Basic Training
I get asked all the time in the gym I help out at to write routines for people. I hate it. Its like they expect some magical routine - it doesn't exist. So, sick of repeating myself 3-4 times per week, I wrote this short outline that I can print and hand to them. I need to stress - if I haven't enough throughout the article - I am NOT saying this is the only way or best way. The fact is, almost every training system has something to offer and will give results - if applied correctly. I'm simply sharing what I done, for 15 years including a successful competitive stint at amateur level, that worked. It didn't work because it is especially a good routine - it has its flaws as I'm sure the armchair scientists will point out in between sips of their intra-workout science shakes - it worked because I applied it fully, I committed to it, and beasted myself. It gave me adequate rest, and I followed it with adequate nutrition. Apologies for typos etc - I rattled this out in 20 minutes as my missus is begging me to go and sort her out
Anyway, enough rambling, the article:
I followed this training routine for many years – from around 18 years old right up until and through my competing years in my early 30s. It went through only minor changes and revisions in that time, simply because it works. It is not the only way that works though, just the way that I done it. Almost any training routine will give results; to some degree it isn’t what you do, but HOW you do it. Many people just go through motions, doing fixed numbers of sets and reps according to what they have been told, and this is where they go wrong in my opinion.
When doing an exercise, I start with 1 or 2 very light warm-up sets, high rep, until I feel slight burn in the muscle. Then, I’ll do a total of maybe 3 or 4 sets after this, with the weight going up every time. I prefer the 8-12 rep range nowadays, but in the past have tried them all. They all have something to offer, and in some ways it pays to change it up every now and then.
The key though, is to get to a weight on the last set, that will get you to fail – this is the key. If you don’t deliver that message of failure to your body, it will never adapt. So, using Bench Press as an example, lets assume you are working in the 8-12 rep range and know that your limit is 100kg for maybe 6ish reps – so you work up to that:
1st warmup set – empty bar 20-30 reps.
2nd warmup set – empty bar 20-30 reps.
Also do some gentle stretching, and, if feeling ready at this point, move on.
1st working set – 60kg – no more than 12 reps (if working in 8-12 range)
2nd working set – 80kg – as above, if you hit 12, stop.
3rd working set – 90kg – get 12, if your limit is 6ish with 100kg, it will probably be a struggle and you should probably have someone on standby to spot.
4th and final working set – 100kg to failure – and if you have a good assistant, push maybe an extra 1 or 2 reps out past failure.
The 3rd set could be skipped, depending how you feel in terms of strength and motivation. A good spotter or training partner can really help.
It’s best – generally – to stick to as full a range of motion as possible. Partial reps do have their place – they are a useful tool – but used in certain circumstances, not all the time.
Form should be focused on at all times, take the time to study training videos, youtube videos and so on – nowadays there is no excuse for bad form. Form should come before weight every time; train your muscles, not your ego.
So that is the sort of pattern I approach most exercises with. Obviously, once the first exercise is done, you will be pretty warmed up and may not need to do quite as much warmup work for subsequent exercises on the same bodypart. However, if in any doubt, do more warm-ups. The worst it can do is use up a little energy… if you aren’t warmed up fully however, you increase the risk of injury, and nothing will stop your progress (and often make you go backwards) quicker than injury.
So, the routine I used. Again, I am not saying it is the only way, or even the best way. On paper, there are “flaws” – but in reality it worked, and worked well, carrying me through a reasonably successful time competing in bodybuilding. It is not based around the time period of 1 week since your body has no idea what a week is, and each bodypart is getting hit only once directly every 8-9 days; if you are training hard enough, this will be enough although it can be hard to get your head around at first.
Session 1: Chest and Triceps.
Day off
Session 2: Back and Traps.
Day off
Session 3: Shoulders and Biceps
Day off
Session 4: Legs
Day off
Repeat.
That’s it, pretty basic. The larger muscle groups got 3-4 exercises depending how I was feeling, and the smaller muscles 2-3 exercises, always following the set and rep pattern roughly described already.
I’m not going to list specific exercises, since it is the trainees job to try different things and see what works best for them – and everyone develops their own preferences – there is no right and wrong here.
I used to start the large bodyparts with a “Big” exercise – so for chest that might be a pressing movement, or for back, a big pulling movement. My exception was legs, which I would start with leg extensions. This was because I was quite strong in the legs, so by doing leg extensions first, it sort of pre-exhausted them meaning I didn’t need to go so heavy on squat or leg press after, to achieve the same failure and stimulation. That’s just how I done it.
Again I need to stress, it isn’t so much WHAT you do, but HOW you do it. You need to always be finding ways to train smarter and harder, generate more intensity, and you must eradicate the fear of failure. You need to force your muscles to fail in order to get a response, in my opinion.
And above all, keep it simple.
RS
