TRAINING LIKE A BODYBUILDER
by GAVIN W.
OK. So most of us don't
train like bodybuilders, or eat like them, or do anything similar to
what they do. I will be the first to let you know that my diet consists
of food, lots of food, all the time. I eat big to stay big, nothing
more and I don't worry about the good and bad fats, or timing my carbs
here or there to make tomorrow's workout even better. Honestly, that
just seems a bit much to me.
Getting on to the real subject,
bodybuilders, but more specifically training like a bodybuilder. The
fact of the matter here is that, even though our goal is to become as
strong as possible, the typical power lifter or strongman workout routine
just might not always work. Bodybuilders are not only some of the most
jacked guys you'll ever see, but they are some of the strongest guys
you will ever see. Taking that into account, maybe what they do for
their training will not only help you lean up a bit, but it might even
make you stronger.
Over the years I have tried
a bunch of stuff to try to get bigger, get stronger, and keep my muscles
feeling big, strong, and tight all the time. Through a lot of trial
and error, I managed to breakdown a decent routine that gives me those
feelings. I don't use this workout routine exclusively, but whenever
I feel like it would work well in my overall training schedule. For
instance, the last 5 weeks I have been nursing a partially torn left
oblique, so I have had to modify my leg workouts during the week to
put as little strain on the area as possible. So you can use these workouts
as you see fit in your own training schedules.
The focus of these workouts
is “the pump”. You all know the feeling, when your muscles feel
like they are going to burst out of your skin. This is the key to these
routines. Below I will have sample workouts for several muscle groups,
and I will explain how everything works.
Workout 1: Shoulders
Exercise 1: Tri-set
– rear delts (on machine), front dumbbell raises, dumbbell lateral
raises: each set will consist of all three exercises back-to-back-to- back
with no rest. Each leg of the sets will be 12-15 reps, making 1 set
36- 45 reps total. Do this exercise for 4 sets with 30-45 seconds rest
in between sets.
Exercise 2: Seated
dumbbell military press – complete 4 sets of military press at 12-15
reps per set taking 45-60 seconds rest in between sets. The last set
will be a single drop set, so after completing the first 12-15 reps
drop to a weight no more then 50% of what your previous weight was (so
if you used 100lb dumbbells for the first part of the set, do no drop
any lower then 50lbs) and rep out to failure.
Exercise 3: Wide
grip upright rows – the name says it all. Complete 4 sets of wide
grip upright rows at 12-15 reps per set with 30-45 seconds rest in between
sets. Make sure you squeeze your shoulders and traps at the top of each
rep to really get the pump in your shoulders.
Exercise 4: Cable
lateral raise giant set – complete 4 sets back-to-back-to-back, no
rest at all in between sets at 15-20 reps per set, alternating from
left to right. So you would do 15-20 reps on the right, then immediately
do 15-20 reps on the left, and then go back to the right and so on for
4 sets total per side.
Workout 2: Back
Exercise 1: Straight
bat lat pull down – using a straight lat bar, do 4 sets of 15-20 reps
taking 30-45 seconds rest in between sets. You can do this exercise
to the front or back, depending on what is more comfortable for you.
Exercise 2: Bent
over rows – with a straight bar, complete 4 sets of bent over rows
at 12- 15 reps per set with 60-90 seconds rest in between sets. Like
with military press, the last set of this group will be a single drop
to failure. The same rules apply, do not drop any lower then 50% of
the weight that you did for your last set and rep out to failure.
Exercise 3: Double-sets:
regular lat pull down and underhand pull down – complete 4 sets with
at 12-15 reps per set with 60-90 seconds rest in between sets. For this
exercise you will do 12-15 reps of regular lat pull down and then immediately
switch to an underhand pull down for 12-15 reps and that will be a complete
set.
Exercise 4: Shrugs
– nothing special here. Complete 4 sets of shrugs at 20-30 reps per
set with 30-45 seconds rest in between sets.
Workout 3: Legs
Exercise 1: Leg extension/hamstring
curl supersets – again nothing special here. Complete 4 sets at 12-15
reps per set with 45-60 seconds rest in between sets.
Exercise 2: Squats
– these can be done free or on a smith machine. Complete 4 sets at
12-15 reps per set with 1-2 minutes rest in between sets. The last set
will be a single drop set to failure with the same rules as before.
Exercise 3: Leg press
– nothing special. Complete 4 sets at 12-15 reps a set with 60-90
seconds rest in between sets. The last set will be a single drop set
to failure, with the same rules as before.
Exercise 4: Leg extension/stiff-legged
deadlift superset – complete 4 sets at 12-15 reps per set with 60-90
seconds rest in between sets.
Workout 4: Arms
Exercise 1: Double-sets:
cable curls and dumbbell curls – complete 4 sets at 12-15 reps per
set with 30-45 seconds rest in between sets.
Exercise 2: Straight
bar curls – nothing special here. Complete 4 sets of straight bar
curls at 12-15 reps a set with 45-60 seconds rest in between sets.
Exercise 3: Superset:
machine curls/tricep press down – again the name says it all. Complete
4 sets at 12-15 reps a set with 30-45 seconds rest in between sets.
Exercise 4: Cable
kick-backs – complete 4 sets at 15-20 reps per set with 30-45 seconds
rest in between sets.
Exercise 5: Close-grip
bench – complete 4 sets at 12-15 reps a set with 60-90 seconds rest
in between sets. The last set will be a single drop set to failure,
same rules as before.
Workout 5: Chest
Exercise 1: Double-sets:
incline dumbbell press and incline flyes – complete 4 sets at 12- 15
reps a set with 45-60 seconds rest in between sets.
Exercise 2: Flat
bench – nothing special here. Complete 4 sets at 12-15 reps per set
with 60-90 seconds rest in between sets. The last set will be the same
single drop set to failure.
Exercise 3: Flat
bench flyes – complete 4 sets at 12-15 reps per set with 30-45 seconds
rest in between sets.
Exercise 4:
Incline bench – complete 4 sets at 12-15 reps per set with 60-90 seconds
rest in between sets. The last set will be a single drop set to failure.
Exercise 5:
Machine decline bench – complete 4 sets at 12-15 reps per set with
30-45 seconds rest in between sets.
These workouts are pretty
harsh if you are not used to doing high rep routines, but trust me they
do work. My one recommendation with these is, don't do all 5 in the
same week, and don't use them for your primary training schedule. These
workouts are for when you feel like you need to do something different
for a little while, or for me, I use them when I am injured because
you still get a great workout, and since the reps are so high with these
workouts, you can't ever to get max weights, so you put a lot less strain
on your body. If you have any questions regarding the workout, feel
free to email me at liftgod@hotmail.com.
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