Workout Routines for Muscle Building

I remember when I was in high school I watched Conan the Barbarian one night with a bunch of friends. Arnold Schwarzenegger was in his prime back then, and his physique was awe inspiring. After seeing that I knew I had to start spending some serious time in the gym. This was before the birth of the internet, so I had to get my workout plans from Muscle & Fitness, the premier bodybuilding magazine of the time.

Unfortunately, these workouts were for much more advanced individuals, so I made only minimal progress by following them. Looking back on those days now that 20 years have passed, I sure wish I knew then what I know now.

Intelligent Design

No, I am not talking about the universe here just your workout program. If you want to put on muscle and impress the girls when you take your shirt off, it is imperative that you follow a routine that is properly designed to help you meet your goals. If you grab a muscle magazine and start doing a program designed for a professional bodybuilder you will, in all likelihood, fail to get the desired results.

Start with the Basics

A lot of guys want to make their workouts quite complex and advanced from the get go but this is a mistake. The best approach to take when you are getting started is a simple one. You will perform basic compound exercises like squats, presses, rack pulls and chin-ups, and eat a variety of healthy foods.

It really is that simple at the beginning. You do not have to worry about drop sets, partial reps, undulating personalization, or any other fancy workout methodologies. Below I will lay out a good sample workout you can follow.

Sample Workout

For this workout you will be training for about an hour three days per week. We will use Monday, Wednesday, Friday as an example, but you can pick the days that are convenient for you.

Monday

Monday will be the day you train back and biceps.

Chin-ups: 4 sets of 8 repsHigh Face Pulls: 4 sets of 10-12 repsRack Pulls: 4 sets of 6-8 reps

Wednesday

On Wednesday you will train lower body and abdominal.

Barbell Squats: 6 sets of 6-12 repsCal Raises: 6 sets of 10-14 repsReverse hanging Crunches: 4 sets of 12 reps

Friday

On Friday we will be training chest, shoulders and triceps.

Dumbbell Bench Press: 6 sets of 6-12 repsPush Press: 4 sets of 6 repsSkull Crushers: 4 sets of 8-10 reps

As you can see, this workout plan is quite simple, and covers all of the major muscle groups in the body. Following a routine like this for 16 weeks or so will give you a good foundation of muscle that you can build on in the future. You will also gain a good amount of strength from this program, which will prime you for muscle gains in the following weeks. Remember to eat a calories surplus of healthy foods along with your training to maximize results.

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