- Fitness Program Design Template
- Exercise Schedule Template
- Free Exercise Templates
- Exercise Program Design Example
- Workout Program Template
In my last two-part article series, I described my 11 principles for bodybuilding training. Now, I want to make things even simpler for you.
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I'm now going to provide you with a couple of plug-n-play – make that plug-n-train – templates that you can use to quickly and easily design a slew of great, no-nonsense training programs.
Since I generally recommend training four or five days per week, I'll include both a four-way training split and a five-way split. That way you'll be covered either way.
As with my 11 bodybuilding training principles, I encourage you to use these templates either as-is, or as a base upon which you can build your own training program.
Be Flexible
'I am a man of fixed and unbending principles, the first of which is to be flexible at all times.' — Everett Dirksen
Nothing in these templates or the following exercise options is set in stone. For example, you may already have huge calves. If you happen to be so lucky, then you may want to opt to do no calf exercises at all.
Or you may be a recreational Mixed Martial Artist who needs to work on grip strength. Thus you'll want to add grip/forearm exercises to the templates below.
Whatever the case, just remember that while bodybuilding training is definitely a science, it's just as much an art – and even though you and I use the same science, your art may very well look different from my art.
Be Rigid
'Life is indeed terribly complicated–to a man who has lost his principles.' — G.K. Chesterton
Although creative flexibility is welcomed, don't get carried away. Whether you use my 11 bodybuilding training principles (which are built into the following templates) or your own, you should definitely have some parameters to guide your decision-making, otherwise it's easy to venture too far from the tried and true.
For example, if you've ever seen a leg workout that consisted of 3 sets each of leg extensions, leg press, and leg curls, you've seen a lack of training principles in action.
Rest Intervals
The topic of rest intervals is a perfect illustration of the need to be flexible and rigid at the same time.
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If your friends would say that shirt applies to you (or you already own said shirt), then you may very well get bored between sets, especially when you're focusing on strength and need to get copious rest between sets. In that case, you need to be more rigid, getting at least the minimum amount of rest prescribed between sets.
On the other hand, it's important to be flexible regarding your rest intervals between sets – at least flexible enough to allow common sense to prevail.
For example, if a workout calls for you to only rest 30 seconds between sets, yet your breaths per minute and the beats per minute of your heart haven't even begun to slow, then it's time to be flexible and use some common sense – take more rest.
With that said, here are the rest intervals that you should adhere to, unless you have a good reason not to – and getting bored isn't a reason!
- Short rest: 20-60 seconds (45 seconds on average)
- Moderate rest: 1-2 minutes (90 seconds on average)
- Long rest: 2-5 minutes (3 minutes on average)
Besides implementing a rest period that aligns with your goal of doing a given exercise (which I've done for you with the following template), the other thing to remember is to be consistent with your rest intervals. Otherwise, your performance will be inconsistent and impossible to monitor.
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Sets & Reps
As a rule, we could say there are three general rep/weight ranges:
- Low Rep / Heavy Weight: 1-6 reps (5 reps on average)
- Moderate Rep / Moderate Weight: 7-12 reps (10 reps on average)
- High Rep / Light Weight: 12 reps (15 reps on average)
But I point out the above ranges more for illustration, as we're not going to stick precisely to those.
In the templates I'll lay out the exact sets and reps I'd typically recommend for that particular exercise, but don't get too hung up on being 100% consistent with what I've laid out. Instead, use them as a guideline to know what 'ballpark' to stay in.
For example, I may say do 5 x 5 (five sets of five reps), but instead you'd like to do 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. That's totally fine – you're still in the same heavy weight/low-rep 'ballpark' so-to-speak.
On the other hand, if I prescribe 3 x 6-10 and you instead do 3 x 12-15, then you're changing things a bit too much and essentially creating your own training template. Again, that's fine, but just make sure you have a legitimate reason to tweak things that much.
When In Doubt
When in doubt as to whether to stick to the plug-n-train template I've laid out or to tweak it, I'd highly encourage you to stick with the template as is.
After all, I'm putting in (literally) over 20 years of trial-and-error experience and the same amount of book learning into these templates – so, to say I'm confident the following templates work would be a serious understatement.
