Month: August 2020

This Article is an Extension of the Push-Pull-Legs Training Program. Once you’ve reached a point where you can no longer improve with a Push-Pull-Legs A/B Rotation, you can Split Up the Body Parts to a 4 Day, 5 Day or even 6 Day Workout Program and allow each Muscle a few Days of Extra Rest for Additional Recovery & Growth in between the Workouts.

You can read more about other Training Splits & & Progressive Overload in these Articles below:
Progressive Overload Principles, Intensity Techniques & Structuring a Deload with Examples
Full-Body Workout Split for Beginners with Examples
How to Design your own Upper / Lower Body Program with Examples
How to Design your own Push-Pull-Legs Training Program with Examples

4 Day Training Split

You should be able to Develop the Majority of your Strength, Size, Density, Thickness and Muscle Maturity with a Push-Pull-Legs (A/B) Routine. When this Foundation has been Laid & Solidified, a Multiple-Day Split allows you to Train with more Volume and Focus on Refining your Physique, more so compared to what’s Possible with a Push-Pull-Legs Routine.

Switching from a 3 Day to 4 Day Training Split is another way to Improve Lagging Body Parts, if they’re not that far behind the other Developed Muscle Groups! There are Several Variations in a 4 Day Split when Switching from a PPL Routine, below are some Suggestions on the Initial Separation of Workouts, in order to Improve certain Body Parts:
• Chest & Shoulders; Chest & Triceps, Pull, Shoulders, Legs
• Biceps & Triceps; Push, Pull, Arms, Legs
• Quads & Hamstrings; Push, Quads & Calves, Pull, Hamstrings & Adductors
• Back Thickness; Push, Quads & Calves, Arms, Posterior Chain (Pullups, Dead or Rack Lifts, SLDL, Leg Curls, etc.)

Below is an Example of a 4 Day Training Program, where you Separate Leg Day into Quads & Calves Day and Hamstrings & Adductors Day:

Push Day

• Dumbbell Bench Press
• Dumbbell Bench Flyes
• Seated Cable Flyes
• Body Weight Dips
• EZ Bar Skull Crushers
• Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extensions
• Dumbbell Lateral Raises
• EZ Bar Front Raises
• Dumbbell Shoulder Press
• Hanging Leg Raises

Quads & Calves Day

• Barbell Squats
• Leg Press
• Leg Extensions
• Hack Squats
• Walking Lunges
• Seated Calf Raises
• Donkey Calf Raises
• Standing Calf Raises

Pull Day

• Body Weight Pullups
• T-Bar Rows
• Dumbbell Rows
• Dumbbell Pullovers
• Bent Over Dumbbell Rear Delt Flyes
• Barbell Shrugs
• EZ Bar Curls
• Cable Rope Curls
• EZ Bar Reverse Curls
• Barbell Wrist Curls

Hamstrings & Adductors Day

• Lying Hamstring Curls
• Seated Hamstring Curls
• Barbell Stiff Legged Dead Lifts
• Smith Machine Swing Curls
• Adductor Machine
• Barbell Hip Thrust
• Reverse Hyper Extensions

Structuring the Workouts in 4 Day Split

The 4 Day Training Split above, makes every Workout a Hardcore Workout, whereas an Extra Arm Workout would give you an “Easy” Day which isn’t as Demanding on your Central Nervous System as 4 Days of Heavy Compound Exercises.

The Example above might cause some Overlap and will Drain your CNS & Recovery if you go Hard on ALL Days, without Adequate Rest Days for Recovery. This means you’ll either have to Train at Reduced Intensity on Days where you Train Body Parts that are already Sufficiently Developed. If your Back is already a Strong Body Part, you basically turn that into the Workload of an Arm Day with 50% Intensity, allowing you to Train All 4 Workout Days in Succession.

Or you Incorporate more Rest Days in between Workouts, Resulting in a 2 Day ON & 1 Day OFF or 1 Day ON & 1 Day OFF approach for Maximum Recovery. In most Cases 2 Day ON & 1 Day OFF will be Sufficient to Train with 100% Intensity, each and every Workout

It highly Depends on how you’ve Developed your Physique with a Push-Pull-Legs A/B Routine and how you’d like to Progress your Physique further. Once you’re ready for a 4 Day Split you should know which Body Parts you Can & Can’t Train in Succession, due to CNS Overlap or Muscle Soreness, Preventing you from Training 100% the next Day!

In most Cases, Arm Development starts to Lag behind the other Body Parts when Following a PPL Routine, because Chest & Shoulders or Back & Traps are basically causing Pre-Fatigue in the Triceps & Biceps, which reduces the Stimulation for Hyper-Trophy, later in the Workout. When you notice that Arms aren’t as Developed as the Body Parts on your Torso or your Legs, moving Biceps & Triceps to their own Arm Day is very Beneficial to increase Recovery and Stimulate these Body Parts during a Separate Workout!

