Another upper / lower split program Q

[tfarny]

Basically, my new work / gym sched makes 4 consecutive days most convenient, normally. Plus, I don't gain muscle at the rate other SSers seem to. So I put together a basic upper / lower split routine. I want weekly gains (+5 on squat, +2.5 on press and chins, oly lifts we'll see), every 4th week for recovery, room for quick lifts and a little bit of vanity work and conditioning. I've no interest in bench pressing, so I subbed in weighted pushups and prone DB press instead. Chins seem to respond really well to daily work. I'd love to hear suggestions and comments. Thanks. I plan to go back to eating a shit-ton btw.

A: Upper
Press 5x5 (volume)
Chins bw 2x5 (or go for max reps)
Push press 3x3
Weighted pushups 3x10

B: Lower
Clean 5x3
Squats 5x5 (volume)
Chins bw 2x5
Metcon (forgo metcon if taking boxing class or playing racquetball that evening)

(if scheduling works out, take a rest day here. Normally 4 on / 3 off though)
C: Upper
Press 2x3 (intensity for pr)
Heavy weighted chins 5,f
Prone DB press 5,5,f
Curls & calf raises (sorry folks); time permitting, take boxing class this eve.

D: Lower
Clean & Jerk 5x3
Squat 2x3 (intensity for pr)

Chins 2x5
Deadlift 1x5 for PR - sometimes sub for DL assistance work + more oly lifts.

[tfarny]

Good question - increased overall strength and power for sports and outdoor activities. That's #1. Improved or at least not diminished cardio-fitness to go along with it.
Looking better would be nice, but that's mainly a consequence of getting stronger and losing the fat later, not a primary goal. Ugly is ugly, not too much an inner pecs routine can do about it.
Defined as: mid-200s squat for reps, 135+ on press for reps, 165+ on clean and jerk. bw+45 lb chins for 5 reps. Deadlifting in the 300s, somewhere. In other words, strong for a typical middle age desk jockey, but not a powerlifter or strength sport guy by any stretch. Perhaps I should lay off the oly lifts and boxing classes for now - that would be your suggestion, right?

When putting it together, I considered the oly lifts to be a lower body exercise - is that not accurate, more or less? And 2x5 bw chins on lower body days - that's nothing, really. I'd keep it to 2x5 on those days - just warmup stuff. For conditioning, I took the oft-repeated advice to do it after lifting and not on rest days. I definitely wouldn't want to put a sprint type workout the day before volume squats.

[tfarny]

Thanks so much! Lots to think about and re-read in PP, but what you say here makes a ton of sense. I started doing the jerk mainly because it seems inevitable once you've cleaned it - I mean, that's the next logical step, right? Maybe it's useless but it doesn't seem harmful to recovery or anything.

[tfarny]

Why not bench - since I have no interest in strength competition, have no spotter and do not trust the yuppies at my facility, and my pecs are overall kinda naturally big already (I just barely squat more than I bench), and I'm just a contrarian fucker. I like the db prone press because it's so opposite to the pushup in terms of closed versus open chain, too. Stabilizer muscles, blah blah blah.

[tfarny]

Oh, I thought "Prone press" just meant lying on a bench - I'm referring to db bench press. Didn't realize anyone did them lying on the floor - obviously ROM would suck on the floor!
I haven't really tried one-arm pushups. I occasionally put one hand on a basketball and do them that way, which of course means most of the pressing strength has to come from the stable arm. I have "you are your own gym" and there are a bunch of nice pushup variations in that.

Anyhow, I appreciate the advice. Cheers dude.