Quick Guide to Gaining Muscles for Beginners

Gaining muscles is much easier than losing fat. Many would tell you just eat enough and hit the gym, as simple as that. However, techniques on how to gain muscles correctly must be mastered. Because at the end you don’t want to end up accumulating fat instead of gaining muscles.

This quick guide would equip you with what you need just to help you get started. But you still need to read a lot in the area so you arm yourself with more information, get more convinced about what you do, become more experience, and hence know what fits your goals the best.

So, let’s start:

The ultimate fitness goal usually sought to be achieved is Staying Fit! Something you need to know and understand is that Staying Fit is not a task that will accomplish in a certain period of time like 12 weeks and that’s it. Actually No, It is an on-going process and it needs persistence, and to be persistent in pursuing it you need to make it part of your life. You need to love what you do and not stop doing it whatsoever. In other words, you should be keeping a committed fitness lifestyle. And you won’t lose anything. On the contrary, you will attract all the good to your life either on the health aspect or the productivity side in your business path.
Hereby, Staying Fit simply requires you to master how to:

1. Gain Muscle without accumulating fat
2. Lose Fat without losing muscles
3. Maintain your weight if you are satisfied with your look!

I’ve always been advising any beginner to put in mind 3 main parts in order to achieve a fitness goal:

1. Proper Nutrition,
2. Hard Exercise, and
3. Enough Rest.

Besides, you must be Determined in doing all of that. So, that will yield this equation:

Success = Determination X (Nutrition + Training + Recovery)

Nutrition

If you got a hard workout but no balanced diet then your workout is a waste of time. But, if your diet is well balanced then you will see some results even if your workout was a mess. My point is that diet is the most important part you have to master.

let’s point out all the possible factors you may need to be aware of in order to make a well balanced diet fitting your goal in this beautiful chart:

Caloric Needs

You will need to calculate your caloric needs according to your body stats:

1. BF%: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/body-fat-calculator/
2. BMR/RMR: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
3. Weight Maintenance
   

   Activity Type	Activity Factor
   Light Activity	20% – 30%
   Middle Activity	30% – 40%
   Heavy Activity	40% – 50%

   Weight Maintenance = BMR + BMR*(Activity Factor)

4. Your Caloric Consumption:
   

   Maintenance + 500 = Gain Mass

   Maintenance – 500 = Lose Fat

After you have calculated your daily caloric needs, you need to set the nutrients proportions. Personally, I prefer this:

Nutrient	Proportion
Protein	40%
Carbohydrate	40%
Fat	20%

Hence, the daily grams of each nutrient are:

Grams of Pro = Maintenance * 0.40/4

Grams of Carb = Maintenance * 0.40/4

Grams of Fat = Maintenance * 0.20/9

Alternatively, the following proportions might be even better for gaining mass:

Nutrient	Proportion
Protein	35%
Carbohydrate	45%
Fat	20%

Please, note that:

1 g of Protein = 4 kcal

1 g of Carbohydrate = 4 kcal

1 g of Fat = 9 Kcal

BF	Body Fat
BMR	Basal Metabolic Rate
RMR	Resting Metabolic Rate

Supplements

Supplements might be used to help you achieve optimum results in a short time. So, you may take:

1. Multivitamins and Minerals: take the PDA while on training otherwise stick with the RDA/RDI.
2. Whey Protein: Most important supplement. It can be used in all times. Suitable for Post-Workout meals due to its high BV, i.e. fast absorption.
3. Casein Protein: not necessary but it can be used before sleep due to its low BV, i.e. slow absorption.
4. Creatine Monohydrate: Used for lifting very heavy weights in the rep range 1-8 reps.
5. Gainers: Perfect for the skinny and those who can’t get well-balanced diets. They usually conatin carbohydrates, Whey Protein, Creatine, Vitamins and Minerals.
6. Others: Vitamin C, L-Glutamine, Nitric Oxide …etc.