Rest / Recovery Days in 4 Day Routine

Taking Rest Days into Consideration, you can Schedule the Extra Arm Day into your Existing PPL Routine:
• 4 Days ON & 1 Day OFF; Push, Pull, Legs, Arms, Off, Repeat! (5 Day Rotation)
• 2 Days ON & 1 Day OFF; Push, Pull, Off, Arms, Legs, Off, Repeat! (6 Day Rotation)
• 1 Days ON, 1 Day OFF; Push, Off, Pull, Off, Arms, Off, Legs, Off, Repeat! (8 Day Rotation)

In other Cases you might want to Prioritize Leg Development over Arms, because Leg Day is very Taxing and you’re unable to Provide the Required Intensity for Hamstrings or Calves, after you’ve given Everything on Quads. When Leg Day in the PPL Routine becomes too Demanding, your Upper Body is Developed enough and doesn’t require Additional Splitting of Muscle Groups in order to progress, an extra Hamstring Day will greatly Enhance the Development of your Lower Body. While the added Day in between Workout, will aid in the Strength Progression & Recovery of all the Major Body Parts.

Taking Rest Days into Consideration, you can Schedule the Extra Hamstring Day into your Existing PPL Routine:
• 4 Days ON & 1 Day OFF; Push, Quads & Calves, Pull, Hamstring & Adductors, Off, Repeat! (5 Day Rotation)
• 2 Days ON & 1 Day OFF; Push, Quads & Calves, Off, Pull, Hamstring & Adductors, Off, Repeat! (6 Day Rotation)
• 1 Days ON & 1 Day OFF; Push, Off, Quads & Calves, Off, Pull, Off, Hamstring & Adductors, Off, Repeat! (8 Day Rotation)

5 Day Training Split

Once you’ve Completely Maximized Progress on a 4 Day Training Split and it’s Impossible to make Overall Improvements or Improve Lagging Body Parts, even though you’ve Scheduled Deloads, Increased Calories or PEDs or both, you can Transition into a 5 Day Training Split. While keeping Caloric Intake in Mind, a 5 Day Split is usually Preferred in a Caloric Deficit. Since there’s Adequate Rest Days in between Training each Body Part, Recovery remains Intact, even when Calories are Reduced while Workout Volume is increased. In this Case, PEDs are often much Higher compared to the Offseason, where Calories & Training Frequency is High. During a Cutting Phase, PED & Training Volume is High, but Calories & Training Frequency is Low-Moderate, which allows for Similar Recovery Capability and might even extend the need for a Deload, from 6-8 Weeks, to 12-16 Weeks, making it Ideal for an Entire Contest Prep or Cutting Phase.

Below is an Example of a 5 Day Training Program, where you Separate Leg Day into Quads & Calves Day and Hamstrings & Adductors Day, but Group Biceps & Triceps into an Arm Day:

Chest & Shoulders Day

• Dumbbell Bench Press
• Dumbbell Bench Flyes
• Seated Cable Flyes
• Kettlebell Hex Press
• Hammer Strength Chest Press
• Dumbbell Lateral Raises
• EZ Bar Front Raises
• Dumbbell Shoulder Press
• Hammer Strength Shoulder Press

Hamstrings & Adductors Day

• Lying Hamstring Curls
• Seated Hamstring Curls
• Barbell Stiff Legged Dead Lifts
• Smith Machine Swing Curls
• Adductor Machine
• Barbell Hip Thrust
• Reverse Hyper Extensions

Back & Traps Day

• Body Weight Pullups
• EZ Bar Rows
• Dumbbell Rows
• Dumbbell Pullovers
• Bent Over Dumbbell Rear Delt Flyes
• EZ Bar Pendlay Rows
• Barbell Shrugs
• Hammer Strength Shrugs
• Cable Shrugs

Biceps & Triceps Day

• EZ Bar Curls
• Alternating Dumbbell Curls
• Hammer Curls
• Overhead Lying Cable Curls
• Body Weight Dips
• EZ Bar Skull Crushers
• Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extensions
• Tate Press
• EZ Bar Reverse Curls
• Barbell Wrist Curls
• Hanging Leg Raises

Quads & Calves Day

• Barbell Squats
• Leg Press
• Leg Extensions
• Hack Squats
• Walking Lunges
• Seated Calf Raises
• Donkey Calf Raises
• Standing Calf Raises

Structuring the Workouts in 5 Day Split

Switching from a 4 Day to 5 Day Training Split is yet another way to Improve Lagging Body Parts and allow for more Recovery between Workouts. There are Several Variations in a 5 Day Split when Switching from a 4 Day Routine, below are some Suggestions on the Additional Separation of Workouts, in order to Improve certain Body Parts:

