The formula for building a better body is simple: You need a smart workout, done consistently. I've supplied the smart part, with this eight-exercise routine. It's what I give to my high-profile clients when they need fast results for a film role or concert tour. Although it looks basic, the program is designed using cutting-edge training techniques.
Of course, I can't help you with the consistency factor—that's all you. But consider this: British researchers found that men who performed three strength-training workouts a week increased their muscle size by 0.2 percent a day. That may not sound like much, but it's the accumulation over time that will take you from scrawny to brawny. So think of every workout as an investment in your body: Build a little every day, and you'll be loaded with muscle in no time.
Directions: Perform this workout 3 days a week with at least a day of rest between sessions. Alternate exercises of the same number (1A and 1B, for example) until you complete all the sets in that pairing. Only then should you move on to the next pairing.
Weeks 1 and 2
Volume and rest: Perform 3 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions of every exercise, resting 45 seconds between each set and exercise pair.
Rep speed: Aim for a lifting tempo of 1 second up and 3 seconds down for all exercises except 3A, which calls for exploding up.
Weeks 3 and 4
Volume and rest: Perform 4 sets of 8 to 10 reps for all exercises except 4A and 4B, which remain at 3 sets. (The added challenge for these come from using a weight or medicine ball for 4A and a decline bench for 4B.) Rest 60 seconds between sets and exercise pairs.
Rep speed: Aim for a lifting tempo of 1 second up and 3 seconds down for all exercises except 3A, which calls for exploding up.
Weeks 5 and 6
Volume and rest:Perform 4 sets of 6 to 8 reps for all exercises except 4A and 4B, which remain at 3 sets. (The added challenge for these come from using a weight or medicine ball for 4A and a decline bench for 4B.) Rest 90 seconds between sets and exercise pairs except 4A and 4B, which remain at 60 seconds.
Rep speed: Aim for a lifting tempo of 1 second up and 3 seconds down for all exercises except 3A, which calls for exploding up.
Targets: Glutes, hamstrings, spinal erectors (back)
Stand facing a barbell with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend over and grab the bar with your hands twice shoulder-width apart. Drop your hips as low as possible while keeping your torso as upright as possible. Keeping your arms straight, drive your feet into the floor while straightening your hips and knees to stand up. Return to the starting position.
Targets: Chest, shoulders, triceps
Sit on the edge of a flat bench and rest a dumbbell on each knee. Roll onto your back as you bring the dumbbells outside your shoulders. Press the dumbbells overhead until your arms are extended. This is the starting position. Bend your elbows to slowly lower the weights until your upper arms are slightly below parallel to the floor. Return to the starting position.
Targets: Quads, hamstrings, spinal erectors
Step into a squat rack with the barbell resting atcollarbone height. Lift the bar off the rack using the grip shown below, step back, and plant your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Arching your lower back slightly, bend your knees slightly and drop your hips back until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Return to the starting position.
Targets: Back, biceps
Grab a chinning bar with your palms facing toward you, hands slightly past shoulder-width apart. Raise your feet off the floor and hang in the air. Point your chest toward the ceiling and pull yourself up until your chin clears the bar. (If you can, touch your upper chest to the bar.) Return to the starting position.
Targets: Quads, deltoids, triceps
Step into a squat rack with the barbell set at collarbone height. Grab the barbell with your hands just past shoulder-width apart. Unrack the bar, step back, plant, bend your knees, and drop your hips into a quarter squat. Explosively straighten your legs as you drive up the barbell. Return to the starting position.
Targets: Brachioradialis (forearm) muscles, biceps
Sit on a bench holding a pair of dumbbells at your sides, palms facing each other. Tense your biceps. Keeping your upper arms stationary (don't let them drift forward), raise your forearms until your biceps are fully flexed. Pause for a 1- or 2-count before slowly returning to the starting position.
Targets: Spinal erectors, hamstrings
Lie facedown on a back-extension bench so that your upper thighs rest on the pads. Secure your ankles under the footpads. Place your hands behind your head. Bend forward at the waist. Return to the starting position. To add resistance, hold a medicine ball or weight plate.
Targets: Abs
Lie on your back on a flat bench, holding it for support. Bend your hips and knees so that your thighs point up. Roll your pelvis back until your hips begin rising off the bench and your knees pass over your chest. Return to the starting position. To add resistance, do this crunch on a decline bench.
Original article and pictures take www.menshealth.com site
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий