This is a program for the lifter who wants to pack on some muscle and get bigger. Every lift listed here can be performed with a barbell. A few of the lifts require some other equipment, such as a bench or a squat rack, but there are plenty of combinations that can be done with a barbell only. If you need descriptions on how to perform a lift, look here.
THE LIFTS
There are many more lifts that fall under the four categories here than what I have provided. These are just the basics that will work your whole body, develop your coordination, and provide an excellent base for future lifting.
~Upper Body~
Presses:
Military press, floor press, bench press.
Pulls:
Bent-over row, body row, pullups, chinups.
CREATE A PROGRAM
1. Pick one type of lift from each of the four categories.
2. Test youself in each of your chosen lifts to see what weight allows you to acheive about 10 reps in each lift (you will be using a different weight for each lift, of course). The weight you pick should be challenging, but you should still be able to crank out 1-2 more reps before failing.
3. Take a couple days off, then get started!
THE SCHEDULE
1. You will be doing this program 3 days/week, with a day off in between each workout. Mon-Wed-Fri, Tues-Thurs-Sat, etc. Whatever days work best for you, whatever time of day works best.
2. Your training will be split into two parts, an "Upper Body" day consisting of your press/pull lifts, and a "Lower Body" day consisting of your squat/deadlift lifts.
3. Alternate your Upper and Lower workouts each workout day. So on the first week, you will do Upper-Lower-Upper. On the second week, you will do Lower-Upper-Lower, and so on.
4. You will do alternating sets of 5-6 reps on each workout day for 20 minutes straight. Let's say that it is your upper body day, and your chosen lifts are the military press and the pullup. Do one set of military press, then do one set of pullups, then rest. Then do another set of military press and pullups. Only rest as much as you need.
5. The goal is to get in as many sets as possible in the 20 minute time period, but never do more than 6 reps in a single set. Never work a set to failure, and never sacrifice proper form. Drop your reps down to the 3-4 range if need be rather than pushing to failure on 5-6 reps. You should push yourself very hard in the last few minutes, going to your limit.
6. To begin with, use the weight that you chose for each lift that allowed you to get 10 reps. But remember, you are only going to be performing sets of 5-6 reps.
7. Keep track of your total reps for each lift. As you get stronger, try and shorten your rest periods. Once you reach a point where you are doing 20% more reps for a given lift than on your first workout, increase the weight for that lift by 5% on your next workout, and use the number of reps you get on that day as your new baseline.
NUTRITION/REST
It is extremely important that you take in enough calories and get adequate rest. Otherwise, you will get subpar results. When trying to gain muscle, the best program in the world will fail if you aren't eating enough. A general guideline is to eat one gram of protein for each pound of bodyweight. The rest of your diet should consist of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Try to limit simple sugar/refined carb intake to limit your fat gain. By the way, you WILL gain some fat while gaining muscle, so don't be surprised or scared. Just get to your goal, and then take the fat off later. Remember, one thing at a time.
Another recommendation I have seen is to drink one gallon of whole milk each day in addition to your normal diet. This works well for some, and not well for others. It depends greatly on your individual metabolism and digestive system. Some have had good luck using 2% milk, or drinking only a half gallon of whole milk each day, or drinking a whole gallon but only on workout days. Don't get too fancy here, either do it or don't.
As far as sleep goes, get at least 8 hours every night. Thinking about getting 8 hours, or intending to get 8 hours does not count. Be honest with yourself. When was the last time you got 8 hours of sleep 7 nights in a row? Most Americans don't get enough sleep anyways, so this would be a great thing to do for yourself, regardless of your fitness goals. It enhances your recovery and immune system tremendously, among other things.
NOTES
This is a simplified version of Escalating Density Training developed by strength coach Charles Staley. Visit his website http://www.myodynamics.com/ for more info on the full program. This is only one way of doing things out of an infinite number of possibilities. No program will work forever, no matter what you may think. The human body is simply too good at adapting. When you stop making improvements, this is known as a plateau. Some ways to break through a plateau are:
1. Take a week off and get some rest.
2. Stick with the same program but use different lifts.
3. Try a new program. (For more ways to make yourself bigger, look here.)
Also, it would be wise to have someone who knows what they're doing observe your lifting technique to see if you are doing it properly. You should naturally get better of course as you practice, but certain bad habits can become ingrained if you don't catch them early. Some general guidelines would be to lift slowly (but not exaggeratedly slow), keep the weight under control at all times, and never sacrifice form to get another rep or lift more weight. If your form starts to fall apart, give yourself an ego check, put the weight down, and call it good.
You may also be wondering whether you should be doing specific abdominal work, a warm-up, or some stretching. All these things are good, but beyond the scope of this site. The idea here is too provide a simple, effective program so that you will just GET STARTED and stop worrying about not having every little detail worked out ahead of time. If you absolutely need some answers, then:
**Abs: Yes, you can add specific abdominal work, just keep it simple and don't kill yourself with high reps. Look around and do whichever program appeals to you.
**Warm-up: Perform as much of a warm-up as you feel is necessary for your own body. 'Nuff said.
**Stretching: Of course stretching is good. The question is, will you do it? I say, work on changing one aspect of your health life at a time. Again, if you are motivated to do it, then look around and use whichever program you like. Some are better than others, but you can't really go wrong.
***NOW STOP READING AND START GETTING BIGGER!!!***
