I recently dropped the cash for a few training sessions at 24 Hour Fitness. I'm not sure what good it did other than to get an idea of what form I need at each machine...but hindsight is always 20/20.

That said I'm not trying to bulk up: I'm going strictly for performance. I want to run faster, run longer, do more pushups, more pullups, more situps, etc.

Any help would greatly be appreciated as well as diet suggestions ("eat a balanced diet" has always struck me as pretty vague).

Sunday:
Stretch/Warm Up

Swim 100 meters for speed and form. Repeat three times.

Monday:
Stretch/Warm Up

Do five max effort sets of pull-ups, resting one minute between each set.

Perform 75 situps without keeping track of time. Focus on proper form. Rest for three minutes and repeat.

Perform three maximum effort sets of pushups.

Machine Work (2 Sets Of 20)
Seated Chest Press: 100
Seated Overhead Shoulder Press: 80
Seated Tricep Extension: 50
Seated Lateral Row Machine: 130
Seated Bicep Curl: 40

Abdominal Crunch Machine: 15
Low Back Extension Machine: 50
Leg Press Machine: 250
Leg Extension Machine: 90
Leg Curl Machine: 80
Standing Calf Raise Machine: 250

Tuesday:
Stretch/Warm Up

Speed Day.  Run 800 meters at a pace faster than your current PAST pace.   It should not be an all out sprint, but should still leave you winded.  Cool down with a one lap (or two minute) jog, and repeat.  Repeat for 400 and 200 meters (Total of 6 sprints).

Wednesday:
Stretch/Warm Up

Do a pyramid of repetitions, starting with one pull-up then 10 seconds of rest, 2 pull-ups and 20 seconds of rest, 3 pull-ups and 30 seconds of rest, and so on until you are unable to do more repetitions than your previous set.

Perform three maximum efforts sets of situps. Timed and scored on Set One.

Perform three maximum effort sets of pushups. Time and scored on Set One.

Machine Work (2 Sets Of 20)
Seated Chest Press: 100
Seated Overhead Shoulder Press: 80
Seated Tricep Extension: 50
Seated Lateral Row Machine: 130
Seated Bicep Curl: 40

Abdominal Crunch Machine: 15
Low Back Extension Machine: 50
Leg Press Machine: 250
Leg Extension Machine: 90
Leg Curl Machine: 80
Standing Calf Raise Machine: 250

Thursday:
Stretch/Warm Up

Tempo Run.  Run 3 miles at a pace slightly slower than your current PAST pace.

Friday:
Stretch/Warm Up

Do pull-up training sets, resting one minute between each set, until you are unable to complete a set. A training set is dictated by your current level of strength.  If you are advanced, it might be 5 or 6. Rest one minute between sets. The goal of the workout is to do the same number of repetitions per set, so start off conservatively, if you can only do 1, use one.

Perform three maximum efforts sets of situps.

Perform three maximum effort sets of pushups.

Machine Work (2 Sets Of 20)
Seated Chest Press: 100
Seated Overhead Shoulder Press: 80
Seated Tricep Extension: 50
Seated Lateral Row Machine: 130
Seated Bicep Curl: 40

Abdominal Crunch Machine: 15
Low Back Extension Machine: 50
Leg Press Machine: 250
Leg Extension Machine: 90
Leg Curl Machine: 80
Standing Calf Raise Machine: 250

Saturday:
Stretch/Warm Up

Hills/Incline. Run 200 meters at a 20% incline. Walk 200 meters. Repeat 5 more times.  

Man, that is an aggressive workout routine, I command you on your determination.

I will try to go through the days that are simular to mine, that way you can check out some of the stuff I do with similar goals which produced results for me.


Sunday: I know nothing about swimming, it is my goal for this year is to be a better swimmer. So we might comapre notes in a few month.

Monday: You have a mix of everything here, which might be abit of an over exersion on your body. I would do the chest and biceps, and leave the tri's, back and legs for another day.

