Workout routine........?

I want to know what you think of this weekly workout routine for building muscle?

• I have been doing this routine for about two months now. And I can honestly say that it is working, and working well. The main areas that this workout focuses on is the chest. I want to have a well rounded, and bulky chest when I reach my goal. My main question is in regard to "muscle confusion". This workout has different types of chest exercises throughout the week, I never do the same exercise twice. But, I do have the same pattern every week, even though it is not on a daily basis, am I still exercising with "muscle confusion" considering what i just said? Also, I want your personal input on what you think of this particular weekly routine, and any suggestions you may have. I can bench 235, on a good day, one set. My goal is the 300 mark by summer, do you think I can get there? Or, if you have a workout routine you think may be better, please, share it. Also, I want to increase my arms by around, 2 inches, mine are just under 15 inches. I am 6 foot one, and again, want to add two inches by summer. So if you have any suggestions to my routine in that respect, I am all ears. Below is my routine, hope to hear from you. Frequency: Perform each workout (Days I, II, and III) once per week, resting at least a day between each session. How To Do It: Perform the exercises marked lowercase a and b, or lowercase a, b, and c, as a modified superset or tri-set, as prescribed.Perform the remaining exercises as straight sets, completing all the prescribed sets for one exercise before moving on to the next. Day 1 Exercise 1a Bench Press Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 20 Seconds Exercise 1b Dumbbell Fly Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 20 Seconds Exercise 1c Partial Lockout Sets: 3 Reps: As many as possible Rest: 90 Seconds Exercise 2 Barbell Row Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 60 Seconds Exercise 3 Dumbbell Shoulder Press Sets: 1 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 60 Seconds Exercise 4 Barbell Curl Sets: 1 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 60 Seconds Exercise 5Triceps Pushdown Sets: 1 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 60 Seconds Day 2 Exercise 1a Pushup Sets: 3 Reps: As many as possible Rest: 30 Seconds Exercise 1b Dumbbell Bench Press Sets: 3 Reps: 1-3* Rest: 30 Seconds Exercise 2 Lat Pull Down Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 60 Seconds Exercise 3 Barbell Shoulder Press Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 60 Seconds Exercise 4 Dumbbell Curl Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 60 Seconds Day 3 Exercise 1a Incline Dumbbell Press Sets: 3 Reps: As many as possible Rest: 0 Seconds Exercise 1b Dumbbell Bench Press Sets: 3 Reps: 6-8 Rest: 0 Seconds Exercise 1c Decline Dumbbell Bench Press Sets: 3 Reps: 4-8 Rest: 90 Seconds Exercise 2 Seated Cable Row Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 60 Seconds Exercise 3 Dumbbell Shoulder Press Sets: 1 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 60 Seconds Exercise 4 Incline Dumbbell Curl Sets: 1 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 60 Seconds Exercise 5 Lying Triceps Extension Sets: 1 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 60 Seconds Thanks for the input!!!

• Answer:

  Looking at your routine it appears to contain exercises that are more suited to shaping muscle and getting lean. If that is your goal then fine. However, you mention wanting to increase your muscle bulk, particularly in your arms and chest. For that to happen you need to do progressive resistance exercises. This means 4 sets of exercises for your arms and your chest. Set one: Experiment and fine a weight that you can do a maximum of 10 to 12 reps with. Set Two: Increase the weight enough so that you are just able to do 8 reps maximum. Set 3: increase the weight so that you can do 5 reps maximum. Set 4: Use enough weight so that you can only squeeze out 3 reps. This will challenge the muscle to repair and grow in size. The muscle actually tears at a microscopic level. This is why that day off in between workouts is important. As far as bench press you should be able to reach your goal by summer. As far as adding 2 inches to your arms, it is possible if you really apply yourself to the progressive routine. Possibly add a 5th set. Just done overdo it and try to test your absolute maximum as it could result in an injury and set you back months. Using progressive resistance exercises I went from 155 lbs at 6 ft tall to 190lbs. Best of luck to you.