Free Weight Training Program
Paired with the correct nutrition and lifestyle strategies, this program can be used for fat loss and muscle building goals, or for general conditioning. This program will require a gym membership. As with all general programs, you will need to adjust this program to your individual needs. For example, some exercises may need to be increased in difficulty, and others may need to be decreased. A lot of people have trouble with strict, deadhang pullups, for instance. I recommend substituting pullups with resistance bands as assistance or negative repetitions (eccentric only). Please post to comments if you have any questions.
For the first 3-4 weeks:
Frequency – 3x/week, preferably spaced apart throughout the week.
Number of exercises – 4-6
Order of exercises – Do challenging exercises first, especially when you’re learning a new exercise (you want to learn while you’re fresh), save supplemental and isolation exercises for last
Sets – 2-3 per exercise.
Reps – Each set will consist of 12 repetitions (try to leave one or two reps left “in the tank”, so that you’re not going to exhaustion) – so select the appropriate weight with this in mind.
Rest times – 2 minutes between sets at first – try to work your way down to 60 seconds of rest between exercises, but move at your own pace.
Instructions: do a cardiovascular warm-up first, then do a “light” set of each exercise to prime your body for the movements. Also, you could do a joint mobility warm-up, my preferred modality for priming the body for exercise.
Week 1 (Circuit Sets)
Session 1 – Sets / Reps / Rest
A1 – Flat BB Bench Press 3 x 12 120 sec.
A2 – Bent-over Dumbbell Rows 3 x 12 120 sec.
A3 – Squats 3 x 12 120 sec.
A4 – Deadlift 3 x 12 120 sec.
B1 – DB Hammer Curls 3 x 12 60 sec.
B2 – Standing Calf Raises 3 x 12 60 sec.
Session 2 – Sets / Reps / Rest
A1 – Incline DB Bench Press 3 x 12 120 sec.
A2 – DB Upright Rows 3 x 12 120 sec.
A3 – Front Squats 3 x 12 120 sec.
A4 – BB Good Mornings 3 x 12 120 sec.
B1 – BB Bicep Curls 3 x 12 60 sec.
B2 – Tricep Dips 3 x 12 60 sec.
Session 3 – Sets / Reps / Rest
A1 – Decline BB Bench 2 x 12 120 sec.
A2 – Pullups 2 x 12 120 sec.
A3 – Step-ups 2 x 12/leg 120 sec.
A4 – BB Deadlift 2 x 12 120 sec.
B1 – Standing Calf Raises 2 x 12 60 sec.
B2 – BB Lying Triceps Extensions 2 x 12 60 sec.
Week 2 (Supersets)
Session 1 – Sets / Reps / Rest
A1 – Flat BB Bench Press 3 x 12 90 sec.
A2 – Bent-over DB Rows 3 x 12 90 sec.
B1 – Squats 3 x 12 90 sec.
B2 – Sumo Deadlift 3 x 12 90 sec.
C1 – DB Hammer Curls 3 x 12 60 sec.
C2 – Standing Calf Raises 3 x 12 60 sec.
Session 2 – Sets / Reps / Rest
A1 – Incline DB Bench Press 3 x 12 90 sec.
A2 – DB Upright Rows 3 x 12 90 sec.
B1 – Front Squats 3 x 12 90 sec.
B2 – Good Mornings 3 x 12 90 sec.
C1 – BB Bicep Curls 3 x 12 60 sec.
C2 – Tricep Dips 3 x 12 60 sec.
Session 3 – Sets / Reps / Rest
A1 – Decline BB Bench 2 x 15 90 sec.
A2 – Pullups 2 x 15 90 sec.
B1 – Step-ups 2 x 15/leg 90 sec.
B2 – Barbell Deadlift 2 x 15 90 sec.
C1 – Standing Calf Raise 2 x 15 60 sec.
C2 – BB Lying Triceps Extensions 2 x 15 60 sec.
Week 3 (Circuit Sets)
Session 1 – Sets / Reps / Rest
A1 – Sumo Deadlift 3 x 12 75 sec.
A2 – Neutral Grip Pull Ups 3 x 12 75 sec.
A3 – Incline DB Press 3 x 12 75 sec.
A4 – Preacher Curls 3 x 12 75 sec.
B1 – Front Squats 3 x 12 75 sec.
B2 – Standing Calf Raises 3 x 12 75 sec.
Session 2 – Sets / Reps / Rest
A1 – Squats 3 x 12 75 sec.
A2 – Bent-over DB Rows 3 x 12 75 sec.
A3 – Glute-ham Raise 3 x 12 75 sec.
A4 – DB Military Press 3 x 12 75 sec.
B1 – DB Curls 3 x 12 60 sec.
B2 – Lying DB Tricep Extensions 3 x 12 60 sec.
Session 3 – Sets / Reps / Rest
A1 – Lunges 2 x 12/leg 75 sec.
A2 – DB Flat Bench Press 2 x 12 75 sec.
A3 – Good Mornings 2 x 12 75 sec.
A4 – Barbell Bicep Curls 2 x 12 75 sec.
B1 – Tricep Dips 2 x 12 60 sec.
B2 – Standing Calf Raises 2 x 12 60 sec.
Week 4 (Supersets)
Session 1 – Sets / Reps / Rest
A1 – Sumo Deadlift 3 x 12 60 sec.
A2 – Neutral Grip Pull Ups 3 x 12 60 sec.
B1 – Incline DB Press 3 x 12 60 sec.
B2 – Preacher Curls 3 x 12 60 sec.
C1 – Front Squats 3 x 12 60 sec.
C2 – Standing Calf Raises 3 x 12 60 sec.
Session 2 – Sets / Reps / Rest
A1 – Squats 3 x 12 60 sec.
A2 – Bent-over DB Rows 3 x 12 60 sec.
B1 – Glute-ham Raise 3 x 12 60 sec.
B2 – Military Press 3 x 12 60 sec.
C1 – DB Curls 3 x 12 60 sec.
C2 – Lying DB Tricep Extensions 3 x 12 60 sec.
Session 3 Sets / Reps Rest
A1 – Lunges 2 x 15/leg 60 sec.
A2 – DB Flat Bench Press 2 x 15 60 sec.
B1 – Good Mornings 2 x 15 60 sec.
B2 – Barbell Bicep Curls 2 x 15 60 sec.
C1 – Tricep Dips 2 x 15 60 sec.
C2 – Standing Calf Raises 2 x 15 60 sec.
To your health and success,
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