• Upper-Body; Chest, Legs, Arms, Shoulders, Back & Traps
• Lower-Body; Chest & Triceps, Quads & Calves, Shoulders, Hamstrings & Adductors, Back & Traps & Biceps
• Arms; Chest & Shoulders, Quads & Calves, Arms, Hamstrings & Adductors, Back & Traps

Rest / Recovery Days in 5 Day Routine

Taking Rest Days into Consideration, you can Schedule your Upper-Body Specific 5 Days Split in the Following way:
• 5 Days ON & 1 Day OFF; Chest, Legs, Arms, Shoulders, Back & Traps, Off, Repeat! (6 Day Rotation)
• 2 Days ON, 1 Day OFF, 3 Days ON & 1 Day OFF; Chest, Legs, Off, Arms, Shoulders, Back & Traps, Off, Repeat! (7 Day Rotation)
• 2 Days ON & 1 Day OFF; Chest, Legs, Off, Arms, Shoulders, Off, Back & Traps, Chest, Off, Legs, Arms, Off, Shoulders, Back & Traps, Off, Repeat! (15 Day Rotation)

Taking Rest Days into Consideration, you can Schedule your Lower-Body Specific 5 Days Split in the Following way:
• 5 Days ON & 1 Day OFF; Chest & Triceps, Quads & Calves, Shoulders, Hamstrings & Adductors, Back & Traps & Biceps, Off, Repeat! (6 Day Rotation)
• 2 Days ON, 1 Day OFF, 3 Days ON & 1 Day OFF; Chest & Triceps, Quads & Calves, Off, Shoulders, Hamstrings & Adductors, Back & Traps & Biceps, Off, Repeat! (7 Day Rotation)
• 2 Days ON & 1 Day OFF; Chest & Triceps, Quads & Calves, Off, Shoulders, Hamstrings & Adductors, Off, Back & Traps & Biceps, Chest & Triceps, Off, Quads & Calves, Shoulders, Off, Hamstrings & Adductors, Back & Traps & Biceps, Off, Repeat! (15 Day Rotation)

The 5 Day Split is often Performed over the Course of a Week, allowing for 2 Days OFF in between 2/3 Days ON. Usually you take a Day OFF after a Quads, Hamstrings or Back Day in a 5 Day Training Split, with a Chest, Shoulder or Arms Day as Padding in between the 3 Most Demanding Workouts of the Week; Quads & Calves / Back & Traps / Hamstrings & Glutes. Again, it highly depends on how you Chose to Split up the Body Parts in your Personalized 5 Day Split.

In some Cases there’s no Padding in between Demanding Workouts, and you might have to Lower the Intensity to Prevent Over-Stimulation of CNS or Compounding Workload which reduces Overall Recovery and might Result in Over-Training.

There are many ways to Split up your Body Parts for a 5 Day Workout Routine. You can also go with; Chest & Shoulders, Hamstrings & Adductors, Off, Back & Traps, Biceps & Triceps, Quads & Calves, Off, Repeat! It all depends on how you Recover, the Overlap Body Parts and which Body Parts you’d like to improve the most!

6 Day Training Split

This is Freak Territory and doesn’t apply for the Majority of the People to be Completely Honest. Most of us can’t sustain 6 Days per Week of Intense Workouts, unless you’re on a Boatload of PED’s and Calories to Fuel the Workouts and actually Recover from Training 6 Days per Week!

A 6 Day Split is High Volume Heaven, with Insulin Pre-Workout to Shuttle the Essential Amino Acids, Creatine, High Branch Cyclic Dextrin’s & Electrolytes into the Muscle, while perhaps also using OTC Pre-Workouts, 300-400mg Ubiquinol, 2-5 Puffs Ventolin (Salbutamol), Offseason Anabolics that increase RBC Count & Hematocrit, Cialis, Injectable AmPK & EPO, basically anything that Actually increases Performance in order to Sustain 2 Hour Workouts.

Taking Rest Days into Consideration, you can Schedule your 6 Days Split in the Following way:
• 6 Days ON & 1 Day OFF; Chest & Abs, Quads & Calves, Biceps & Triceps, Hamstrings &

This basically means you Train ALL Major Body Parts and a Secondary or Ancillary Body Part on Separate Days, which allows for very High Volume per Workout, with Adequate Muscle Group Specific, Recovery Capability in between Workouts.

Although you’ll be Training 6 Days per Week; Moderate-High use of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs), Structured & Timed use of Performance Enhancing Supplementation (PESs), High Caloric Intake with Accompanying Pharmacology, should Provide Adequate Recovery Capability with Limited Rest Days. Even when Calories are Restricted during a Contest Prep or Cutting Phase, Recovery shouldn’t be Impacted too Severely, especially when Volume is Reduced alongside the Caloric Deficit. Utilizing 100% of the Nutrients for Recovery, while pulling a bit of Body Fat from Reserves in order to Fuel Hyper-Plasia & Energy Production!