Never been a big believer in situp's unless your doing it with weights. It's a muscle group, so there is no spot reduce if your a male.


My routine:

Warmup: run 2-3 miles.
Flat bench, 4 sets going up on weights with each,
Inclined bench, dumb bells works the best.
Butterfly's on a cable machine.
2 diffrent curls.


Tuesday:

Speed day?  


Thats my forte. (I normally do this wedsday)


Out side drills.

Sprints: 4-6 sets of 40 yard dash. All out.
Skip for height
Skip for distance.
Lunge jumps for height
Lunge jumps for distance.


Or do it inside(Alternate for better results)

Straight backed dead lifts.
Lunges with dumbells
Calve raises.
Leg press.

Weds: I would switch this to Tues since your tri's, shoulders and back are still fresh.

Warmup-2-3 mile run.
Military press.
Forward raises
Side raises
3 different tri ceps(I normally do dips for the 3rd)

Thurs:

Do the same as monday. Since only your legs should be fatigued.


Fri:

same as Tues.


Sat:

Long run/one of the lower body drills as on my Weds/your tuesday.



Sunday:

margarita by the pool?




Keep it up bro, sounds like you got the right idea to get into the best shape.

Thanks for the encouragement!

My biggest concern are my pullups. While my pushup and situp output continues to climb my pullups are staying at the same pathetic number.

I've been at it for a little over a month now and the most I can sqeak out is three...count 'em three pathetic pullups. I have no idea what the problem is. I could "do" more, but the form isn't perfect. If I'm doing them properly (all the way up, Adam's apple over the bar and then all the way down to a 100% Dead Man Hang) then three is the best I can muster.

Anyone familiar with the Armstrong Pullup Program will notice that I've cannabalized some of the material and tossed it into my esisting routine.

Does anyone know if I can stay with the current program (weight machines every other day, running, etc.) and yet still add the complete Armstrong program without too much "tear down"?

Bottom line is that the pullups are kicking my ass. I need some help!

Quoted: Bottom line is that the pullups are kicking my ass. I need some help!

Cool, solid goals like this are good. As opposed to I wanna lose 15 lbs in 3 weeks type of shiet.

So you want to do more pull ups. Which means you need more upper body strength since various forms of pullups all are results from most major upper body muscle groups. So time for you to add pull down's and back extensions, which should be added to the tricep/Shoulder days. These along with your chest, arms and shoulders will improve your upper body strength, and get you more repetitions in the pullups.


BTW, I am 155lbs, and can do 3 sets of 10 of L pull ups(Legs bent 90 degreespointing forward during the entire pull-up). Is this where your at, or where you want to get to?

If you are looking to be stronger and faster, I would suggest that you add the big three to your regimine. I resisted for several years before I finally broke down and started deadlifting. It has made all the difference in my back and hams.

I would add bench, squat, and DLs to the list, and you should make much progress.

Quoted: If you are looking to be stronger and faster, I would suggest that you add the big three to your regimine. I resisted for several years before I finally broke down and started deadlifting. It has made all the difference in my back and hams. I would add bench, squat, and DLs to the list, and you should make much progress.

Help me out with "the big three"...I know jack about free weights.

Quoted: BTW, I am 155lbs, and can do 3 sets of 10 of L pull ups(Legs bent 90 degreespointing forward during the entire pull-up). Is this where your at, or where you want to get to?

Thanks for the advice!

Eventually I want to be at 20 perfect standard overhand pullups.

Quoted: Quoted: If you are looking to be stronger and faster, I would suggest that you add the big three to your regimine. I resisted for several years before I finally broke down and started deadlifting. It has made all the difference in my back and hams. I would add bench, squat, and DLs to the list, and you should make much progress. Help me out with "the big three"...I know jack about free weights.

+1 from a newb to free weights.

I don't see any reason you can't do the full Armstrong routine. Or alternately, you can mix it up with bicep curls and lat pulldowns on the days you're not doing pullups.

