LEGS PUSH PULL ARMS SB LEGS PUSH PULL ARMS For this program, I have created 2 different rotations labeled as A and B workouts. There are a few ways you could run this program. For example you could run all A workouts for 12-16 weeks, then switch over to the B workouts afterwards, or vice versa. You could also rotate them and just go back and forth between the A and B workouts, so in that case you’d do all the A workouts then B workouts then back to A, and continue doing that for as long as you wish. You also have the option to mix and match workouts if you desire, so for example you could do Legs A, Push B, Pull B, Arms A. SETTING UP THE SPLIT Again, there are a few different ways you can set this up. - 2 days on, 1 day off, 2 days on, 2 days off. This would have you training 4 days a week. - 2 days on, 1 day off, 2 days on, 1 day off. This would have you training 5 days a week. - 4 days on, 1-2 days off. This would give you the most frequency, if you can handle it and recover suf ciently. Whether or not you want to take 1 or 2 days off every 4 days is entirely up to you and what you can handle. Remember growth happens when you rest, so if you need extra rest, then take it. CALVES & ABS I have included Calves and Abs both as separate workouts for you to incorporate as you wish based off of your own needs. If you struggle with Calves and really want them to grow, I recommend training them AT LEAST 3-4x a week and always starting your workouts with them, not saving it for the end. Remember, you need to PRIORITIZE your weaknesses if you want them to grow. REST TIMES & TEMPO For rest times, the rule of thumb is to take as much time as you need in order to be able to execute your next set ef ciently. This can be anywhere from 60 seconds to 5 minutes depending on the exercise. So use as much rest time as you need, but be reasonable. Don’t waste time. Some rest times are speci ed because for those speci c exercises I want you taking shorter rest times. But if it’s not speci ed, then take the time you need. fi fi fi fi fi fi For tempo, we’re going to stick with a 3-4 second negative and 1-2 second contraction for ALL exercises (unless speci ed otherwise). Control the eccentric portion of every movement, and squeeze on the contraction. GLOSSARY AMRAP : As Many Reps As Possible RIR : Reps In Reserve. Same concept as RPE if you are familiar with that. I will use this acronym to give you an estimated number of repetitions that I want you to leave in the tank. For example, 2-3 RIR would mean that you nished the set but could’ve done 2-3 more reps. 0 RIR would mean going to absolute total failure. CLUSTER SET : One set containing multiple rounds with short rest times between rounds, this can be done multiple ways. I will explain how I want it done for the speci c movement whenever it is programmed in. One example would be 4 rounds of 4 reps each round, to get a total of 16 reps, with a 10 second rest between rounds. The goal here would be to start with a weight that you can get 4 reps with easily on the rst round, but by the fourth round you’d be reaching absolute total failure, so choosing your weight wisely is crucial when doing cluster sets. REST PAUSE SET : One set containing multiple rounds with short rest times between rounds, but with rest pause sets you are going to absolute total failure on the very rst round rather than reserving energy for the following sets like you would on a cluster set. For example, you’d pick a weight where you can get around 10-12 reps and go to failure, rest 15 seconds, then go to failure again, rest 15 seconds, and then go to failure again for 3 total rounds. FEEDER SET : Feeder sets are what bridge the gap between your warm up and working sets and can be anywhere from 4-6 reps. The main purpose is to increase weight on each feeder set & slowly introduce your muscles to the load that will be placed on your body during your rst working set without expending too much energy because you’re not doing a lot of reps. They will help to continue warming up your muscles, help to prevent injury, & a lot of the time will also help you realize that you can do more weight than you think. If you feel like the weight you use during your feeder set is suf cient enough for the