Old School Me

[bronson]

First off I would ask that you dont chime in and tell me that the program I am about to post is way outdated. That is why I titled it old school me. We have been talking about back exercises here the past few days and I would like to share my back - chest workout I have been doing for the last 10 months. It is a simple pyramid routine that has kept me fairly solid.

Back-One arm Rows-90 lbs.
1x10 each arm 1x9,1x8,down to 1x1.
1x1 each arm 1x2,1x3,up to 1x10.

Incline bench press 3x10 weight varies on how I feel that day.

Bench Press
1x10 weight varies on how I feel that day.
1x9 add 10 lbs.
1x8 add 10 lbs.
1x7 add 10 lbs
1x6 add 10 lbs.
1x5 add weight if you feel strong if not keep same weight.
1x4 same
1x3 same
1x2 same
1x1 same
Now work back up 1x1 to 1x10 using the same principle.

Thats it.The 1x10 should be a fairly comfotable lift.
I do this twice per week.
If I feel a little tired on the second workout of the week I use a 80% max.on the bottom 1x1. The 80% principle was taught to me by an old time Pitt football player and it works out fine. If you are bored or need a change give it a try and always use a safe weight that you can handle.Old School Me. bronson.
PS. Time between lifts vary on the individual.

[Chameleon]

that looks like a killer workout... I'd never seen that exact rep/set scheme before

I try to significantly change my lifting program every three months or so.... routines get borring, and our bodies adapt to what we are doing, so big changes are really good now and then.... I just moved from a fairly standard workout (3-4 sets at about 6-10 reps per set per excercise, two - three excercises per body part) to a full body HIT routine, where the idea is to hit each muscle with one excercise for 1 set, going to failure on the reps at a rep range of 8-10... I end up doing 15 excercises total... leg press, leg raises, leg curls (or stright leg deadlifts), calf raises, DB bench press, DB incline bench press, low rows (or upright rows), pull downs, military press (or shrugs), lateral raises, rear delt raises, bicep curls (or hammer curls), tricep pushdowns, cable crunches, machine crunches... by the end of this workout I'm done for the day

[Andrew]

I'd say you were doing too many sets and total reps on the bench press.. but if you like it man.

[bronson]

The above chest-back gets your attention, but its not as scary as it may look.The emphasis is on chest-back, but you also hit biceps and triceps secondarily with the pushing and pulling action. Now there are articles out there, where you will read that less than 5-6 reps is of no benefit.

With the above routine what happens when I get to the lower, single reps, I keep A pump and get a second wind to run back up the pyramid. I work other body parts every 5 or 6 days and depending on if I go heavy or 75-80% on the second chest-back routine.

I do what the majority would call a normal workout for the other body parts, except for the biceps, which I also pyramid. For biceps I do 5x10 light cable warmups, 3x10 light twenty-ones, which is a 3 part bicep curl. Then I pyramid preacher curls, adding 5lbs each set on the way down and dropping 5lbs on the way up. 1x12 to 1x1 on the way down and 1x1 to 1x12 on the way up. Fun-Fun-Fun for the old man.

[bronson]

Above the twenty-ones are 3x7 not 3x10. Sorry.

[bronson]

Sometimes its hard to explain on paper what you are trying to do. Here is a regular pyramiding routine. Notice the increase in the amount of weight and less number of sets. What works better for me is a higher number of sets and a slight, lighter increase in weight for chest and arms. This is a change I had to make to suit me and what I wanted. What does your body tell you? What are your goals? How does your routine work for you? What question do I need to ask chris to better suit me and help achieve my goals?

TeenBodybuilding.com - Joe Corleone - The Great Pyramid!

[motof]

Looks great Bronson, I might want to try it out sometime. Would be a nice switchup

[bronson]

Originally Posted by motof

Looks great Bronson, I might want to try it out sometime. Would be a nice switchup

Hey motof. Just remember when doing this type of routine to use a weight that is comfortable to you because the rep count will be high. And if you have to do some half reps or cheat reps along the ride up and down the pyramid thats fine.

Also if you feel you had enough, you can stop at that point. I like when I get to the lower single reps, I feel a second wind, almost like when you run and get tired, then you find an extra burst.

The real pain in the but is all the weight changing, but thats part off it. You also dont have to clock yourself between sets. Remember, a comfortable weight, same for pace, and a few cheaters are fine.