Eating Tips

1. There are 4 important meals should be kept in mind prioritized in importance as the follow:

   Meal	Ingredients
   Post-Workout	High Glycemic Index Carbohydrate + Whey Protein + Multivitamins + Creatine Monohydrate
   Pre-Workout	Moderate Glycemic Index Carbohydrate + Whey Protein
   Breakfast	Low Glycemic Index Carbohydrate + Whey Protein + EFA + Multivitamins
   Before Bed	Low Glycemic Index Carbohydrate + Casein Protein + EFA + ZMA
   Other Snacks	Low Glycemic Index Carbohydrate + Whey Protein + EFA

2. Feed your muscles frequently 5-8 meals per day, i.e every 2-3 hours
3. Make sure that every meal has Protein in it
4. Read food labels and make it a habit. Always strive for foods highest in protein.
5. Drink sufficient amount of water.
6. Warning: High Protein consumption may cause kidney stones formation so make sure you drink sufficient amount of water!

Training

Will be updated soon!

How to Achieve a Great Physique through Exercising Part 4: CARDIO TRAINING

III. CARDIO TRAINING

Now, the way how to lose fat is by using the aerobic/cardio exercises such as walking, jogging, running on a treadmill; or a stationary bike, etc, and since our aim is to re-shape our bodies, then cardio training should not be used as a substitute for weight training but should be used as a tool to burn extra calories. Here, the cardio exercise to be effective in burning fat, the fat burning zone should be determined for that person.

The fat burning zone is the zone at which enough work is being done and the fat burning process is at its potential. This zone can be known by determining the heart pulsing rate (how fast your heart is beating per minute). The fat burning zone formula is the following:

Fat Burning Zone = 220 – (Your Age) * (.75)

This formula will give an approximate value of how fast your heart should be beating per minute. In other words, it doesn’t matter if your heart pulse is plus or minus 10 beats from your target zone.

A. Frequency

Because of the different physiological state of males and females, the frequency of cardio exercise differs. Since the nature of females’ body tends to have smaller muscles than males, then females should perform more cardio than males to burn the same amount of fat. But you must keep in mind that more frequent cardio doesn’t mean better in burning fat especially when it comes to males due to the risk of losing muscles when performing more frequent or a long duration of cardio exercises.

1. Males

   In the off-season, 2 to 4 sessions a week of 20-30 minutes each is recommended. In the contest-season, no more than 2 sessions a day, 7 days a week of 45 minutes each.

2. Females

   In the off-season, 4 sessions a week of 20-40 minutes each is recommended. In the contest-season, no more than 2 sessions a day, 7 days a week of 45 minutes each.

B. Timing

It is known the main source of energy in the body is carbohydrates. The excess of these carbohydrates is stored as glycogen in the muscles. When somebody wants to burn fat, he/she firstly must consumes the glycogen stored in the muscles, and then he/she will consume the fat after consuming the glycogen. In other words, fat won’t be burnt till glycogen stores are depleted. Because of this fact, there are only two times cardio exercise is effective at burning fat: in the morning and after weight training.

1. In the Morning

   It is preferable that cardio is performed on an empty stomach after drinking 16 to 24oz of water to prevent dehydration. When performed at this time you burn 300% more body fat that at any other time in the day because your body does not have any glycogen (stored carbohydrates-sugar) in the system to burn. Therefore, it has to go directly into the fat stores in order to get the energy necessary to complete the activity.

2. After Weight Lifting

   The reason that makes doing cardio exercise after weight training one of he best time to perform it is that “when exercise is not performed first thing in the morning it takes your body approximately anywhere between 20 to 30 minutes to start burning fat. Thus, doing cardio exercise directly after weight training will begin immediately in the fat burning stage since glycogen stores have been already depleted.

C. HIIT Cardio

The word HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training, and HIIT is the most effective training in terms of losing fat because of the way how it is performed.

