Building a strong and healthy physique is entirely possible, no matter where your starting point is, with the right combination of resistance training, cardio, and diet. This guide focuses on resistance training and cardio, drawing from over 15 years of personal experience and over 90 lbs of natural, lean weight gain (yeah, I was a skinny kid!).
My goal has always been to create the optimal workout for growth, to improve my body rapidly with short and effective workouts. Over the years, I formulated a workout plan that I follow consistently, and it is suitable for almost anyone wanting to gain muscle, improve their endurance, and enhance their cardiovascular capacity, regardless of whether they are male or female, old or young, a beginner, or an advanced lifter.
I’ll get right into the plan, and then below, will explain the major concepts and reasoning behind it, attempting to clear up any contradiction you may have heard in the past, and empowering you to tweak the plan to suit your personal situation and goals.
The Workout Plan
Monday: Arms and Shoulders
- Dumbbell Curls
- Dumbbell Lateral Raises
- Barbell Close-Grip Bench Press
Tuesday: Legs and Core
- Barbell Squat (Back, Front, or Zercher style)
- Barbell Deadlift
- Dumbbell Situps
Wednesday: Upper Body
- Barbell Flat Bench Press
- Wide-Grip Overhand Pull-ups
- Barbell Shrugs
Thursday: Repeat Monday
Friday: Repeat Tuesday
Saturday: Off
Sunday: Cardio
- 3-5km Jog, or alternative Cardio
Guidelines
- Jog for 10 minutes before every workout. No more, no less.
- Do Dynamic stretches before each workout, and Static stretches afterwards.
- Warm up with a light weight before each exercise. Don’t count those sets.
- Perform 3 sets of 10-20 reps (read about Reps below), each going to the last rep before failure, with relatively heavy weight. Reduce the weight between sets to ensure you always hit your rep target.
- Finish with an optional 4th working set, of high reps to failure with a light weight.
- Track your progress and aim to improve by increasing weight every session. Start light and increase the weight gradually from session to session to avoid injury.
- Perform supersets (work sets of two different exercises back-to-back) to reduce the overall workout duration.
Making it work for you
Let’s dive into the “How” and “Why” behind the workout plan. This section will give you the knowledge you need to adapt the plan to your goals.
Reps
What is the Optimal number of Reps?
Exactly 7 and a half. Just kidding. Actually, it doesn’t matter too much, as long as you go to failure (when I say failure I mean one rep before – to avoid injury). By doing this, you are tearing all muscle fiber (types I,II,IIA).
So how do you pick a number? I landed on 10 reps for the following reasons. A 1-rep set to failure is risky because it’s hard to gauge if that rep is truly your last. If you're wrong and had more in you, you likely won’t get another rep, and if you had less in you, you’ll fail on your only rep without even going through a full range of motion. At the other extreme, high rep sets of over 20 reps or more give you room to push harder towards the end, but risk failing before the muscle is fully degraded, due to cardiovascular limitations. 10 is squarely in between those numbers, and most lifters would agree that it’s a rep count that works well in reality.
I leave a special exception for advanced lifters pulling heavy weights. My personal experience has shown me that when the weights get heavy (for men that’s over 315lb on the squat / deadlift ; over 225lb on the bench), it’s much more likely that you might injure yourself. When it gets this heavy, move from 10 to 20 reps (no breaks), and drop the weight. You can still push yourself and grow, but much it will be much safer since cardio will become a factor in your limits, so even on the last few reps, you’ll maintain strict form easily. (Of course, if you’re a professional weightlifter, this rule doesn’t apply!)
So, with that:
- 10 reps is the recommendation for most lifts
- For advanced lifters, when the weights get really heavy, move to 20 rep sets
At the end of an exercise, I like to finish with a high-rep set (50-100 reps) which has the same effect of tearing all muscle fiber types, but also helps to improve muscular endurance, fill your muscles with blood, and gets a bit of cardio in.
Rep Speed
Push up as fast as possible in a controlled manner (1-2 seconds). Lower the weight in a controlled manner (1-2 seconds).
Sets
How many Sets?
It’s all about balance, and is largely related to workout frequency. Obviously, the more muscle you tear, the more muscle grows back. If you tear too little, it will recover too fast, and you’ll need to get back into the gym before you lose it again. Now if you tear too much, it won’t recover fully in time for your next workout. It’s also unwise to tear your muscles so much that it takes two weeks for them to recover – by that time you will lose the post-workout hormone spike and Central Nervous System (CNS) adaptations (which also last only a few days).
From trial and error, and research, I recommend 3 working sets to failure. This generally allows you to train each muscle twice a week. Smaller muscles, like biceps, recover faster and can be trained more frequently (up to 3 times a week) or hit with more sets. You'll see, in the workout plan that the Biceps are targeted 3 times (Curls - Pullups - Curls) and the Triceps 3 times (Close Grip Bench - Regular Bench - Close Grip Bench).
