My Workout

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The following is an EXAMPLE of a week of workouts for me. I change it up a little every month or so (I explain more on this in a few paragraphs). I currently utilize what is now called “the traditional Bro split”. I like it because I hit one muscle group at a time, hard, and then move on the next day. I have my workouts planned so that I maximize the rest period between hitting that muscle group again so I don’t hurt my recovery.

You will notice that on most days I do supersets. Supersetting is when you take two or more exercises and perform them in succession (back to back) without rest in order to turn your weightlifting workout into more of an HIIT (high intensity interval training) session (gets your heart rate up). This also significantly speeds up my time in the gym and allows me to cram more workouts in a 45-60 minute window (workout more efficiently = less time away from life).

Varying intensity methods can prevent, or get you through, plateaus. This can be something as simple as changing up one or two exercises a month, changing your grip (you will see I utilize varying grips to try and hit the muscle from every angle), eccentric focused lifting (focus on lowering the weight slowly rather than focusing on pushing/lifting the weight), or switching from barbells to dumbbells to change your range of motion (ROM). I also try to get one unilateral (one side at a time) exercise in for each body part as this keeps you balanced and can add intensity to each exercise. There are various other intensity modifying methods that definitely work. I tend to change things up when I quit getting sore a day or two after my workouts.

The key is to focus on proper form and not lifting to heavy that you sacrifice your form (this is a very common mistake I see on a daily basis). I focus on lowering the weight in a slow controlled fashion and lifting at a comfortable tempo. An extremely delayed eccentric is called Time Under Tension Training (TUTT) and can also be a very effecting intensity modifier to change up your workout for a bit. You can also load up the weight and ONLY due eccentric contractions (lowering the weight in a slow and controlled motion) and then have a spotter or workout friend help raise/lift the weight back up, this is eccentric focused training (most people are stronger on the eccentric and thus can lift heavier weights using this method).

Each exercise below is 4 sets of 6-15 repetitions unless otherwise stated. I tend to aim for the high end of this spectrum for my first set (usually around 12-14 reps). This combines a warm up set and a working set and will help prevent injuries by acclimating your joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments that are recruited during the lift. I then increase the weight by 5-15 pounds (depending on the muscle group) and aim for the 8-10 range for the next two sets. The last set is performed using the same weight I used initially and trying to crank out 10-12 reps (should be hard if your previous 3 sets were done with good intensity). The lower end of the spectrum (6-8 reps) is primarily utilized when increasing the weight from month to month (this gradually increasing weight is an example of progressive overload and is the optimal way to gain muscle size and strength). I tend to fall into this rep range in the first week or two after increasing the weight on any given exercise. I know it’s time to increase the weight when I am going above the 12-15 rep range for my initial set or above the 10-12 range for my middle sets. For some exercises this increases slightly every couple weeks, for many I find I am increasing the weight every month or so. Don’t push it because you think you need to be increasing your weight every week.

When I talk about “finisher sets” this is usually done with a slightly lower weight with anywhere between 10-20 reps at the end of my workout and is only 2-3 sets. This functions to really get a “pump” which forces more blood and thus more nutrients to the target muscles. I feel like when using this at the end of my workout I am maximizing the nutrient delivery to the muscle and really finish it off (especially when coupled with a BCAAs or whey protein shake at the end of my workout – I will discuss supplements in a blog post very soon).