HIIT cardio from its name is done at varying intensities, and the reason why it is done in that way is to avoid the steady state that the body reaches at. In general, our bodies try to adapt to any unusual state that occurs to them, and when a traditional cardio (at a constant pace) is performed the body gradually will adapt to this speed and will enter the steady state and hence will begin to conserve the energy and no effective burn of fat is done. Unlike the HIIT cardio type, when it is performed our bodies can’t adapt to it and don’t know what is going on because of varying the intensity of the exercise, and hence fat burning will be at its maximum, and also one of the studies states that HIIT cardio burns nine times more fat than traditional ones.

Here is an example of how to perform HIIT cardio:

1. Pick any type of cardiovascular method (running, swimming, recumbent bike, treadmill, elliptical machine, etc).
2. Determine your Maximum Heart Rate or MHR. To do this takes 220 – your age.
3. Wear a heart rate monitor (optional).
4. Make sure you take some time to warm up to get your body temperature raised before you begin.
5. Now begin your cardiovascular training at 75% MHR intensity for 30 seconds and then bring your intensity down to a slow dull pace for 90 seconds.
6. Repeat step 5 but bring your intensity up each time. Complete a total of 3-7 intervals in total. You’ll be surprised with the results.

CONCLUSION

In general, keeping training and staying motivated is actually a lifestyle that makes us stay healthy by keeping our bodies lean, physically fit, strong, cut, toned up and very attractive. Besides, this kind of lifestyles is a helping factor to increase self-confidence and esteem and hence to achieve our desired goals. So, if you want to control your life in a better manner just aim to choose this type of lifestyles.

Finally, remember that exercising is just one important part to succeed in the “Health & Fitness” lifestyle. Best results are achieved when exercising is utilized in combination with proper nutrition and enough period of recovery/rest.

Navigate through this series:

1. OVERVIEW
2. STRETCHING BASICS
   1. Dynamic Stretching
   2. Static Stretching
3. WEIGHT TRAINING
   1. Warm-Up
   2. Reps and Rest between Sets
   3. Cool-Down
4. CARDIO TRAINING
   1. Frequency
   2. Timing
   3. HIIT Cardio

How to Achieve a Great Physique through Exercising Part 3: WEIGHT TRAINING

II. WEIGHT TRAINING

Weight training is the only tool that is capable of reshaping our bodies, and without it we can’t have that cut and attractive body. Moreover, effectiveness of burning fat is not going to be at its potential because weight training is also the only way to get you bigger muscles, and bigger muscles implies that you will be more efficient and effective in burning fat. Besides, weight training is going to tighten our muscles and build new muscle tissues. Generally, if optimum results are to be accomplished, three important stages are to be performed properly: warming up, training within rep ranges, and cooling down.

A. Warm-Up

Warming up is almost same as stretching, one of the most neglected parts or at least it is rarely to be performed properly. Well, at least by beginners or by those lacking the knowledge. In weight training, warming up is very crucial before any workout and without it your workout is going to be not effective at all, particularly in terms of gaining strength and building muscles.

Mainly, warming up is used to prime/prepare the nervous system for the heavy work, and if you don’t prime your nervous system, your body will not be functioning at its potential efficiency in doing the workout. Thus, your workout is a waste of your training energy. Beside this main advantage, warming-up has many benefits, so it can:

1. Raise body temperature.
2. Increase mental alertness and awareness.
3. Loosen muscles.
4. Make your body get acclimatized to heavy loads.

A proper warm-up consists of 3 parts:

1. Whole body movement warm-up to raise body temperature, and is done by any type of light cardio training like stationary bike for 5-10 minuets. (optional)
2. Stretching body parts that will be worked by using dynamic stretching. (optional) See the (Stretching Section) in part 2.
3. Warm-up sets to prime the nervous system for the heavy work.

