Weight Training Programs That Build Muscle. Solid weight training programs are critical to accomplishing the build muscle and gain weight fast goal. It isn't enough to just walk into a gym and throw around some weights, not if you want to be successful in short order. You must instead have a weight lifting program that is tailored to accomplishing your specific goal - to build muscle mass. On this page, we will work through the many components that go into the design and implementation of weight training programs that demand muscle growth. It will be your attention and dedication to making each of these components strong that will allow them to come together and produce the muscle building results you are after. As important as weight training programs are to success, it is also important to remember they are not the only important factor. There are three factors that contribute to building muscle mass - diet, training AND rest. All are equally critical to success. Fail to account for one factor and you will fail to maximize your muscle building capability. When a solid weight gain diet is combined with a well- planned weight training program and sufficient rest, it can be a powerful force. Without your diet supplying the raw materials your body needs to build muscle, all the hard work you do in the gym will be wasted. If you don't provide the body enough rest time with which to repair and rebuild muscle, all your weight training will be wasted. The most common mistake beginner and intermediate trainers make in their mass gain approach is an over- emphasis on their weight training and an under- emphasis on their eating and rest. The Two Dominant Weight Training Philosophies. A lot is made over weight training philosophies and you will not need to venture far in the bodybuilding world before encountering someone willing to argue to the death that the philosophy his or her weight training program is based on is the end- all, supreme, hands down best way to work out all the time with absolutely no exceptions. When you meet this person, save yourself a lot of grief, smile politely, and walk away. There are two dominant basic weight training philosophies: HIT - HIT is an acronym for High Intensity Training. HIT calls for the trainer to workout 1- 3 times a week with full body single- set routines. These are to be short but very intense workouts. The basic prescription is 8- 1. Each and every workout is expected to produce an increase in strength so that when performing your next workout you should either look to perform more reps with the same weight or the same number of reps with a greater weight. Periodization - Weight training programs based on this philosophy approach progressive overload in a different way. This 12 week dumbbell and bodyweight strength training program is perfect for trainees who only have dumbbells and want a great workout routine. Strength Training for Triathletes (Using Dumbbe. Fitness & Injury; Strength Training for Triathletes (Using Dumbbells) Dumbbells. To do this workout you only need one weight of dumbbell and. In a periodization program you may do light training for three weeks, followed by medium training for a few weeks and then do heavy training for the final cycle. Emphasis is not placed on achieving gains in every workout but rather on the cumulative gains after all phases. The basic idea is to change intensity and volume levels to prevent overtraining. The above descriptions are brief and, in being brief, necessarily unfair to each philosophy. Each philosophy has much more to offer. In practice, they are much less strict then their presentation here.
HIT, for example, in practice does indeed incorporate some variety in reps and sets which is essentially a form of periodization. The basic difference is that HIT recommends always doing high intensity workouts while periodization advocates cycling your intensity. The most commonly employed mass gain weight training strategy used today is what is sometimes referred to as hardgainer training. In a sense, this is a hybrid of all the main philosophies. This site focuses on weight training programs using a version of hardgainer training that utilizes low volume, training splits and maximum intensity in an effort to build muscle fast. The most common training regimen and the one most hardgainers (most people) seem to find the most productive for mass gain is a 3- day split training routine with each muscle group being worked just once per week. This is an excellent place to start. Weight Training Exercises That Induce Big Muscle Gains. For a look at the major muscle groups and the best weight lifting exercises to get them growing, complete with illustrations, basic descriptions, variations and tips to performing the exercises correctly, check the following page. Compound exercises allow you to stimulate the most muscle fibers in the least amount of time. In other words, they give you the biggest bang for your buck. Performed correctly and at challenging resistance, the two most important compound weight lifting exercises are the squat for the legs and the bench press for the upper