The Basics
Set- A series of repetitions of a particular exercise designed to exhaust the muscles, causing them to get stronger and grow.Reps- The stretching and contraction of a muscle against resistance.
Split- Which body parts you will be training on which days.
Beginners
As a beginner trying to lose fat, you need to train 4-5 days per week. The duration of your workouts is 30-45 minutes. You want to be completing 3 sets of 8-12 repetitions of each exercise following a warmup. For larger body parts like legs, choose between 3-4 exercises. For smaller body parts like biceps or calves, choose 2-3 exercises.
An easy split is to do Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps (all pushing muscles) on the first day. The next day do Thighs, Hamstrings, and Calves (leg muscles). The last day do Back, Biceps, and Abdominals (all pulling muscles). Then follow with a day off. This is a common beginners split called a Push-Pull. The benefit is that you never do upper body 2 days in a row, so your muscles can rest if they are sore.
Intermediate
(6 months + lifting experience)
Once you want to start to include more sets per exercises and more exercises per body part, you may be ready to move to an intermediate program. Duration of workouts for intermediate lifters usually take between 45-60 minutes. The sets and reps will depend on your goal.
Fat Loss Goal: 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps, with 4-5 exercises per body part.
Muscle Growth Goal: 4-5 sets of 6-10 reps with 3-4 exercises per body part.
A great split for intermediates is Chest and Triceps on Day One, Back and Biceps on Day Two. Day 3 is off. Day 4 is Shoulders and Abs, Day 5 is Legs. Day 6 is off. Then repeat the cycle. This is commonly known as a two on-one off, two on-one off split. It allows you two rest days per week and this split is also great for heavy lifters.
Advanced
(1 year + lifting experience)
Advance Lifters have the freedom and experience to include their own judgement when designing a plan depending on their goal.
Powerlifting Goal: Many powerlifters use a Squat Monday, Bench Wednesday, Deadlift Friday, and Saturday Support Split. This allows you to do your squats and deadlifts as far apart as possible for maximum recovery.
Doing all your leg work after squats, your shoulder and triceps work after bench, and your back, biceps, and grip work after deadlift makes this a natural progression. Saturday’s are often used for extra support work, cardio, and abs.
Endurance Goal: If you are training for distance running, biking or obstacle course racing, you still want to include 2-3 days per week of weight training to keep increasing strength and muscular endurance. Use the other 3-4 days per week to do your endurance activities. A great way to mix up your training is to do a day of strength training, then do a day of endurance training, then either take a day off if you need it, or simply repeat that cycle.
Fitness and Weight Loss Goal: Once you have over a year’s experience, you often don’t need, or want to take more days off per week than you have to. You have learned by this point to listen to your body for when you need a day off. In general you want to do 4-5 exercises for larger body parts and 3-4 for smaller ones, using different angles and mixing up your exercise order for new stimulus. If you have made it to this stage, you know that your diet and keeping workouts fun is the most important part of staying consistent.
Final Notes
Progressive Overload: If you are eating for muscle growth, you need to progressively overload your muscle in order for them to grow. That means whatever your rep range, once you hit the top of that range, it’s time to increase the weight.
Example- John is currently bench pressing 150 pounds for 6-10 reps, once John can get 10 good reps, it’s time to increase the weight to 155 and continue the progression.
Safety
No diet or exercise plan should ever be started without first getting an exam from your doctor. Let your coach know if you have any medical or dietary restrictions. If you feel any strain or injury, stop exercising and consult your doctor.
