You guys who do full body routines

[brewski053]

How many days a week do you train and how many work sets are there in one workout?

[RickTheDestroyer]

How many days a week do you train and how many work sets are there in one workout?

I was doing 2-3, with 5 sets bench, 5 sets rows, 5 sets squats/deads.

I did not grow very much.

[HardToSquat]

My full body routine follows that I do two to three warmup sets and then one all out killer set to concentric failure. With squats this means I go until I have to let the bar down on the pins in the rack since I can't stand up with the weight. Deads I will do until I can't lift the bar off the floor another inch in good form. I work out once a week and have had success in moving up in weight every week or two.

I currently do the following exercises with one work set in the order that follows:

ATF Squats
Bent leg Deads
Dumbbell Bench
Chins
Lateral Raise
Dips
Seated Pulley Row
Dumbbell Sidebends
Ab Crunch
Dumbbell Calf Raise

[Progress]

My full body routine follows that I do two to three warmup sets and then one all out killer set to concentric failure. With squats this means I go until I have to let the bar down on the pins in the rack since I can't stand up with the weight. Deads I will do until I can't lift the bar off the floor another inch in good form. I work out once a week and have had success in moving up in weight every week or two.

I currently do the following exercises with one work set in the order that follows:

ATF Squats
Bent leg Deads
Dumbbell Bench
Chins
Lateral Raise
Dips
Seated Pulley Row
Dumbbell Sidebends
Ab Crunch
Dumbbell Calf Raise

Wow, I would be dead after that.

[djreef]

Total body once on the weekend, 2 sets per body part, except legs, which get 6 sets. Then a split of sprints on Tuesday followed by upper body in the gym on Wed. I swim a couple of times a week for a little extra calorie burn. I'm making gains, but at a differing pace for each movement.

DJ

[brewski053]

cant you just count your sets and tell me how many?

[CiteCollegiale]

I used a 3day/week full body routine after a long break to get my strength back quick.
Alternated between day 1 and 2. 9sets/muscle group each week. 1hour each workout
Day 1:
3sets squats
3sets bench
3sets rows

Day 2:
3sets deadlifts
3sets incline bench
3sets pullups

[djreef]

btw 14-20, depending on the intensity. Higher the intensity the lower the # of sets.

DJ

[manowar669]

3 days/week, about 15 work sets per workout.

[bIgHwN86]

3 days a week (6 days a week if you want to include the olympic lifts I do on other days).......about 12-15work sets per session.....and 10sets of 3reps w/ the olympic lifts

[brewski053]

so 24 would be alot then eh?

I got a routine from my physical therapist who used to bodybuild. Gos something like

Squats
Pull Overs
Bench
Clean & Press
Dead Lifts
Rows
Curls
Dips

[MM]

Looks like a monster routine, especially if you're looking at 24 sets. How many days per week?

I think I'd say screw the pullovers and throw in chins or pullups -- more likely to hit your bi's a little more that way. Also (and this is just personal preference) I wouldn't want to do pullovers because I see them as a little more time consuming.

I wouldn't relish doing clean & press and then walking right into deads, either. In fact, unless you're a real advanced trainer, this routine looks like a good way to walk into either (a) injury (b) fatigue or (c) both.

There's my .02.

MM

[djreef]

I'm with MM. I'd alternate cleans with deads from week to week.

DJ

[MM]

Agreed. They're both great exercises, but I just feel like C&P is an advanced lift that shouldn't be attempted after squats, POs, and bench, and right before deads. I'd probably be clean and pressing the bar, at that point...

I'd still like to see the sets and reps.

[Keith Wassung]

I have been doing 2 full body workouts per week for many, many years. People get nervous about full body workouts because they think you are going all out on each and every bodypart during each full body workout. This is not necessarily the case. What you can do is work the entire body, but certain parts of the body get hit a lot harder and with a lot more focus-then each workout you rotate the order and priority of each. For example, I use a reverse push-pull routine which is as follows:

A: Push ( chest, shoulders, triceps, quads and calves, compound movements such as incline press, overhead press, dips, narrow grip bench press, squats and full squats, front squats and calf raises. Straight sets-no drop sets, negatives or supersets. ( think "strength" ) total sets 8-12

