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Man with a Plan, Part III
How to Design a Training Program

By Mike Robertson
First published at www.johnberardi.com, Nov 3 2003.

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Making a Good Program Better

In the second installment of our series, you should have gotten a fairly good idea of how to set-up a training program with your specific goals in mind. However, it’s very hard to explain all the different possibilities. You will notice that while the basic templates stay the same, we get to break some of the “rules” to help accommodate each trainees needs and goals. The goal of this final article is to give you a better idea of options you can use, as well as how to set-up an even more specific program to help you achieve you strength and physique goals!

Bodybuilder (off-season)

The bodybuilder is mainly interested in hypertrophic gains, without a lot of regard for improvements in maximal strength. He should train in the 8-12 repetition range, with 3-5 sets per exercise. This particular trainee is interested in working on the size of his back, and most importantly his lats. He follows a 4-day per week split-routine.

Option #1. Antagonist Muscle Pairing (Same Day)

Monday – Back and Chest

Wide grip Pull-ups, 4x10
Flat Bench, 4x8
Neutral grip pull-ups, 4x8
DB Incline, 3x10
T-Bar Rows, 4x10

Wednesday – Legs

Squats, 4x10
Deadlifts, 4x6
Walking lunges, 2x8
RDL’s, 4x8
Seated Calves, 3x40 sec.

Friday – Bi’s and Tri’s

Narrow grip bench, 5x8
Barbell Curls, 3x10
Throatcrushers, 3x12
Alternate DB Curls, 4x8
Wrist Flex/Ext, 2x10 each

Saturday – Shoulders and Traps

Bradford Press, 4x12
Olympic Pulls, 4x5
Standing Dumbbell Press, 4x8
Seated DB Shrugs, 5x10
Shoulder Circuit, 3x12 each

Notice that we have already broken some of our rules. For instance, the back is a very diverse muscle group, so we actually give it three separate exercises on Monday. Also, since there really isn’t an “opposing” muscle group for shoulders, we have paired it with the traps. If you wanted, you could flip Friday with Saturday to mix it up some. Monday would be chest and horizontal pulls (such as t-bar rows, barbell rows, etc.) and Friday could be shoulders and vertical pulls (such as lat pulldowns, chins of all varities, etc.).

I also know that some bodybuilders are more traditional and won’t like pairing opposing muscle groups like this. Therefore, I will give you the second option which is a more traditional bodybuilding split. Nothing else will change regarding our trainee’s goals, only the way he splits up the days of his cycle.

Option 2. Antagonist Muscle Pairing (Different Days)

Monday – Back and Bi’s

Wide grip Pull-ups, 4x10
Neutral grip pull-ups, 4x8
T-Bar Rows, 4x10
Barbell Curls, 3x10
Alternate DB Curls, 4x8

Wednesday – Chest and Tri’s

Flat Bench, 4x8
DB Incline, 3x10
Decline Flies, 4x12
Narrow grip bench, 5x8
Throatcrushers, 3x12

Friday – Legs

Squats, 4x10
Deadlifts, 4x6
Walking lunges, 2x8
RDL’s, 4x8
Seated Calves, 3x40 sec.

Saturday – Shoulders and Traps

Bradford Press, 4x12
Olympic Pulls, 4x5
Standing Dumbbell Press, 4x8
Seated DB Shrugs, 5x10
Shoulder Circuit, 3x12 each

This is a more traditional routine, with back and bi’s being performed together, chest and tri’s together, etc. However, since we are putting a premium on back strength, we have still placed it first in the training week. To promote balance and overall development, chest is trained next on Wednesday after a day of rest.

Powerlifters

Our second trainee is a powerlifter currently training on a 4-day per week schedule. He is interested in improving his deadlift, which hasn’t improved for quite a while. Most powerlifters work in a 1-8 rep range, with anywhere from 3-10 sets being performed per exercise.

Option #1. Antagonist Muscle Pairing (Same Day)

Tuesday

Deadlifts, 5x5
Front Squats, 3x6
RDL’s, 4x6
Walking Lunges, 2x8
Seated Calves, 3x40 sec.

Thursday

Flat Bench, 5x3
T-Bar Rows, 4x8
DB Decline, 3x6
Seated Shoulder Press, 4x6
Scapular Wall Slides, 3x8

Saturday

Squats, 4x6
Rack Pulls, 4x2
Single Leg Squats, 3x5
GHR, 4x6
Abs, 5x10

Sunday

Rack Lockouts, 5x2
Pull-ups, 4x8
Narrow grip incline, 3x8
JM Press, 5x5
DB Curls, 3x8

Option 2. Antagonist Muscle Pairing (Different Days)

Tuesday

Deadlifts, 5x5
Rack Pulls, 4x2
Single Leg Squats, 3x5
Walking Lunges, 2x8
Seated Calves, 3x40 sec.

Thursday

Flat Bench, 5x3
Rack Lockouts, 5x2
Narrow grip incline, 3x8
S eated Shoulder Press, 4x6
Scapular Wall Slides, 3x8

Saturday

Squats, 4x6
Front Squats, 3x6
RDL’s, 4x6
GHR, 4x6
Abs, 5x10

Sunday

Rack Lockouts, 5x2
T-Bar Rows, 4x8
DB Decline, 3x6
JM Press, 5x5
DB Curls, 3x8

This template could also be modified for Olympic lifters as well. For instance, the clean style lifts could be performed on Tuesday and Saturday, while the snatch-based lifts could be performed on Thursday and Sunday. Olympic lifters usually tend to perform all snatch or clean-based lifts on the same day, so Option 2 would probably be more suitable for them.

General Athlete (Strength/Power based team sport)

This is one of the most difficult groups to write programs for, especially since the amount they train can vary quite a bit dependent upon the time of year. Along with the variability in training, the goals and needs of athletes can vary quite a bit. For this reason, I’ll give the training program first and explain it later. I will also give two options, one for an athlete on a 3-day per week, total body routine, and the second for an athlete on a 4-day per week, split-routine. Our athlete is involved in a strength and explosive power dominant team sport. This program is very similar to one I designed for our men’s and women’s volleyball teams at Ball State University.

Monday

Power Snatch, 3x5
Back Squats, 4x6
Multi-Directional Lunge, 2x5 each
RDL’s, 3x8
Step-ups, 3x6 each
Calf Raises/Dorsiflexion Superset, 3x20
Abs

Wednesday

Push Press, 3x4
Bench Press, 3x8
Lat-Pulldowns, 3x8
Single-Arm Military, 3x5 each
DB Tricep Extensions, 3x12
DB Curls, 3x8
Shoulder Prehab/Abs

Friday

Power Cleans, 4x5
Front Squats, 3x5
GHR, 4x8
Close-grip bench, 3x10
DB Row, 4x6 each
External Rotators, 3x6
Ankle Prehab Circuit/Abs

Since we only train 3 days per week, we have to add a few more exercises per workout. You will also see that each workout starts off with an explosive movement. This exercises work nearly every muscle in the body, so I don’t bother with a “balance” exercise for them. From that point in the workout on, there are very minute changes. Monday is our primary low-body day, while Wednesday is our primary upper body day. Finally, Friday we get a little bit of everything.

Monday

Power Snatch, 3x5
Back Squats, 4x6
Multi-Directional Lunge, 3x5 each
RDL’s, 3x8
Step-ups, 3x6 each
Calf Raises/Dorsiflexion Superset, 3x20
Abs

Tuesday

Push Press, 3x4
Bench Press, 3x8
Lat-Pulldowns, 3x8
Single-Arm Military, 3x5 each
DB Tricep Extensions, 3x12
DB Curls, 3x8
Shoulder PrehabAbs

