Creating a workout routine that works great for you is not an
easy task. Many trainers will have different opinions based on personal
experience and education.
In order to clarify this, here is the simplified explanation that will help you understand the differences between each workout types and how to create your own workout routine.
THE BASICS
Before going into details, each week you must train your entire body. This includes:
- Shoulders
- Chest
- Back
- Legs
- Core
- Arms
Ideally, you should do resistance training at least 3 times a week with one day of rest between each training. During a single workout, you should group 2 muscle groups.
Day 1 = Chest + Shoulders
Day 2 = Legs + Back
Day 3 = Core + Arms
Depending on your objective the exercises, the weight and the speed will change.
It is also imperative that you eat healthy and often. It is recommended to eat five small meals each day, every 3 hours. Each meal must contain proteins and low fat/low sugar foods. And, drink a lot of water. You should drink at least 1.5 liter of water a day.
TO LOSE BODY FAT
Body fat is lost when you burn more calories in a day then the amount of calories you ate and burned through normal everyday activities. Each pound of fat is worth about 3500 calories. In order to lose weight and stay healthy you need to combine a healthy diet with a steady and frequent aerobic workout. Ideally, you should workout 5 days a week and focus mainly on aerobic exercises as follow:
Day 1 = 30 minutes of cardio at a steady moderate pace, finish with chest + shoulders workout.
Day 2 = 60 minutes of cardio with interval training (mix of low and high intensity).
Day 3 = 30 minutes of cardio at a steady moderate pace, finish with legs + back workout.
Day 4 = 60 minutes of cardio with interval training (mix of low and high intensity).
Day 5 = 30 minutes of cardio at a steady moderate pace, finish with core + arms workout.
Each exercise should be done with lighter weights and higher repetitions, usually 2 series of 15 to 20 repetitions for each exercise (between 30 to 40 total repetitions for a muscle group). You should aim to not be able to complete more than 20 repetitions per series (adjust resistance as needed).
TO GAIN STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE
Any to all exercise will eventually build strength and endurance. The difference between working out a routine that is made to increase your overall strength and endurance and just any other exercise is the intensity and amount of rest you take between sets.
The best kind of exercises that increase both strength and endurance are called supersets. They consist on mixing multiple exercises inside a single set that are done without any pause between them. For example, if you are doing chest + shoulders, instead of working out the chest muscles and complete your shoulders exercises after, you would do them back-to-back inside a single set with no pause. Such a routine plan would look like this:
Day 1 = 10 minutes of light cardio (to warm up, this is optional). Chest + Shoulders.
- Push Ups + Pull Ups, 4 sets of 12.
- Front Dumbbell Raise + Lateral Dumbbell Raise, 4 sets of 12.
- Military Press (Dumbbells) + Butterfly (Dumbbells), 4 sets of 12.
- Bench Press (Dumbbells) + Overhead Pull (Dumbbell), 4 sets of 12.
Day 2 = 10 minutes of light cardio (to warm up, this is optional). Legs + Back.
- Leg Press + Back Leg Raise, 4 sets of 12.
- Cab Raise + Jumping Squats, 4 sets of 12.
- Deadlift + Plank, 4 sets of 12, up to 60 sec.
- Bent Over Row (Dumbbells) + Weighted Back Lift, 4 sets of 12.
Day 3 = 10 minutes of light cardio (to warm up, this is optional). Core + Arms.
- Hammer Curls (Dumbbells) + Triceps Extension (Dumbbells), 4 sets of 12.
- Sit-ups + Oblique Plank (left then right), 4 sets of 12, up to 60 sec.
- Weighed Chin Ups + Dips, 4 sets of 12.
- Bicep Barbell Curls + Triceps Barbell Extension, 4 sets of 12.
Day 4 = 60 minutes of high intensity cardio. No anabolic exercises this day.