working set then stick with that, leave your ego at the door. PARTIAL REPS : Coming half way down or half way up, not full range of motion. fi fi fi fi fi fi fi Usually implemented at the end of a set as an intensi er once total failure has been reached and no more full reps can be completed. CALVES Whenever you’re training calves, it is CRUCIAL to make sure you’re getting a full range of motion, as with any exercise. But with calves, people tend to rarely ever do this because they go way too heavy. Start LIGHT, take it SLOW, focus on getting a full complete stretch and contraction. Do not bounce at all, hold the stretch for a brief second on every rep just to ensure that you don’t bounce or use any momentum. Your calves are used to constantly being used on a daily basis, if you cut your range of motion short even by a little bit, you’ll be able to use much more weight and it will feel relatively easy, but it will only be hindering your progression. I highly advise you that when you incorporate calf workouts, that you add them to the beginning of your training session and start with them. Calf Workout A 1. Standing Calf Raises Here you’re going to do 4 working sets of 30 total reps, with a 10 second hold every 10 reps. So 10 reps, hold contraction for 10 seconds, and repeat 2 more times without any rest. These will BURN, choose weight wisely and start light. Rest 45-60 seconds between sets 2. Seated Calf Raises SUPERSET w/ Shin Raises For the seated calf raises you’ll do 4 working sets of 12-15 reps (0 RIR) For the shin raises you’ll do 4 working sets of 15-20 reps (0 RIR) Rest 45-60 seconds after superset then repeat. If you have access to a shin raise machine at your gym, great. If you don’t, sit on the end of a bench with your legs hanging o , grab a dumbbell and place it between your feet to perform the shin raises. Calf Workout B On this workout we’re going to go a bit heavier but still keep CONTROL. Meaning do not go too heavy, only as heavy as you can for the given rep range while maintaining perfect execution. 1. Seated Calf Raises Here you’ll do 5 working sets of 8-10 reps (0 RIR). On your last 2 sets I want you to do an additional 10 partial reps from the bottom, SLOW and CONTROLLED. Remember, no bouncing. Once you nish your nal set, I want you to do 1 back o set, aiming for 20 reps. Rest 45-60 seconds between sets. 2. Leg Press Calf Raises ff ff fi fi For these, you’re going to do 4 working sets total (0 RIR), you may or may not need to do a few warm up sets before you get to a good weight to start the working sets. For the 1st working set you’ll do 15-20 reps, on the second you’ll do 12-15 reps, on the third you’ll do 10-12 reps, and on the last set you’ll do 8-10 reps. Rest 45-60 seconds between sets. AB WORKOUT When it comes to training abs, there isn’t too much variation. Stick to these exercises and you’ll be more than ne. Keep your rest times short and intensity high. Hanging Leg Raises SUPERSET w/ Ab Crunches 1. Hanging Leg Raises Do 5 sets of 15-20 reps. 2. Ab Crunch Machine OR Kneeling Cable Crunches When doing these, especially with kneeling cable crunches because you see these done incorrectly the majority of the time, you want to make sure you’re actually exing your abs and crunching in. Your spine should be curved and you should feel your core squeeze. You are not just rocking the weight up and down here. Perform 5 sets of 12-15 reps. Rest 45-60 seconds then repeat superset. Day 1 - Legs A 1. Lying Hamstring Curl Machine Here you’re going to do 1 warm up set of 10 reps, 2 working sets of 15 reps leaving 2-3 RIR, then 2 working sets of 10-12 reps leaving 0 RIR with 10-12 partial reps at the end of the set. 2. High Bar Barbell Back Squats OR Hack Squats (Banded) Start with 1 warm up set of 10 reps, then do 2-4 feeder sets of 4-6 reps to nd the weight you’ll be starting your working sets with. 1 working set of 10 reps leaving 2-3 RIR, then 1 working set of 6-8 reps leaving 0 RIR. 3. Leg Press You want your feet to be around shoulder width apart or slightly wider here, and not too high on the platform. Make sure you get DEEP on these & CONTROL the weight. Most people go way too heavy on leg press when they’d get much more out of it by dropping the weight, slowing