Workouts

Beginner Workout: 5 days a week Exercise Sets Reps %1RM Notes Squats 1 10 70-75 Focus on perfect form, controlled tempo Barbell Rows 1 10 70-75 Keep torso stable, squeeze shoulder blades Bench Press 1 10 70-75 Lower slowly, pause briefly at chest Overhead Press 1 10 70-75 No leg drive, strict pressing motion Deadlifts 1 10 70-75 Maintain neutral spine throughout Standing Barbell Curls 1 10 70-75 No swinging, isolate biceps completely Standing Calf Raises 1 10 70-75 Full range of motion, hold peak contraction Sit-ups 1 10 BW Focus on abdominal contraction, not speed If soreness persists past resting on the weekend, follow the program for a second week. ...

Program Overview Target: Intermediate trainees focused on evidence-based muscle hypertrophy Schedule: Monday, Wednesday, Friday (48-72 hours rest between sessions) Duration: 16-20 weeks with 4-week mesocycles Session Length: 75-90 minutes Focus: Balanced full-body development with optimal recovery Evidence-Based Parameters Sets: 10-20 per muscle group per week (periodized) Reps: 6-20 (varied by exercise and phase) Intensity: 65-85% 1RM Rest: 2-4 minutes (compounds), 1-2 minutes (isolation) Frequency: 3x per week per muscle group Training System: Antagonist supersets, straight sets General Warm-Up (10-12 minutes) Perform before every session: ...

3-Day Full Body Program (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) Program Overview This program is designed for beginners focusing on building both muscle mass and strength, with extra emphasis on chest and arms. Each workout hits all major muscle groups while allowing adequate recovery time. Duration: 8-12 weeks before progressing to intermediate programming Schedule: Monday, Wednesday, Friday (24-48 hours rest between sessions) Session Length: 75-85 minutes including all warm-ups General Warm-Up (5-8 minutes) Perform once at the start of every workout: ...

Monday: Chest and Back Group Exercise Sets Reps Rest Reference Chest Bench Press 6 12-25 30 secs p. 324 Chest Dumbell Press 6 12-25 30 secs p. 326 Chest Dumbell Pullovers 6 12-25 30 secs p. 359 Back Lat Pulldowns 6 12-25 30 secs p. 368 Back Bent-over Rows 6 12-25 30 secs p. 370 Pwr. T Deadlifts (10, 6, 4) 6 4-10 30 secs p. 580 Abs Crunches 5 25 30 secs p. 545 Tuesday: Shoulders, Upper Arms, and Forearms Group Exercise Sets Reps Rest Reference Shoulders Power Clean 6 12-25 30 secs p. 277 Shoulders Lateral Raises 6 12-25 30 secs p. 280 Pwr. T Upright Row (10, 6, 4) 6 4-10 30 secs p. 296 Pwr. T Overhead Press (6, 4, 2) 6 2-6 30 secs p. 279 Upper Arm Standing Barbell Curls 6 12-25 30 secs p. 426 Upper Arm Seated Dumbell Curls 6 12-25 30 secs p. 438 Upper Arm Close-Grip Bench Press 6 12-25 30 secs p. 459 Upper Arm Triceps Extensions 6 12-25 30 secs p. 456 Forearm Wrist Curls 6 12-25 30 secs p. 469 Forearm Reverse Wrist Curls 6 12-25 30 secs p. 472 Abs Reverse Crunches 5 25 30 secs p. 546 Wednesday: Thighs, Calves, and Lower Back Group Exercise Sets Reps Rest Reference Thighs Squats 6 12-25 30 secs p. 497 Thighs Lunges 6 12-25 30 secs p. 507 Thighs Leg Curls 6 12-25 30 secs p. 509 Calves Standing Calf Raises 5 15 30 secs p. 526 Pwr. T SL Deadlifts (10, 6, 4) 6 4-10 30 secs p. 511 Pwr. T Good Mornings (10, 6, 4) 6 4-10 30 secs p. 382 Abs Crunches 5 25 30 secs p. 545 Thursday: Chest and Back Group Exercise Sets Reps Rest Reference Chest Bench Press 6 12-25 30 secs p. 324 Chest Dumbell Press 6 12-25 30 secs p. 326 Chest Dumbell Pullovers 6 12-25 30 secs p. 359 Back Lat Pulldowns 6 12-25 30 secs p. 368 Back Bent-over Rows 6 12-25 30 secs p. 370 Pwr. T Deadlifts (10, 6, 4) 6 4-10 30 secs p. 580 Abs Crunches 5 25 30 secs p. 545 Friday: Shoulders, Upper Arms, and Forearms Group Exercise Sets Reps Rest Reference Shoulders Power Clean 6 12-25 30 secs p. 277 Shoulders Lateral Raises 6 12-25 30 secs p. 280 Pwr. T Upright Row (10, 6, 4) 6 4-10 30 secs p. 296 Pwr. T Overhead Press (6, 4, 2) 6 2-6 30 secs p. 279 Upper Arm Standing Barbell Curls 6 12-25 30 secs p. 426 Upper Arm Seated Dumbell Curls 6 12-25 30 secs p. 438 Upper Arm Close-Grip Bench Press 6 12-25 30 secs p. 459 Upper Arm Triceps Extensions 6 12-25 30 secs p. 456 Forearm Wrist Curls 6 12-25 30 secs p. 469 Forearm Reverse Wrist Curls 6 12-25 30 secs p. 472 Abs Reverse Crunches 5 25 30 secs p. 546 Saturday: Thighs, Calves, and Lower Back Group Exercise Sets Reps Rest Reference Thighs Squats 6 12-25 30 secs p. 497 Thighs Lunges 6 12-25 30 secs p. 507 Thighs Leg Curls 6 12-25 30 secs p. 509 Calves Standing Calf Raises 5 15 30 secs p. 526 Pwr. T SL Deadlifts (10, 6, 4) 6 4-10 30 secs p. 511 Pwr. T Good Mornings (10, 6, 4) 6 4-10 30 secs p. 382 Abs Crunches 5 25 30 secs p. 545