Thursday

Power Cleans, 4x5
Front Squats, 3x5
Partial Deadlifts, 5x4
Bulgarian Squats, 3x5 each
GHR, 4x8
Calf Raises/Dorsiflexion Superset, 3x20
Ankle Prehab CircuitAbs

Friday

Granny Med Ball Toss, 4x4
Close-grip bench, 3x10
DB Row, 4x6 each
Bradford Press, 3x8
Scapular Depression Work, 2x8
External Rotators, 3x6
Abs

You can see that as we add more training days in the week, we can increase the quantity of exercises performed within the week. The first two days of our training are exactly the same as before, but now we have more of a split-routine style of training. One note that I might add is that if you do have three or more training days per week, I would recommend not having more than 5 major exercises per workout. Some may disagree and go even lower, but if you are performing 3+ sets per exercise, it’s probably impossible to keep the quality of training high with that much volume. For instance on Thursday, after you have performed cleans, front squats, partial deadlifts, Bulgarian squats and glute hams, adding another big exercise would be beating a dead horse. You want enough volume and intensity to stimulate growth, but you don’t want to push the envelope and outrun your bodies’ recovery ability.

Basic Trainee (Fitness Enthusiast)

This plan is for our basic trainee who wants to get in the gym 3x per week and improve his overall physique. He has never really trained before, so his program will follow a little bit different template. The goal is to improve overall strength, teach him a number of basic lifts, and to get him ready to start a split-routine down the line.

Monday

Squats, 4x10
Bench Press, 3x10
Lat-Pulldowns, 3x8
Lunges, 3x8 each
Barbell Military Press, 3x8
Tricep Pushdown, 3x8
DB Curls, 3x8
Calves/Abs/Prehab

Wednesday

Deadlifts, 4x6
DB Incline, 3x8
DB Row, 3x8 each
RDL’s, 3x6
Close-grip bench, 3x8
Barbell Curls, 3x8
DB External Rotators, 3x8

Friday

Step-ups, 3x8 each
Single Leg Reverse Hypers, 3x8 each
Single Arm DB Decline, 3x6 each
Single Arm Lat Pulldown, 3x6 each
Single Arm Military Press, 3x6 each
Single Arm Overhead Extension, 3x6 each
Concentration Curl, 3x6 each
Single Leg Calf Raise, 3x10 each

Beginning trainees, like athletes, need a wide range of exercises to develop good inter and intramuscular coordination. A broad range of exercises that hits all the major muscle groups on a daily basis (but in a different fashion) is ideal for giving them a challenging workout, as well as preparing them for more demanding workouts to come. The first two days are fairly similar, in that all the major muscle groups are stimulated and trained in a more-or-less superset fashion. Friday, however, is different because we perform all our exercises unilaterally. Many beginning trainees have problems coordinating single-limb movements, have poor balance, or are over-developed on their dominant side. By taking this into consideration from the start, we strive to create muscular balance and symmetry so that optimal long-term results can be attained.

One thing you may be wondering is why a new trainee would have MORE exercises per day than a strength or general athlete. The reason is this: Seasoned weight trainers are more EFFICIENT with their training than a rookie. In other words, for every exercise they do they are more properly targeting the specific musculature, resulting in increased fatigue. Seasoned trainees, in essence, need less overall volume of work, but are performing at a much higher relative intensity.

Conclusion

In the last three articles, I have given you all the tools necessary to develop a strength training program that’s totally specific to your individual needs. Remember, however, that there is no such thing as the perfect program, and no program can be successful if you don’t give it your all. I hope that you will utilize the information given here to take your strength and physique to the next level!

Mike Robertson, M.S., C.S.C.S., is the Director of the Athletic Performance Center (APC) in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The APC offers sport performance training, injury rehabilitation, and personal training to its clients. Mike received his Masters in Sports Biomechanics from the Human Performance Lab at Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana. Mike has been a competitive powerlifter for the last 2.5 years, and is the USAPL Indiana State Chair. To contact Mike, please send an e-mail to mikerob022@yahoo.com.