On a 6 Day Split Body Builders usually do 6 Exercises for the Main Body Part, followed by 3-4 Exercises for the Secondary or Ancillary Body Part you Train during the Workout. Workouts Typically last around 1 Hour as there’s very little need to Warmup or Prime other Body Parts, as those are Trained on other Days. With a Conventional PPL Routine, you spend a lot of Time on Warmup Sets, Feel Sets & Priming Body Parts before you reach your Working Weight. While with a 6 Day Split, you Perform a few Warmup Sets & Feel Sets for the Main Body Part, after your First Working Sets you merely need 1 or 2 Feel Sets in order to Prime yourself for another Working Set in the next Exercise. In the Meantime your Secondary Body Part gets Sufficiently Primed as well, reducing the need for Additional Warmups or Feel Sets, Allowing you to Transition straight into the next Body Part with little Time in between!

Keep in mind that Progressive Overload goes Completely out of the Window on a 6 Day Split during a Cutting Phase, as you’re simply trying to Maintain Size & Strength by Spacing Body Parts away from each other, reducing Overlap, while allowing for the most Amount of Recovery the Caloric Deficit, Moderate-High PEDs & Recovery Days between Workouts can Provide.

Many Body Builders chose to Rotate Exercises Week by Week, never Performing the same Workout as the Week before. Broscience tells us this Prevents Adaption, because it’s hard to make Continues Progress in regards to Working Weight and/or Reps during the Set, when Calories are Restricted for a Prolonged Period of Time. Another Part of this Philosophy to Rotate Exercise Weekly, is the Defeated Feeling you get, when your Strength starts declining on your Favorite Exercises. Since you’ve been working so hard to grow using Progressive Overload during the Offseason, seeing your Lifts reduce in Total Reps, followed by a reduction in Working Weight, is a Hard Pill to Swallow.

That’s why most Body Builders prefer to Train by Feel during the later Stages of a Contest Prep or Cutting Phase and do Exercises they Enjoy, Exercises that Feel Safe, Exercise that are easy to Setup but Provide Adequate Stimulation for Hyper-Trophy, Preserving Muscle Tissue even when Training Intensity is Balanced to a fine Line between Stimulation & Injury.

Once you’re at this Level you owe yourself an Obligatory Trip to the Muscle Factory Bangkok, Golds Gym Venice, Bev Francis’ Powerhouse Gym New York or Oxygen Gym Kuwait!!

In this Article I’ll describe how to Intermediate Lifters can Switch into a Push-Pull-Legs Routine and make the most Progress possible, before they need to Transition into a Multiple-Day Training Split. You can read about other Training Splits here:

You can read more about other Training Splits & Progressive Overload in these Articles below:
Progressive Overload Principles, Intensity Techniques & Structuring a Deload with Examples
Full-Body Workout Split for Beginners with Examples
How to Design your own Upper / Lower Body Program with Examples
How to Design your own 4, 5 & 6 Day Training Program with Examples

Push-Pull-Legs Training Split

There are several ways to Design your own Personalized Push-Pull-Legs Training Program.

First; assess which Body Parts you want to Improve over the next few Weeks and Prioritize them earlier in the Week and at the start of each Workout.

Second; based on the Amount of PEDs and Calories/Nutrients you’re getting in every day, decide how many days of Recovery you need before you do a Consecutive Push, Pull or Legs Workout. This will decide how many Days Off you need and if you can Incorporate Resistance Bands, Rest-Pause Techniques, Widow Makers Sets, Drop Sets or Training Beyond Failure!

In the Beginning of Following a Push-Pull-Legs Routine, Progress will come Relatively Easy, especially if you came from a Full-Body or Upper / Lower Routine Previously. The added Recovery you get from Spacing Body Parts apart with Several Days is more than enough to make Progress every Single Workout. However, the Longer your Follow a Push-Pull-Legs Routine, the Harder it is to make Consistent Progress with Regards to Progressive Overload. Due to Overlap of Exercises, Moving Insanely Heavy Weight, which Require more & more Calories and perhaps PEDs to Facilitate Recovery as well as Chronic Micro-Injuries, which Detract from Maximum Training Intensity to Progress beyond certain Training Plateaus.

Push-Pull-Legs is a very Popular Training Split can is used by Intermediate to the most Advanced Body Builders. It’s one of my Favorite Methods to Train when I’m Eating in a Caloric Surplus with Moderate Dosages of Steroids, between HRT & 1,000mg AAS Combined per Week. Beyond 1,000mg AAS I’m usually in a Caloric Deficit, which Requires more PEDs to Facilitate Recovery to Compensate for Restricted Caloric Intake. In this Case I also need more Recovery Days in between Training each Body Part and usually Switch to a 4, 5 or 6 Day Workout Routine.

