I would guess that around 95% of lifters make at least one or more of the following mistakes when planning out their routine...
- They choose the wrong exercises
- They spend too many days in the gym
- They training each muscle group too frequently
- They perform too many total sets per workout and per muscle group
- They fail to execute the workout with a sufficient level of intensity
- They training for excessive periods of time
The list goes on and on.
Focus on compound, free-weight exercises.There are two main types of exercises you can perform in the gym: compound exercises and isolation exercises.
Here are the basic movements that you should be focusing on...
| - Squats - Deadlifts - Bench Presses - Barbell Rows - Overhead Presses | - Chin-ups - Dips - Stiff-Legged Deadlifts - Lunges - Leg Presses |
Train with 100% intensity on every single set.Your muscles grow by adapting to stress, plain and simple. When you lift weights, you create small micro-tears within the muscle tissue, and your body responds by rebuilding the muscles larger and stronger in preparation for the next workout. You must continue until the point of concentric muscular failure.
Concentric Muscular Failure: The point at which no additional positive repetitions can be completed using proper form despite your greatest efforts.
Train each individual muscle only once per week.
If you train too often you will prevent your body from rebuilding your damaged muscles, and you will interfere with the muscle-growth process as a result. Because of this, you should only train each individual muscle group once per week.
As long as you train with 100% intensity and effort you will not require any more than this.
Do not spend excessive periods of time in the gym.
As far as each individual workout is concerned, you should always try to complete it within one hour. This doesn't include warm-ups, but comes into play beginning with your first high-intensity set and ends with your final high-intensity set.
As your workout drifts beyond the one-hour mark, your mental focus and intensity will rapidly decline. Your body will also secrete a powerful catabolic hormone called "cortisol" which will stimulate the breakdown of muscle tissue for energy.
Do not go overboard on training volume.
Your goal in the gym is to simply "spark" the muscle growth process, and this can be accomplished without performing endless, unnecessary sets.
Let go of the "more-is-better" mentality. Building muscle is about quality, not quantity.
I would recommend that you perform no more than 7 total sets for major muscle groups (like the chest, back and thighs) and no more than 4 total sets for the smaller muscle groups (the shoulders, biceps, triceps, abs and calves). And remember, this is total sets per workout, NOT total sets per exercise.
Train each individual muscle only once per week.If you train too often you will prevent your body from rebuilding your damaged muscles, and you will interfere with the muscle-growth process as a result. Because of this, you should only train each individual muscle group once per week.
As long as you train with 100% intensity and effort you will not require any more than this.
Do not spend excessive periods of time in the gym.As far as each individual workout is concerned, you should always try to complete it within one hour. This doesn't include warm-ups, but comes into play beginning with your first high-intensity set and ends with your final high-intensity set.
As your workout drifts beyond the one-hour mark, your mental focus and intensity will rapidly decline. Your body will also secrete a powerful catabolic hormone called "cortisol" which will stimulate the breakdown of muscle tissue for energy.
Do not go overboard on training volume.Your goal in the gym is to simply "spark" the muscle growth process, and this can be accomplished without performing endless, unnecessary sets.
Let go of the "more-is-better" mentality. Building muscle is about quality, not quantity.
I would recommend that you perform no more than 7 total sets for major muscle groups (like the chest, back and thighs) and no more than 4 total sets for the smaller muscle groups (the shoulders, biceps, triceps, abs and calves). And remember, this is total sets per workout, NOT total sets per exercise.
WORKOUT ROUTINE PLANNING REMINDERS:
- Focus on basic, freeweight compound exercises
- Take all sets to positive muscular failure
- Train each individual muscle group only once per week
- Complete your workout within one hour
- Perform no more than 7 total sets for large muscle groups and no more than 4 sets for small muscle groups
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