Muscle 1
Description
The 6-week Muscle 1 weight training program is designed to:
- Train all of your major muscle groups
- Build muscle in the 9–11 rep range
- Strengthen your core and primal movement patterns
- Introduce you to the intensity technique of superset training
The program is a 3-day training split, which means that you will divide your body into three and train each of the three sections in a separate workout. In Workout A, you will train your back, biceps, and core; in Workout B, you will train your chest, shoulders, triceps, and core; and in Workout C, you will train your legs and core.
Please read the Overview of men’s weight training programs before you start this program.
Note: This program is also available in my ebook.
Suitability
- Lifters who have completed the Men’s Beginner program
- Anyone who has at least 3 months of consistent weight training experience
Instructions
- Complete the workouts (A, B, and C) in the order provided
- The recommend workout schedules are ABCX (i.e. three days on, one day off) or ABCXABX (i.e. three days on, one day off, two days on, one day off, and then carry on from where you left off)
- Perform the exercises in the order provided
- Complete all of the sets for each exercise before moving on to the sets of the next exercise
- Rest for 30 to 90 seconds between the sets
- Rest for 1 to 2 minutes between the exercises
- Always use an amount of weight that will make completing the reps challenging
- Whenever you have to increase the weight, add a maximum of 5 lb (or 2.5 kg) to upper-body exercises or 10 lb (or 5 kg) to lower-body exercises
- Try to master the proper form of each exercise, including proper breathing technique. Also, try to develop a mental connection with your muscles and with the movement patterns as you train
- If you get bored of an exercise, see the Overview of men’s weight training programs for alternatives
- If training at home in the absence of cable machines and other specialized equipment, see below the exercise tables for exercise alternatives
- The exercises marked with an asterisk (*) are to be performed as a superset if possible, which means that, after you perform a set of one exercise, you must perform a set of the other exercise without resting
- Don’t forget to warm up before, and stretch after, each workout
- Once you have completed the Muscle 1 program, you must take a deload week. Only then can you move on to the next program or redo the same program
| Workout A (Back, biceps, core) | |
|---|---|
| Exercise | Sets x Reps |
| Barbell deadlift | 3 x 9–11 |
| Pull-up with dumbbell between feet | 3 x 9–11 |
| Seated cable row | 2 x 9–11 |
| Bent-over dumbbell row | 2 x 9–11 |
| EZ bar curl* | 3 x 9–11 |
| Wheel rollout* | 3 x 10–15 |
| Dumbbell lying external shoulder rotation | 2 x 15–20 |
| *To be performed as a superset | |
| Workout B (Chest, shoulders, triceps, core) | |
|---|---|
| Exercise | Sets x Reps |
| Barbell bench press | 3 x 9–11 |
| Incline reverse-grip dumbbell bench press | 2 x 9–11 |
| Arnold press | 2 x 9–11 |
| Cable face pull | 3 x 9–11 |
| Triceps dip* | 2 x 9–11 |
| Lying side hip raise* | 2 x 20–25 |
| Bicycle crunch | 3 x 20–25 |
| *To be performed as a superset | |
| Workout C (Legs and core) | |
|---|---|
| Exercise | Sets x Reps |
| Barbell squat | 3 x 9–11 |
| Dumbbell lunge | 3 x 9–11 |
| Inverse or lying leg curl | 3 x 9–11 |
| Machine seated calf raise | 2 x 20–25 |
| Machine standing calf raise* | 2 x 20–25 |
| Cable down-up twist* | 2 x 9–11 |
| Weighted captain’s chair leg and hip raise | 3 x 9–11 |
| *To be performed as a superset | |
Alternatives for the cable/machine exercises
- Seated cable row — Bent-over dumbbell row, bent-over barbell row, or seated band row (YT)
- Wheel rollout — Ab walkout (YT) or inch worm (YT)
- Cable face pull — Band face pull (YT) or dumbbell face pull (YT)
- Triceps dip — Weighted bench dip (YT)
- Machine seated calf raise — Barbell seated calf raise (YT)
- Machine standing calf raise — Standing dumbbell one-leg calf raise or band standing calf raise (YT)
- Cable down-up twist — Band down-up twist (YT) or weighted Russian twist
- Weighted captain’s chair leg and hip raise — Hanging leg and hip raise with dumbbell between feet or lying band leg and hip raise (YT)