Warm-up sets stage, the 3rd stage, is the most important one in performing warm-up before the workout, and it is the stage that most trainees perform it improperly. At this stage, warm-up sets vary depending on the work load, i.e. the rep ranges you are going to use (strength reps, hypertrophy reps, or endurance reps). The heavier loads, e.g. strength reps, the more warm-up sets are required, and the lighter loads, e.g. hypertrophy reps, the fewer warm-up sets are required. See the following examples of proper warm-up sets:

Warm-up of 300 lbs work sets, 5 reps each:

Weight (lbs)	% Rep Max	Reps
150 lbs	50 %	12
150 lbs	50 %	10
210 lbs	70 %	6
240 lbs	80 %	4
270 lbs	90 %	1

Warm-up of 185 lbs work sets, 10 reps each:

Weight (lbs)	% Rep Max	Reps
90 lbs	50 %	12
130 lbs	75 %	4
170 lbs	90 %	1

Warm-up of 100 lbs work sets, 15 reps each:

Weight (lbs)	% Rep Max	Reps
50 lbs	50 %	12
70 lbs	70 %	10

Ast Sports Science says: Warming up is warming up, and this “warm-up process should not fatigue the muscle. If you generate any muscle fatigue whatsoever during your warm-up sets you will compromise muscle overload and growth.

B. Reps and Rest between Sets

When you come to the sport of bodybuilding you will hear a lot of claims and recommendations. Some claims that any routine under 10 reps is a waist of time, others recommend doing as many as 100 reps, some also advice to adhere only to something around 6 reps. As the time passes, you will begin to ask yourself what is going on behind this, everybody claims the truth of an idea that another one has claimed the fallacy of it.

Well, what you hear from these people might be true. But, you have to be aware of what you are told and to be sure if these ideas are true or not and also if there is any relation that relates these ideas to other things. Therefore, to make what those people say about rep range more plain and simple let’s see what the pros say.

Firstly, the muscle in general constitutes of three types of fibers: fast twitch fibers, moderate twitch fibers and slow twitch fibers. Based on these three types of fibers three basic rep ranges are there: low reps (strength), moderate reps (hypertrophy) and high reps (endurance).

1. Gaining Strength (Low Reps)

   Low reps fall anywhere from 1-5 reps. Within this range of reps the adaptation is mostly neurological, i.e. maximal strength but minimal hypertrophy. Here, Fast twitch fibers are mainly stimulated with the help of the other two types. Rest period between sets should be around 2-3 minuets, because this is the time needed by the muscle to fully recover within this range of reps.

2. Building Muscles (Moderate Reps)

   Moderate reps fall anywhere from 6-12 reps. Within this range of reps the adaptation is mostly metabolic, i.e. minimal strength but maximal hypertrophy. Here, moderate twitch fibers are mainly stimulated with the help of only slow twitch fibers. Rest period between sets should be around 1-1.5 minuets.

3. Improving Endurance (High Reps)

   High reps fall anywhere from 13+ reps. Within this range of reps the adaptation is mostly cellular, i.e. maximal endurance. Here, only slow twitch fibers are stimulated. Rest period between sets should be around 30+ seconds.

Rep Range	% of 1 Rep Max	Training Effect	Goal Desired
1-5 reps	85-100%	Neural	Strength and Power, little hypertrophy
6-8 reps	75-85%	Neural and metabolic	Strength and Hypertrophy
9-12 reps	70-75%	Metabolic and Neural	Hypertrophy and some strength
13-20+ reps	60-70%	Metabolic	Local endurance, some hypertrophy, little strength

C. Cool-Down

After training, the role of cool-down comes. It is mainly performed to promote recovery and return your body to pre-workout level, and also to assist the muscle tissue repair process. From exercising side, two main steps are needed to ensure an effective cool-down:

1. Gentle exercise: 5-15 minutes of easy exercise targeting the muscles trained during the workout.
2. Stretching: using static stretching. See the (Stretching Section) at Part 2.

