BigJim
Member
My mate (MediumMike) is over in Canada at the moment. One of the regulars at the gym he has been going to there has written him up a program to help him get the best out of his gym work.
What do you guys think?
Monday - Chest
MidChst: Push Ups
x1 Set of 30 (3 Styles)
UprChst: Reverse Grip Bench
x3 Sets of 8-12
UprChst: Incline Bench OR Incline Dumbbell Bench
x4 Sets of 8-12 (Last Set 6)
UprChst: Incline Cable Flies OR Incline Dumbbell Flies
x3 Sets of 8-10
MidChst: Bench Press OR Standing Cable Press OR Dumbbell Bench
x3 Sets of 8-12 (Last set Pause Reps)
MidChst: Peck Deck OR Cable Flies (under and up) OR Dumbbell Flies
x2 Sets of 10-15
LwrChst: Decline Bench
x3 Sets of 8-12 (Last set Pause Reps)
LwrMidChst: Dips
x3 Sets 10-12
MidChst: Push Ups
x1 Set Max Out
(8Weeks no Freeweights, 8Weeks cycling Both)
(Do Just as many Incline Sets as Other Chest Sets, in Total)
Tuesday - Quads/Hams (Superset Quads with Hams)
Leg Extensions (Toes Out)
x2 Sets of 10-15
Squats (Toes In)
x3 Sets of 6-10
45' Leg Press (Toes Out)
x3 Sets of 8-12 (Rest Pauses)
Hack Squats (Toes Straight)
x3 Sets of 6-10
Lunges (Feet Straight Out, Body Straight Up)
x3 Sets of 10-14
Leg Extensions (Toes in)
x4 Sets of 6-8
(For Squats - Toes in, Narrow Stance for Outer Quads and Toes out, Wide Stance for Inner Quads (Overemphasize the Arch in your Lower Back, Look straight ahead, Keep your butt over your heels. When driving Back up, move your hips before you move your knees.)
(45' Leg Press - Knees should Brush your Chest without Glutes coming off the leg press seat)
(Squats and Leg Presses should briefly lock out, or just short of lockout)
(For Leg Extensions - Do Full Contractions, Lock out briefly and flex your Thighs)
(For Lunges - Make sure to do the Full Stretch and Contraction)
Hams: Romanian Deadlifts
x4 Sets of 8-12
OutrHams: Lying Leg Curls (Pyrimid Sets)
x3 Sets of 10-15, 8-12, 6-10
InrHams: Seated Leg Curls (Rest Pauses)
x3 Sets of 6-8
(Lying leg curls with your hips on the bench target the biceps femoris (outer hams). Take as long as 5 seconds (2 seconds up, 3 seconds down). Pause briefly at contraction with your ankles as close to your glutes as possible.)
(Seated leg curls target your semitendinosus and semimembranosus (inner hams))
(Accept PAIN as a necessary component of full-bore quad and hamstring workouts!!!)
Wednesday - Back
UpprLatWdth: OverHand Wide Grip Pullups OR LwrLatWdth: Triangle Bar Chins
xX Sets until 25 is reached (when 2 Sets are possible, go up in reps or attach weight)
UpprLatWdth: Wide Grip Pull-downs
x3 Sets of 8-12 (Last set Pause Reps)
LatThknes: Dumbbell One-Arm Bench Rows OR Incline Bench Lying Dumbbell Row Twists (Overhand Grip at the Bottom, Palms Facing your Sides at the Top)
x3 Sets of 6-10
LwrLatWdth: Underhand Shoulder-Width Pulldowns OR Underhand Narrow Grip (V-Handle) Pulldowns (keep Elbows in for both) (MAY CUT OUT, NOT FEELING IT)
x3 Sets of 8-12
UpprLatThknes: Wide Grip Seated Bar Rows (to Chest) OR MidLatThknes: Narrow Grip (V-Handle or Single Handed Grips) Seated Rows (to Stomach)
x3 Sets of 8-12
MidLatThknes: Barbell Row (Brent Lift) OR LwrLatThknes: T-Bar Row (V-Handle or Single Hand Grips) (Grounded Bench Bar, One Side Weighted)
x3 Sets of 6-10 (Last set Pause Reps)
TtalBk: Body Lifts on Smith Machine Bar
x3 Sets Max Out, Bar on Hight 4, Hight 8 and Hight 12
LwrBk: Dead Lifts
x3 Sets of 6-8
LwrBk: Good Mornings OR Back Crunches