down, & focusing on getting a full stretch. fi fl fi fi fi Start with 2-4 feeder sets of 4-6 reps to nd the weight you’ll be starting your working sets with, then perform 2 working sets of 20 reps leaving 0 RIR. These will burn, it will be anything but pleasant. Maintain control & ght through it, do not cheat yourself here. 4. Leg Extensions You’re going to do 3 working sets of 12 reps here, moving up in weight on each set. So the rst 2 sets should be anywhere from 2-5 RIR, but the nal set should absolutely be 0 RIR. After this you will do 1 set of 30 total reps, with a 10 second hold every 10 reps. So 10 reps, then hold the contraction and squeeze as hard as you can for 10 seconds, and repeat that 3 times without any rest. Make sure you drop the weight and go lighter for this set because you will fail fast if the weight is too heavy. 5. Dumbbell RDL’s When doing RDL’s, pause for a second at the bottom of the stretch of every rep and focus on maintaining tension on the hamstrings throughout the entire range of motion. Here you’ll do 4 sets of 12 reps working up in weight on each set. Start with a weight that you can get 12 reps for with about 3-4 RIR. By the nal set you should be reaching absolute failure (0 RIR) on the 12th rep. 6. Walking Lunges You’re going to nish o this workout with 2 working sets of 10-12 reps each leg on walking lunges leaving 0 RIR. You can use dumbbells, a barbell, or if you're absolutely fried & can’t do any weight, then do bodyweight lunges to failure. Day 2 - Push A 1. Incline Dumbbell Press Start with 1 warm up set of 10 reps, then do 2-4 feeder sets of 4-6 reps to nd the weight you’ll be starting your working sets with. 1 working set of 10 reps leaving 2-3 RIR, then 2 working sets of 6-8 reps leaving 0 RIR. 2. Flat Plate Loaded Machine Chest Press Here you’ll do 3 working sets of 10-12 reps. Leave 2-3 RIR on the rst set, 1-2 RIR on the second set, and 0 RIR on the third set. On your third set you will also perform a drop set immediately afterwards for AMRAP on the drop. 3. Machine Chest Fly You’re going to do 3 working sets of 12 reps here, all leaving 0 RIR. At the end of each set perform an additional 10 partial reps from the stretch. After you nish every set I want you to ex your chest as hard as you can for 10 seconds. 4. Low Incline Smith Machine Press fi fi fi fi fi fl fi ff fi fi Start with 2-4 feeder sets of 4-6 reps to nd the weight you’ll be using for your working set here. We’re only going to do 1 real set here, a CLUSTER SET. This cluster set will contain 4 rounds total, 4 reps each round, with a 10 second rest between each round, to get to a total of 16 reps. So you will do 4 reps, rest 10 seconds, and repeat that 3 more times. Choose a weight that you will be reaching failure at by the 16th rep on the nal round. If you go too heavy, you will not make it. If you go too light, this will be too easy. Choose wisely. It should start to get di cult on the third round. 5. Rear Delt Cable Flys Starting shoulders o with rear delts. You’re going to do 4 working sets of 15-20 reps here, leaving 0 RIR. Keep rest times around 60 seconds. 6. Seated Lateral Raises When doing lateral raises, you do not need to go heavy. You need to CONTROL the movement throughout the entire range of motion, not swinging to get it up. Do 4 working sets of 12-15 reps here, leaving 0 RIR. Keep rest times around 60 seconds. 7. Plate Loaded Shoulder Press Machine OR Seated Smith Machine Shoulder Press Start with 2-4 feeder sets of 4-6 reps to nd the weight you’ll be using for your working set. Again, we’re only going to be doing 1 real set her, this time it’s a REST PAUSE SET. 3 rounds total. What you’re going to do here is start your set with a weight that you can get for about 10-12 reps, go to absolute failure on the rst round leaving 0 RIR, even if you get more than 12 reps. Then you’ll rest for 15 seconds, and go to failure again for AMRAP, then rest for 15 seconds, and go to failure again for AMRAP. 