I’ve laid out the training split, the exercises for each day and the progression schemes to follow for each exercise.
If the schemes don’t suit you, you can simply work within the rep ranges instead. But you can’t avoid structured progression altogether. The classic approach of training to failure by feel within a fixed rep range will work for a while.
If you want to progress further, you’ll definitely need to start logging your workouts and find an approach that lets you manage your training progress reliably and very precisely. Unless you’re a beginner, simply training by feel will soon leave you stuck at a plateau. Following different progression schemes is a good way to ensure continued progress. You don’t have to use them for every exercise, but you should for some.
The guidelines and principles are the same as always: warm up properly, prioritize technique, and so on. Keep rest periods between one and one and a half minutes. Your workout should take 60 –75 minutes, excluding the warm-up.
Be sure to read articles such as “Give yourself time to get set…” and “Twenty-four…”, for ideas on how to progress when following the schemes.
THE PROGRAM
Monday – lower body
Barbell back squat – 4 x 6/3 x 8 or 3 – 4 x 6 – 8
Lunges (choose walking or stationary) – 3 x 20 steps/3 x 24 steps or 3 x 20 – 24 steps
Good morning (barbell across your upper back) – 3 x 6/8/10 – using the same weight. Do 3 x 6 in one workout, then 3 x 8 with the same weight in the next workout, and so on. If you don’t like the schemes, simply stay within 3 x 6 – 10.
Leg curl – 3 x 6/3 x 7/3 x 8 or 3 x 6 – 8
Standing calf raises on a hack squat machine – 3 x 8/3 x 10 or 3 x 8 – 10
[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKbL9mE3N10]Landmine[/url] – 3 x 30 – 50
Wednesday – upper body
Flat barbell bench press- 5 x 5/4 x 6/3 x 7 or 4 x 5 – 7
Single-arm landmine row – 5 x 6/4 x 8/3 x 10 or 3 – 4 x 6 – 8
Seated machine press – 4 x 5/3 x 6/3 x 7 or 3 x 5 – 7
Skull crusher (flat or decline bench) – 4 x 5/3 x 6/3 x 7 or 3 – 4 x 5 – 7
Seated incline dumbbell curl – 3 x 10/12/15 – using the same weight. Do 3 x 10 in one workout, then 3 x 12 with the same weight in the next workout, and so on. If you don’t like the schemes, simply stay within 3 x 10 – 15.
[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=039S1DddPFc]ShoulderHorn[/url] – 3 x 12/15/20 or 3 x 12 – 20 – NB! Don’t use a heavy weight for this exercise. Keep it light and always leave plenty of reps in reserve.
Friday – lower body/upper body
Deadlift – 4 x 6/4 x 7/4 x 8 or 4 x 6 – 8
Close-grip floor press (use chains too) – 5 x 5/4 x 6/4 x 7/3 x 8 or 4 x 5 – 8
Dumbbell Romanian deadlift – 3 x 8/10/12 – using the same weight. Do 3 x 8 in one workout, then 3 x 10 with the same weight in the next workout, and so on. If you don’t like the schemes, simply stay within 3 x 8 – 12.
Pull-ups – 5 x 4/4 x 5/4 x 6/4 x 7 (4 x 4 – 7) or seated behind-the-neck lat pulldowns – 4 x 10/12/15 (4 x 10 – 15)
Bent-over dumbbell lateral raises – 3 x 8/10/12 or 3 x 8 – 12
Standing barbell curl – 4 x 5/3 x 6/3 x 7 or 4 x 5 – 7
Machine crunches – 10 x 10, using the same weight, with 30 – 45 seconds of rest between sets. You can substitute other abdominal exercises.
Week II
Monday – upper body
Decline dumbbell or barbell bench press- 5 x 5/4 x 6/3 x 7 or 4 x 5 – 7
Seated neutral-grip row – 3 x 10/12/15 or 3 x 10 – 15
Standing alternating dumbbell lateral raises – 4 x 5/4 x 6/4 x 7 or 4 x 5 – 7
Cable triceps pushdown – 6 x 6/5 x 7/4 x 8/4 x 9/4 x 10 (rest 30 – 40 seconds between sets) – or 3 – 4 x 6 – 10
EZ-bar curl (higher-rep sets) – 3 x 10/12/15 or 3 x 10 – 15
ShoulderHorn – 3 x 12/15/20 or 3 x 12 – 20
Wednesday – lower body
Front squat – 4 x 5/4 x 6/4 x 7 or 4 x 5 – 7
Leg press – 3 x 30
Dumbbell Romanian deadlift (barbell across your upper back) – 3 x 6/8/10 or 3 x 6 – 10
Leg curl – 3 x 6/3 x 7/3 x 8 or 3 x 6 – 8
Seated calf raises – 3 x 8/3 x 10 or 3 x 8 – 10
Plank – 3 x 1 – 2 minutes – start with one minute and add 10 – 20 seconds to each of the three sets from workout to workout.
Friday – upper body/lower body
Barbell hack squat – 4 x 5/4 x 6/4 x 7 or 4 x 5 – 7
Barbell upright row – 4 x 6/4 x 7/4 x 8 or 4 x 6 – 8
Bulgarian split squat – 3 x 6/8/10 or 3 x 6 – 10
Pull-ups – 5 x 4/4 x 5/4 x 6/4 x 7 (4 x 4 – 7) or seated behind-the-neck lat pulldowns – 4 x 10/12/15 (4 x 10 – 15)
Parallel bar dips – 4 x 6/4 x 7/4 x 8 or 4 x 6 – 8
Barbell preacher curl – 4 x 5/4 x 6/4 x 7 or 4 x 5 – 7
Crunches lying on your back on a mat, arms extended in front of you holding a weight plate – 3 x 15 – 25
The cycle consists of two weeks:
Week I
Monday– lower body
Wednesday– upper body
Friday– lower body/upper body
Week II
Monday– upper body
Wednesday– lower body
Friday– upper body/lower body
You can, of course, make small changes to the exercises and use your own ideas for progression, but try to stick to the program’s training volume!
Author: Janar Rückenberg
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