I’ve done many Versions of a Push-Pull-Legs Routine, the one that gave me the Most Results was a Modified “Free Weights Only” PPL Routine. It wasn’t Completely Free Weights Only, as I found that Hamstrings & Calves still Required Machines for Proper Stimulation. Basically the PPL Routine consisted of as many Free Weight Exercises as I could Perform, with Limited use of Equipment unless Absolutely Necessary!

Below is the exact “Free Weights Only” PPL Routine with Machines for Hamstrings, Adductors & Calves:

Push Day

• Incline Dumbbell Press
• Incline Dumbbell Flyes
• Incline Hex Press
• Bodyweight Dips
• EZ Bar Skull Crushers
• Tate Press
• Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extensions
• Dumbbell Lateral Raises
• EZ Bar Front Raises
• Dumbbell Shoulder Press
• Lying Crunches

Pull Day

• Bodyweight Pullups
• Underhand EZ Bar Rows
• Dumbbell Rows
• Decline Dumbbell Pullovers in Situp Bench
• Dumbbell Rear Delt Flyes
• EZ Bar Pendlay Rows
• Dumbbell Shrugs
• EZ Bar Curls
• Dumbbell Hammer Curls
• Alternating Dumbbell Curls in Preacher Bench

Leg Day

• Barbell Squats
• Sumo Squats with Plates & Cable Crossover Handles
• Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squats
• Barbell Hip Thrusts or Adductor (Machine)
• Lying Hamstring Curls (Machine)
• Smith Machine Swinging Hamstring Curls
• Barbell Stiff Legged Dead Lifts
• Seated Calf Raises (Machine)
• Donkey Calf Raises (Machine)
• Standing Calf Raises (Machine)

Structuring the Workouts in PPL Split

In this Routine, each Workout Contains 10 Working Sets over 10 Exercises (excluding Abs). Although you might Perform a Total of 30 Sets over the Entire Workouts; 3 Sets of 20 Reps to Warmup, 5 Sets of 4-6 Reps to Prime Motor Patterns before the First Working Set, then 1 or 2 Feel Sets when Switching Exercises to Prime Motor Patterns before Working Sets on Consecutive Exercise.

When Starting a Push-Pull-Legs Routine, which is a 3-Day Workout Split, you Group 3 Corresponding Body Parts per Workout and Perform 3 Exercises per Body Part. While a 4th Exercise can be an Overlapping Exercise in order to Prime the next Body Part, for Example; Dips between Chest & Triceps or Hip Thrust between Quads & Hamstrings. This usually Results in 9-11 Exercises per Workout.

The Exercise Selection for each Body Part should Contain; 1 Compound, 1 Stretch under Load & 1 Isolation Exercise. Sometimes these Exercise Types are be Combined, for Example; Dumbbell Flyes is both an Isolation & Stretch Exercise & Stiff Legged Dead Lifts is both a Compound & Stretch Exercise.

Ideally you Perform the Stretch under Load Exercise AFTER you’ve Performed the Compound Exercise, as it makes the Isolation Exercise more Effective. Of course it doesn’t always play out that way. SLDLs after Hip Thrusts is BRUTAL on your Posterior Chain and might cause Tremendous Lower Back Pumps!

Try your Best to Design your PPL Program along these Lines; Weaker Body Part, followed by Ancillary Body Part that gets Recruited with the Main Body Part you’re trying to Improve, with the Stronger, Most Developed or least Important Body Part of the Group Performed Last in the Workout. That might mean you do Calves, Hamstrings, Adductors and Quads last in the Workout if you’re Quad-Dominant with shitty Calves!

Each Body Part is Trained along these Lines; 1st Exercise: Compound, 2nd Exercise: Stretch, 3rd Exercise: Isolation, 4th Exercise: Overlap (optional). While Following the Principles of Progressive Overload along each Body Parts Respective Rep Ranges for Hyper-Trophy!

While you’re Training, you’re only Allowed 1 Working Set per Exercise. This “Restriction” makes it very easy to Track your Progression in each Lift/Exercise and is there prevent Over-Training! If you Perform 9-11 Exercises per Workout, with a Typical High-Volume Approach as seen in 4, 5 or 6-Day Splits, you’ll cause too much Stimulation that you can Recover from.

PPL Routines which Follow Progressive Overload are Extremely Precise and well thought out Training Programs where you have Clear Goals that you need to Attain or Break every Workout. There’s no Room for Fluff as Extra Fluff reduces your Recovery Capability, which becomes increasingly Important as you Gain Size & Strength.