Navigate through this series:

1. OVERVIEW
2. STRETCHING BASICS
   1. Dynamic Stretching
   2. Static Stretching
3. WEIGHT TRAINING
   1. Warm-Up
   2. Reps and Rest between Sets
   3. Cool-Down
4. CARDIO TRAINING
   1. Frequency
   2. Timing
   3. HIIT Cardio

How to Achieve a Great Physique through Exercising Part 2: STRETCHING BASICS

I. STRETCHING BASICS

Stretching is one of the useful tools if incorporated in any physical activity. Nevertheless, it is one of the most neglected parts particularly in weight training. Stretching when is done properly it can help:

1. Reduce muscle and joint tensions.
2. Increase range of motion.
3. Prevent injuries such as muscle strains.
4. Enhance blood circulation and remove lactic acid.
5. Speed the healing process of injured muscles.
6. Build muscles and make you look cut.

There are two main types of stretching: dynamic stretching and static stretching. Many types of stretching techniques actually fall under these two types. For example, there are the PNF, passive static, isometric, ballistic, dynamic …etc. The two main types are used in weight training and cardio training.

A. Dynamic Stretching

Dynamic stretching is done by moving body parts while stretching such as arm swings. It is performed before weight and cardio training, but after some types of warming-up. Personally, I don’t believe in the usefulness of this kind of stretching as I do in the other one!

B. Static Stretching

Static stretching is done by stretching body parts to the point of mild tension (not pain!) and held at that position for about 30 second without bouncing. It is performed after weight and cardio training and only trained muscles that must be stretched.

Other things not to be forgotten, while stretching breath must not be held, it must go slow and deep. Your mind should be cleared and focused on the muscle being stretched. Also, stretching between sets during weight training helps get your muscles rid of lactic acid and hence they recover faster. Further, stretching could be used as the cool-down stage after training.

In spite of my strong believe in this kind of stretching, the only day I stretch is the leg day. I really enjoy doing the different splits!

Navigate through this series:

1. OVERVIEW
2. STRETCHING BASICS
   1. Dynamic Stretching
   2. Static Stretching
3. WEIGHT TRAINING
   1. Warm-Up
   2. Reps and Rest between Sets
   3. Cool-Down
4. CARDIO TRAINING
   1. Frequency
   2. Timing
   3. HIIT Cardio

How to Achieve a Great Physique through Exercising Part 1: OVERVIEW

INTRODUCTION

Being in shape, getting a great physique and being physically fit are stimulants to exercise, helping factors to increase your self-confidence, making you focus more on your body to be highly attractive, more healthy (in your mind, your diet, in your interior organs such as heart, lungs, muscles …etc). So, trying to accomplish these goals will make you control your life in a better manner, because staying physically fit is a way of life. In general, to achieve these goals you need proper nutrition, correct exercise, good supplements (optional), enough rest/recovery, and motivation with commitment. Here, I will focus on how to get into shape through exercising in the correct and efficient way.

GETTING IN SHAPE OVERVIEW

Anybody (men or women) who seriously desires to have that cut and attractive shape should adhere to two types of training: weight training and cardio training. Regarding weight training there are some principles and guides should be followed before the workout, during the workout and after the workout. So, before any trainee workouts he/she firstly should warm up properly using weights. After that, some types of stretching techniques might be applied. During the workout, a goal should be determined, i.e. gaining strength, muscles or endurance. Hence, at the end of this stage the real weight training has been performed. When the workout is done it is better to be wrapped up with a cooling-down phase using stretching techniques. This is about weight training. Regarding cardio training there are various types of cardio training, the most effective one in terms of losing fat is called the HIIT cardio training.

So, this series will flow in this order:

1. OVERVIEW
2. STRETCHING BASICS
   1. Dynamic Stretching
   2. Static Stretching
3. WEIGHT TRAINING
   1. Warm-Up
   2. Reps and Rest between Sets
   3. Cool-Down
4. CARDIO TRAINING
   1. Frequency
   2. Timing
   3. HIIT Cardio

Interview With Tom Venuto by Jackie, a.k.a. GirlWithNoName

Tom Venuto has been interviewed by different kind of parties from fans to experts. One of the great interviews conducted recently was by Jackie, the owner of the GirlWithNoName website. This Interview can be reached at this link: Interview with Tom Venuto, author of Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle

Who Is Tom Venuto?