TO GAIN MASS (Bulking Up)
While losing body fat is all about cutting down calories with proper eating and aerobic exercises, gaining muscle mass and strength is the opposite. In order to gain muscle mass you need to eat approximately 500 extra calories a day from lean meats or other high protein low fat and low carb foods. Many bodybuilders take protein supplements in order to increase their protein intake dramatically without eating addition fats and carbohydrates. Your daily protein intake in grams should be close to 0.7 to 1.0 times your lean body weight (without your body fat) in pounds. For a 5'10'' with a lean body weight of 180 lbs, he would need to eat between 126 and 180 grams of proteins each day, divided in each of his 5 meals as equally as possible.
Also, in order to gain muscle mass, you need to do a lot of anabolic exercises, especially compound exercises. These exercises usually have very heavy weights and require to do less repetitions per set. Such a routine is progressive as you increase weights each set and it would look like this:
Day 1 = 10 minutes of light cardio (to warm up, this is optional). Chest + Shoulders.
- Bench Press, 5 sets of 6 to 8. Max weight.
- Military Press (Barbell), 5 sets of 6 to 8. Max weight.
- Butterfly, 5 sets of 6 to 8. Max weight.
- Pull Ups, 5 sets of 6 to 8. Max weight.
- Any complimentary chest or shoulder exercise, 5 sets of 6 to 8. Max weight.
Day 2 = 10 minutes of light cardio (to warm up, this is optional). Legs + Back.
- Squats, 5 sets of 6 to 8. Max weight.
- Leg Press, 5 sets of 6 to 8. Max weight.
- Deadlift, 5 sets of 6 to 8. Max weight.
- Seated Row, 5 sets of 6 to 8. Max weight.
- Any complimentary legs or back exercise, 5 sets of 6 to 8. Max weight.
Day 3 = 10 minutes of light cardio (to warm up, this is optional). Core + Arms.
- Hammer Curls (Dumbbells), 5 sets of 6 to 8. Max weight.
- Reverse Bicep Curls (Triceps, 5 sets of 6 to 8. Max weight.
- Weighted Chin Ups, 5 sets of 6 to 8. Max weight.
- Weighted Sit-Ups, 5 sets of 6 to 8. Max weight..
- Any complimentary core or arms exercise, 5 sets of 6 to 8. Max weight.
This concludes clarifying the different types of workout routines.
Have fun and train safe!
In order to clarify this, here is the simplified explanation that will help you understand the differences between each workout types and how to create your own workout routine.
THE BASICS
Before going into details, each week you must train your entire body. This includes:
- Shoulders
- Chest
- Back
- Legs
- Core
- Arms
Ideally, you should do resistance training at least 3 times a week with one day of rest between each training. During a single workout, you should group 2 muscle groups.
Day 1 = Chest + Shoulders
Day 2 = Legs + Back
Day 3 = Core + Arms
Depending on your objective the exercises, the weight and the speed will change.
It is also imperative that you eat healthy and often. It is recommended to eat five small meals each day, every 3 hours. Each meal must contain proteins and low fat/low sugar foods. And, drink a lot of water. You should drink at least 1.5 liter of water a day.
TO LOSE BODY FAT
Body fat is lost when you burn more calories in a day then the amount of calories you ate and burned through normal everyday activities. Each pound of fat is worth about 3500 calories. In order to lose weight and stay healthy you need to combine a healthy diet with a steady and frequent aerobic workout. Ideally, you should workout 5 days a week and focus mainly on aerobic exercises as follow:
Day 1 = 30 minutes of cardio at a steady moderate pace, finish with chest + shoulders workout.
Day 2 = 60 minutes of cardio with interval training (mix of low and high intensity).
Day 3 = 30 minutes of cardio at a steady moderate pace, finish with legs + back workout.
Day 4 = 60 minutes of cardio with interval training (mix of low and high intensity).
Day 5 = 30 minutes of cardio at a steady moderate pace, finish with core + arms workout.
Each exercise should be done with lighter weights and higher repetitions, usually 2 series of 15 to 20 repetitions for each exercise (between 30 to 40 total repetitions for a muscle group). You should aim to not be able to complete more than 20 repetitions per series (adjust resistance as needed).
TO GAIN STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE
Any to all exercise will eventually build strength and endurance. The difference between working out a routine that is made to increase your overall strength and endurance and just any other exercise is the intensity and amount of rest you take between sets.