Rest / Recovery Days in PPL Routine

At the Beginning of Starting a PPL Routine, you can Schedule a Rest Day after you’ve Finished the Entire PPL Rotation. Meaning you Train 3 Days ON & 1 Day OFF, which Results in this Schedule: Push, Pull, Legs, Off, Repeat!

You can Follow this Schedule until you’re too Strong for your Recovery Capability and you need an Extra Rest Day (or more Calories or PEDs) in order to keep Progressing Forward & Upward! Scheduling an Extra Rest Day is probably Harder than adding more Calories or PEDs to Improve Recovery, but it’s often the Smarter Approach when you become Insanely Strong and Move Mountains of Weight each and every Workout!

By Adding another Rest Day, you Switch from 3 Days ON & 1 Day OFF to 2 Days ON & 1 Day OFF, which Results in this Schedule: Push, Pull, Off, Legs, Push, Off, Pull, Legs, Off, Repeat!

Look at it in another way, by adding another Rest Day, you’re actually increasing Calories & PED Intake for each Workout. Since this Intake doesn’t change, but the Workload actually Decreases, you now have more Nett. Available Calories & PEDs per Workout & Required Recovery, without Upping either Aspect of your Body Building.

Once 2 Days ON & 1 Day OFF still doesn’t allow for enough Recovery Capability as you’ve gotten even Stronger on this Training Schedule, you can Switch to this Schedule; Push, Pull, Off, Legs, Off, Repeat!

This 2 Days ON, 1 Day OFF, 1 Day ON & 1 Day OFF Approach allows for the Maximum Amount of Stimulation & Recovery, before Push-Pull-Legs becomes somewhat Redundant and a 4, 5 or 6 Day Split is more Beneficial for Hyper-Trophy, as you’re able to Double the Volume for each Body Part with a Multiple-Day Split.

You can Schedule the Rest Days in your PPL Routine in the Following ways:
• 3 Days ON & 1 Day OFF; Push, Pull, Legs, Off, Repeat! (4 Day Rotation)
• 2 Days ON & 1 Day OFF; Push, Pull, Off, Legs, Push, Off, Pull, Legs, Off, Repeat! (9 Day Rotation)
• 2 Days ON, 1 Day OFF, 1 Day ON & 1 Day OFF; Push, Pull, Off, Legs, Off, Off, Repeat! (6 Day Rotation)

Push-Pull-Legs: A/B Training Split

Once you get Incredibly Strong & Advanced in your PPL Routine, you can switch to an A/B Split and Space the Taxing Exercises further apart to give yourself more Time for Recovery without Additional Food or PED Intake. You should be well Versed in Execution of Exercises and know how to Cycle through your Training Program with Warmup Sets, Feel Sets & Working Sets by this Time.

Below is an Example of a PPL A/B Routine:

Push-A

• Incline Dumbbell Press
• Incline Dumbbell Flyes
• Flat Hammer Strength Chest Press
• Body Weight Dips
• EZ Bar Decline Skull Crushers
• Overhead Cable Triceps Extensions
• Dumbbell Lateral Raises
• EZ Bar Front Raises
• Hammer Strength Shoulder Press
• Body Weight Alternating Crunches

Push-B

• Flat Barbell Bench Press
• Close Grip Barbell Bench Press
• Cable Flyes
• Dumbbell Hex Press
• Tate Press
• Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extensions
• Cable Lateral Raises
• Cable Front Raises
• Dumbbell Shoulder Press
• Hanging Leg Raises

Pull-A

• Cable Pull Downs
• Underhand EZ Bar Rows
• Dumbbell Rows
• Cable Pullovers
• Dumbbell Rear Delt Flyes
• Dumbbell Shrugs
• EZ Bar Curls
• Hammer Curls
• EZ Bar Reverse Curls
• Barbell Wrist Curls

Pull-B

• Body Weight Pullups
• T-Bar Rows
• Hammer Strength Rows
• Dumbbell Pullovers
• Machine Rear Delt Flyes
• Hammer Strength Shrugs
• Alternating Dumbbell Curls
• Cable Rope Curls
• EZ Bar Reverse Curls
• Barbell Wrist Curls

Legs-A

• Barbell Squats
• Leg Press
• Leg Extensions
• Barbell Hip Thrust
• Lying Hamstring Curls
• Stiff Legged Deadlifts in Hack Squat
• Reverse Hyper Extensions
• Seated Calf Raises
• Donkey Calf Raises
• Seated Toe Presses

Legs-B

• Hack Squats
• Bulgarian Split Squats
• Seated Leg Press
• Hip Thrust Machine
• Seated Hamstring Curls
• Barbell Stiff Legged Deadlifts
• Adductor Machine
• Seated Toe Presses
• Donkey Calf Raises
• Seated Calf Raises