x3 Sets of 8-12
LwrBk: Floor/Mat Exercises (Stretch, One-Arm One-Leg Raisers, Supermans)
x6 Continuous Sets of 6-10
(Train high/low style, do higher-rep sets of one exercise and lower-rep sets for the following exercise. Go light on machine exercises, focusing on isolating muscles and holding contractions and go heavy on free-weight lifts)
(Use an overhand thumb less grip on Pullups. The more you hold the bar in the palms of your hands, the less active the biceps will be in the exercise)
(Triangle Bar Chins. Lower lats. Hook a triangle bar over a chinning bar. As you pull yourself up, lie back and try to touch your mid-abdominal area – not your chest – to the bar. Lower all the way back down)
Thursday/Sunday - Abs/Cardio/Calves
Calf: Smith-Machine Calf Raisers OR Donkey Calf Raises
x3 Sets of 15, x3 angles (45 in total)
Calf: Calf 45' Leg Press OR Calf Horizontal Leg Press
x2 Sets of 6-10, x2 Sets of 30-50 (First 20 controlled and slow, last 30 power press 10 at a time, then squeeze hold for 2secs at the top) (Alternate Sets)
Calf: Seated Calf Raisers SS Calf: Tibialis Raisers
x3 Sets of 10-20, SS x3 Sets of 10-20
(Point toes down (Outer) or up (Inner))
(Two seconds at the top, One second at the bottom)
(Keep most sets in the 10-20 range, but sometimes do higher (20-50) or lower (6-10) reps)
(Stretch your calves between sets and immediately after training them (Highest and Lowest Points, Toes down and up))
(The soleus is isolated when your knees are bent at a 90-degree angle, so always include seated calf raises in your calf routine for at least three sets of 10-20 reps)
(The flexor muscles are trained with tibialis raises. Sit on a lying leg-curl bench, hook your toes under the leg pad and, while keeping your knees steady, raise the pad up and back toward your shins. Very little weight will be required)
Upr/LWrAbs: Prayers to Crom OR Standing, above the head cable crunches from behind the head to infront OR Facing cable crunches head to hips
x3 Sets of 20-25 (Short Bar, Underhand Grip)
Obqs: Cable Oblique Raisers OR Dumbbell Oblique Raisers
x3 Sets of 20-25
Lwr/UprAbs: Leg Raisers (Candlesticks) Slow control, full extensions, rotate hips on way down instead of arching back
x2 Sets of 10-15
UprAbs: Crunches on an Angled Bench (Small motion, tence, Weight above head, arms/weight not touching body) SS Obqs: Crunch Twists to Knees (Small motion, tence, squeeze obliques) SS 45' Hands to the roof raisers (Small motion, straight up)
x2 Sets of 10-15
InnrAbs: Stomach-to-Spine Holds
x1 Set of 10 (10 second flex holds)
(Train at a slow, steady pace, focusing only on your abs. Hold each contraction for one or two seconds and flex)
Crdio: Bike x 15mins
Crdio: Walker x15mins
Crdio: Treadmill x15min
Friday - Bies/Tris/Wrists
Bies: Underhand Chin-ups
xX Sets until 20 is reached (when 2 Sets are possible, go up in reps or attach weight)
Bies: EZ-Bar Curls OR Barbell Curls against a wall/Elbows against your sides (Last Set Negative Forced Reps) Narrow Grip OR Wide Grip
x3 Sets of 6-8
Bies: Seated Dumbbell Curls (Drop Sets) Pinkies Up OR Thumbs Up
x3 Sets of 8-12
Bies: One Arm Cable Curls OR Machine Curls (Both Sets Aided Exhausion Forced Reps) (Elbows in hard against Obliques)
x2 Sets of 8-12 (Each side for Cables)
(Curl slowly. Take approximately two seconds to raise the weight, hold the contraction for one second, then take approximately two seconds to lower the weight)