body. Below is a table of some of the best big muscle producing weight lifting exercises for each body part. There are no fancy, complicated exercises requiring complicated or cool- looking gadgetry in the above table. Nothing above requires an advanced degree in exercise science to figure out. Muscle mass is built with the basics. It isn't built wasting time trying to hit each and every muscle with its own special exercise. If you were forced onto a deserted island and could take only eight exercises, the weight lifting exercises above would be excellent choices. And when designing weight training programs, these are excellent choices (these or suitable alternatives) to include in all your weight training routines. The Best Sets and Reps. For the purposes of this site, I will divide the amount of reps done per weight lifting set into three categories: heavy, medium and light. They are based on going to fatigue or failure (i. While this should be the emphasis, it isn't necessarily wise to use these rep ranges exclusively. Working heavy and light set routines into your weight training program can be an effective technique to keep your muscles responsive and growing. These routines can provide a change- of- pace that will make follow- up medium set routines more effective (a periodization technique). In addition, keep in mind that different muscle groups will sometimes respond better to different rep ranges. For example, the calves and abdominals often respond best to higher repetitions. Changing your rep range emphasis, whether making it heavier or lighter, can often help you break past stubborn plateaus. Progressive Overload: The Key To Gains. Progressive overload is a simple concept, simply meaning that with each successive workout you increase the demands placed on the muscles. You do this by increasing the amount of weight lifted or by increasing the number of reps in the set. You have to convince the body that it NEEDS to build muscle. To do this, you have to continuously push the envelope. Doing 2. 5 push- ups a day for a year is NOT encouraging the body to build muscle. It is instead encouraging the body to condition the muscle it already has in place. To get muscle growth you have to progressively increase resistance. In order for weight training programs to help you gain muscle mass, they MUST utilize progressive overload in some manner. To learn more about progressive overload, hitting the right muscle fiber types and forcing your muscles to grow, check the Building Muscles article. Rest, Rest and More Rest. What a lot of beginner and even more advanced trainers have trouble grasping is the important role rest plays in building mass. Learn what that means and PAY ATTENTION to what it is telling you. Trainer planning to build muscle. Trainer actually building muscle. When you lift weights you are not actually building muscle, you are breaking muscle down. In the gym, you are essentially planning to build muscle. You are delivering the blueprints to the builder. But the build isn't going to get done unless and until you've given the builder the appropriate time to complete the project. Your body builds muscle while you are resting - while you are sleeping and while you are sprawled out on the couch watching DVDs. It is only when the body is not busy with keeping you functioning in some way that it will find the time to work on rebuilding the muscle tissue your training broke down. If you want to build muscle, you must give the body the opportunity to do the building that your weight training programs encourage. Give the body insufficient rest time and you will get less than optimal results. How much rest is sufficient will vary by individual but below are some guidelines that all but the most genetically gifted or chemically enhanced would be wise to adhere to.. Muscle groups should be worked a MAXIMUM of twice a week if using splits and three times if using full- body routines. The more you work your muscles, the more you should look out for overtraining. Each workout should last a MAXIMUM of one hour, 5. There should be a MAXIMUM of 5 workouts per week. After a MAXIMUM of 8- 1. The above are not optimal suggestions, just maximums that most trainers will be best served not to exceed. The trainer that works five days a week will not necessarily gain more muscle than the one who trains two. If you are spending a maximum of 5 hours a week in the gym, what do you do for the other 1. You concentrate on eating and getting your rest. Again, quality dieting and quality rest will prove as important to your mass building goals as your weight training programs. If you intend to become the guy with the impressive physique, you will have to learn to appreciate the importance of rest to the muscle building equation. For more on the value of rest and sleep, check the long- titled article, Adequate Rest to Avoid Overtraining & Increase Muscle Growth. Putting The Muscle Building Weight Training Program Together. With an appreciation of what makes for good muscle building routines, a good idea of what you want to accomplish and how to accomplish it, the next step is