New, Improved Resistance Training Program

A few weeks ago I decided I wanted to introduce 3 weekly resistance training sessions back into my workout routine. For a while now I’ve been only been doing resistance training as part of my functional training/conditioning program. That will continue, but I just wanted to increase my resistance training emphasis a little with the 3 straight resistance training sessions.

The reason for this decision was simply to see if I can take my muscle tone up a level.

Since starting these sessions, I’ve been doing a 4-day split arrangement, as follows:
    #1: Heavy Upper Body
    #2: Heavy Lower Body/Core
    #3: Light Upper Body
    #4: Light Lower Body/Core

That’s been working fine, but after some thought and discussion with one of my trainers, I’ve re-designed my program this weekend to improve it and make it, I believe, more effective and well-rounded.

My new, improved program starts tomorrow (Monday) and I thought I would detail how it will look, in case any of you would also like to follow it yourselves.

The program will repeat every 12 weeks and is broken up into three 4-week phases. These will be:

#1 (Week 1 – Week 4) – Muscle Growth Phase
Upper & Lower Body: 4 Sets, 8-12 Reps
Core: 4 Sets, 10-15 Reps

#2 (Week 5 – Week 8 ) – Strength/Muscle Growth Phase
Upper & Lower Body: 4 Sets, 6-8 Reps
Core: 4 Sets, 10-15 Reps

#3 (Week 9 – Week 12) – Strength Phase
Upper & Lower Body: 4 Sets, 4-6 Reps
Core: 4 Sets, 10-15 Reps

Each training session will be either an Upper Body session or a Lower Body session.

Upper Body training sessions will be made up of 6 exercises, each targeting a different muscle group, as follows:
Chest
Upper Back
Shoulders
Biceps
Triceps
Abs/Obliques

I will have 3 different Upper Body Routines, all targeting these same muscle groups, in this order, but just using different exercises, just to change things up a little.

Lower Body training sessions will also be made up of 6 exercises, targeting the following muscle groups:
Quadriceps
Quadriceps/Hamstrings
Hamstrings
Lower Back
Abs
Obliques

You’ll notice that I don’t do any calf exercises. That’s only because my calves are already larger than I want them to be (that’s just how my body is), so I don’t want to develop them any further.

Like my Upper Body sessions, I will have 3 different Lower Body Routines, all targeting these same muscle groups in this order, but with different exercises.

So the program will look like this:

Week 1:
Monday: Upper Body #1
Wednesday: Lower Body #1
Friday: Upper Body #2

Week 2:
Monday: Lower Body #2
Wednesday: Upper Body #3
Friday: Lower Body #3

Week 3:
Monday: Upper Body #1
Wednesday: Lower Body #1
Friday: Upper Body #2

Week 4:
Monday: Lower Body #2
Wednesday: Upper Body #3
Friday: Lower Body #3

That will complete one phase of the program, and then it all repeats over the next 4 weeks but with different reps, depending on the phase of the program I’m in.

And that’s about it!  Simple!!

Why not give this program a try, I think you’ll like it!