Hey everyone I'm new to the forums though I have been reading them for a month or so. I've read quite a few of the workouts and peoples goals on the forums though I think I have a few that might conflict, was wondering what I could change to what I'm currently doing to possibly work towards all of them ?

Okay well here are my goals, and some are linked to current activities I do as well. Their listed in rank order (#1 being the highest priority)
Increase mass, size and definition of muscles
Increase strength/endurance for mixed martial arts / gymnastics
Lower body fat %Background Info

For the past year I've been lifting 3x a week with a body part split. I've only really recently started reading more information on the net to gain more knowledge and trying different things to increase my size. I find it hard to put on weight though I have made about a 3kg gain in weight since I started as well as a noticeable increase in muscle mass on my body ( I used to be pretty skinny ). My diet is pretty healthy and on average I can get in around 4-5 meals a day, I also take whey protein after my workouts.

Im about 5'5 and on average 55kg, here are some pictures

http://www.mayanpatel.com/workout%20progress/

(please excuse the bed hair I'd just woke up) :)

On a weekly basis I also do gymnastics training 2x a week, and some boxing drills 1x a week. As I personally find it hard to put on weight and I can see how training for strength/endurance in combat sports etc may hinder my first goal.

PDF document of my weekly routine (9kb)[Click Picture]

http://www.mayanpatel.com/pdf.gif (http://www.mayanpatel.com/mayanworkout.pdf)

So preferably I want to work towards all of those goals. Will compound exercises like deadlifts etc make me stronger at other things like grappling? Or is it not specific enough ?

I was wondering if anyone could help me out or give some tips on how I should structure a workout to concentrate on all of these things, without sacrificing my goal of increasing mass/muscle ?

As I have the feeling that doing calisthenics like push ups on my rest days is hindering my recovery/muscle growth :blank:

I like the PDF format!

workout routine looks good. I like the compound lifts. You should change the leg press to squats however. i'm not a fan of leg presses.

front squats
rear squats
one legged squats

for a killer burn, do one legged squats holding a 25lb plate, and go down in 4 seconds, pause at bottom, up in 4 seconds... Do 5 of those per side... yeah you'll hate yourself!!

Also, since you're doing legs and shoulders on the same day, You can think about incorporating clean-and-jerks or snatches into your routine!! They work your legs and shoulders ( and pretty much your whole body) at the exact same time! I love c/j's .


For your goals, if you eat less, you'll burn fat, as long as you keep lifting.
If you eat more, you'll pickup mass, as long as you keep lifting.

I'm currently experimenting to see what happens if i eat at caloric maintenance, and i haven't found out how many calories that is just yet, but i assume what's going to happen is a very slow gradual change from fat to muscle, while picking up lots of endurance and strength along the way!

good luck!

Hey thanks alot for the reply !

I never actually knew which bodyparts clean and jerks primarily worked, or how to do them properly. I think i'll definately add them in now. I like the idea of excersises that work your whole body :)

At the moment friday is my least enjoyable gym day (though i do enjoy them all) so thats where i'd probably like the most change to be in my routine. Shoulders usually seem kind of boring to work lol. One of the problems I have is that my gym doesn't have a power rack so I do squats on the smith machine. I know it'd be more beneficial to do them standing though I think i'd probably be too unbalanced if i tried to push myself with a heavier weight.

With one legged squats how far are you meant to go down? I've tried just bodyweight ones before and found it incredibly hard to balance, and that was without any extra weight :blank: I think it might put pressure on my knee ligaments if i go right down hm. I think i'll invest in a weighted vest for that, it'l also save me having to hang dumbells in my feet when doing weighted chins/dips haha

Hi Mayan

Nice first post.

Looking at your photos, you have a brilliant frame to work with, and great width across your upper back and shoulder girdle.

I'd like to see your routine put more emphaisis on lower body than it does currently. Incorporating an extra compound hip dominant exercise into your routine (Good Mornings or RDLs), a unilateral leg exercise (Bulgarian Split Squats, Lunges, Step ups), and a calf exercise would be good.

I agree with you that doing the pushup/handstand stuff on rest days is probably not helping you that much, and is possibly detrimental. As things are, you are working your shoulders 4x each week.

I'd like to see you routine changed to something like this:

(Changes in bold)
Mon: Gymnastics and Football
Tue: Completely rest (maybe a bit of skipping/speed work)
Wed: Deadlifts, Pull-ups, Rows (Either BB or one-arm), Shrugs, Curl
Thu: Gymnastics and Skipping
Fri: (Back or Front) Squats, Good Mornings, Lunges, Calf raises
Sat: Completely rest
Sun: Bench, Dips, Shoulder press (or Lateral raise), Cable pull down, Some Ab exercises

So preferably I want to work towards all of those goals. Will compound exercises like deadlifts etc make me stronger at other things like grappling? Or is it not specific enough ?Doing a variety of compound exercises will undoubtedly make you stronger, and it is likely that there will be some carry over for grappling. Certainly, it won't do you any harm. Just keep up the skipping and do some occasional speed work too.


One of the problems I have is that my gym doesn't have a power rack so I do squats on the smith machine. I know it'd be more beneficial to do them standing though I think i'd probably be too unbalanced if i tried to push myself with a heavier weight.So start with lighter weight and get your balance down perfect, then gradually increase it. For the time being, you could try Power Cleaning the BB off the floor into a Front squat position, then Front squatting for 5 or 6 reps. In theory, your max Power Clean should be a bit (but not hugely) below your max Front Squat, so this could work well for you.

edit: Oh, it is difficult to increase muscle size and mass whilst also losing body fat. For now, I would recommend not worrying about your third goal, and concentrate on eating clean, healthy food, 5-6 meals a day, at a calorfic surplus of 250-450 calories.