If you are a young wipper-snapper, with no injuries or biomechnical issues, then I would say, with a coach, use deadlifts, squats and heavy bench press and millitary press as a base for your bodybuilding.
This will build a great foundation of strength and muscle mass.
However, if like me, you have a range of injuries, especially to the hips and lower back – which were possibly caused by bad squat and deadlift form in the first place – then you will probably want to leave these exercises out, or keep them light with perfect form.
Anyway, with that explanation out of the way for those who die by squats and deaders, here’s a program that I put together for my friend…
- Use a foam roller before and after each session
- I’ve personally found that dumbbells place less strain on my shoulders and elbows than barbells, but this might not be the case for everyone
- Warm up with some cardio, plus 2 warm up sets
- Reps – if the rep has a range e.g. 8-12, then with perfect form/technique, look to reach muscular failure in between 8 to 12 reps. To Begin with, you can look to just reach failure on the final set
Day 1
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Notes |
| 10-20 mins cardio | Start of slow, aim to get a sweat going | ||
| Dumbbell Bench Press | 3 | 8-12 | |
| Leg Press | 3 | 12-15 | |
| Dumbbell Push Press | 2 | 8 | Look for explosiveness – also good with bands |
| Dumbbell Squat & Press | 2 | 8 | Look for explosiveness – also good with bands |
Day 3
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Notes |
| 10-20 mins cardio | |||
| Lat Pull Down* | 3 | 8-12 | |
| D’bell 1 Arm Row | 2 | 12-15 | Keep core strong |
| D’bel Bicep Curls** | 2 | 20 | 10 reps each arm |
| Hanging Leg Raises | 2 | max | Do knee-ups first |
| Crunches | 2 | max | |
Day 5
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Notes |
| 10-20 mins cardio | |||
| Shoulder press | 2 | 8-12 | |
| Machine/barbell row | 2 | 8-12 | |
| Tricep Extensions | 3 | 10-15 | |
| Bicep Curls | 3 | 10-15 | |
| Dorsal Raises | 2 | 10-15 |
After 6 weeks change the order of the exercises and throw a couple of new ones in there too.
For a full periodised program from beginner to expert, download my pdf here
download a beginner to advanced bodybuilding routine pdf here – https://seoandmma.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/hypertrophytrainingprogram-3.pdf