Most people hate the idea of having to exercise. They don't like sweating, taking the time out of their day to do it, the motivation it takes to get started, the intense burning in their muscles during exercise, and the soreness they experience the days following their workout. And you know what? I don't blame them! None of this is exciting or motivating in any way, shape, or form. Not to mention that lifting weights is extremely monotonous. The weights go up, the weights go down. The weights go up, the weights go down. It's boring, repetitive, and robotic.
I got tired of the monotony of the gym, and decided to do something about it. I wanted to cut my workouts down in terms of time and effort, but didn't want to sacrifice results. I would normally perform six to eight sets of an exercise for each body part, split up throughout the week. For example, like most bodybuilders, Monday would be the day I would exercise my chest and triceps, performing one exercise for each of those body parts, performing six to eight sets per body part. The next day it would be the day to exercise the back and biceps. The next day it would be another body part, and so on and so forth. I found that I was exercising five to six days per week, which to me seems like too much in terms of overtraining the muscles, as well as too much time spent in the gym.
To avoid all of this, I've created a workout that delivers the fantastic results of my old, boring, and time-consuming workout without having to put in the time that I used to. The workout is only three days per week, in an "every-other-day" fashion, and should last no more than a half hour per session. I like to do this workout Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. This way you get an entire day between workouts for your muscles to rest and recover, and simultaneously, you're only working out three days per week!
Ok, so this fits into almost anyone's schedule, but how about getting six sets in? This is the easy part. You're going to perform a full body workout; however, you're only going to perform two sets per body part. Yes, you read that correctly. Only TWO sets per body part! Two sets per body part, performed 3 days per week equals six sets per body part. And even better than this is the fact that if you have a simple dumbbell set, you can perform this exercise routine without ever having to leave your home. So, without further ado, the exercise routine:
1. Shoulder Shrugs (trapezius): 2 sets
2. Shoulder Press (deltoids): 2 sets
3. Biceps Curls: 2 sets
4. Bench Press (chest): 2 sets
5. Triceps Extensions: 2 sets
6. Forearm curls: 2 sets
7. Rows (upper back): 2 sets
8. Deadlifts (lower back): 2 sets
9. Oblique crunches (side abs): 2 sets
10. Regular crunches (upper abs): 2 sets
11. Lying leg lifts (lower abs): 2 sets
12. Squats (bodyweight or with dumbbells): 2 sets
*For a complete guide to these exercises, please visit http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/
How many reps you wish to perform per set is up to you. I usually perform anywhere between 10-15 reps per exercise now, because I believe that lifting in terms of volume as opposed to lifting heavier weight is better all around. It pumps more blood into the muscles cells, engorging them, causing a nice vascular "pump" effect, allowing your muscles to look full and hard. Also, lifting for volume is much easier on the joints, so it may actually be "healthier" to lift with less weight and more reps as opposed to more weight and less reps.
Also, remember that each exercise session should last no more than a half hour. If you go a little bit over a half hour, that's fine, but any more than 5 minutes over and you are probably taking too much rest in between your sets. The idea is to get this done quickly, which actually provides another benefit. Taking less rest in between sets elevates your heart rate. So now not only are you lifting weights, but because you are jumping from exercise to exercise quickly, you are actually getting a heart-healthy cardio workout at the same time!
Yours in Health,
James Hallmark
CFT
