New Routine, feedback appreciated!

I usually work out at home, using a bench, barbell and dumbbells. I've been doing this on and off for a year and never had any real results. Finally decided to join a small gym near where I live and one of the trainee instructors had some spare time to go over a routine I could do.

3 day split, 3 sets of 8 reps.

Chest/Tricep:
Bench Press
Dumbbell Flat Flys
Pressups
Triceps Pushdown
Tricep Dips
Seated Triceps Press


Bicep/Back:
Hammer Curls
Preacher Curls
Bent-over Dumbbell Rows
Seated Rows
Seated Dumbell Lateral Raise
Barbell Upright Row
Widegrip pullups until failure.


Shoulder/Legs:
Front Dumbbell Raise
Side Lateral Raise
Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Dumbbell Shrugs
Squats
Lunges
Leg Raises
Calf Raises /w dumbbell

Some ab work at the end of each day.


I'm considering splitting it into 4 days and having Legs/Shoulders on different days?
Thanks

Chest/Tricep:
Bench Press
Dumbbell Flat Flys
Pressups  I'd swap for incline bench
Triceps Pushdown
Tricep Dips  I'd swap for real bodyweight dips
Seated Triceps Press


Bicep/Back:  I'd do back first but that's just how I prefer to do it.
Hammer Curls
Preacher Curls
Bent-over Dumbbell Rows
Seated Rows
Seated Dumbell Lateral Raise  This is a shoulder exercise
Barbell Upright Row  Another shoulder exercise
Widegrip pullups until failure.


Shoulder/Legs: 
Front Dumbbell Raise
Side Lateral Raise
Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Dumbbell Shrugs
Squats
Lunges
Leg Raises
Calf Raises /w dumbbell
 
 
A good 3 day split though would be a push/pull/legs routine. There are plenty in the traing section to have a look at.

Thanks for the quick reply.

Do you know any good Back/Bicep exercises I could replace those shoulder exercises with?
Push/pull/legs routine...
 
Should I ask the instructor more about routines before starting up on this?

No probs mate. Its up to you what you do really and I'm not the most experienced member to be giving training advice. Sure there will be more help soon.
 
This is a P/P/L routine copied from this thread.
 
Push
Bench
OHP  (Overhead press)
Incline Bench
Side Laterals
Dips / CGBP   (Close grip bench press)
 
Pull
Deadlift
Rows
Lat Pulldowns
Chins
Curls
 
Friday - Legs 
Squat 
RDL  (Romanian deadlift)
Lunges 
Calves

As above, give legs their own day, do shoulders with chest and triceps, as shoulders are worked on chest day already and separating them means you're actually working them twice, etc.

Tell the instructor he's an idiot, unless he can give a satisfactory explanation for why he wants you to work your shoulders and triceps twice a week and everything else only once a week, why he feels your rotator cuffs would benefit from a 2:1 imbalance in favour of pushing to pulling movements despite the majority of modern humans requiring the opposite due to modern influences on posture, and why the biggest muscle group in your body only deserves half a session.

Otherwise, never listen to his advice again.

CitizenKane


As above, give legs their own day, do shoulders with chest and triceps, as shoulders are worked on chest day already and separating them means you're actually working them twice, etc.

Tell the instructor he's an idiot, unless he can give a satisfactory explanation for why he wants you to work your shoulders and triceps twice a week and everything else only once a week, why he feels your rotator cuffs would benefit from a 2:1 imbalance in favour of pushing to pulling movements despite the majority of modern humans requiring the opposite due to modern influences on posture, and why the biggest muscle group in your body only deserves half a session.

Otherwise, never listen to his advice again.

 
What kind of routine would you suggest? I was hoping to start today but hearing this pretty much sets me back a lot... Would there be a way of shifting around the current exercises and make a working routine from that?

As said, go with the routine posted above, push/pull/legs.

Why would the instructor give me bull**** advice? Ugh.
I spent a couple of hours trying to get all the forms decent for each exercise.
 
Also due to my wrist (radialulnar synostosis) I can't do overhead press, is there a substitute exercise I can do?

You should see some of the routines the gym instructors give in my gym, they are crap.

You're missing the point somewhat - there's nothing wrong with the exercises (although there is a lot of unnecessary ones), it's the order of the routine that is questionable.

In answer to your first question, you'll soon realise that 99% of what you hear in the fitness industry is pure bollocks. I'm sure your instructor had the best intentions when he set you the routine, the problem is a lot of personal trainers don't have a clue what they're on about. And when you get impressionable novice trainers taking those very same people's advice as gospel, which is a reasonable assumption to make on the face of it given that it is their job, then you end up with a typhoon of bull**** spiralling out of control and many frustrated beginners seeing less than ideal results.

 
Another vote for push/pull/legs
 
Another vote for completely ignoring the advice you got from the trainee instructor at your gym.

CK is right. I was going to post something along the same lines when I saw the original routine posted but I just couldn't muster the energy, it's mentally exhausting trying to dispel the aforementioned typhoon of bull****. 
 
I always hear people saying "Yeah but he's a PT so he obviously knows what he's doing". I saw a PT in my gym today focus a fairly athletic looking young man's workout around a swiss ball and a single chrome dumbell. The guy is paying for that workout. Mind = blown.
 
You need to learn to do the basic compound moves correctly such as squat, deadlift, chins, dips, pendlay rows etc etc and focus on them. I wouldn't bother doing any isolation moves as a beginner. Strength and size increases will come quickly while you're new to it so make the most of them and don't be afraid of the "overtraining" boogeyman because he doesn't exist- not for you anyway.
 
I don't like Starting Strength as a program because I think it's too focused on "not overtraining" and being a massive, massive pussy but the book "Starting Strength" is a really good starting point on reading about how to perform certain lifts correctly. You can probably get hold of a PDF without much hassle; I would recommend giving it a read if you can.

I agree with everyone in this thread mate, focus on the big lifts, follow the push push leg routine, ignore the instructor (although that is one of the better routines ive seen from an "instructor").
 
OHP can be done with dumbells as stated in your original routine.

Another vote here to. not only the imbalanced ratio of 2:1 but the pull day also offers no extarnal rotation of the upper arm.
 
Biceps before back?
Bodyweight wide grip pull ups as last exercise in a routine?
3 tricep exercises after their involvment in chest?
shrugs and accessorie exercises before squats
 
What a dick!
The reason your trainer has given you a **** routine is because the traing he has recived has probably been **** assuming he/she has the usual level 2 ymca gym instructors certificate; industry standard for gym instructors. Iv done this course and you learn only the very basics.
How to show someone where the fire exits are in a gym, how to demonstrate a set of mobility exercises and a cv warm up, and how to explain exercises while smiling. there is very little physiology involved, although you do learn how blood travels through the heart, which you cant really do much about to be honest, as i doubt youd want to change it :P
But thats just me :) J

jay87

 but the pull day also offers no extarnal rotation of the upper arm.

What do you mean by this mate and why is it important? What sort of pull movements would achieve this?