If you can, get someone to spot you or get an machine that will spot you to let you continue working past failure. The rule of specificity means the best way to get better at pullups is to do more of them, even if you're getting an assist. It helps a lot and works you a lot faster than doing them alone, especially if you're only getting three. Don't sweat it; everyone plateaus at some point.

The speed matters, too. For a PFT I'll sprint it and do it as fast as I can, maintaining form; I can get 20 because I'm intensely pulling for half the distance (and maybe half a second), and letting momentum carry me over the bar. Doing them slow I get 12-15 because my muscles are strained for 100% of the movement.

I don't do my workouts the fast way, mind you, but it does show you that your numbers will fluctuate depending on how quickly you do them, and the slow way is the hardest.

Quoted: The speed matters, too. For a PFT I'll sprint it and do it as fast as I can, maintaining form; I can get 20 because I'm intensely pulling for half the distance (and maybe half a second), and letting momentum carry me over the bar. Doing them slow I get 12-15 because my muscles are strained for 100% of the movement. I don't do my workouts the fast way, mind you, but it does show you that your numbers will fluctuate depending on how quickly you do them, and the slow way is the hardest.

Bro: that's excellent advice. When I'm doing my three pullups I'm going slow as molasses the whole way up and down.

I'll hop on the pullup bar tomorrow and try to hammer them out. Maybe I can eek out a couple more that way.

I think I'll switch over to the complete Armstrong program. I was concerned about burnout when tossing it on top of my existing program but I can always cut back if need be.

Quoted: Quoted: The speed matters, too. For a PFT I'll sprint it and do it as fast as I can, maintaining form; I can get 20 because I'm intensely pulling for half the distance (and maybe half a second), and letting momentum carry me over the bar. Doing them slow I get 12-15 because my muscles are strained for 100% of the movement. I don't do my workouts the fast way, mind you, but it does show you that your numbers will fluctuate depending on how quickly you do them, and the slow way is the hardest. Bro: that's excellent advice. When I'm doing my three pullups I'm going slow as molasses the whole way up and down. I'll hop on the pullup bar tomorrow and try to hammer them out. Maybe I can eek out a couple more that way. I think I'll switch over to the complete Armstrong program. I was concerned about burnout when tossing it on top of my existing program but I can always cut back if need be.

I don't see any other back/bicep workout on the days you aren't doing Armstrong so I don't see the problem. You can always switch to more specific workouts like curls or pulldowns if you feel you need variety.

Armstrong in the long term does tend to break you down; the Marine officer candidates who've discussed it ad nauseum typically do it for a few weeks at a time and back off when they notice themselves plateauing. You won't really see much gains during the regimen, but back off for a day or two and you'll notice the improvement.

Your doing too many body parts together, you are not doing enough weight... your reps are WAY too high.  You need to rethink the whole workout and start from scratch.

Tim, never do cardio before you lift... do it after or you will only hurt your performance during your weightlifting, especially legs days.  Do a light weight for 10-12 reps if you need a warmup on a specific weightlifting exercise.

I would also like to add that about 99.9% of the people who want performance and not size do not realise the only way to increase to maximal potential strength of a muscle is to increase its size.  You must focus on "bulking" untill you have reached a size that is the maximum your other requirements allow then focus on limit strength (nerve function), endurance, and coordination.  Limitng your muscle size is the exact opposite of what someone should do who wishes to maximise performnce.

Quoted: Tim, never do cardio before you lift... do it after or you will only hurt your performance during your weightlifting, especially legs days.   .

Works for me. My workouts are pretty isolated to different muscle groups. So I dont think I am fatiguing my self too much with a 2-3 mile run as warmup.

Quoted: Tim, never do cardio before you lift... do it after or you will only hurt your performance during your weightlifting, especially legs days.  Do a light weight for 10-12 reps if you need a warmup on a specific weightlifting exercise.

