does changing my routine this way make sense?

CliffMacGillivray said:

So, for a couple of years I was going to the gym 3 or 4 times a week
liftin what I'd considered a split workout concentrating on certain
areas each day

I hear the mens locker room area was the one you mostly concentrated
on. Clifforina

CliffMacGillivray said:

So, for a couple of years I was going to the gym 3 or 4 times a week
liftin what I'd considered a split workout concentrating on certain
areas each day. I didn't really feel I was making any progress so I
stopped lifting for a little bit and concentrated on cardio for a couple
of months while rethinking my weight lifting routine.
I read a lot about hargainer routines and now for the past 4 or 5 months
have been doing just 2 whole body workouts a week. I do 3 sets of 8-10
reps each of squats, benchpress, dips(weighted), pullups(weighted)
shoulder press, and alt bicep curl. I feel that now I am making the
strength and mass gains I'd like. Or at least Ithink so anyway.
Or am I just fooling myself. Does it make sense that with my new routine
that my body is responding with increased strength and mass like I'd
like?

Yes.

Quoted message said:

I figure that I am giving my body more time to recover at least
which seems to be something I think I need more than provided by the
average workout suggestions.

Depends on what you mean by "the average workout suggestions." Most
pop fitness lifting routines are [censored]. Work the hardgainer bit for a
while, and when it ceases to provide improvement, try something else.
By that time, you should know your goals a little better and can
choose a routine best designed for those purposes, be it bodybuilding,
powerlifting, Olympic lifting, sport-specific training, etc.

Dr censored said:

CliffMacGillivray said:

So, for a couple of years I was going to the gym 3 or 4 times a week
liftin what I'd considered a split workout concentrating on certain
areas each day

I hear the mens locker room area was the one you mostly concentrated
on. Clifforina

It's men's not mens.

CliffMacGillivray said:

So, for a couple of years I was going to the gym 3 or 4 times a week
liftin what I'd considered a split workout concentrating on certain
areas each day. I didn't really feel I was making any progress so I
stopped lifting for a little bit and concentrated on cardio for a
couple of months while rethinking my weight lifting routine. I read
a lot about hargainer routines and now for the past 4 or 5 months
have been doing just 2 whole body workouts a week. I do 3 sets of
8-10 reps each of squats, benchpress, dips(weighted),
pullups(weighted) shoulder press, and alt bicep curl. I feel that
now I am making the strength and mass gains I'd like. Or at least I
think so anyway.

First of all, if you don't have some way to objectively measure your
progress then chances are good that you aren't actually making
progress. The good news is that there's lots of stuff that you can
measure. What you choose will depend on your goals.

For example, I have a buddy that used to compete in triathlons, but he
decided that what he really was interested in was the whole "looking
good nekkid" aspect of exercise. So he periodically measures his
chest, waist, thighs, biceps, weight, and body fat percentage. If his
guns and chest are getting bigger or his body fat is getting lower
then he's happy.

Personally, I am more concerned about performance. So I measure
things like my vertical leap, my 40 yard dash, and how much weight I
can move in certain lifts like the deadlift or the clean and jerk.

Either way, you need to write stuff down so that you can keep track of
it.

The other thing is that if you have been on one program for a long
time there is a good chance that switching things up a bit really *is*
helping you make progress. You need to shake things up periodically.

Quoted message said:

Or am I just fooling myself. Does it make sense that with my new
routine that my body is responding with increased strength and mass
like I'd like? I figure that I am giving my body more time to
recover at least which seems to be something I think I need more
than provided by the average workout suggestions.

Rest is good. Some people need more others need less. Sometimes
after training intensely for a long period a rest is what is
proscribed. The real way to figure out what works is to write stuff
down.

Jason

Quoted message said:

Rest is good. Some people need more others need less. Sometimes
after training intensely for a long period a rest is what is
proscribed. The real way to figure out what works is to write stuff
down.

I guess I wasn't clear on that. I keep excellent records. I had a
notebook going back to 2002. Then it ran out of paper and I bought a new
one which just goes back to last november.
Yes, I keep going up in the weight/reps I can lift. My question was if
it was realitsic to think my change in routines was the cause or if I
could have had the same gains if I had just stuck with the old routine?