Truck drivers vacancies in zimbabwe. So my rule regarding tweaking the following templates is the same as Mrs. Mathews' (my eighth-grade English teacher) rule regarding comma use – when in doubt, don't.
Exercise Selection
It would be impossible for me to list every possible exercise for each body part. Instead, I'm going to list what I'd call the 'No-Nonsense' exercises for each body part.
(FYI, when designing workouts for myself or clients, I rarely feel the need to venture outside of these.)
Although you've probably got some good, unique exercises up your sleeve, resist the temptation to use too many 'fancy' new exercises or machines. Otherwise you'll stray too far away from the meat and potatoes exercises, which happen to be the ones that we know work!
Primary and Secondary Exercises
To systemize everything, I'm dividing exercises into primary (1°) and secondary (2°) exercises.
Generally, primary exercises will be compound, multi-joint exercises, while secondary exercises tend to be more isolation movements. However, I've based this division on more than compound versus isolation.
Take dips for example. They're undoubtedly a compound exercise, yet I'd still consider dips secondary in terms of chest exercises.
Make no mistake, there will be times when you'll want to implement a secondary exercise in place of a primary one. Maybe you want to pre-exhaust your lats with pullovers, for example.
A more likely exchange would be doing another primary exercise where I've listed a secondary exercise.
For example, you may opt to do skull crushers – a primary exercise for triceps – last in your triceps routine. Nothing wrong with that.
Although this primary versus secondary thing is flexible, be more hesitant to swap a primary exercise for a secondary exercise than vice versa – otherwise your routine might not contain enough tough exercises that are easy to loathe yet highly effective, like barbell squats.
Without further ado, let's get into the specific exercises for each body part.
Chest
- 1° Chest Exercises
- Incline Press (barbell or dumbbell)
- Flat Press (barbell or dumbbell)
- Decline Press (barbell or dumbbell)
- 2° Chest Exercises
- Cable Fly/Crossover (high-to-low, low-to-high)
- Dumbbell Fly (incline, flat, or decline)
- Dip
- Machine Press (incline, flat, or decline)
- Machine Fly
- Push-Up
Back
- 1° Back Exercises
- Deadlift (full or rack)
- Barbell Row (overhand or underhand)
- Pull-Up / Chin-Up
- One-Arm Dumbbell Row
- T-Bar Row
- 2° Back Exercises
- Cable Row (neutral, overhand, or underhand grip)
- Reverse Fly (dumbbell/machine)
- Dumbbell Pullover
- Pulldown (neutral, overhand, or underhand grip)
- Row Machine
- Pulldown Machine
Shoulders
- 1° Shoulder Exercises
- Overhead Press (barbell or dumbbell)
- Dumbbell Lateral Raise
- 2° Shoulder Exercises
- Arnold Press
- Overhead Press Machine
- Cable Lateral
- Front Raise – (barbell or dumbbell)
- Rear-Delt Cable Kickback
- Rear-Delt Dumbbell Raise/Extension
- Truck Driver
- Upright Row – (barbell, dumbbell or cable)
Triceps
- 1° Triceps Exercises
- Skull Crusher
- Close-Grip Bench Press
- Dip
- V-Bar Cable Pushdown
- 2° Triceps Exercises
- Kickback (dumbbell or cable)
- Randy Press
- Straight-Bar/Rope Cable Pushdown
- Overhead Extension (barbell, dumbbell, or cable)
- Reverse-Grip Cable Pushdown
Biceps
- 1° Biceps Exercises
- Barbell Curl – (straight or EZ/cambered bar)
- Standing Alternating Dumbbell Curl
- 2° Biceps
- Spider Curl
- Drag Curl
- Low-Cable Curl
- Preacher Curl (EZ bar or dumbbell)
- Dumbbell Hammer Curl
- Reverse Curl
- Dumbbell Concentration Curl
- Chin-Up
Abdominals
- 1° Ab Exercises
- Hanging Leg Raise
- Bicycle Crunch
- Decline Crunch
- 2° Ab Exercises
- Rope Crunch
- Reverse Crunch
- Frog Kick
- V-Up
Quadriceps
- 1° Quad Exercises
- Back Squat
- Front Squat
- Hack Squat
- 2° Quad Exercises
- Bulgarian Split Squat
- Leg Press
- Leg Extension
- Walking Lunge
Fitness Program Design Template
Hamstrings
- 1° Hamstring Exercises
- Stiff-Legged/Romanian Deadlift (barbell or dumbbell)
- Seated Leg Curl
- 2° Hamstring Exercises
- Lying Leg Curl
- Hamstring Ball Roll
- Unilateral (machine) Leg Curl
- Hamstring Rope Pull-Through
Calves
- 1° Calf Exercises
- Standing Calf Raise (machine)
- Unilateral Dumbbell Calf Raise
- 2° Calf Exercises
- Calf Press (on leg press)
- Seated Calf Raise
Training Split Templates
My goal in creating these templates is to completely take the guesswork out of designing your own training programs. That way you can use your precious energy for training instead of thinking.
