Help with my workout schedule...

quote:

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I want to add the question as to cardio before or after strength training?

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That is a good question.

My suggestions:

I would do Core on Leg day (or not at all; core days are kind of unnecessary IMO if you are doing compound moves like Squat/DL).

I currently do Shoulders/Bis, Back/Hamstring, Chest/Tri, Legs and some ab work 4 days a week.

Cardio I would do after I lift on non-leg days.

I suggest hitting lower and upper body each lift. Bench and Squat one day, OHP and deadlifts the next.

My schedule is as follows:

Week 1
Monday
Bench
Squat

Wednesday
OHP
Deadlifts

Friday
Bench
Squats

Week 2
Monday
OHP
Squats

Wednesday
Bench
Deadlifts

Friday
OHP
Squats


I will also rotate the appropriate accessory exercises depending on the day. This is the format that I use based on my fitness goals. There are tons of different formats and programs. The questions you should answer first is what are your fitness goals? For example, I am trying to get strong and in good condition. So I lift Mon, Wed and Fri while running Tues and Thurs. If you want to get really big, then you will want a high volume program. If you want to get really strong, then you want to lift heavy.

You might also take a look at some full-body routines. A lot of people swear by splits (arm day, leg day, chest day, etc) and different people get great results from different programs but...

A lot of research suggests the biggest period of muscle growth is in the 24-48 hours following muscle stress. If true then that means there's a lot of wasted time if you're only hitting each muscle group once a week.

The body split routines developed for bodybuilders because they were all on gear that let them build muscle all week long. And they could recover faster from working a muscle group to complete failure.

I tried the body split workouts for awhile when I was younger and they never worked for me but that's not to say they won't work for you. But I much prefer the full body routine I've been doing for several reasons:

1) I'm only in the gym 3 times a week so it's more efficient with my time
2) There are only a few base lifts that hit the vast majority of muscle groups (squat, deadlift, bench, overhead press, bent over row, pull up)
3) I can still add other lifts if I want extra work for certain muscles
4) My muscles aren't completely destroyed after a workout. I don't feel like I have to do a week's worth of muscle damage in one day.

I know there are as many opinions on workouts as there are people but you might try out one of the full body programs like 5x5 or 5 3 1 and see how it works for you.

Lots of great responses. Thanks, guys.