For guidance - in a 3-set workout to failure, after the 3rd set, I can usually only lift half as much weight as I did in the first set for the same number of reps.
Exercises
How many Exercises per bodypart?
From my experience, 1 exercise per bodypart, trained for 3 sets to failure, twice a week is optimal for muscle growth. This is quite conservative compared to traditional workout plans, where you might see multiple exercises for each muscle. My take on this is that trainees following those programs aren't working hard enough in their first exercise, so need multiple to get the same effect. In recent years this has started to be identified as "junk volume".
If you do insist on more volume, I would advocate for a maximum of 2 exercises per muscle in a single workout. My preference would be for an increase in training frequency (training a muscle 3x per week instead of 2x) than an increase in the number of exercises. For smaller muscles like the biceps that recover faster, I could easily see somebody training their biceps 3 times a week (like in the Plan above); or training them with 2 exercises instead of 1 in a workout.
You'll notice, that the bench, pullups, and shrugs are trained only once a week. These take a little longer to recover in my experience so a week in between these is just fine. Legs and Core can be trained twice a week, and arms can be trained twice a week.
You'll also notice that Calf and Upper Chest work is neglected. If you have time for these, add Calf Raises and Incline Dumbbell Presses once or twice a week. Don't fret if you can't fit them in, you'll be fine unless you're a competing bodybuilder.
Cardio
A strong cardiovascular system is critical to your progress – you never want to fail a lift due to being out of breath. The Sunday jog, combined with the daily weightlifting workouts, is all you need to improve your cardiovascular health. Over time, feel free to increase your endurance with higher speed or longer runs. Running 5 kilometers once or twice a week is not going to be detrimental to muscle growth – In fact, it can actually assist growth due to the additional blood flow and hormone release.
For beginners, start by doing what you can do easily. Try to be a bit better each time. After a month of short 5-10 minute jogs, most people will be able to maintain breathing at a slow jogging pace without getting out of breath.
Squats
A special callout for the squat. It’s the exercise that targets the most muscles in your body. It has the highest potential to cause the weight gain and releases the most growth hormones. It should be the absolute focus of any workout plan for someone serious about changing their physique. There is no substitute for squats.
Equipment
Barbells are generally the best tool for building strength and muscle, providing the perfect balance of stabilization and resistance. Dumbbells, cables, and machines are useful, but they don’t provide the same level of engagement. They are useful where barbells don’t quite make sense mechanically.
Exercise Guide
Some advice for some of the lifts.
Dumbbell Curls - Biceps
- Performed one arm at a time.
- Sit on a bench, with your legs apart.
- Let your arm hang between your legs, optionally resting the elbow on your inner leg.
- Keep your back upright and straight – the only thing moving should be your arm.
- Your elbow can move forward as you get to the top of the lift.
- Curl the weight from a fully extended arm to a fully contracted arm.
Dumbbell Lateral Raise - Medial Deltoid
- Performed with both arms simultaneously, either standing or sitting.
- Start with your arms by your sides, raise them until they are parallel with the floor.
- Keep your elbows straight, locked, or nearly locked throughout the movement.
Barbell Close-Grip Bench Press - Triceps
- Performed on a flat bench.
- Hands should be 6-8 inches apart.
- Keep your elbows close to your body at the bottom of the lift.
Barbell Squat (Back, Front, or Zercher) - Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings
- Flat shoes, or no shoes on a grippy surface, are ideal.
- Keep your weight on your heels throughout the motion.
- Maintain a flat or arched back during the entire movement.
- Inhale and exhale at the top of the motion.
- Flexibility in your ankles and posterior chain is key – stretch beforehand.
Dumbbell Sit-ups - Abs
- Place your feet underneath something heavy for stability.
- Hold the dumbbell on your chest, close to your neck.
- Lay down until your back touches the floor, keeping your chin tucked throughout the movement.
Barbell Flat Bench Press - Chest and Front Deltoids
- Set your hand width so that your forearms are parallel at the bottom of the lift.
- Maintain an arched back with your glutes and upper back in contact with the bench.
- Bring the bar down to your chest and press it up to a full lockout.
- Control the weight – don’t bounce the bar off your chest.
Wide Grip Overhand Pull-ups - Lats
- Start with your arms fully extended and pull yourself up until your chin is above the bar.
- Control any swinging by maintaining a consistent, steady speed.
Barbell Shrugs - Traps
- Use wrist straps if necessary to avoid letting grip strength limit your trap development.
- Shrug the barbell upwards as if trying to touch your ears with your shoulders.
- Keep your back arched and your knees locked throughout the movement.
Jogging - Cardio
- Jog as slowly as possible, just a little faster than walking pace.
- Don't let your mind play games with you – set a goal and don't stop unless you feel you will get injured. Commit and relax.
Final Note
Consistency and Progression are essential. Log your workouts, make steady improvements, and stay focused on the long-term. In my experience, the difference between those who succeed and those who fall short is the ability to stay disciplined and committed to the plan.