Simply plug-in the appropriate exercise and you're off!
4-Day Training Split
The following 4-day training split is, as you likely surmised, for those of you who are going to train four days per week.
Notice I didn't say 'might train four days per week' or 'will often train four days per week.'
It's important that you decide, in advance, how many days per week you can commit to. Otherwise you're going to compromise the effectiveness of the program. So if you're thinking, 'I can consistently train four or five days per week,' then go with four, because it needs to be something doable week in and week out.
Note: Sure, we can design training splits that are more flexible in nature, allowing you to train on a more random schedule, but that's a topic for another article.
No-Nonsense 4-Day Training Split
- Day 1: (e.g., Monday) – Chest & Biceps
- Day 2: (e.g., Tuesday) – Back & Abs
- Day 3: (e.g., Thursday) – Shoulders, Triceps, & Abs
- Day 4: (e.g., Friday) – Legs
Chest & Biceps
Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | |
A | 1° Chest (press) | 5 | 5 | Long |
B | 1°/2° Chest | 3 | 6-10 | Moderate |
C | 2° Chest | 4 | 12-20 | Short |
D | 1° Biceps | 4 | 5 | Long |
E | 1°/2° Biceps | 3 | 8-12 | Moderate |
F | 2° Biceps/Forearm | 3 | 10-15 | Short/Moderate |
Back & Abs
Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | |
A | 1° Back (vertical pull) | 4 | 6-10 | Long |
B | 1° Back (lift/row) | 3-4 | 6-10 | Long |
C | 1°/2° Back | 3 | 8-12 | Moderate |
D | 2° Back | 4 | 10-15 | Short |
E | 1° Ab | 3-4 | 6-10 | Moderate |
F | 2° Ab | 3 | 10-20 | Short/Moderate |
Shoulders, Triceps, & Abs
Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | |
A | 1° Shoulder (vertical press) | 4 | 5 | Long |
B | 1° Shoulder (abduction) | 4 | 8-12 | Moderate |
C | 2° Shoulder | 3 | 10-15 | Short |
D | 1° Triceps | 3 | 6-10 | Moderate |
E | 1°/2° Triceps | 3 | 8-12 | Moderate |
F | 2° Triceps | 3 | 10-15 | Short |
G | 1° Ab | 4 | 6-12 | Moderate |
Quads, Hams, & Calves
Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | |
A | 1° Quad | 5 | 6-12 | Long |
B | 2° Quad | 4 | 8-15 | Moderate |
C | 1° Ham | 4 | 6-10 | Moderate |
D | 2° Ham | 3-4 | 8-15 | Short/Moderate |
E | Ancillary Leg (as needed) | 2-3 | 8-15 | Short/Moderate |
F | 1° Calf | 4-5 | 6-12 | Moderate |
G | 2° Calf | 3 | 10-15 | Short |
5-Day Training Splits
For those who can commit to training five days per week, this is a great training split.
Note: If you're a bit savvy, you can reconfigure the following template to use with a different 5-day training split.
