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.
Thanks again guys!
Thanks for the help. I’ve been training for about 20 years now (damn I’m old), and I’ve been looking for something new. Don’t really have the time to crossfit nor do they provide child care. I’m thinking of doin arms on one of the days off w/ cardio. You reccommend abs done on only days off besides planks?
The idea is to have enough time/energy to recover. So if you eat enough and get plenty of sleep you are fine doing the exercises whenever it best suits your schedule.
Cutty
Thanks a lot Cutty, I can really appreciate the work your putting into this along with the diligent responses
Thanks, I try to really give you guys something to work with.
Cutty
Hi Cutty, Happy New Year.
I just spent the last week working off the 7 lbs I gained on vacation over Christmas. This workout helped a great deal in that little adventure.
I have been on this program for 8 weeks and I love it. I have seen significant gains in many areas of my workout. However, I am still struggling with a couple of things. Number one, my Bench. I used to bench a ton of weight, hitting my chest twice a week. Since my shoulder injuries and the long hiatus I took from the gym, I can’t seem to stimulate any growth in this area. there has been growth, but maybe i’m just being impatient. Would you reccommend a supplemental exercise on bench days that could help light a spark? Secondly, I think I have been doing Lateral raises incorrectly. I start with the weight in front, elbows bent. I look around the gym and see other guys starting with the weight on the side, elbows straight. I check the internet and get every variation in between. I was curious as to what you reccomend. Oh, lastly, the leg press. My gym has standing, seated, 45 degree. and probably two other machines that I’m not even aware of. What’s your choice?
Again, thanks for everything. I love this workout. I originally planned on doing it for 12 weeks and then switching things up, but now I think I may stick with it a while longer. What do you think?
Matt S.
Matt,
Glad to hear things are going well. There are a couple of things I will invite you to try and see which you like. First, does the shoulder injury hurt when you bench or did you just lose the power and strength in the bench press?
If it hurts in the bench I might suggest purchasing a Slingshot to help keep the shoulder more protected. There are a few different ones like the catapult and something else but all of them are similar. Those will help keep your shoulder protected and actually will help you press more and overload your lockout too.
If your shoulder is fine, I would suggest replacing the lateral raises with another bench session. Maybe go a little lighter and do 3 sets of 8 or 10 and see how that works. A lot of times a heavy pressing day and a rep pressing day each week helps some people.
If you want to keep using the lateral raises and try to do something just with the pressing session you have now, try using a longer pause rep for the 5×5, a little bit longer than what a competition bench would be. Basically touch chest, count one thousand one, say press in your head and then press. This is going to stimulate lots of growth and help get you some power. Lateral raises are different for everyone, I usually say try to keep your elbows just slightly above the dumbbell, I do the side laterals basically with a bent arm like I’m flapping my wings.
Try all of the above, but I think you might be best off with 2 bench sessions a week if your shoulder is healthy and up for it. Honestly just run this as long as you can.. you can make small adjustments along the way. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. :)
Any more questions let me know,
Cutty
Cutty, thanks again for the advice. The shoulder does not hurt when I bench, I just lost power. I am going to keep my press routine as is, and try replacing the lat raises with the extra bench session so long as my delt progress won’t suffer. I figure that I am still hitting the whole shoulder pretty hard with the military press. What about the leg press, any suggestions on which machine is better over all? I appreciate all that you do for us out here in the cloud.
Use whatever leg press you feel best with. I always liked the 45 degree ones with sleds but we also have one that is kind of like the 45 but it hinges instead of slides and that one is ok too. The standing one is more like a hack squat which is a completely different movement.
Just find one you like and run with that.
Thanks for the kind words,
Cutty
What’s up Cutty… Did workout A and B, felt really good. It’s good to be able to turn to u guys for ideas and thanks for the hard work. Tomorrow is supposed to be down day but I’m gonna go do some cardio and core, maybe biceps being there is not a specific excercise. Any suggestions for core and Bi’s?
Thanks for the kind words.. I’ve always done planks and side bends for core and then I really don’t do a lot of bicep isolation work but I would offer doing 3 or 4 sets of 15-20 reps of whatever you like best.
Cutty
Thanks again
No problem man, let me know how things go!
Hi im in the gym 2-3 times a week.
I do a basic work out but not sure that what im doing is right for me? Im 26 years old , 82 kg, eat a good diet. Is there a work out/routine you can suggest for me? But with a bit of all upper, arms , core and legs?
Check out any of my workouts and find one that you can fit into your routine. The key is to find something you have the time for and can work at consistently.