The best kind of exercises that increase both strength and endurance are called supersets. They consist on mixing multiple exercises inside a single set that are done without any pause between them. For example, if you are doing chest + shoulders, instead of working out the chest muscles and complete your shoulders exercises after, you would do them back-to-back inside a single set with no pause. Such a routine plan would look like this:
Day 1 = 10 minutes of light cardio (to warm up, this is optional). Chest + Shoulders.
- Push Ups + Pull Ups, 4 sets of 12.
- Front Dumbbell Raise + Lateral Dumbbell Raise, 4 sets of 12.
- Military Press (Dumbbells) + Butterfly (Dumbbells), 4 sets of 12.
- Bench Press (Dumbbells) + Overhead Pull (Dumbbell), 4 sets of 12.
Day 2 = 10 minutes of light cardio (to warm up, this is optional). Legs + Back.
- Leg Press + Back Leg Raise, 4 sets of 12.
- Cab Raise + Jumping Squats, 4 sets of 12.
- Deadlift + Plank, 4 sets of 12, up to 60 sec.
- Bent Over Row (Dumbbells) + Weighted Back Lift, 4 sets of 12.
Day 3 = 10 minutes of light cardio (to warm up, this is optional). Core + Arms.
- Hammer Curls (Dumbbells) + Triceps Extension (Dumbbells), 4 sets of 12.
- Sit-ups + Oblique Plank (left then right), 4 sets of 12, up to 60 sec.
- Weighed Chin Ups + Dips, 4 sets of 12.
- Bicep Barbell Curls + Triceps Barbell Extension, 4 sets of 12.
Day 4 = 60 minutes of high intensity cardio. No anabolic exercises this day.
TO GAIN MASS (Bulking Up)
While losing body fat is all about cutting down calories with proper eating and aerobic exercises, gaining muscle mass and strength is the opposite. In order to gain muscle mass you need to eat approximately 500 extra calories a day from lean meats or other high protein low fat and low carb foods. Many bodybuilders take protein supplements in order to increase their protein intake dramatically without eating addition fats and carbohydrates. Your daily protein intake in grams should be close to 0.7 to 1.0 times your lean body weight (without your body fat) in pounds. For a 5'10'' with a lean body weight of 180 lbs, he would need to eat between 126 and 180 grams of proteins each day, divided in each of his 5 meals as equally as possible.
Also, in order to gain muscle mass, you need to do a lot of anabolic exercises, especially compound exercises. These exercises usually have very heavy weights and require to do less repetitions per set. Such a routine is progressive as you increase weights each set and it would look like this:
Day 1 = 10 minutes of light cardio (to warm up, this is optional). Chest + Shoulders.
- Bench Press, 5 sets of 6 to 8. Max weight.
- Military Press (Barbell), 5 sets of 6 to 8. Max weight.
- Butterfly, 5 sets of 6 to 8. Max weight.
- Pull Ups, 5 sets of 6 to 8. Max weight.
- Any complimentary chest or shoulder exercise, 5 sets of 6 to 8. Max weight.
Day 2 = 10 minutes of light cardio (to warm up, this is optional). Legs + Back.
- Squats, 5 sets of 6 to 8. Max weight.
- Leg Press, 5 sets of 6 to 8. Max weight.
- Deadlift, 5 sets of 6 to 8. Max weight.
- Seated Row, 5 sets of 6 to 8. Max weight.
- Any complimentary legs or back exercise, 5 sets of 6 to 8. Max weight.
Day 3 = 10 minutes of light cardio (to warm up, this is optional). Core + Arms.
- Hammer Curls (Dumbbells), 5 sets of 6 to 8. Max weight.
- Reverse Bicep Curls (Triceps, 5 sets of 6 to 8. Max weight.
- Weighted Chin Ups, 5 sets of 6 to 8. Max weight.
- Weighted Sit-Ups, 5 sets of 6 to 8. Max weight..
- Any complimentary core or arms exercise, 5 sets of 6 to 8. Max weight.
This concludes clarifying the different types of workout routines.
Have fun and train safe!