Tries: Close-Grip Bench OR Upright Dips (Last Set Rest Pause)
x3 Sets of 8-12
LngTries: Lying EZ-curl bar triceps extensions (Skullcrushers) OR Seated Overhead EZ-Curl Bar Extensions
x3 Sets of 6-10
LatTries: Overhand Bar Cable Extensions (Drop Set each Set)
x3 Sets of 10-15
MdalTries: Underhand One-Arm Cable Extensions (Both Sets Aided Exhausion Forced Reps) OR One-Arm Bent Over Bench Extensions (Drop Set each Set)
x2 Sets of 8-12
(When your arms are straight by your sides with an overhand or a parallel grip (palms facing each other, also known as a neutral grip), the lateral heads are worked most, as during conventional pushdowns)
(When your arms are straight by your sides with an underhand grip, the medial heads are hit most. To give your medial heads their due, consider adding reverse-grip pushdowns to your routine)
(When your elbows are moved in front of your body or overhead, the long heads are targeted. Overhead extensions are best for “going long,” so always include some form of overhead tri extension in your routine)
(Lock your elbows in place for all reps until you reach failure)
Wrsts: Rope Curling Wrist Raisers
x3 Sets of 3
Saturday - Shoulders/Traps
RerDelts: Rear Delt Bent over cable Lifts
x3 Sets of 8-12
RerDelts: Lying Bench Rear Delt Raisers (Little Finger High) (Drop Sets)
x3 Sets of 15-20
RerDelts: Standing Head High Rear Delt Pinches
x2 Sets of 15-20
Shoulders: Seated Overhead Smith Bar Press (Last 2 Sets Rest Pauses) (Infront OR Behind the Neck)
x4 Sets of 5-6 (8-12 every other Week)
Shoulders: Brandon Curry Seated Boxing Twists to Almost straight OR Arnold Press
x3 Sets of 8-12
SdeDelts: Dumbbell Side Raisers (Rest Pauses)
x3 Sets of 10-15
FrntDelts: Single Arm Dumbell Front Raisers (Drop Sets to Two Arm Raisers)
x3 Sets of 16-20
Traps: Vertical Shoulder Lifts (Barbell Upright Row) (Last 2 Sets Rest Pauses)
x4 Sets of 8-10
Traps: Barbell Shrugs (Front)
x4 Sets of 8-10
Traps: Dumbbell Shrugs (Standing or Seated) OR Cable Shrugs (Both Behind)
x2 Sets of 10-12
(You should hold the position at full contraction and squeeze at the top, then slowly lower your shoulders to feel a stretch at the bottom)
What do you guys think?
Monday - Chest
MidChst: Push Ups
x1 Set of 30 (3 Styles)
UprChst: Reverse Grip Bench
x3 Sets of 8-12
UprChst: Incline Bench OR Incline Dumbbell Bench
x4 Sets of 8-12 (Last Set 6)
UprChst: Incline Cable Flies OR Incline Dumbbell Flies
x3 Sets of 8-10
MidChst: Bench Press OR Standing Cable Press OR Dumbbell Bench
x3 Sets of 8-12 (Last set Pause Reps)
MidChst: Peck Deck OR Cable Flies (under and up) OR Dumbbell Flies
x2 Sets of 10-15
LwrChst: Decline Bench
x3 Sets of 8-12 (Last set Pause Reps)
LwrMidChst: Dips
x3 Sets 10-12
MidChst: Push Ups
x1 Set Max Out
(8Weeks no Freeweights, 8Weeks cycling Both)
(Do Just as many Incline Sets as Other Chest Sets, in Total)
Tuesday - Quads/Hams (Superset Quads with Hams)
Leg Extensions (Toes Out)
x2 Sets of 10-15
Squats (Toes In)
x3 Sets of 6-10
45' Leg Press (Toes Out)
x3 Sets of 8-12 (Rest Pauses)
Hack Squats (Toes Straight)
x3 Sets of 6-10
Lunges (Feet Straight Out, Body Straight Up)
x3 Sets of 10-14
Leg Extensions (Toes in)
x4 Sets of 6-8
(For Squats - Toes in, Narrow Stance for Outer Quads and Toes out, Wide Stance for Inner Quads (Overemphasize the Arch in your Lower Back, Look straight ahead, Keep your butt over your heels. When driving Back up, move your hips before you move your knees.)