• Monday: Chest day
  • Dumbell Bench Press
  • Inclined Dumbess Bench Press
  • Cable fly (hit a different angle every week)
  • Cross body cable fly (really gets the inside of the pecs)
  • Finisher sets of various exercises (usually whatever is open, which is generally a machine)
• Tuesday: Back Day (I superset lat dominant exercises with middle back dominant exercises)
  • Lat pulldowns on the machine (I really feel this particular machine in my lats)
  • Superset between:
    • Bent over barbell row
    • Cable station lat pulldown with palm facing grip
  • Superset between:
    • Cable station bench row with wide grip attachment
    • Cable station single neutral grip lat pulldown (handle on both pulleys, with palms facing each other)
  • A “finisher” superset between:
    • lat pullovers with dumbell on bench
    • standing lat pulldown/pushdown on cable machine
• Wednesday: Shoulders and Abdominals
  • I start with 4 sets of an exercise I kind of made up with a combination of exercises that REALLY target the abs and produce core strength at the same time.
    • I get into a hyperextended plank position (elbows more at the level of my eyes compared with traditional elbows below shoulders – EMG data shows that this has superior abdominal activation over many other exercises). In the beginning just doing these will likely be enough if you’re not used to them. I then place two slide pads under my feet/toes (one under each foot) and bring my knees to my chest by focusing on contracting my abs rather than dragging my feet. You can also try this exercise from the traditional plank position until you have enough core strength to increase the intensity by hyperextending. Trust me when I say my abs are sore all week and I only work them out once a week.
  • I superset the following exercises:
    • Dumbbell military shoulder press (seated)
    • Dumbbell shrugs (focus on bringing your shoulders toward your ears at the end of the exercise to really activate the traps).
  • Lateral dumbbell raises
  • Rear cable flies on the cable station (left hand holding right side cable and vice versa). I only do this because we don’t have a “pec deck” at my gym where this can more easily be done.
  • You’ll notice I don’t do any dedicated front deltoid exercises. I feel like this particularly small muscle is already worked/overworked during many of your pressing exercises on chest day and I try to even things out by focusing on the lateral and rear deltoids.
• Thursday: Legs day (remember I can’t put a load on my spine anymore after back surgery – for those that can, I recommend squats and deadlifts with PERFECT form).
  • Superset:
    • Leg extensions on machine (quads)
    • Hamstring curls on machine (hamstrings)
  • Superset:
    • Single leg calf raises (one leg at a time, body weight or holding dumbbells using a platform to get full ROM)
    • Seating single leg calf raises
    • I do each type of calf raise because one works the soleus muscle more and the other targets the gastrocnemius more. Your calf muscles are used to being worked all day every day whenever you take a step so I feel like they need more work in the gym to really shock them and get them to grow (one of the hardest muscles to grow).
  • Deep/long stride dumbbell lunges (4 sets of however many repetitions it takes to not be able to stand up on the last one)
    • The longer/deeper the stride the more gluteal (booty) activation
• Friday: Arms day (at this point my biceps and triceps have had time to rest/recover from whatever activation they got out of back and chest day respectively). Focus on full ROM and not swinging your body for all these exercises. Try to focus on the squeeze at the end of the exercise and keep your elbows locked for tricep exercise to maximize tension.
  • Superset:
    • Preacher curls (either dumbbell single arm or using the machine, whichever is open)
    • Skull crushers (lying tricep extension)
  • Superset:
    • Standing EZ bar bicep curl with varying grip width
    • Tricep rope extension with outward curl at the bottom
  • Superset:
    • Single arm bicep skull crushers on cable machine
    • Single arm reverse grip (palm up) tricep extension on cable
  • Finisher superset:
    • reverse grip (palms down toward floor) barbell bicep curl
    • dips (either using two benches, the machine, assisted dip station, etc.)

I then utilize my weekend for rest, relaxation and recuperation. I do think that there are better splits out there for MAXIMIZING muscle growth, but I personally love my current split and find ways to change it up and make it my own constantly. The key to your workouts is you need to find ways to make it your own. If you force yourself to do exercises that hurt or you hate then you are less likely to show up to the gym at all. I recommend if you are new to this or lack creativity in the exercise department you should either find a personal trainer or find an affordable (less than $10 per month) online program like the following at Subscribe to All Access: unlimited access to expert training plans and exclusive savings. It is very affordable and they have tons of programs to choose from and you can tinker around with the plans and customize them until you find something you like. I will write a dedicated post on optimizing muscle growth using proper weight, rep ranges and number of sets in a future. But remember, it’s not always what’s “optimal” scientifically speaking, it’s what’s “optimal for you” that will get you where you want to go.

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