If you're looking purely to build strength, this is true. But for functional strength, it's very useful to mix strength with cardio - that's the basis of fartlek training. Your muscles need to know how to perform when your system is drained of O2. A good workout (that's hard to do in a gym except after hours) is a circuit of different stations which you do with 30sec or no rest between stations, to challenge your low O2 ability.

Quoted: Your doing too many body parts together, you are not doing enough weight... your reps are WAY too high.  You need to rethink the whole workout and start from scratch.

See, I was told that to gain performance (not bulk) the idea was to cut the weight and increase the number of reps...?

ETA:I scheduled a full body workout every other weekday so that I didn't have to drive out to the gym every day.

When do you squat?  

Quoted: When do you squat?

I don't: what you see above is everything.

Should I be?

Quoted: When do you squat?

15  minutes after the run to taco Bell?





You just have to experiment abit. There is a school that believes low weights but fast and hih repetitions will result in more strength and fast twitch fiber growth. Then there is the traditional pyramid heavy weights which is pretty much guarranteed to work in the long run. Maybe you need to find a workout buddy that is in good shape so atleast you know what he has tried works(Atleast for him).


Now stop thinking and start hitting the weights

Quoted: Quoted: When do you squat?   I don't: what you see above is everything. Should I be?

The squat is considered the "master exercise". If you want to get your entire body stronger overall, it is the place to start.

By the big three, I was refering to the bench press, dead lift, and squats.

I have been lifting seriously for several years now, and I have only recently incorperated the DL and squat into my routine due to my height. I am 6'6" and was always told to aviod the aforementioned excercises because they would only serve to hurt me. Well, all avoiding them did was hurt my gains for the past 4 years.

to be quite honest, the most sucessful program for strength that I have done to date has been as follows.

Monday:

bench 2x 10
military press 2x 10
squat 2x 10
leg extensions 2x 10
DLs 2x 10
barbell curls 2x 10
tricept push downs 2x 10
rows 2x 10

Wednesday:

bench 2x 15
military press 2x 15
squat 2x 15
leg extensions 2x 15
DLs 2x 15
barbell curls 2x 15
tricept push downs 2x 15
rows 2x 15

Friday:

bench 2x 6
military press 2x 6
squat 2x 6
leg extensions 2x 6
DLs 2x 6
barbell curls 2x 6
tricept push downs 2x 6
rows 2x 6

I must have added 100+ lbs to my squat and DL with this program and a great deal of weight to my bench durring one semester. It worked very well for me.

I also second the notion of cardio after weights. You will have more energy to lift and use heavier weights to build muscle and strength. Also when you run afterward, your muscle glycogen stores will be low, so you body will be forced to burn fat instead.

Quoted: By the big three, I was refering to the bench press, dead lift, and squats. I have been lifting seriously for several years now, and I have only recently incorperated the DL and squat into my routine due to my height. I am 6'6" and was always told to aviod the aforementioned excercises because they would only serve to hurt me. Well, all avoiding them did was hurt my gains for the past 4 years. to be quite honest, the most sucessful program for strength that I have done to date has been as follows. Monday: bench 2x 10 military press 2x 10 squat 2x 10 leg extensions 2x 10 DLs 2x 10 barbell curls 2x 10 tricept push downs 2x 10 rows 2x 10 Wednesday: bench 2x 15 military press 2x 15 squat 2x 15 leg extensions 2x 15 DLs 2x 15 barbell curls 2x 15 tricept push downs 2x 15 rows 2x 15 Friday: bench 2x 6 military press 2x 6 squat 2x 6 leg extensions 2x 6 DLs 2x 6 barbell curls 2x 6 tricept push downs 2x 6 rows 2x 6 I must have added 100+ lbs to my squat and DL with this program and a great deal of weight to my bench durring one semester. It worked very well for me. I also second the notion of cardio after weights. You will have more energy to lift and use heavier weights to build muscle and strength. Also when you run afterward, your muscle glycogen stores will be low, so you body will be forced to burn fat instead.

Looks like a very solid routine. Squat, DL, bench and rows are all that is really needed to get big, And a lot can be done with squats alone.