you?

yet you make this statement

yeah but it shocks me its on a strength training routine

 

[dunhill225]

you realize that just about anyone is capable of this if they are eating a daily calorie surplus

any program can put mass on you if you eat enough

Lol... Any program CAN put MASS on you if you eat enough is true. If you said any program can put MUSCLE on you that would be incorrect (as always, gear changes everything so don't use people on gear as an example anyone).

 

[koi1214]

Have you thought about the 20 rep squat routine with a calorie surplus?

 

[waynaferd]

For mass I love FST-7

If you do the eating and such before hand and get the crazy pumps like you should, its hard to beat for mass IMHO.

I do a lil DC style stretching afterwards, and the whole shebang is usually under an hour.

 

[Sourdough]

I personally have worked a full body split 3-4 times a week and also a independent4 or 5 day split for each body part or couple...

I gained WAY more mass focusing on independent body parts (going heavy as possible for sets of 4x10 for at least 5-8 exercises per body part) then doing a more wide spread full body split....

I always gain LOADS on cycle and have a good time maintaining and more often then not still gaining in the off time... Of course one would ask "then how come your not 240+" to which I say "life happens"..... Ive had plenty of set backs in my 10 years of training but I always come back fast and make great strides again after reattaining what was lost and the increase in muscle maturation is actually the coolest part about taking breaks it seems... Its not just getting bigger but MUCH more developed.

I dont plan on having any breaks from here on out though (hopefully injuries avoided and life levels out to smoother and more consistent as it has the last year) and then i may be in the same situation and hitting a wall.... but I have gone 2 years straight performing small variations to this same routine (only switching out certain lifts done after a long period of use) and still made constant gains in that time frame (175-205 approx same bf%)

Ive been recently thinking of switching it up just for fun but its tough to fix something that aint broke....

 

[JudoJosh]

For mass I love FST-7

If you do the eating and such before hand and get the crazy pumps like you should, its hard to beat for mass IMHO.

I do a lil DC style stretching afterwards, and the whole shebang is usually under an hour.

this? http://www.simplyshredded.com/fst-7-fascia-stretch-training-7-workout-routine-nutrition-guide.html

 

[waynaferd]

Yep that's it!!

I just do a 3-day split, chest, legs, then back, and do it FST-7 style

I googled it quite awhile back and found some good lists of what exercises to do first, and for the 7 sets at the end.