Structuring the Workouts in PPL A/B Split

Each Body Part is Trained along these Lines; 1st Exercise: Compound, 2nd Exercise: Stretch, 3rd Exercise: Isolation, 4th Exercise: Overlap (optional). While Following the Principles of Progressive Overload along each Body Parts Respective Rep Ranges for Hyper-Trophy

Same Design as a Standard PPL Routine; 1st Exercise: Compound, 2nd Exercise: Stretch, 3rd Exercise: Isolation, 4th Exercise: Overlap (optional). With an A/B Split you Cycle through each PPL-A & PPL-B Rotation in order to Prevent or Minimize Training Plateaus, Training Overlap & Keep your CNS Fresh for each Exercise, as you Perform Similar, but not the Same Exercises every A/B Rotation!

Rest / Recovery Days in PPL A/B Routine

You can Schedule the Rest Days in a PPL A/B Routine, in a Similar Fashion as a Standard PPL Routine:
• 3 Days ON & 1 Day OFF; Push-A, Pull-A, Legs-A, Off, Push-B, Pull-B, Legs-B, Off, Repeat! (8 Day Rotation)
• 2 Days ON & 1 Day OFF; Push-A, Pull-A, Off, Legs-A, Push-B, Off, Pull-B, Legs-B, Off, Repeat! (9 Day Rotation)
• 2 Days ON, 1 Day OFF, 1 Day ON & 1 Day OFF; Push-A, Pull-A, Off, Legs-A, Off, Push-B, Pull-B, Off, Legs-B, Off, Repeat! (10 Day Rotation)

You’ll have between 8-10 Days before you do the Exact same Exercise again, which is Plenty to Time to Recover from the last Set to Failure and build upon your Previous Best!

Once you’re reached a Complete Plateau and can’t make any more Progress on the A/B PPL Split, while training 2 Days ON, 1 Day OFF, 1 Day ON & 1 Day OFF, which can take YEARS, it’s better to Transition into a 4, 5 or 6-Day Split.

You should be able to Develop the Majority of your Strength, Size, Density, Thickness and Muscle Maturity with a Push-Pull-Legs (A/B) Routine. When this Foundation has been Laid & Solidified, a Multiple-Day Split allows you to Train with more Volume and Focus on Refining your Physique, more so compared to what’s Possible with a Push-Pull-Legs Routine.

DC Training is a Highly Specialized Hybrid-Version of the Upper / Lower Body & Push-Pull-Legs Split, which Focuses on Progressive Overload and Utilizes Exercise Overlap to Transition from 1 Body Part to the other.

Once you’ve past the Beginner Stages of Working Out and are able to Follow a Regimented Fitness Routine for Body Building Purposes. You already know how to find your Way around the Gym and are able how to Connect with each Muscle & Body Part Individually. You’re able to Structure your Day & Diet in a way to Improve Recovery and Maximize Training Intensity.

Then you’re ready to Progress from a Full Body Workout, into an Upper / Lower Body Workout Split. Hopefully you’ve also Figured out which Rep-Ranges each Muscle Group responds to with Regards to Hyper-Trophy, but it’s not a Prerequisite before Switching!

In this Article I’ll describe how to Beginners can Switch into a 2-Day Workout Program and make the most Progress possible, before they need to Transition into a Push-Pull-Legs or Multiple-Day Training Split.

You can read more about other Training Splits & Progressive Overload in these Articles below:
Progressive Overload Principles, Intensity Techniques & Structuring a Deload with Examples
Full-Body Workout Split for Beginners with Examples
How to Design your own Push-Pull-Legs Training Program with Examples
How to Design your own 4, 5 & 6 Day Training Program with Examples

Upper / Lower Body Split

We’re going to Assume that you’ve been Following a Full-Body Training Program for 3 to 5 Days per Week, prior to Starting the Upper / Lower Body Split. During this Time you’ve figured out which Exercises you’re Bio-Mechanically able to Perform, Exercises you Enjoy doing and know which ones you don’t Enjoy doing. Keep in mind that certain Exercises are Required to Develop a Balanced & Proportioned Physique. Not because they’re DO-or-DIE & Mandatory Exercises, but because you’ve Developed Lagging Body Parts and you need to Perform Specific Exercises to Improve these Body Parts to Compliment your Physical Development!

However, in order to make a Generic Upper / Lower Body Split that most People can Incorporate, I won’t take Lagging Body Parts into Consideration in the Examples below.

Similar to a Full-Body Program, you can use Budget of Exercises that you Cycle through, throughout the Week or X Amount of Upper / Lower Rotations. For the Sake of Completeness, we’ll Choose from 1-2 Different Exercises per Body Part, although some might cause some Overlap with either Upper or Lower Body and should be Programmed Accordingly!