Cutty
It’s not about having time, it’s about making time.
I saw that in your motivational post and it really hit home with me. I am a teacher, a husband and a father of two small kids. Making time to workout, prepare healthy meals, coach little league, make it to ballet on time, spend time with my wife, grade papers, is a daily challenge. But man, I love it. Thanks for all your help and advice.
I’m glad to hear that hit home for you. Sometimes it doesn’t sink in and when I tell others to make time for yourself, they get mad when I tell them I notice they spend 2 hours a day playing candy crush and on Facebook instead of doing something positive for yourself.
I believe Brian Tracy says – “Successful people do what they have to do whether they FEEL like it or not.”
Let that one sink in with you. You have a full plate, but I think you will find the motivation and the way to accomplish everything you need.
Cutty
Quick question: Any truth to the idea that higher reps yield a more define physique? Or does that stem from diet and cardio? I’m gaining strength with this program, no doubt, but after 12 weeks, I want to start seeing some cuts. Just curious.
“Cuts” refer to your diet. You will need to start running in a small calorie deficit and start burning off some body fat to start seeing more definition.
There are such things as hypertrophy ranges which help build muscle but you also can get big muscles from low reps as well. It’s all about the nutrition and recovery to your goals.
Keep them coming!
Cutty
At the risk of sounding like an adolescent girl…I want to make my chest a bit bigger. I’m seeing gains in strength, but not size, specifically the upper chest. I pair incline DB press with my bench and flys, but was wondering if you could recommend another exercise to assist in this area.
Are you eating at a caloric surplus? That’s going to help you build muscle. Muscle growth doesn’t happen overnight, it takes a while to “show” any growth.
I think you are hitting chest enough but maybe work on getting more better quality food and making sure you’re getting plenty of sleep. Your muscles are torn down in the gym and rebuilt outside of the gym.
Cutty
I get roughly 3000 calories daily, mostly protein and leafy, green veggies. All my carbs come in the way of whole grain. I don’t eat sugar and make sure my fats are the healthy kind. I also supplement with whey isolate. It’s the sleep portion of the equation that is tripping me up. I average about 6 hours a night, so I guess I will work on that. Thanks for all the tips.
Sleep is where your body recovers the most. I can’t quote scientific research, but when you sleep your body shuts down and slows down other functions and works on rebuilding your muscles.. I would definitely try to aim for 8 hours.
Also if you’ve been eating the same and having this stall and not gaining any weight, try to bump up your intake by ~300 calories a day. This is a slow and safe bulk that won’t make you get “fat.” Basically in two weeks you will gain a pound which will be some muscle and some fat.
Don’t rush the process because all you do is put doubt in your mind and question the tried and proven methods that work :).
Cutty
One more thing…I have noticed a trend amongst some of the “athletes” at my local gym. Several guys some of which are pretty huge, do nothing but half-reps on most of their exercises. I don’t make a habit of judging technique, but if there is an exercise I am struggling with I will watch another lifter to try and get an idea of how to tweak my technique. I’m frustrated because I see guys half my size putting up 50-75 lbs more than me on the bench, but their are not using full range of motion. Same thing on military press. Am I missing something here? It doesn’t seem like they are maximizing their effort. Is there a benefit to this type of lift or is it mostly for show. I realize that lifting is a one-man show…to each his own, but my competitive side is having a hard time with it.
Matt
Half reps and not using full range of motion is only something I would only recommend to elite lifters who are extremely advanced and use things like board presses to overload their lockouts, etc. The guys at your gym are either using a “bro science” time under tension half reps, they are trying to look like they put up more, or they just don’t know any better.
I’ve written a whole series on how to get stronger on all of the main compound lifts with a barbell (look on the side, it’s a menu) and if you stick with full range of motion movements you will see that you are going to surpass them shortly. Also when you look at these guys that are huge, look at the physical size of them, how long they have been lifting, etc. I’ve seen guys that are 240 pounds that can squat 600+ for reps that don’t look like they even lift simply because they choose to have more body fat on their bodies. Their arms are 19″, they have to wear pants 2 sizes up from what they regularly do because their legs are too big. If they were to cut down to under 15% bodyfat they would look huge like the guys you see are.
There are people in my gym that half rep 135 on bench and look jacked but they get on the scale and weigh 145 pounds and they have low bodyfat… There’s a difference. I think if you stay going and working on getting stronger, eat healthy and recover.. A year is going to go by and you’re going to glance in the mirror and you will be freaked out how much your body has changed.
Cutty