This document is to serve as a basic … for … your own strength training routine. It is not an exercise … and does not take into account any previous injuries or physical con
This document is to serve as a basic guideline for designing your own strength training routine. It is not an exercise prescription and does not take into account any previous injuries or physical conditions. It is highly recommended you see a physician before starting any exercise routine.
Men vs Women
Men and women are created very differently and correspondingly must train differently. First of all women have a fraction of the testosterone necessary to build large amounts of muscle mass,Guest Posting therefore it is counterproductive for a female to train on a heavy resistance mass building routine. In my experience very few females are desirous of building large muscles, in fact this is probably the most common anxiety women have concerning strength training. Second, it is important to note that the single most significant factor in determining body shape is your pre-set genetic code. The maximum your muscle can hypertrophy (get bigger) was largely determined before you were born. That is not to say that you can not drastically change the shape and size of your body, just that it is important to set realistic and attainable goals.
With these facts in mind women and men generally proceed slightly different with a strength training plan. Females use lighter resistance and more repetitions whereas males who want to build muscle mass use heavier weights, increased resistance, and fewer repetitions. If you are a male not wanting to increase the size of your muscles or a female wanting to “get big” this book is not for you. It is written from the prospective of the most common goals of strength training for men and women. “Toning” is not a specific goal and is an ambiguous term that in my experience implies both leanness and muscle size. You can use this book to build muscle size or endurance, increase strength and power.
I. Exercise Frequency
I recommend a minimum of two sessions per week of strength training for men and women to ensure continue results. If you attempt to work out more
Than three times per week you are probably wasting your time, conversely one total body workout is enough to maintain your progress, but is not enough to adequately exercise the entire body. Bear in mind that frequency is ultimately affected by the workout intensity, and that frequent low intensity strength training may not yield the same results as a few high intensity work outs.
II. Basic Guidelines for Advance Weight Training
Vary Your Routine: There should be nothing “routine” about your routine. Your body acclimates very quickly to any stress put on it. You can reach a plateau after just a few weeks of strength training. In order to keep getting results you must constantly change your routine to keep your body guessing what is coming next. I recommend you change one or more of the following on a weekly basis.
1. Exercises: Changing the type of resistance placed on a muscle keeps
It off balance by recruiting new muscle fibers. I recommend using a
Combination of machines and free weights, each having their pros and
cons (we will discuss this latter). Use a variety of exercises listed in the last section for each muscle or muscle group.
2. Rest: Muscles can recover up to 90% after two minutes of rest
Between sets. By reducing the rest period between sets you can place
Additional stress on the muscle, however, this type of training may be
Too intense to use every week. For men I recommend using a 1.5 – 2
Minute rest period between sets, especially for the larger muscle groups
of the legs. Every fourth workout I would reduce the rest period to
about half, placing additional stress on the muscles. You will not be
able to lift as much weight or accomplish as many sets. At this level
of intensity a chest workout may take as little as 10 minutes.
For women who are building strength and endurance I recommend a minimum of 1 minute of rest between sets.
3. Order: Change the order in which the muscles are worked weekly
with the following exception, always work the bigger muscles first.
You can not fully work the large muscles of your back if the biceps are
Exhausted, and if you can’t lift your shoulders how are you going to
work your chest. The following plan provides more than enough variety for changing exercise order.
2 Day Split
week 1week 2
1-legs & shoulders1-legs & triceps
2-Chest/Back/Triceps/Biceps2-back / chest / biceps / shoulders
week 3week 4week 5
1. legs / biceps1. legs / chest1. legs / back
2. back / chest / triceps / 2. back / arms / 2. chest / arms /
shoulders shoulders shoulders
start over with week 1
3 day split
week 1week 2week 3
1. back / biceps1. chest / triceps1. back / chest
2. legs / shoulders2. legs / biceps2. legs / shoulders
3 chest / triceps3. back / shoulders 3. arms
week 4week 5week 6
1. chest / shoulders1. arms1. chest / biceps
2. legs / triceps2. legs / chest2. legs / back
3. back / biceps3. back3. triceps / shoulders
start over with week 1
Number of exercises per body part: The number of exercises performed will vary from muscle group to muscle group. For example, the biceps (a frequently overworked muscle group) will require just a few exercises versus the large muscles in the legs. Also, the number of exercises performed per muscles group will also be directly related to the number of sets per exercise. To keep you from getting confused I recommend the following number of exexercises be performed for each muscle group. Once again this is only a guideline to adequately recruit the fibers of each muscle group. The exact number of exercises performed will vary with intensity, repetitions, and fitness level.