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Compound Workout #1

So you’ve decided to listen to me and start doing a workout that will actually show some results, provided of course that you’re eating to support your lifting efforts.

If you’ve read any of my other stuff, you know I’m pro compound lifts. Isolation exercises certainly have their place, but that place is a fair distance from where most people are when it comes to weight training and wanting to get stronger, look better, and stay in good condition.

Isolation exercises offer a way to refine the clay, but you’ve got to have the clay to start with. Doing dumbbell concentration curls for your biceps peak is pretty useless unless you’re a bodybuilder sporting some decent sized guns already.

For the rest of us, compound, multi-joint lifts are the best way to go. Such lifts make your whole body stronger and are the most efficient way to gain size and strength – again, supposing that your diet supports your size-gaining goal.

Rather than continue to ramble on about generalities, I’ll offer up a good compound lift based workout you can use a blueprint to get started.

For the most part, these sets should be ascending sets – that is you start light and go heavier with each set. You last set should be 75 – 80% of you max. I’ll put in the weights I use to give you a starting point. Adjust up or down based on your own strength levels.

Monday:

• Squats: 135×5, 155×5, 185×5, 225×5, 255×5
• Bench Press: 115×5, 125×5, 135×5, 155×5, 165×5
• Hanging Clean to Press: 95×5, 105×5, 115×5
• Bent-over Rows: 135×5, 155×5, 175×5, 175×5
• Pull-ups: 10,10
• Dips: 10, 10

Wednesday

• Power Cleans: 135×5, 155×5, 175×5, 185×5, 195×5
• Incline Press: 115×5, 125×5, 135×5, 155×5, 165×5
• Military Press: 95×5, 105×5, 115×5
• Chin-ups: 10, 10
• Dips: 10, 10

Friday

• Dead lifts: 135×6, 185×5, 225×5, 275×5, 315×5
• Bench Press: 115×5, 125×5, 135×5, 155×5, 165×5
• Hanging Clean to Press: 95×5, 105×5, 115×5, 115×5
• Bent-over Rows: 135×5, 155×5, 175×5, 175×5
• Chin-ups: 10, 10
• Dips: 10,10

If your goal is to gain muscles and strength, then you should use a progressive resistance program. That means over time you should increase the amount of weight you use for each exercise. If you get all sets and reps easily, then go up 5 pounds the next time.

If your goal is to maintain, then your weights will probably remain static. New lifters can get stronger without a corresponding increase in muscles mass due to the neurological component, but once you’ve been lifting a while, your poundages will flatten if you aren’t eating to support weight gain.

If you are try to cut and lose fat, your poundages might actually go down. Think of it this way: a person who weighs 180 pounds and squats 255 is proportionally stronger than someone who weighs 200 pounds and squats 275. Also, if you’re trying to lose weight, you might want to up the reps to 8 instead of 5.

So put away the cables and preacher curls and leg extensions. Eat plenty of protein, keep your carbs low, and try the routine above. You won’t be disappointed!

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