Looking to improve training routine

[Apofiz]

Hi im relatively new to strength training, i am 136lbs and mainly looking to increase pecs and forearms, at the moment i am training 3 times a week and taking protien shakes, i basically work upperbody and arms etc on mainly the machines on one day, then work abs and legs 2 days later and then do the first workout again 2 days after that.

I am thinking that i should vary it a bit now and possibly work arms on the 3rd day of training with reverse cable curls, tricep extensions, wrist curls and deltoid raises etc.

Would this be a good move? and any improvements people could suggest would be appreciated.

also should i think of moving on 2 the free weights for bench press and incline flyes instead of using the chest press machine and pec press etc?, at the moment i am able to improve on last weight pressed every 2 weeks but i think i might start finding it very hard to keep making the 14lbs gap

[swanso5]

b4 focusing on isolating certain muscles u shood focus on building full body mass 1st...concentrating on isolating muscles will only "shape" or "tone" the muscle (shit words but coodn't think of any others) more so than build them up...machines r useless so get on the free wts asap...have a look at Big Boy Basics by Chad Waterbury...his stuff is unreal and this is the beginner program from it...there will b no arm work in it probably but if i wanted to get arms bigger i woodn't do curls anyway...training a muscle more doesn't mean it will get bigga...with all the curls trainee's already do, y do they do more when their arms aren't getting bigga? surely it's not from doing not enuff curls...u need to build the prime movers up 1st (lats, pecs, thighs, hams and lower back) as their strength determines wat u can lift for other exercises...if u can only deadlift 50kgs than u sure won't b able to curl anything worth while anyway...hope u get drift...have a look at the program and let me no wat u think...search on google...remember to get enuff food in2 ya as well

[BenPoss]

The first thing I would say is that you definitely want to add a little variety to your program. You do not want to create muscular imbalances so you need to train your entire body with the same volume and intensity. If you are a beginner you should be using some machines and free weights but also alot of body weight exercises to build up your core strength and stability to enable yourself to lift heavier weights to increase your strength and size.

http://www.trainwithmeonline.com/programs.asp?ecat=2

Check out these full body programs. They are designed to strength train the body evenly in a circuit format which helps maintain an elevated HR to increase the number of calories burned while working out.

Good luck. Ben

[swanso5]

i start all client off on a bodyweight program that has 5 progressions for each exercise and when they can do all reps for all exercises then wt is intorduced...it's easlity the safest and best way to go...if you can't do 10 - 20 proper puish ups, pull ups and 1 leg squats u shoodn't b introducing external loading anyway or just asking for injuries...nice site ben i'll go threw it properly when i have time...i wanna set up site sometime too