Melody Wyatt begins every training session with a very clear objective: Lift with fearsome intensity. "If I'm not walking out of the gym completely fatigued, I don't feel that I gave it my all," she says. If you bring that same intensity to your training sessions, you can accomplish great things.
Melody believes that the ability to consistently push oneself with focus and intensity separates a champion from the folks who simply "go through the motions." To Melody, that means lifting as heavily as possible. When heavy becomes too heavy, she bangs out as many reps as she can—safely and with a spotter, if possible—to failure using a dropset or other technique like running the dumbbell rack.
A dropset is a technique that calls for reaching failure with your first weight, immediately dropping to a lighter weight by 20-25 percent, and continuing to rep until you hit failure again. Running the rack follows the same approach. You start with the heaviest weight you can lift for a set number of reps, go to failure, drop down in weight, rep again, and repeat until you hit the end of the dumbbell rack or total failure.
These techniques sound intense, and they are. But they're the key to great results "You can't expect to progress if you're not working with your whole body, mind, and soul," Melody says. "It takes heart and discipline; train as strong as you want it!"
Melody's training involves a 5-day split. She dedicates whole days to chest, back, arms, shoulders, and legs. Every other day includes abs or calves. To get her amped up for the monumental effort ahead, Melody listens to upbeat EDM and watches motivational videos. For her, hearing motivational words as she works out pumps her up even more; the words help her visualize her workout and materialize that vision into strength and power.
"The power of the mind is such a strong thing," Melody says, "and that's what you have to overcome: the mental part of it."
Melody's Training Plan
BodyFit
$6.99/month- 2,500+ expert-created single workouts
- 3,500+ how-to exercise videos
- Detailed workout instruction
- Step-by-step workout tips
- Training at gym or at home
- Access to Workout Plans
- Access to Bodyfit App
- Store Discounts
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What comes with BodyFit?
- Instructional Videos
Don't risk doing a workout improperly! Avoid injury and keep your form in check with in-depth instructional videos.
- How-to Images
View our enormous library of workout photos and see exactly how each exercise should be done before you give it a shot.
- Step-by-Step Instructions
Quickly read through our step-by-step directions to ensure you're doing each workout correctly the first time, every time.
BodyFit
$6.99/month- 2,500+ expert-created single workouts
- 3,500+ how-to exercise videos
- Detailed workout instruction
- Step-by-step workout tips
- Training at gym or at home
- Access to Workout Plans
- Access to Bodyfit App
- Store Discounts
Already have a Bodybuilding.com account with BodyFit? Sign In
What comes with BodyFit?
- Instructional Videos
Don't risk doing a workout improperly! Avoid injury and keep your form in check with in-depth instructional videos.
- How-to Images
View our enormous library of workout photos and see exactly how each exercise should be done before you give it a shot.
- Step-by-Step Instructions
Quickly read through our step-by-step directions to ensure you're doing each workout correctly the first time, every time.
BodyFit
$6.99/month- 2,500+ expert-created single workouts
- 3,500+ how-to exercise videos
- Detailed workout instruction
- Step-by-step workout tips
- Training at gym or at home
- Access to Workout Plans
- Access to Bodyfit App
- Store Discounts
Already have a Bodybuilding.com account with BodyFit? Sign In
What comes with BodyFit?
- Instructional Videos
Don't risk doing a workout improperly! Avoid injury and keep your form in check with in-depth instructional videos.
- How-to Images
View our enormous library of workout photos and see exactly how each exercise should be done before you give it a shot.
- Step-by-Step Instructions
Quickly read through our step-by-step directions to ensure you're doing each workout correctly the first time, every time.
BodyFit
$6.99/month- 2,500+ expert-created single workouts
- 3,500+ how-to exercise videos
- Detailed workout instruction
- Step-by-step workout tips
- Training at gym or at home
- Access to Workout Plans
- Access to Bodyfit App
- Store Discounts
Already have a Bodybuilding.com account with BodyFit? Sign In
What comes with BodyFit?
- Instructional Videos
Don't risk doing a workout improperly! Avoid injury and keep your form in check with in-depth instructional videos.
- How-to Images
View our enormous library of workout photos and see exactly how each exercise should be done before you give it a shot.
- Step-by-Step Instructions
Quickly read through our step-by-step directions to ensure you're doing each workout correctly the first time, every time.
BodyFit
$6.99/month- 2,500+ expert-created single workouts
- 3,500+ how-to exercise videos
- Detailed workout instruction
- Step-by-step workout tips
- Training at gym or at home
- Access to Workout Plans
- Access to Bodyfit App
- Store Discounts
Already have a Bodybuilding.com account with BodyFit? Sign In
What comes with BodyFit?
- Instructional Videos
Don't risk doing a workout improperly! Avoid injury and keep your form in check with in-depth instructional videos.
- How-to Images
View our enormous library of workout photos and see exactly how each exercise should be done before you give it a shot.
- Step-by-Step Instructions
Quickly read through our step-by-step directions to ensure you're doing each workout correctly the first time, every time.
Abs & Calves
Alternate these two muscle groups every other day. Melody either incorporates them between sets for active rest or squeezes them in at the end of each workout.
BodyFit
$6.99/month- 2,500+ expert-created single workouts
- 3,500+ how-to exercise videos
- Detailed workout instruction
- Step-by-step workout tips
- Training at gym or at home
- Access to Workout Plans
- Access to Bodyfit App
- Store Discounts
Already have a Bodybuilding.com account with BodyFit? Sign In
What comes with BodyFit?
- Instructional Videos
Don't risk doing a workout improperly! Avoid injury and keep your form in check with in-depth instructional videos.
- How-to Images
View our enormous library of workout photos and see exactly how each exercise should be done before you give it a shot.
- Step-by-Step Instructions
Quickly read through our step-by-step directions to ensure you're doing each workout correctly the first time, every time.
BodyFit
$6.99/month- 2,500+ expert-created single workouts
- 3,500+ how-to exercise videos
- Detailed workout instruction
- Step-by-step workout tips
- Training at gym or at home
- Access to Workout Plans
- Access to Bodyfit App
- Store Discounts
Already have a Bodybuilding.com account with BodyFit? Sign In
What comes with BodyFit?
- Instructional Videos
Don't risk doing a workout improperly! Avoid injury and keep your form in check with in-depth instructional videos.
- How-to Images
View our enormous library of workout photos and see exactly how each exercise should be done before you give it a shot.
- Step-by-Step Instructions
Quickly read through our step-by-step directions to ensure you're doing each workout correctly the first time, every time.
Cardio
Melody keeps cardio to a minimum, especially in the off-season. She prefers to do 20-minute high-intensity interval training (HIIT) sessions a few times per week. During contest prep, she'll do 5-6 HIIT sessions a week for around 30-45 minutes each.
Melody believes that if your goal is to burn fat, HIIT is far more effective than steady-state, distance running, or cycling.
If cardio is in her workout plan for the day, she usually tacks it on at the end of her workout.