The Psychology Of Fitness

Often times I’ve put up workout routines that I’ve done on a whim for myself, when time is limited but I still wanted to work a number of different muscle groups as an “add on” workout, in addition to my main workouts.

Today, I’m going to list my workout routine as is.  My goal is to put on about 5-10 pounds of LBM by April, which will bring me to 195.  There are limits to the amount of muscle you can put on, but I know it’s possible to add at least 5 pounds of LBM within 6 months.

Basically, the reasoning behind this routine is simple – Work each body part twice per week, once with a heavy, relative strength routine and the other with a hypertrophy program.  The hypertrophy program is “easier” on the nervous system and I’ve purposely chose exercises that are not as mentally demanding, whereas the Relative strength movements are the big money exercises.  By hitting each body part twice and maintaining a solid foundation of strength, I should be able to see as much muscle gain that currently fits into my schedule.

So with that said, this is week 1 and week 2 of phase 1 of that plan (the third week is a deload week…unless I don’t need it):

Monday – Relative Strength Workout
A1. Shoulder Press – work up to 90% of my 1RM and complete 10 sets of 3
A2. Face Pulls (first 5 sets – not to failure) ~ Basically this exercise is used as a stabilizing exercise for the shoulders and to keep some symmetry between the pushing/pulling movements, but is not meant for to add much fatigue to the workout.

B1. Incline Chest Press – Work up to about 90% of my 1RM and complete 10 sets of 3
B2. Back Stretchers (first 5 sets – not to failure)

If I feel like I have something more in me (which usually isn’t the case), I’ll add in a two-round circuit of:
C1. Decline Chest Press
C2. Seated Cable Rows
C3. Shrugs

Tuesday – Hypertrophy Workout
A1. Close Hand Chest Press – 4 sets of 6-12, erring on the lower end of the spectrum as Tri’s have more Type II muscle fibers
A2. Bent Over Rows – 4 sets of 6 – 12, erring on the higher end of the spectrum as the lat has more of a mix between the muscle fibers

B1. Overhead Rope Extension – 4 sets of 8 – 16 ~ This movement is meant to hit the oft-neglected long head of the tri’s.
B2. Single-Arm Dumbbell Row – 4 sets of 8 – 16 reps

Wednesday Routine – Hypertrophy routine
A1. Shoulder Press – 6 sets between 6 – 12 reps, depending on how much volume I want, I’ll normally keep the rep range the same throughout all sets.  For example, I’ll do 6 sets of 6 reps or 6 sets of 8 reps, etc.

B1. Incline Chest Press – 6 sets between 6 – 12 reps.  Same as above.

3 Rounds:
C1. Lateral Raises – 10-25 reps
C2. Incline Cable Flyes – 10 – 20 reps

Sometimes I’ll add to this routine, by adding
C3. Reverse Cable Flyes – 12 reps
C4. Ring Dips or Long-Isolation Hold Incline Chest Press (Basically, down = slow and controlled, hold down for at least 5 seconds and then up as fast as you can)

Thursday – Leg Hypertrophy
A1. Leg Press (16 – 25 reps)
A2. Single-legged Deadlifts (8-10 on each side)

B1. Reverse Lunges (8-10 on each side)
B2. Lying Leg Curls (8-16 reps)
B3. Seated Calf Raises (12 – 30 reps)

I’ll play around with this routine as I can add step-ups, forward or walking lunges, single-legged leg press, KB Swings, etc.  In general, with Hypertrophy routines, I’ll play around with and will rarely complete the same routine twice.

Friday – Relative Strength Workout
Both of these exercises are done with a weight belt in which I perform 10 sets of 3 with as much weight as I can handle with good form.  This means that the dips are usually the heavier of the two.
A1. Dips
A2. Pull-ups

If I have time, then I’ll add in some basic movements for 3-4 rounds
B1. French Press or Rope Pressdown between 6-16 reps
B2. Wide-grip Lat Pulldown 8-16 reps with a squeeze at the bottom for at least 6 of them.

Saturday – Neural Charge Workout
4 rounds consisting of 4 movements, done with a 30 second break in between meant to stimulate the nervous system and help with recovery.  An example is:

A1 – Push Press (about 50-60% 1 RM) for 5 reps
A2 – Jumping Squats with light Kettelbells for 5-8 reps
A3 – Explosive Push-ups for 5 reps
A4 – Cleans for 3-5 reps at 50% or less of 1RM

If I’m feeling good that day, have the time or feel like it won’t inhibit my other workouts, I’ll do a Biceps routine.

Sunday – Relative Strength
10 sets of 3, wave loading or simply working up to a 2 RM for both exercises.

A1. Front Squats

B1. Deadlifts

I’ll be following this for at least 3 weeks, mostly likely 6, where I’ll probably jump into Thibs HP Mass Routine.

If you have any questions, leave a comment below.