Bodybuilding.com - Free Training Program To Get Big, Buff & Ripped All Year Long.

Printable page

Did you know?
The post-exhaust technique allows you to extend the volume of a set, without compromising intensity.

You want a program for all seasons? Look no further. These training programs have proven themselves in the gym, time and time again. These programs are very simple to follow, and yet they will give the results that you want.

Free Training Program To Get Big, Buff & Ripped All Year Long.

By: James Chan

Article Summary:

Develop the pure fast-twitch muscle fibers with the post-exhaust routine.

The 3-5 power periodization program is best for power and strength.

Vince Gironda's 8x8 is good for fat loss and conditioning.

Let's cut through the BS, shall we? You want a program for all seasons? You want to be big, buffed AND ripped? You want to be as strong as an ox? You want your cake AND eat it too?

Look no further, because this article is for you my friend. I'm going to reveal to you a program for all seasons: mass, muscularity, fat loss, strength and tone. These training programs have proven themselves in the gym, time and time again. These programs are very simple to follow, and yet they will give the results that you want.

Click To Enlarge.
Finally, Get The Results You Want!

Mass & Muscularity
The Post-Exhaust Routine

You've no doubt heard of the pre-exhaust technique. The post-exhaust compound set is the exact opposite. The post-exhaust technique requires that you perform a heavy multi-joint movement for a body part followed by a lighter single-joint movement for that same body part. An example of this would be a bench press followed immediately by dumbbell flyes. The beauty of this technique is three-fold:

You develop the pure fast-twitch muscle fibers with a heavy compound movement and then hit the intermediate fat-twitch muscle fibers with the lighter movement.
The post-exhaust technique allows you to extend the volume of a set, without compromising intensity.
This technique also allows you to hit the body part from different angles with more than one exercise, without overextending the length of your workout. This way you can work on both bulk and symmetry.

Here's a sample post-exhaust routine. Remember to use as much weight as you can on the first exercise of the compound set and move the weight as quickly as possible. This will activate the pure fast-twitch muscle fibers, which have the most growth potential. On the second exercise, use lighter weight with a more controlled tempo. Emphasize constant tension on this second exercise.

RELATED ARTICLE

[ Click here to learn more. ]

Fiber Type Training: What Type Of Muscle Fiber Are You?
If you know what type of muscle fiber you have then training programs can be better designed.

Author:
Dr. David Ryan

Day 1:

Perform 5 compound sets for each body part, 5 reps for each exercise. Rest 2 minutes between each compound set.

Chest Compound Set:
1. 20° incline dumbbell press
2. 20° incline dumbbell flyes
Back Compound Set:
1. Pull-ups
2. Stiff-arm pulldowns
Shoulder Compound Set:
1. Barbell clean and press
2. Standing dumbbell laterals
Triceps Compound Set:
1. Dips
2. Lying triceps extensions
Biceps Compound Set:
1. Drag curls
2. Lying dumbbell curls

print Click Here For A Printable Log Of Day 1.

Day 2:

Perform 5 compound sets for each body part, 5 reps for each exercise. Rest 2 minutes between each compound set.

Quad Compound Set:
1. Front squats
2. Sissy squats
Hamstrings Compound Set:
1. Romanian deadlifts
2. Lying leg curls
Calves Compound Set:
1. Seated calf raises
2. Standing machine calf raises
Abs Compound Set:
1. Hanging leg raises
2. Planks

Click To Enlarge.
Plank.
Video: MPEG (1.1 MB) - Windows Media (302 KB)

print Click Here For A Printable Log Of Day 2.

Size & Strength
3-5 Power Periodization Program

The 5x5 Method is a great program for size and strength. It is simple, easy to use and you will develop a myogenic tone from the heavy lifting.

What Does Myogenic Mean?
Myogenic contraction refers to a myocyte contraction that originates from a property of the myocyte itself. i.e. the contraction is initiated by the cell itself, not an outside occurrence or stimulus such as nerve innervation.
[ wikipedia.org ]

If you're interested solely in power and strength, then here's a simple way to incorporate the 5x5 Method into a power periodization program, called the 3-5 Method.

Click To Enlarge.
The 3-5 Method Will Build Power And Strength.

Here's how it works:

First Two Weeks:

For 2 weeks, follow the 5x5 Method with 3 minute rest periods. Do only 5 exercises for the entire body. Alternate between 2 workouts across 5 days a week for 2 weeks.

Workout #1:

Pull-ups: 5x5, 3 minutes rest
Deadlifts: 5x5, 3 minutes rest
Incline barbell press: 5x5, 3 minutes rest

print Click Here For A Printable Log Of Workout 1.

Workout #2:

Front squats: 5x5, 3 minutes rest
Seated cable rows: 5x5, 3 minutes rest

print Click Here For A Printable Log Of Workout 2.

Third Week:

For the third week, drop the volume down to 3x3 with 5 minute rest periods. Do only 3 lifts for the entire body, 3 days a week.

Bench press: 3x3, 5 minute rest
Sternum pull-ups: 3x3, 5 minute rest
Back squats: 3x3, 5 minute rest

print Click Here For A Printable Log Of Workout 3.

The 3-5 Method is a simple strength and power program that can be used for powerlifting or general athletic strength.

Fat Loss & Muscle Tone
Vince Gironda's 8x8

This is the classic "honest workout" by Vince Gironda. Although it was designed to be a muscle-building program, I found it to be a far better fat loss and conditioning program.

Related Vince Gironda Articles:

The premise of 8x8 is simple, although the execution of the program is brutally hard. You simply perform 8 sets of 8 reps of one exercise with only 10-15 second rests. Perform 8 exercises to cover all 8 major muscle groups of the body, and you've got a complete fat loss/strength training program.

Click Image To Enlarge.
Over The Years Vince Created Many Brilliant Courses.

Now most people will not be able to perform 8 sets of 8 reps and will fall short of the 64 total reps. Most people cannot handle the 10 second rests at first. When you start out on this program, start with one minute rests, and knock the rest periods down week by week: 45 seconds, 30 seconds, 20 seconds, 15 seconds, and finally 10 seconds. Change the exercises from week to week as well.

Workout #1:

print Click Here For A Printable Log Of Workout #1.

Workout #2:

print Click Here For A Printable Log Of Workout #2.

Conclusion

There you have it: simple programs for every bodybuilding season. Now quit searching for that perfect program. Hit the gym with programs and get the perfect physique.

100's Of Workouts:
The Workout Database!
Looking for a workout that is customized to exactly what you want?

[ Search The Workout Database Here! ]

About The Author:

James Chan is a police officer for the University of California and is also a certified personal trainer with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. His newly released book Strength and Physique Volume 2: Neo-Classical Bodybuilding is available at Amazon.com. For more of his insights into strength training and bodybuilding, visit his blog at http://strengthandphysique.blogspot.com

strengthandphysique@yahoo.com