Tom Venuto is an internationally recognized fat loss expert, nutrition researcher, freelance writer and natural bodybuilder. He is the author of the best-selling e-book, Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle.
If you need more information about Tom Venuto you can visit his website at BurnTheFat!

What Is It About?

In this interview, Jackie managed to discuss with Tom about various topics in which Tom has been into. Mostly, the discussion was about:

• His best-selling e-book “Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle”
• His second book “The Body Fat Solution”
• Cardio Training
• Strength Training
• Getting the Right Mindset

Tom Venuto’s Best-Selling E-Book “Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle”

As I’ve been telling anyone who would start the journey of body transformation, being toned, strong, lean, and attractive that your diet plays the major role in hitting your fitness goal. So, I couldn’t agree more when Tom said “Diet is The Most Effective Factor” & “If You Know What you Eat , You Are Going to Have That Great Physique”. So, that’s why this book had the title “Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle”.

Tom Venuto’s Second Book “The Body Fat Solution”

Talking about stress, lack of motivation, eating disorders, and any psychological aspect from which regular people have been suffering. Tom explained that to resolve those problems he should find solutions by discussing three strategies: Mental, Emotional, and Social aspects.

“It Is Not What Program You Follow, It Is What Makes You Follow The Program”
“in this book Tom teaches: Physical Training, Mental Training, Emotional Control”

Cardio Training

And the debate about whether Cardio should be incorporated in your program will last for ever. Cardio has its place in the Health & Fitness area and has its unique effect on your body. I’m still wondering why still there are people just trying to convince you not to perform some type of Cardio activities at all. Well, I know the benefits of Cardio Training and I’m very convinced of that, but this wondering has just gone away when Tom said that those people are just marketing for some purposes or even personal-biased.

An obvious evidence of the importance of Cardio Training is that Tom in his 1st 26 out of the 28 competitions was doing Cardio. Look how fabulous his body is! Really stunning!
Not only this but he also performs a Long Slow Cardio which most people usually find it boring! A great tip from Tom that I myself started to apply is that Tom “Tries to watch a season of something lasting for about 50 min while performing his Cardio on a bike!”

Now whether to prefer the Long Slow Cardio or Short High Intensity Cardio, Tom says that the “Long Slow Cardio is time-inefficient compared to High Intensity Cardio”, 1 hour vs. 20 min! So, the choice is yours.

Strength Training

If you look around you will notice that the different sorts of sports incorporate the Strength Training by somehow in their programs as it is crucial to improve performance.
Tom confirmed what I have been telling people about Weight Training: “Strength Training most be at the top of hierarchy”.

Some WOW quotes from Tom:

• “for cosmetic nothing gives you result like Weight Training”
• “your body is like a piece of art the you can literally curve out and sculpt your body however you want with Weight Training”
• “The person with the best physique is not necessary the one who is most knowledgeable”

A message from the GirlWithNoName, Jackie:

• “Don’t copy what people do in the Gym!!”

Women And Weight Training

This is where most of the pain comes from. Convincing a woman to Weight Train!!
If you want to change somebody’s mind toward something then you have to choose your words carefully. The power of choosing the right words is not an easy job! Here, Tom explains how talking from different aspect can change women thoughts about Weight Training. For an example, you will get different responses when you ask women this:

• Left Weight to tone up –> women will like it
• Left Weight to build muscle –> women will be freaked out

The reason why women get afraid of weight training because what they have been shown is the FBB, and unfortunately most of them use steroids!
Why don’t they look at the figure and fitness competitors?

So, women you are not going to wake up one morning and see that you gained 20 lbs of muscles.
Women won’t gain muscles when weight train they are going to get leaner, harder, firmer, curved, attractive, and more feminine!

So again, you are the sculptor and artist of your body and you have the control!

Getting The Right Mindset

Having your mind set to your fitness goals is the 1st key element to achieve those goals.
As Tom said earlier “It Is Not What Program You Follow, It Is What Makes You Follow The Program”. Getting yourself motivated, inspired by already fit lean pros, encouraged by partners, involved with positive like-minded fans …etc. All that is a major playing role to hit you fitness goals!