(45' Leg Press - Knees should Brush your Chest without Glutes coming off the leg press seat)
(Squats and Leg Presses should briefly lock out, or just short of lockout)
(For Leg Extensions - Do Full Contractions, Lock out briefly and flex your Thighs)
(For Lunges - Make sure to do the Full Stretch and Contraction)
Hams: Romanian Deadlifts
x4 Sets of 8-12
OutrHams: Lying Leg Curls (Pyrimid Sets)
x3 Sets of 10-15, 8-12, 6-10
InrHams: Seated Leg Curls (Rest Pauses)
x3 Sets of 6-8
(Lying leg curls with your hips on the bench target the biceps femoris (outer hams). Take as long as 5 seconds (2 seconds up, 3 seconds down). Pause briefly at contraction with your ankles as close to your glutes as possible.)
(Seated leg curls target your semitendinosus and semimembranosus (inner hams))
(Accept PAIN as a necessary component of full-bore quad and hamstring workouts!!!)
Wednesday - Back
UpprLatWdth: OverHand Wide Grip Pullups OR LwrLatWdth: Triangle Bar Chins
xX Sets until 25 is reached (when 2 Sets are possible, go up in reps or attach weight)
UpprLatWdth: Wide Grip Pull-downs
x3 Sets of 8-12 (Last set Pause Reps)
LatThknes: Dumbbell One-Arm Bench Rows OR Incline Bench Lying Dumbbell Row Twists (Overhand Grip at the Bottom, Palms Facing your Sides at the Top)
x3 Sets of 6-10
LwrLatWdth: Underhand Shoulder-Width Pulldowns OR Underhand Narrow Grip (V-Handle) Pulldowns (keep Elbows in for both) (MAY CUT OUT, NOT FEELING IT)
x3 Sets of 8-12
UpprLatThknes: Wide Grip Seated Bar Rows (to Chest) OR MidLatThknes: Narrow Grip (V-Handle or Single Handed Grips) Seated Rows (to Stomach)
x3 Sets of 8-12
MidLatThknes: Barbell Row (Brent Lift) OR LwrLatThknes: T-Bar Row (V-Handle or Single Hand Grips) (Grounded Bench Bar, One Side Weighted)
x3 Sets of 6-10 (Last set Pause Reps)
TtalBk: Body Lifts on Smith Machine Bar
x3 Sets Max Out, Bar on Hight 4, Hight 8 and Hight 12
LwrBk: Dead Lifts
x3 Sets of 6-8
LwrBk: Good Mornings OR Back Crunches
x3 Sets of 8-12
LwrBk: Floor/Mat Exercises (Stretch, One-Arm One-Leg Raisers, Supermans)
x6 Continuous Sets of 6-10
(Train high/low style, do higher-rep sets of one exercise and lower-rep sets for the following exercise. Go light on machine exercises, focusing on isolating muscles and holding contractions and go heavy on free-weight lifts)
(Use an overhand thumb less grip on Pullups. The more you hold the bar in the palms of your hands, the less active the biceps will be in the exercise)
(Triangle Bar Chins. Lower lats. Hook a triangle bar over a chinning bar. As you pull yourself up, lie back and try to touch your mid-abdominal area – not your chest – to the bar. Lower all the way back down)
Thursday/Sunday - Abs/Cardio/Calves
Calf: Smith-Machine Calf Raisers OR Donkey Calf Raises
x3 Sets of 15, x3 angles (45 in total)
Calf: Calf 45' Leg Press OR Calf Horizontal Leg Press
x2 Sets of 6-10, x2 Sets of 30-50 (First 20 controlled and slow, last 30 power press 10 at a time, then squeeze hold for 2secs at the top) (Alternate Sets)
Calf: Seated Calf Raisers SS Calf: Tibialis Raisers
x3 Sets of 10-20, SS x3 Sets of 10-20
(Point toes down (Outer) or up (Inner))
(Two seconds at the top, One second at the bottom)
(Keep most sets in the 10-20 range, but sometimes do higher (20-50) or lower (6-10) reps)
(Stretch your calves between sets and immediately after training them (Highest and Lowest Points, Toes down and up))
(The soleus is isolated when your knees are bent at a 90-degree angle, so always include seated calf raises in your calf routine for at least three sets of 10-20 reps)
(The flexor muscles are trained with tibialis raises. Sit on a lying leg-curl bench, hook your toes under the leg pad and, while keeping your knees steady, raise the pad up and back toward your shins. Very little weight will be required)