3 rounds total. If you nd yourself not able to get more than 2-3 reps after the rst round, drop the weight and go lighter. Day 3 - Pull A 1. Lat Pulldown I want you to use a grip slightly wider than shoulder width here, not too wide, and not too close either. There are multiple di erent attachments and types of bars you could use here. Start with 1 warm up set of 10 reps, then 2-4 feeder sets of 4-6 reps to nd the weight you’ll be starting your working sets with. You’re going to do 2 working sets here of 8-10 reps, leaving 0 RIR. At the end of each working set you’re going to do an additional 10 partial reps from the stretch. On your nal set, you’re also going to do a drop set for AMRAP on the drop, once you can no longer do any more reps on the drop, continue doing partial reps to absolute failure. 2. Single Arm Seated Cable Row OR High Cable Lat Pulldown Choose whichever movement you’re going to do. If you’re going to do the high cable lat pulldown, then pull up a bench for support, make sure you maintain a neutral spine to bias your lats and don’t lean forward or back. You want to essentially “scoop” your arm down, drive your elbow down into your hip, keep your arm tight and close to your side. Once you start to are your elbows out and further away from the body, you will disadvantage your lats. This applies to both exercises. fl fi fi fi fi fi fi ff ff fi ffi You’re going to do 3 working sets of 10-12 reps each side here, leaving 0 RIR. When doing these, make sure you’re keeping your chest down and pressed against the pad. Do not start leaning back and rocking to try to get the weight up. You should be fully contracting your back at the top, if you can’t feel it, then drop weight because you’re going too heavy, as most people tend to do on this movement. You’re going to do 3 working sets of 10-12 reps, leaving 2-3 RIR on the rst 2 sets, 0 RIR on the nal set. After your nal set, perform a drop set for AMRAP on the drop. 4. Single Arm Dumbbell Rows Keep your body slightly above parallel with the oor here. Use the back of a bench or the dumbbell rack to stabilize yourself with the opposing arm. You’re going to do 3 working sets of 8-10 reps, leaving 2-3 RIR on the rst 2 sets, 0 RIR on the last set. 5. Cable Pullovers You can perform these with a rope or a straight bar, either one works. Make sure you get a full stretch on these, drive your elbows down into your hips, and really engage your lats. Finish o this workout with 4 working sets of 12-15 reps, leaving 0 RIR on every set. Day 4 - Arms A 1. Tricep Cable Pushdowns w/ Rope Start with 1 warm up set of 10-15 reps, then you’re going to do 4 working sets of 15 reps moving up in weight on each set if you can. By the 4th set you should have 0 RIR, reaching total failure at 15 reps. On your nal set you’ll also perform a drop set for AMRAP on the drop. 2. Close Grip Smith Machine Bench Press Start with 1 warm up set of 10 reps, then do 2-4 feeder sets of 4-6 reps to nd the weight you’ll be starting your working sets with. You’re then going to do 2 working sets of 10-12 reps (0 RIR), then 1 Cluster Set : 4 rounds, 10 second rest between rounds, 4 reps on each round to get to 16 reps total. Choose a weight that you will be reaching failure at by the 16th rep on the nal round. If you go too heavy, you will not make it. If you go too light, this will be too easy. Choose wisely. It should start to get di cult on the third round. 3. Seated Single Arm Overhead Tricep Extensions w/ Dumbbell OR Cable Perform 3 working sets of 12-15 reps each arm (0 RIR) 4. Lying Dumbbell Skullcrushers fi fi fi fi fl ffi fi fi ff Here you’re going to do 3 working sets of 10-12 reps (0 RIR), and on your nal set you’ll do a drop set for AMRAP on the drop. fi fi 3. Chest Supported T-Bar Rows 5. Single Arm Preacher Curls You can do these on a preacher curl machine (which I prefer), or on a standard preacher curl pad with a dumbbell or cable. With this movement, you want to position your body to be perpendicular to the pad so that your chest is facing out to the side. Make sure your entire arm is against the pad & not just your elbows. As your curl up, imagine you’re trying to bring your hand behind your head, slightly raise your elbow o the pad as you get to closer to the contraction. This will allow you to shorten the bicep more and get a better squeeze. Do 4 working sets of 15 reps each arm, leave 2-3 RIR on the rst 2 sets, 0 RIR on the last 2. 