This takes about 45 minutes. Then I do the "pull" muscles, back, biceps, hamstrings and do nothing but assistance and isolation type moves, lots of supersets, drop sets, etc. (think "bodybuilding") this takes no more than 30 minutes. I finish up with some abs and I am done in one hour and fifteen minutes give or take 10 minutes either way. total sets 8-10

B. Pull (Back, Biceps, Hamstrings) Compound movements, deadlifts, cleans, rows, romanian deadlifts, surgs, curls, grip work, again straight sets, 10-12 sets then 45 minutes then finish up with the chest shoulders, triceps and quads using only bodybuilding type moves 8-10 sets and finish with abs.

The exercises are rotated from time to time-this is more of a template of a workout than an actual workout. It gives you a lot of flexibility to pick and choose what you need.

That is it, I also do a couple of sessions of GPP/ conditioning each week, usually the day after a lifting session. I might do wind springs, jump rope, sled, jump drills, heavy bag, etc. These sessions take no more than 30 minutes. I like them the day after lifting, but that is just a personal preference.


*Final Note: with regards to number of sets per workout-I have said this many, many times in previous posts and it bears repeating-do not get "locked" into thinking you have to "x" number of sets, "x" times a week for optimal benefits-you MUST factor in life's challenges and the quality of recovery from workout to workout. This is especially true as you get a bit older and have added responsibilities ( and stresses) I have some days where I have a workout scheduled and I am tired, the day was long, I only got 3 hours of sleep because the twins kept me up half the nite, etc, etc. and I go out and do like 8 total sets in about 20 minutes--and guess what-its a great workout---for that given day--if I had tried to to the complete plan-It would have adversely affected me.

Keith W.

[djreef]

I Agree w\ Keith about the flex issue. I'm throwing in an extra day off between Weds workout, and the workout this weekend because my body is telling me I have to do so.

DJ

[Keith Wassung]

the source of my sleepless nights!

[PowerManDL]

I've got two basic setups I work with.

1) Mon-Tues (10-rep days)

Legs (typically hacks, power squat machine, or leg press)
Chest Press
Pulldown
Shoulder Press
Row
Misc. for arms and calves

Fri (6 rep day)

Full Squat
Push Press
Pendlay Row
Misc. for arms and calves

Sat (3-4 rep day)

DL or SQ
Bench
Pullups
Misc. for arms and calves

I alter this slightly if I want to do more specific work for the bench and squat/DL so that Friday and Saturday are upper body and lower body, respectively.

2) A classic periodized 5x5 program, modified slightly.

Mon-
Full Squats, 5x5 same weight
Pendlay Row, same
Bench Press, same
Misc. for arms and calves

Weds-
Full Squat, 5x5, 15-20% less than Monday
Military Press, 5x5
DL, 2-5x5
Pullups, 5x5
Misc. for shoulders and traps

Fri-
Full Squat, 5 sets to a 5RM
Pendlay Row, same
Bench Press, same
Misc. for arms and calves

I've modified this slightly to allow for more specific deadlift work by dropping the squats on Wednesday and altering the DL rep scheme a bit. Also, since I don't like doing the bench press for higher volume work, I sub in a hammer strength press for the volume work on Monday. I may change up the Friday schedule a bit also to allow for time in the bench shirt.

[MixmasterNash]

Thing 1 and 2! You can do curls with that kind of weight set, I hear.

[PowerManDL]

I really like Keith's setup.

*Final Note: with regards to number of sets per workout-I have said this many, many times in previous posts and it bears repeating-do not get "locked" into thinking you have to "x" number of sets, "x" times a week for optimal benefits-you MUST factor in life's challenges and the quality of recovery from workout to workout. This is especially true as you get a bit older and have added responsibilities ( and stresses) I have some days where I have a workout scheduled and I am tired, the day was long, I only got 3 hours of sleep because the twins kept me up half the nite, etc, etc. and I go out and do like 8 total sets in about 20 minutes--and guess what-its a great workout---for that given day--if I had tried to to the complete plan-It would have adversely affected me.

And big bump to this. If there's any bit of wisdom I could give to all you guys making endless threads about pointless things, this would be it. There's nothing absolute in this, and a lot of it is still more art than science.