No-Nonsense 5-Day Training Split
- Day 1: (e.g., Monday) – Chest & Calves
- Day 2: (e.g., Tuesday) – Back & Abs
- Day 3: (e.g., Thursday) – Shoulders & Hams
- Day 4: (e.g., Friday) – Quads & Abs
- Day 5: (e.g., Saturday) – Arms
Chest & Calves
Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | |
A | 1° Chest | 5 | 5 | Long |
B | 1° Chest | 3-4 | 6-10 | Long/Moderate |
C | 2° Chest | 3 | 8-12 | Moderate/Short |
D | 2° Chest (weak point isolation) | 3 | 10-15 | Short |
E | 1° Calf | 4 | 5-10 | Moderate |
F | 1° Calf | 3 | 10-15 | Short/Moderate |
G | 2° Calf | 3 | 12-20 | Short |
Back & Abs
Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | |
A | 1° Back (vertical pull) | 3-4 | 6-10 | Moderate/Long |
B | 1° Back (lift/row) | 3-4 | 4-8 | Long |
C | 1°/2° Back | 3 | 8-12 | Moderate |
D | 2° Back | 3 | 8-12 | Moderate |
E | 2° Back (weak point isolation) | 4 | 10-15 | Short/Moderate |
F | 1° Ab | 3-4 | 6-12 | Moderate |
G | 2° Ab | 3 | 12-20 | Short |
Shoulders & Hamstrings
Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | |
A | 1° Shoulder (press) | 4 | 4-8 | Long |
B | 1° Shoulder (abduction) | 4 | 6-10 | Moderate |
C | 2° Shoulder | 3 | 8-12 | Short/Moderate |
D | Shoulder Health (i.e., ext rotation) | 3 | 12-15 | Short |
E | 1° Ham (knee flexion) | 3-4 | 6-10 | Moderate |
F | 1° Ham (hip ext) | 2-3 | 6-10 | Moderate |
G | 2° Ham | 3-4 | 10-15 | Short/Moderate |
Quads & Abs
Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | |
A | 1° Quad | 5 | 6-10 | Long |
B | 1°/2° Quad | 4 | 8-12 | Moderate/Long |
C | 2° Quad | 3-4 | 8-12 | Moderate |
D | 2° Quad | 3 | 10-20 | Short/Moderate |
E | 1° Ab | 3 | 6-12 | Moderate |
F | 2° Ab | 3 | 12-20 | Short |
Biceps, Triceps, & Forearms
Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest | |
A | 1° Triceps | 4 | 4-8 | Moderate/Long |
B | 1° Biceps | 4 | 4-8 | Moderate/Long |
C | 1°/2° Triceps | 3 | 8-12 | Moderate |
D | 2° Triceps | 3 | 12-20 | Short |
E | 1°/2° Biceps | 3 | 8-12 | Moderate |
F | 2° Biceps | 3 | 12-20 | Short |
G | Forearms (as needed) | 3 | 8-15 | Short/Moderate |
Ancillary Exercises to Consider
Here are some smaller/more specific body parts that you may want to give some attention, along with the exercises to accomplish that task.
As needed, simply plug these into your split where they fit best, as illustrated above with the ancillary leg, forearm, and shoulder health exercises.
- Tibialis Anterior
- Resisted Dorsiflexion
- Heel Walking
- Forearm Wrist
- Curls/Flexion (Barbell or Dumbbell)
- Wrist Extension (Barbell or Dumbbell)
- Wrist Rolls
- Reverse Curls
- Shoulder External Rotation
- Cuban Rotation
- Side-Lying DB External Rotation
- Cable External Rotation
Ancillary Exercises
Target Muscle | Sets | Reps | Rest Interval |
Tibialis Anterior | 4 | 8-15 | Short-Moderate |
Wrist Extensor | 4 | 8-15 | Short-Moderate |
Wrist Flexor | 3 | 8-15 | Short-Moderate |
Shoulder External Rotation | 4 | 8-15 | Short-Moderate |
In Closing
I'll be the first to admit, there's nothing revolutionary in this article, but that's sort of the point – we're not trying to reinvent bodybuilding training here.
Instead, these templates are meant to be something more like elegantly simple, yet extremely effective.
With that in mind, I'd encourage you to print them out and take 'em to the gym with you. That way, you'll always have the information you need to construct a badass training program on the spot.
Enjoy!
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Exercise Schedule Template
If you're a new exerciser or you're trying to get back to exercise, knowing where to start is a challenge. The right workout schedule will depend on a variety of factors like your age, fitness level, goals, and any physical issues you may have.
How to Set Up a Comprehensive Exercise Schedule
Whether your goal is to lose weight, get healthy, get in better shape, or all of the above, there are three main components to a good exercise program:
- Cardio exercise: This can be any activity that gets your heart rate up, from walking or jogging to cycling or taking a fitness class. Regardless of the exercise you plan to do for the day, it is always recommended to warm up with 5 to 10 minutes of light cardio.