6. Incline Dumbbell Curl Keep your wrist supinated throughout the entire range of motion here. Do 4 working sets of 10-12 reps (0 RIR), on your nal set perform a drop set for AMRAP on the drop. 7. Alternating Hammer Curls When you do these, you’re going to slightly bring your arm across your body, rather than just straight up and down at the side. Do 4 working sets of 10-12 reps, moving up in weight on each set if you can. By the 4th set you should have 0 RIR, reaching total failure at 10 reps. 8. Reverse Barbell OR Reverse Cable Curls When doing reverse curls, your wrists are going to be a limiting factor so do not go too heavy here. You want to maintain strict form, and you want these to burn. 3 working sets of 20 reps (0 RIR) Day 1 - Legs B 1. Seated Hamstring Curl Machine Here you’re going to do 1 warm up set of 10 reps, then 4 working sets of 12 reps (0 RIR) with a 4 second contraction every 4 reps. So you’ll do 4 reps, then hold and squeeze the contraction for 4 seconds, and repeat 2 more times for a total of 12 reps. 2. Leg Extensions fi ff fi Start with 1 warm up set of 10 reps, then 4 working sets of 12 reps (0 RIR) with a 4 second contraction every 4 reps. Same thing as the previous exercise. You want your feet to be around shoulder width apart or slightly wider here, and not too high on the platform. Make sure you get DEEP on these & CONTROL the weight. Most people go way too heavy on leg press when they’d get much more out of it by dropping the weight, slowing down, & focusing on getting a full stretch. Start with 2-4 feeder sets of 4-6 reps to nd the weight you’ll be starting your working sets with, then perform 3 working sets of 10-12 reps. Leave 2-3 RIR on the rst 2 sets, then 0 RIR on the nal set going to absolute failure. 4. Barbell RDL’s When doing RDL’s, pause for a second at the bottom of the stretch of every rep and focus on maintaining tension on the hamstrings throughout the entire range of motion. Start with 1 warm up set of 10 reps. Use feeder sets if needed to nd the weight you’ll be using to start your working sets. Perform 3 working sets of 8-10 reps (0 RIR). 5. Bulgarian Split Squats w/ Dumbbells OR Smith Machine If you’re using dumbbells, hold 2 dumbbells using both arms. Using a smith machine allows for much better stabilization. Whichever one you prefer, just make sure you stay upright and don’t step too far out, the further you step out, the less quad this movement becomes. You want the leg stabilizing yourself to drop directly down and you should feel a stretch in your quad and hip exor. The top of your supporting foot should be against the bench, you shouldn’t be on your toes. Perform 3 working sets of 10 reps each leg, leave 2-3 RIR on the rst 2 sets, 0 RIR on your nal set. 6. Hack Squats (Banded) fi fi fi fi fi fi Start with 1 warm up set of 10 reps, then do 2-4 feeder sets of 4-6 reps to nd the weight you’ll be starting your working set with. You’re only going to do 1 working set here of 8-10 reps to absolute failure (0 RIR). Make it count. fi fl 3. Leg Press Day 2 - Push B 1. Incline Smith Machine Press Start with 1 warm up set of 10 reps, then do 2-4 feeder sets of 4-6 reps to nd the weight you’ll be starting your working sets with. 3 working sets of 8-10 reps, leave 2-3 RIR on the rst set, then 0 RIR on the last 2 sets. After you nish all 3 sets, perform 1 back o set aiming for at least 10 reps. 2. Flat Dumbbell Press Here you’ll do 3 working sets of 8 reps. Choose a weight that you can maintain for all 3 sets with 1-2 RIR. 3. Flat Dumbbell Fly SUPERSET w/ Bodyweight Dips You’re going to do 4 working sets of 10-12 reps here, all leaving 0 RIR. Then you’ll go straight to into bodyweight dips and do AMRAP. After you nish every set I want you to ex your chest as hard as you can for 10 seconds. 4. Seated Overhead Dumbbell Press Start with 2-4 feeder sets to nd the weight you’ll be using for your working set. Perform 1 working set of 10-12 reps (0 RIR), then 1 back o set aiming for at least 12 reps. 5. Rear Delt Machine Fly (Reverse Chest Fly Machine) Here you’ll do 4 working sets of 12-15 reps. Keep rest times around 60 seconds. 6. Single Arm Cable Lateral Raise Perform 4 working sets of 12-15 reps each arm. Keep rest times around 60 seconds. 