This reminds me of Hugo Rivera success formula:

Success = Determination x (Nutrition + Training + Recovery)

Thus, If you have the right information to do what is required to hit your fitness goals but you lack the motivation then your effort will simply vanish!!

So, That was really a very great valuable information extracted from a one hour lasting interview!

How I Work Out!

Many people have been asking me about my workouts and how I do them and I thought of posting my workouts here. I’ve been organizing this since then to be easily readable and everybody can follow up with what I have been doing!

Due to the nature of the life that I pursue, sometimes I have to stop working out for a while and then back on track again. When I’m back again to working out, I usually follow a beginner workout so I don’t get my body shocked and run into the overtraining. I keep doing that for about 4 weeks. Then, I switch to the intermediate level for as long as I feel my body doesn’t respond to the workout at this level, i.e. plateau. For Plateau Busting, Now I escalate the level towards the advanced level!

So, let’s start talking about the 3 levels one by one:

Beginner Workout

As I said before, to not get my body shocked and be overtrained I start with a beginner routine such as the Full-Body routine, and I prefer to start with it. The way how I do it is to start with the big muscles then move to the smaller muscles and in circuits. So, I call it the Full-Body Circuit Training Workout.

The whole workout at this level will last for 2 – 6 weeks
Workout Duration: 30 min
Workout Days: Every other day
Circuits: 2-3 circuits
Rest between circuits: 1 – 2 min

Full-Body Circuit Training Workout
Muscle	Exercise	Reps
Legs	Barbell Full Squat	15
Calves	Standing Barbell Calf Raises	15
Back	Bend Over Barbell Row	15
Shoulders	Dumbbell Shoulder Press	15
Chest	Push-Ups	15
Biceps	Dumbbell Biceps Curls	15
Triceps	Standing Overhead Barbell Triceps Extension	15
Abs	Sit-Ups	15

*Important Note: If your fitness goal is to Lose Fat then this type of workout is of a good choice for you to help you lose fat!!

Intermediate Workout

When I’m done of performing the beginner routine, which usually takes me only 2 weeks in my case, I change the workouts to that advanced level. At this level, I always perform the so-called “Split Body Parts Workout“. I’ve already mentioned the “Big muscle first then the Smaller” rule in the beginner routine. What I’m going to do here is following the same rule but with making a little modification to it plus it will be “Split Body Parts Workout” instead of the “Full-Body Circuit Training Workout“. So, the new rule is that every time I perform an intermediate workout usually I try to start with the big muscles then move to one of the small helper muscles and that’s for a number of reasons:

1. Some big muscles depend on small muscles to get a complete exercise movement or as it is called a full range of motion, e.g. I exercise my chest muscle first then when I’m done I exercise the triceps muscle. Since the triceps is one of the helper muscles for the chest. Hence,
2. The smaller muscle gets warmed up and ready to be exercised after the big one. Also,
3. By doing it this way, the big muscle has already been able to get its full potential contractions and range of motion.

The whole workout at this level will last for 12 – 14 weeks
Workout Duration: 60 min
Workout Days: 4 days a week
Rest between sets: 1 – 2 min
Reps per set: 8 – 12 reps

Split Body Parts Workout
Day	Muscle Group
Monday	Chest and Triceps
Tuesday	Shoulders and Traps
Wednesday	Free
Thursday	Back and Biceps
Friday	Free
Saturday	Legs and Calves
Sunday	Free

When I’m looking for more intense and more lasting workout I try to work out a non-helper small muscle as a second muscle group in my workout. Have a look at this:

Split Body Parts Workout
Day	Muscle Group
Monday	Chest and Biceps
Tuesday	Shoulders and Calves
Wednesday	Free
Thursday	Back and Triceps
Friday	Free
Saturday	Legs and Traps
Sunday	Free