Formulas for estimating one-rep max (1RM) Name Formula Epley 1RM = Weight × (1 + Reps / 30) Brzycki 1RM = Weight / (1.0278 - 0.0278 × Reps) Lombardi 1RM = Weight × Reps^0.10 Mayhew 1RM = (100 × Weight) / (52.2 + 41.9 × e^(-0.055 × Reps)) O’Conner 1RM = Weight × (1 + Reps / 40) Schwartz 1RM = Weight × (1 + Reps / 30) × (1 + Reps / 40) Wathan 1RM = Weight × (100 / (48.8 + 53.8 × e^(-0.075 × Reps))) Hypertrophy Training Guidelines Sets Reps Rest (seconds) 03 - 05 06 - 12 30 - 60 Exercises 08 - 12 Volume (sets) 30 - 40 Intensity (% 1RM) 70 - 85 Frequency (days/week) 04 - 06 Recovery (days/week) 01 - 03 Ephasis Muscle fiber recruitment, muscle isolation Training System Super sets, drop sets, pyramid sets Strength Training Guidelines Sets Reps Rest (minutes) 03 - 05 03 - 10 02 - 05 Exercises 06 - 08 Volume (sets) 18 - 30 Intensity (% 1RM) 75 - 95 Frequency (days/week) 03 - 05 Recovery (days/week) 02 - 04 Ephasis Neural efficiency, compound lifts Training System Pyramid sets, negative sets Endurance Training Guidelines Sets Reps Rest (seconds) 02 - 05 12 - 25 20 - 30 Exercises 10 - 15 Volume (sets) 30 - 45 Intensity (% 1RM) 50 - 70 Frequency (days/week) 03 - 05 Recovery (days/week) 02 - 04 Ephasis Lactic acid tolerance Training System Strip sets, Complex Fitness Training Guidelines Sets Reps Rest (seconds) 02 - 04 08 - 15 30 - 90 Exercises 10 - 15 Volume (sets) 30 - 45 Intensity (% 1RM) 65 - 80 Frequency (days/week) 03 - 05 Recovery (days/week) 02 - 04 Ephasis Multiple demands Training System Any Power Training Guidelines Heavy-Low-Rate Power Training Sets Reps Rest (minutes) 03 - 04 03 - 06 02 - 04 Exercises 04 - 05 Volume (sets) 12 - 20 Intensity (% 1RM) 85 - 95 Frequency (days/week) 03 - 04 Recovery (days/week) 03 - 04 Ephasis Speed of movement, hip extension and flexion Training System Olympic lifts, plyometrics Light-High-Rate Power Training Sets Reps Rest (seconds) 02 - 03 10 - 20 30 - 60 Exercises 07 - 10 Volume (sets) 20 - 30 Intensity (% 1RM) 50 - 70 Frequency (days/week) 02 - 04 Recovery (days/week) 03 - 05 Ephasis Speed of movement Training System Contrast, Plyometrics