7. Lateral Raises SUPERSET w/ HEAVY PARTIALS For these you’re going to 15 reps of standard lateral raises with dumbbells, slow and controlled, to absolute failure failing at 15 reps. Then you’re going to go straight into heavy partials, so you’ll grab heavier dumbbells (for example I’ll use 25-30 lbs for standard laterals, then 60-70 lbs for the heavy partials), and you’ll do another 15 partial reps. For heavy partials, you still want to have full control of the weight, you should not be swinging or jerking your body to try to get it up, only go as heavy as you can while still maintaining full control. fi fi ff ff fl fi fi fi Perform 3 total sets, 15 full ROM, 15 heavy partials (0 RIR). Rest around 60 seconds between sets. Day 3 - Pull B 1. Cable Pullovers You can perform these with a rope or a straight bar, either one works. Make sure you get a full stretch on these, drive your elbows down into your hips, and really engage your lats. Start with 1 warm up set of 15 reps, then perform 4 working sets of 12-15 reps (0 RIR). 2. Bent Over Barbell Rows Keep your body positioned slightly above parallel from the oor. Start with 1 warm up set of 10 reps, then use 2-4 feeder sets of 4-6 reps to nd the weight you’ll be starting your working sets with. You’re going to do 1 working set of 10 reps, leaving 2-3 RIR. Then 1 more working set of 6-8 reps to absolute failure (0 RIR). 3. Seated Cable Rows For this movement I want you to use a grip around shoulder width apart, there are multiple di erent types of cable attachments you could use such as a basic straight bar. Keep your body position slightly leaned forward, do not lean back and start rocking the weight. You’re going to do 3 working sets of 10-12 reps, leaving 2-3 RIR on the rst 2 sets, 0 RIR on the nal set. After your nal set, perform a drop set for AMRAP on the drop. 4. Reverse Grip Lat Pulldown If using a supinated grip on a straight bar hurts your wrists, use the EZ-Bar cable attachment. Also, if your gym happens to have a plate loaded hammer strength reverse lat pulldown machine, feel free to use that instead. You’re going to do 3 working sets of 10-12 reps, leaving 2-3 RIR on the rst 2 sets, 0 RIR on the last set. On your nal set, perform a drop set for AMRAP on the drop. 5. Banded Pull Ups Here you’re going to perform a standard pull up with a band, keep your grip slightly wider than shoulder width apart. You don’t HAVE to use a band if you don’t have access to one, but using the band will allow you to always get full range of motion and hold the contraction at the top of the movement, where as without the band, you may be limited and might even fail before you reach the goal rep range. fi fi fi fl fi fi fi ff Do 4 working sets of 10-12 reps (0 RIR), make sure you hold every contraction and squeeze for 2 seconds at the top. Day 4 - Arms B For this workout, we’re going to superset all bicep and tricep movements. SUPERSET 1 1a. Tricep Cable Pushdowns w/ Straight Bar Perform 4 working sets of 12-15 reps. For the rst 2 sets, leave 3-4 RIR, for the last 2 sets go to absolute failure leaving 0 RIR. 1b. Alternating Hammer Curls Perform 4 working sets of 8-10 reps. For the rst 2 sets, leave 3-4 RIR, for the last 2 sets go to absolute failure leaving 0 RIR. SUPERSET 2 2a. Lying Dumbbell Skullcrushers Perform 4 working sets of 8-10 reps. For the rst 2 sets, leave 3-4 RIR, for the last 2 sets go to absolute failure leaving 0 RIR. 2b. Lying Incline Dumbbell Curls Perform 4 working sets of 8-10 reps. For the rst 2 sets, leave 3-4 RIR, for the last 2 sets go to absolute failure leaving 0 RIR. Keep your wrists supinated throughout the entire range of motion. SUPERSET 3 3a. Katana Extensions Perform 4 working sets of 12-15 reps. For the rst 2 sets, leave 3-4 RIR, for the last 2 sets go to absolute failure leaving 0 RIR. 3b. Preacher Curls Perform 4 working sets of 20 reps (0 RIR), with a 10 second hold every 10 reps, so twice per set. So you’ll do 10 reps, hold the contraction and squeeze for 10 seconds, repeat. SUPERSET 4 4a. Close Grip Smith Machine Bench Press 1 Cluster Set. 6 rounds total : 6 reps each round, rest 10 seconds between rounds, 36 total reps. Choose weight wisely. fi fi fi fi fi 4b. EZ-Bar Curls Same as above. 1 Cluster Set. 6 rounds total : 6 reps each round, rest 10 seconds between rounds, 36 total reps. Choose weight wisely