Here is a 4 day routine that utilizes a 5×5 scheme for the compound movements and a higher 8-12 reps for accessory movements. In order for you to get the best results with this program, be consistent and always strive for progression. Check out below what rep goal means.
Goal Of This Workout
This routine is designed to maximize your results by utilizing big compound lifts and supplementing with a good variety of accessory lifts.
This routine is designed for anyone who is looking to build strength and muscle.
It is recommended that you are comfortable with your form in the big compound lifts and you have are able to consistently train if you are to make the most of this routine.
Diet and Nutrition Tips
You can beat your muscles down in the gym but the only way to recover (build) muscle is to fuel your body with quality food.
I try to stick to an 80/20 rule when I look at nutrition. This means that 80% of my meals are prepared by me and I make sure to get the best quality food that I can.
No, this doesn’t mean you have to get natural grass fed free roaming cows who get massages every day and free range chickens who get to walk the beaches to benefit from eating whole foods.
Learn to Cook
Cooking isn’t as hard as you may think. I never was allowed in the kitchen as a child so trust me when I say anyone can do this with some patience. The trick is learning technique and then going after the complex meals.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t know how to cook 5 course gourmet meals, but I have no problem eating enough varieties of a protein and vegetable to keep me happy. I made a pretty good meatloaf and lasagna once.
Long story short here is the sooner you learn to cook, the sooner you will notice changes in your performance and physique.
Recommended Supplements
Note: If you cannot get good foods into your mouth, this section is irrelevant. You really can’t out train and out supplement a crap diet.
Pre-Workout
I personally like apple mango, but all flavors are good.
This is a great blend without too many stimulants.
Protein
MTS Machine Whey Protein: 5lbs
This is in my opinion the best tasting protein on the market. Period.
Great blend with no secrets, no amino spiking, and it is some of the best in the industry.
So far I’ve had Red Velvet and Cookies and Cream. Both are A+.
BCAA
Marc Lobliner has his sweetening on point with these supplements.
I’ve used mixed berry and grape and I love them both.
Multi-Vitamin
Once you get your diet on point, taking a multi-vitamin is important as a strength athlete.
Get the most of your gains and life with this multi-vitamin.
Cardio and Conditioning Tips
I would recommend doing a short 20-30 minute cardio session post workout at least twice a week for optimum muscle growth and recovery.
If you are running low on time, a short 5-10 minute high intensity interval session at least twice per week will help with maximizing your progress.
Note: Some low intensity walking, hiking, bicycling, etc is helpful to improve your quality of life and recovery from your workouts.
Workout Schedule
Here is a sample schedule:
- Day 1 – Workout A
- Day 2 – Workout B
- Day 3 – Off
- Day 4 – Off
- Day 5 – Workout C
- Day 6 – Workout D
- Day 7 – Off
The benefit to starting on a Monday is while everyone is benching and hogging the dumbbells, you are squatting and doing legs and not have to wait for any equipment. This is convenient so you can go in with your prepared session and smash it out.
4 Day Gym Workout Routine for Men
| Workout A | ||
| Exercise | Sets | Rep Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Squats | 5 | 25 |
| Leg Press | 3 | 36 |
| Front Squat* | 3 | 24 |
| Standing Bent Over Laterals | 3 | 36 |
| Planks** | 3 | – |
| Workout B | ||
| Exercise | Sets | Rep Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Bench Press | 5 | 25 |
| Incline Chest Flies | 3 | 24 |
| Skull Crushers | 3 | 36 |
| 1 Arm Tricep Extensions | 3 | 36 |
| Standing Bent Over Laterals | 3 | 36 |
| Workout C | ||
| Exercise | Sets | Rep Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Deadlifts | 5 | 25 |
| Bent Over Barbell Rows | 5 | 25 |
| Pull Ups | 3 | 24 |
| Standing Bent Over Laterals | 3 | 36 |
| Workout D | ||
| Exercise | Sets | Rep Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Military Press | 5 | 25 |
| Dumbbell Shrugs | 3 | 15 |
| Lateral Raises | 3 | 36 |
| Standing Bent Over Laterals | 3 | 36 |
| Planks** | 3 | – |
Workout Tips
Rep Goal – This is the total reps you have to complete in the given sets. For instance a 3 set 36 rep goal would basically be 3 sets of 12.
*- Front squats can be impossible for someone with bad posture such as myself. If you cannot do front squats, use a hack squat machine; most gyms have one labeled a hack squat machine or a V Squat. If you can’t do either of these, leg extensions will work as well.
** – Planks aren’t the same rep goal scheme as other lifts. When you are supposed to do planks, do 3 sets of 1 rep and record your results for each set. The goal to beat for next time is to beat the combined time of those 3 planks. Keep the rest short; 60 seconds and really squeeze the abs and back and keep that core tight.
You might have noticed bent over lateral raises on every day; most people have underdeveloped rear delts and this is a great exercise that will hit multiple muscles which include rear delts, lats, and traps. I recommend these over a reverse pec deck because most people do not use the machine correctly.
If you have been spending time developing rear delts or are a wuss and want to do pec deck, then disregard the last few sentences.
Leave your comments, questions, or results below! I answer them all.
Would it be okay to do these workouts Monday thru Friday? And just do cardio/hiking on my 3 days off? I only have access to my gym Monday thru Thursday
Yes, I just gave an example of when you could ideally do it. Making it fit around your schedule is something that will help you stay consistent and make some huge gains.
Let’s say someone had an odd obsession with the Power Clean, but otherwise thought this plan was totally on target for them. Would you include it on deadlift day as a substitute for bent over rowing? Somewhere else? It’s not necessarily a core goal, but I find explosive a good complement to strong.
Power cleans are great for explosiveness and overall athletic ability. You could replace bent over rows, you could replace deadlifts and then add in lighter/more volume deadlifts so your nervous system would not get too punished.
Let me know what you try out and what works. I’d like to start incorporating more Olympic moves into workouts.
How long do you recommend sticking with this cycle? Currently getting back to it with a basic beginner regimen for a month and other follow on workouts are suggested for 8 – 12 weeks. Where do you go from here? To a cardio heavy routine? The same kind of four day split just in a different order on different days?
If you are making progress on a workout, there’s no reason to change. There’s some notion that you have to jump around and do new things to make progress in the gym.
Progressively overloading and following a consistent workout is what allows you to track progress, find what works and what doesn’t, and gives you a solid foundation to then build up other weak points.
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fit it”
hey cutty barely starting with the workout routine my question is can the res days be moved i was looking to workout more of a monday to thursday deal and friday at times and second question can my wife see results with the same routines for course lighter weight thanks
You can move the days to fit your schedule, I just merely wanted to give you a general idea.
The workouts can be done by anyone and they will see great progress with consistency and progressively overloading.
Hi. Is it recommended to do these excercises in the order you listed them or can we shuffle them up? Sometimes certain machines and/or weights are being used and I don’t like to wait.
You can do any exercise in any order, although I would invite you to do your big compound lifts first. That way you have a fresh body and the accessory exercises are more or less training a muscle that’s pre-exhausted. This helps promote growth. Doing the smaller exercises before you do the big compound lifts are okay, but you will be more prone to injury due to pre-exhausted muscles.
Hope this helps!
Cutty
Yes, thank you! I just started this program and prefer to do the heavier lifts first, like you have them listed. They can be draining but, sometimes, on those crowded evenings, it’s just not an option.
Right, modify your workout when needed, but I generally do the heavy lifts first. Let me know how you progress!