My workout:
Monday & Thursday 1C Chest
Flyes 80% +
Dumbell Press 80% +
Bench Press 50% + -
Flyes 40% +
Dumbell Press 40% +
1L Legs
Squats 80% +
Single legged calf raises body weight & extra to failure
2L Legs
Stiff-Legged Deadlift 75% +
Two-legged calf raises body weight + extra to failure
1T Triceps
One Dumbell Extension 60% + -
Dumbell Kickbacks 80% +
2T Triceps
Close-Grip Benchpress 75% + -
1F Forearms
Wrist Curls - Palm Up 80% +
Wrist Curls - Palm Down 80% +
Wrist Curls - Palm Up 40% +
Wrist Curls - Palm Down 40% +
1LB Lower Back
Deadlift 50% 8
Deadlift 75% 8
Deadlift 80% 8
Hyperextensions max
This workout has elements of Supersets as well as Drop Sets in it. I do these days in this order:
1L 1T 1L 1T 1L 1T 2L 2T 2L 2T Push-ups to fail 3-4 minute rest
1C 1F 1C 1F 1C 1F Push-ups to fail 3-4 minute rest
Lower Back (1LB) Push-ups to fail
If there are multiple excercises within a group (ie. 1C) they are done with no rest in between. Only long enough to change the weights. No more than 2 minutes rest between body parts. (ie. 1L & 1T) "+" means I go to positive failure - when I'm unable to perform the exercise with proper form. A "-" means that I then do negatives to failure - I'm unable to lower the weight in a controlled manner.
The % number is the % of my maximum possible one time lift for that movement, in theory. In practice I'm striving for failure at 10 - 12 reps for each and adjust the weight depending on what I accomplished last time and how I'm feeling that day.
I warm up with a few minutes of light aerobic and then some compound movements (bench press, squat, etc.). Roughly 20 reps at about 25% and then 20 at 50%.
Tuesday & Friday 1LT Lats (back)
Bent-over Barbell Rows 75% +
Dumbell Pullovers 75% +
Bent-over Dumbell Rows 40% +
Bent-over Deltoid Flyes 40% +
1TR Traps (shoulder)
Upright Barbell Rows 50% +
Dumbell Shrugs 90% +
Dumbell Shrugs 75% +
1D Deltoids (shoulder)
Front Dumbell Raises 50% +
Lateral Dumbell Raises 50% +
Seated Behind-Neck Press 75% + -
1B Biceps
Barbell Curls 90% + -
Barbell Curls 50% + -
2B Biceps
Alternate Dumbell Curls 70% + -
Hammer Curls 70% + -
1LT 1TR 1LT 1TR 1LT 1TR Pull-ups to fail 3-4 minute rest
1D 1B 1D 1B 1D 1B 1B (last 1B with a reverse grip) Pull-ups to fail 3-4 minute rest
2B 2B 2B Pull-ups to fail
This gets modified quite a bit from day to day. If I'm in a gym instead of at home I get in a few sets on a Lat pull-down machine. (Other than that, I pretty much stick with free weights though.) I also like to do more full-body compound stuff in a gym. I don't really have enough room to feel comfortable doing clean & presses at home. If I'm in the midst of a plyometric jump-training program (I have a KILLER one) I tend to skip the leg workout at least one day a week.
Every movement is done with an explosive positive phase. Move the weight as hard & fast as possible while still maintaining control. This is the key to building useable sports-performance type strength. I typically keep an even beat going in my head. "1 .. 2 .. 3 .. 4" "1" is the hard push, with the weight being lowered in a controlled fashion on "2 .. 3 .. 4" Come to a complete stop on "4" so you're not bouncing and cheating the weight back up. (If you've been cheating for years and start doing things with proper controlled form, you may find that you've got to lower the weights you use for a while.)
My workouts typically take me about an hour. I can cut that significantly if I'm pushing really hard and stretch it out if I'm being sorta lazy.
This may be more than many folks want to spend in the gym 4 times a week, but I usually enjoy the time. There are plenty of modifications which could be done to this basic routine which would cut down on the time. Particularly for beginners, even just replacing some of the more specific stuff with a compound movement would take a good amount of time off. (Beginning weightlifters will typically see better gains with general area compound movements than anything else.)
My weightlifting is normally done late afternoon. If I'm jump training, that's done Mon - Wed - Fri in the morning. If I'm not in a jump session I typically do serious Cardio a coupla times a week, in the morning if on a workout day. (If you do serious cardio
right before lifting, you've used up all of your energy and can't lift as much weight, limiting your gains. If you've gotta do cardio in the same session as your lifting, do it afterwards. You'll burn fat calories instead of muscle building energy.) Ab work is done whenever I can force myself to do it (and not NEARLY enough.) Typically either at the end of a Cardio session, or in the midst of a weight workout. I'll often throw in 15 crunches or whatever after I finish a bench press set or the like. While I'm right there on the bench without any excuses.
Opinions?
D