Weight training Routines

Everybody’s busy. You don’t have to tell me about how many hours you work per week, what time you have to get up in the morning, or the number of errands you have to run before you can relax. We’re all in the same boat these days. And since we are, we all need a workout program we can stick with and not have to think about and still see great results on. It needs to be simple, efficient, and not take too darn long.

That’s the logic behind The Truth About Strength Training program—a 12-week workout and diet plan I wrote for regular, busy people who want to get the most benefit from the least amount of effort. It requires four lifting sessions that shouldn’t take more than an hour to complete each and will have you setting new personal records on your squat, bench press, and deadlift in no time.

The first four weeks (Phase I) of this fast gains training plan appear here. You can get the rest of the program (along with the diet and two bonus books) at truthaboutstrengthtraining.com. This is strength training for the ordinary guy who wants extraordinary results.

HOW IT WORKS
On the squat, bench press, and deadlift, you'll need to “work up” to the heaviest load you can handle for the given number of reps. However, it shouldn’t be a load that pushes you to the limit. Start with the empty bar and do 10 reps just to get warm. Then add some weight and do a set of 7 or 8, depending on what your ultimate rep number is (do more if it’s going to be a low-rep set and less if it’s going to be a high-rep set). If you’re working up to a heavy 5, keep the reps at five each work-up set. If it’s 2, start with sets of five and then as you go heavier drop it to 3 and then 2.

For the main lifts, you can do the conventional squat, bench press, and deadlift every week throughout the plan or vary them. You can do the front squat one week in place of the back squat or the floor press in place of the bench press. But if making progress on the conventional lifts is important to you, you should stick with them more often than not. The reps stay the same. You’ll do 7 reps the first week, 5 the second, and 3 the third no matter what exercises you choose. The weight you use will vary depending on the lift.

DIRECTIONS
Perform each workout (Day I, II, III, and IV) once per week. You can perform Days I and II back to back if you like, and III and IV back to back, or rest a day between each session. Allow at least two full days between lower-body workouts (Day I and Day III). For example: Perform Day I on Monday, Day II on Wednesday, Day III on Friday, and Day IV Sunday. Or, you could do Day I on Monday, Day II Tuesday, Day III Thursday, and Day IV Friday. You can schedule them other ways too, but never perform three workouts on back-to-back days.

Exercises that are paired (marked “A” and “B”) are done in alternating fashion. Perform a set of A, rest as prescribed, then a set of B, rest, and repeat until all the sets are completed. Note that exercises with “0 sec.” rest mean to go immediately to the next exercise. Exercises that don’t have a letter attached (are not paired) are done as straight sets. Complete one set, rest as prescribed, and repeat until all sets are complete.