deciding on your weight training routines. Weight Training Program - Free Workout Routine Walk- Through*UPDATE* One of the first articles I wrote for this website years ago was a complete walk- through of my weight training program at the time. It included the full details of how that weight training program was set up, what muscle groups were trained on what days, what exercises were done for how many sets and reps, and why I planned each factor the way I did. Now, years later, I no longer use that workout routine (for reasons I’ll explain at the end of this article), but I didn’t want to just remove it and pretend it never existed. So instead, here it is in its entirety. While I wouldn’t use it today, there is still plenty of really useful information in here, and at the end I’ll explain exactly what I’ve changed and why I’ve changed along with exactly what guidelines my current weight training program follows. So, with that out of the way, here’s a full break down of a workout routine I was using nearly 1. After that, I’m going to take you through each day, each muscle group, and each exercise to explain every single aspect of the workout. I’m not showing this to you as if it were the “Greatest Workout Program In The World.” It’s just what I do. I’m not trying to sell it to you. You don’t have to use it. It’s just an example of a workout routine based on 3 highly important weight training principles. It’s 4 days on and 3 days off, and it’s chest and triceps together, back and biceps together, and then one day for shoulders (and traps/abs) and one day for legs. There are probably a lot of similar looking routines out there, and with good reason. Simple is what works. Like I said before, the only real keys to an effective weight training program are the right exercises, the right amount of rest/recovery, and the constant push towards progressing. Now that you have an idea of what my routine looks like, let’s go through it all from top to bottom so I can hopefully answer any possible questions you have now, or may have in the future. Monday: Chest and Triceps. Chest. My chest workout starts with, big surprise, the bench press. It seems most people’s weight training program begins with chest, and that chest workout begins with the bench press. This is why Monday is usually the most crowded bench press day in most gyms. I start with 2 warm- up sets, and then I do my 4 real work sets. The first work set can almost be considered somewhat of a warm- up still, because I am using a weight I can probably do 1. I stop at 1. 0. The second set I increase the weight and try to get 1. I can do. The same goes for the third set, when I increase the weight and go for 8 reps. And just like the others, the fourth set I increase the weight again and go for 6 reps. Because I’m going to failure or pretty near to failure on those last 3 sets, I always have someone spot me. For anyone wondering, “failure” is when you are at the point where you absolutely can’t do another rep. When this happens during something like bicep curls, there’s very little to worry about. My goal here is to, while increasing the weight each set, end up doing reps of 1. Sometimes I get something more like 9, 8, 6, 3 or 1. However, my goal is to get an exact 1. I work as hard as I can to reach those reps. Sometimes it takes a week, sometimes a month, sometimes more. But, when I finally reach that goal, it means it’s time for me to increase the weight I’m lifting on each set. When this time comes, I usually increase each set by 5 pounds. Once I do that, I just start this whole cycle all over again and basically just work my ass off to get 1. Well, what I just described above is exactly that. Whether it’s 1 extra rep, or 5 extra pounds, it’s that type of weight training progression that builds muscle. This is pretty much what I do with every exercise (although the number of sets/reps may be different). I’m mentioning that so I don’t have to repeat this over and over again for each exercise. From there I move on to 3 sets of incline dumbbell presses. For my chest workout, I like to do something flat, something inclined, and something that isn’t a press. Since the first time I did them, I always found the typical incline bench setting to be too high. My shoulders always felt like they were brought into the exercise a little too much. Because of this, I usually use the bench setting one notch below that. Again, this is just a personal preference. I’ll usually try for reps of 1. Now would probably also be a good time to mention the recurrence of the numbers 1. You’ll notice me using those specific numbers when talking about reps for basically every exercise. The reason is not because they are magical weight training program numbers. It’s just that a person looking to increase muscle would ideally want to stay within the 6- 1. Most people, including myself, prefer aiming for the even numbers, which would of course be 1. Is that any better than making your goal to reach reps of 1. No, it’s not. Remember, the key here is progression. Whether your goal is to get reps of 1. What does matter is progression. That should