- Weight training: You don't have to lift heavy weights or even spend a lot of time on weight training at first, but you do need to lift. Your muscles will get stronger and the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn overall, which helps with losing weight.
- Flexibility training: You also need to have the flexibility to go through a full range of motion of each exercise. Stretching increases your flexibility and helps your body recover after exercise. While some people like to set aside a day to focus on flexibility, you don't need a separate workout for this. Stretching should be included in every workout.
Some people prefer to set a schedule with days devoted to just cardio or strength training, however, these exercises can be done on the same day or even combined with high-intensity interval training (HIIT). Set a weekly schedule in advance to ensure you get the right amount of each of these types of exercise throughout the week.
Where to Start
No one workout program is going to fit everyone, but it may help to see a sample workout schedule that would include all the workouts you need, from beginning exercisers to more advanced exercisers.
These sample workouts give you a place to start, but they're only suggestions. First, determine your fitness level so you know whether to use beginner, intermediate or advanced schedules.
Guidelines for Beginners
If you're new to exercise think about these things before you start:
- Ease into exercise with a simple cardio program and a total body strength training routine. If that's too much, just start with cardio and let that be enough.
- You may need extra recovery days to allow your body to rest and heal. It's normal to be sore when you try new activities, but if you can't move the next day, that means you overdid it and may need to back off your next workout.
- A typical beginner program will include about two to three days of cardio and two days of strength training. These workouts can also be combined if you do not have five days to devote to exercise.
- Learn how to monitor your intensity. Most beginners will start working out at a moderate intensity. That means you're at about a Level 5 on this perceived exertion scale from 1 to 10, or you can use the talk test. If you can carry on a somewhat breathy conversation while you're working out, that's usually a moderate intensity.
Sample Workout for Beginners
Below is a sample program that gives you an idea of what a typical schedule would look like for someone just getting started, or getting back to, exercise. Remember to start every workout with 5 to 10 minutes of light cardio and stretching, and to cool down with flexibility exercises.
Guidelines for Intermediate Exercisers
If you've been exercising for at least three months consistently, you typically fall into this category.
- If your goal is to lose weight, you want to work your way up to 20 to 60 minutes of cardio about five or more times a week. This is a great time to try interval training once or twice a week which will give you more bang for your buck. Don't skimp on strength training, either. It builds muscles and boosts metabolism so you lose weight faster. In addition, to lose weight you need to consume fewer calories than you burn, so watching your diet is still important.
- Your strength training schedule will depend on what type of workouts you're doing (e.g., total-body training or a split routine).
- You can do cardio and weight training on the same day, depending on your time constraints. It doesn't matter which one you do first, so vary your routine and try different combinations to find the one that is right for you.
The following schedule includes a split routine for your upper and lower body, allowing you to focus more attention on each muscle group. This will help you increase your lean muscle tissue and strength.
Sample Intermediate Split Routine for Upper and Lower Body
Guidelines For Advanced Exercisers
If you've been exercising regularly for several months and do a variety of activities, you fall into this category.
- As an advanced exerciser, you have lots of options for scheduling your workouts. If you want to focus on strength and muscle, you can split your strength routine even further, doing push exercises one day and pull exercises the next.
- You can also make your cardio more intense by, incorporating high-intensity interval training, high-intensity circuit training, or other advanced techniques to burn calories and build endurance.
- The real focus should be on allowing your body to rest between high-intensity workouts. Too much intensity can cause injury, overtraining, and burnout.
Free Exercise Templates
Sample Split Routing for Advanced Exercisers
These are just examples and won't fit every exerciser, but the most important thing to keep in mind is to start easy. Start where you are, not where you want to be. It often takes weeks, even months, of experimenting with different types of exercise and schedules to find something that fits your goals, schedule, and fitness level.
Exercise Program Design Example
Keep in mind that you don't have to follow the same schedule every week. In fact, most people have to change each week depending on how they are feeling or what's going on in their lives. Delete files from windows folder. The best thing you can do for yourself is to stay flexible and remember there's no perfect workout program for everyone.
Workout Program Template
Interval Training Workouts