Upr/LWrAbs: Prayers to Crom OR Standing, above the head cable crunches from behind the head to infront OR Facing cable crunches head to hips
x3 Sets of 20-25 (Short Bar, Underhand Grip)
Obqs: Cable Oblique Raisers OR Dumbbell Oblique Raisers
x3 Sets of 20-25
Lwr/UprAbs: Leg Raisers (Candlesticks) Slow control, full extensions, rotate hips on way down instead of arching back
x2 Sets of 10-15
UprAbs: Crunches on an Angled Bench (Small motion, tence, Weight above head, arms/weight not touching body) SS Obqs: Crunch Twists to Knees (Small motion, tence, squeeze obliques) SS 45' Hands to the roof raisers (Small motion, straight up)
x2 Sets of 10-15
InnrAbs: Stomach-to-Spine Holds
x1 Set of 10 (10 second flex holds)
(Train at a slow, steady pace, focusing only on your abs. Hold each contraction for one or two seconds and flex)
Crdio: Bike x 15mins
Crdio: Walker x15mins
Crdio: Treadmill x15min
Friday - Bies/Tris/Wrists
Bies: Underhand Chin-ups
xX Sets until 20 is reached (when 2 Sets are possible, go up in reps or attach weight)
Bies: EZ-Bar Curls OR Barbell Curls against a wall/Elbows against your sides (Last Set Negative Forced Reps) Narrow Grip OR Wide Grip
x3 Sets of 6-8
Bies: Seated Dumbbell Curls (Drop Sets) Pinkies Up OR Thumbs Up
x3 Sets of 8-12
Bies: One Arm Cable Curls OR Machine Curls (Both Sets Aided Exhausion Forced Reps) (Elbows in hard against Obliques)
x2 Sets of 8-12 (Each side for Cables)
(Curl slowly. Take approximately two seconds to raise the weight, hold the contraction for one second, then take approximately two seconds to lower the weight)
Tries: Close-Grip Bench OR Upright Dips (Last Set Rest Pause)
x3 Sets of 8-12
LngTries: Lying EZ-curl bar triceps extensions (Skullcrushers) OR Seated Overhead EZ-Curl Bar Extensions
x3 Sets of 6-10
LatTries: Overhand Bar Cable Extensions (Drop Set each Set)
x3 Sets of 10-15
MdalTries: Underhand One-Arm Cable Extensions (Both Sets Aided Exhausion Forced Reps) OR One-Arm Bent Over Bench Extensions (Drop Set each Set)
x2 Sets of 8-12
(When your arms are straight by your sides with an overhand or a parallel grip (palms facing each other, also known as a neutral grip), the lateral heads are worked most, as during conventional pushdowns)
(When your arms are straight by your sides with an underhand grip, the medial heads are hit most. To give your medial heads their due, consider adding reverse-grip pushdowns to your routine)
(When your elbows are moved in front of your body or overhead, the long heads are targeted. Overhead extensions are best for “going long,” so always include some form of overhead tri extension in your routine)
(Lock your elbows in place for all reps until you reach failure)
Wrsts: Rope Curling Wrist Raisers
x3 Sets of 3
Saturday - Shoulders/Traps
RerDelts: Rear Delt Bent over cable Lifts
x3 Sets of 8-12
RerDelts: Lying Bench Rear Delt Raisers (Little Finger High) (Drop Sets)
x3 Sets of 15-20
RerDelts: Standing Head High Rear Delt Pinches
x2 Sets of 15-20
Shoulders: Seated Overhead Smith Bar Press (Last 2 Sets Rest Pauses) (Infront OR Behind the Neck)
x4 Sets of 5-6 (8-12 every other Week)
Shoulders: Brandon Curry Seated Boxing Twists to Almost straight OR Arnold Press
x3 Sets of 8-12
SdeDelts: Dumbbell Side Raisers (Rest Pauses)
x3 Sets of 10-15
FrntDelts: Single Arm Dumbell Front Raisers (Drop Sets to Two Arm Raisers)
x3 Sets of 16-20
Traps: Vertical Shoulder Lifts (Barbell Upright Row) (Last 2 Sets Rest Pauses)
x4 Sets of 8-10
Traps: Barbell Shrugs (Front)
x4 Sets of 8-10
Traps: Dumbbell Shrugs (Standing or Seated) OR Cable Shrugs (Both Behind)
x2 Sets of 10-12
(You should hold the position at full contraction and squeeze at the top, then slowly lower your shoulders to feel a stretch at the bottom)