Advanced Workout

Everyone after certain time of working out for long time will hit the plateau state at which no progress is noticed anymore. In this case, it’s time to move to the advanced level in which techniques used for plateau busting can be found. In the advanced level, Intensity and volume are raised up , that is weight, sets, and reps. Also, Super-Sets, Giant-Sets, Drop-Sets are utilized if further intense workout is needed! In my case, to increase the Intensity & Volume of the workout I don’t follow the rule of the “Big muscle first then the Smaller” and because I don’t have a spotter I tend to use the Drop-Sets technique combined with the Super-Sets technique. Have a look at this sample:

Group	Muscle	Exercise	Drop-Sets# 1	Drop-Sets# 2	Drop-Sets# 3
Group 1	Biceps	Dumbbell Curls	8 4 4	8 4 4	8 4 4
	Triceps	Overhead Extension Machine	8 4 4	8 4 4	8 4 4

The whole workout at this level will last for as you like
Workout Duration: 1 – 2 hours
Workout Days: 4 – 6 days a week
Rest between sets: 1 – 3 min*
Reps per set: 4 – 12 reps*
*The more intense is the workout the more rest you will need

Cardio Training

Briefly, for those whose goal is to lose fat then my rule is to use Cardio Training as an extra tool to help you burn fat and not as an alternative of Weight Training. So, Weight Training is still the essential type of training whether to gain muscle or lose fat. Although Cardio Training can be advantageous to those whose goal is gaining muscle. Huh!! How come?? Yes, when you perform some kind of Cardio Training on a regular basis your endurance will increase. Now, one reason why your endurance would increase is that the Mitochondria, where Glycogen the main body energy is stored, will be larger and more dense. Hence, a larger amount of Glycogen would be stored upon replenishment. Imagine how a lasting intense workout you would be performing if you got more fuel!! You can choose any kind of Cardio activity you like. Usually, I prefer to perform the HIIT Cardio Training type on the elliptical machine!

Body Parts Exercises

To make things even more clear about my workouts, I thought of writing down the exercises of every muscle workout that I do when I go to the gym:

Chest
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Barbell Bench Press	3	12 10 10
Barbell Incline Bench Press	3	10 8 8
Barbell Decline Bench Press	3	10 8 8
Bodyweight Dips	3	8 6 5
Pec Deck Fly	3	12 10 10

Biceps
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Dumbbell Curls	3	12 12 12
Incline Dumbbell Curls	3	12 12 12
Preacher Curls	3	12 12 12
Hammer Curls	3	12 12 12

Shoulders
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Military Press	3	12 10 10
Machine Press	3	12 10 10
Side Lateral Raise	3	12 10 10
Rear Delt Raise	3	12 10 10
Barbell Upright Row	3	12 10 10

Traps
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Barbell Shrugs	4	12 10 10 10
Barbell Shrugs Behind the Back	4	12 10 8 8
Cable Shrugs	4	12 10 10 10

Back
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Lying T-Bar Row	3	12 10 10
Close Grip Pull Down	2	12 10 10
Front Lat Pull Down	4	12 10 10 10
Rear Lat Pull Down	4	12 10 10 10
Seated Cable Row	4	12 10 10 10
Hyperextension	1	12
Stiff-Legged Deadlift	3	12 10 10

Triceps
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Triceps Extension Machine	3	12 10 10
Overhead Extension Machine	3	12 10 10
V-Bar Push Down	3	12 10 10
Reverse Grip Push Down	3	12 10 10

Legs
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Leg Press	4	12 10 10 10
Leg Extensions	5	12 10 10 10 10
Leg Curls	5	12 10 10 10 10
Thigh Abductor	3	15 15 15
Thigh Adductor	3	15 15 15

Calves
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Standing Calf Raise	3	12 10 10
Donkey Calf Raise	3	10 8 8
Seated Calf Raise	3	10 8 8

*Those highlighted exercises are not performed when working out at home and that’s due to the lack of the required machines for them!

In a Nutshell

As I said before I’m not an expert in the area but I’m a huge fan of it. So, all that I wanted is just to share with you What I do and How I do it.

Enjoy and have your comment!