be the main goal of your weight training program. Yes, staying around the 6- 1. My chest workout ends with 2 sets of dumbbell flyes. Not much else to say about that. Triceps. Now I start triceps, which are already pretty warmed up and ready to go from my chest workout. Since all pressing exercises use the triceps secondarily, it’s almost like my triceps workout started during my first set of bench pressing. Not bench dips. I start off with 1 set of just my own body weight, and then I add weight to both of the next 2 sets. You can add weight to dips by using a dip belt, or by holding a dumbbell between your feet. I aim for reps of 1. Then I end my triceps workout (and this workout as a whole) with single- arm reverse grip (underhand) cable press downs. I do 2 sets and aim for reps of 8, 6. Next time I change my weight training program around I’ll probably switch back to using the regular grip and both arms. The sole reason? It’s just a another way of doing it. Don’t put too much thought into small things like which grip is better. All focus should be on progression. I’ll repeat this 1. At this point I go down to the gym locker room, get out my bag, drink my post workout shake and go home. Tuesday: Back and Biceps. Back. My back workout starts with what is probably my all- time favorite weight training exercise of any muscle group. I don’t care if you bench press a million pounds, it wouldn’t impress me at all. What would however is seeing how many pull ups you can do and/or how much additional weight you can add to them. I use a slightly wider than shoulder width grip with my palms facing away (forward). This is my favorite grip, and it’s also probably the grip that makes pull ups the hardest. But, this is a good thing. The reason is that this grip takes your biceps out of the exercise more so than using an underhand (palms facing you) grip, which puts your biceps in their strongest position. Pull ups are a back exercise. Your goal should be to use your lats to pull. If your biceps are in their strongest position, you will be more likely to pull with your biceps instead of your lats. I do however use a variety of different grips at times (and no grip is “bad” to use, they’re all fine), but this grip is the one I use most often. I start off with 1 warm- up set of just my body weight, and then I add additional weight to the next 3 sets and go for reps of 1. Just like dips, you can add weight by using a dip/pull- up belt or by holding a dumbbell between your feet. The lat pull down machine is a fine exercise and I used it all the time (and still occasionally do), but once I started doing pull ups, it was like a whole other world. Strength and muscle wise, I credit pull ups a great deal. For detailed information on how to increase how many pull ups you can do, read this: Do More Pull Ups. After that, I move on to the bent over barbell row. I use an overhand grip and bend over so that my upper body is a little bit above being parallel to the floor. I do 3 sets and try for reps of 1. From there I move on to the seated cable row and go for 3 sets of 1. One of the biggest weight training problems people tend to have in regards to their back workout is using their biceps instead of or just more so than their back. The key is to imagine you are trying to pull your elbows back rather than trying to pull the weight in your hands towards you. Biceps. Then I move on to biceps. One preference I have for biceps (and triceps as well) is that I like to do something two- handed and then something one- handed. Any weight training program I create will almost always abide by that. There is no scientific reason for it, it’s just what I like to do. The first bicep exercise is just plain and simple standing barbell curls. I do 3 sets and aim for reps of 1. After that is 2 sets of seated dumbbell curls. I try for reps of 8 and 6. Not much to say about them, other than no part of your body should move during any type of curl except for the lower half of your arm (and the upper arm may just slightly come forward). If you can’t do curls while keeping your body still, you’re using too much weight and wasting your time. And that’s the end of my back and biceps workout. I drink my post workout shake and go home. Wednesday: OFFWednesday is one of the 3 days of the week I don’t go to the gym. If I was doing any direct cardio workouts at the time (I’m currently not), Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday (my 3 off days) would be the days I would do them. If you are doing both cardio and weight training, I would recommend doing them on separate days if you can. If you can’t, do the weight training first, then the cardio. Thursday: Shoulders, Traps and Abs. Shoulders. My shoulder workout starts with the seated barbell press. I do it behind the head. It’s also a more strict way of doing it. It’s very rare that I see someone doing this exercise in front of their head and not cheating by leaning back and getting into an almost incline bench press position.
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December 2016
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