Upper Body Free Weight Exercise Options

Chest:

• Incline / Flat / Decline – Dumbbell / Barbell Bench Press (Compound)
• Wide Grip Body Weight Dips (Compound)
• Incline / Flat / Decline – Dumbbell Flyes (Isolation)
• Incline / Flat – Dumbbell / Kettlebell Hex Press (Isolation)

Shoulders:

• Seated Dumbbell or Barbell Shoulder Press (Compound)
• Standing Barbell Shoulder Press (Compound)
• Dumbbell Lateral Raises (Isolation)
• Dumbbell / Barbell Front Raises (Isolation)
• Pendley Barbell Rows (Compound)
• Bent Over Reverse Dumbbell Flyes (Isolation)

Back:

• T-Bar / EZ Bar / Barbell Rows (Compound)
• Pullups (Compound)
• Dumbbell Rows (Compound / Isolation)
• Dumbbell Pullovers (Isolation)

Triceps:

• Tate Press (Isolation)
• EZ Bar Skull Crushers (Isolation)

Biceps:

• Alternating / Hammer – Dumbbell Curls (Isolation)
• EZ Bar Preacher Curls (Isolation)

Abs:

• Lying Crunches (Isolation)
• Hanging Leg Raises (Isolation)

Upper Body Machine Exercise Options

Chest:

• Incline / Flat / Decline – Cable Machine / Unilateral / Hammer Strength Chest Press (Compound)
• Cable Machine / Unilateral / Hammer Strength Dips (Compound)
• Cable Crossover / Chest Flyes (Isolation)
• Narrow Grip – Smith Machine Hex Press (Isolation)

Shoulders:

• Cable Machine / Unilateral / Hammer Strength Shoulder Press (Compound)
• Standing Calf Raise Machine Shoulder Press (Compound)
• Cable / Hammer Strength Lateral Raises (Isolation)
• Cable / Hammer Strength Front Raises (Isolation)
• Cable Face Pulls (Compound)
• Seated Reverse Machine Flyes (Isolation)

Back:

• Close / Medium / Wide Grip – Seated Rows (Compound)
• Close / Medium / Wide Grip – Cable Pulldowns (Compound)
• Low / Medium / High – Cable Machine / Unilateral / Hammer Strength Rows (Compound / Isolation)
• Cable / Seated / Hammer Strength Pullovers (Isolation)

Triceps:

• Close Grip – Machine Dips (Isolation)
• Seated Triceps Extensions (Isolation)

Biceps:

• Standing Cable Curls (Isolation)
• Overhead Lying – Cable Curls (Isolation)

Abs:

• Lying Crunch Machine (Isolation)
• Cable Crunches (Isolation)

Lower Body Free Weight Exercise Options

Quads:

• Back / Front – Barbell Squat (Compound)
• Dumbbell / Plates – Sumo / Goblet Squats (Compound)
• Sissy Squats (Isolation)
• Dumbbell / Barbell Walking Lunges / Bulgarian Split Squats (Compound / Isolation)

Hamstrings:

• Dumbbell / Barbell Stiff Legged Deadlifts (Compound)
• Smith Machine Swinging Hamstring Curls (Isolation)
• Dumbbell Hamstring Curl (Isolation)
• Body Weight – Hamstring Lean (Isolation)

Adductors:

• Barbell Jefferson Squats (Compound / Isolation)

Glutes:

• Barbell Hip Thrust (Compound / Isolation)

Calves:

• Standing Barbell Calf Raises (Isolation)
• Seated Barbell Calf Raises (Isolation)

Lower Body Machine Exercise Options

Quads:

• Cable Machine / Plate Loaded / Seated Leg Press (Compound)
• V-Squat / Pendulum Squat / Hack Squat (Compound)
• Leg Extensions (Isolation)
• Unilateral / Single Leg Press (Compound / Isolation)

Hamstrings:

• Lying Hamstring Curl (Isolation)
• Seated Hamstring Curls (Isolation)
• Standing Hamstring Curl (Isolation)
• Glute-Hamstring Developer (Compound)

Adductors:

• Seated Adductor Machine (Compound / Isolation)

Glutes:

• Hip Thrust Machine (Compound / Isolation)

Calves:

• Donkey Calf Raises (Isolation)
• Seated Calf Raises (Isolation)

Structuring the Workouts

From this Wide-Variety of Exercise Selection you can chose 1 Free Weight or Machine Compound and 1 Free Weight or Machine Isolation Exercise for the Larger Body Parts; Chest, Shoulders, Back, Quads & Hamstrings. While you can choose either 1 Free Weight or Machine, Compound / Isolation Exercise for the Smaller Body Parts; Biceps, Triceps, Adductors, Glutes & Calves.

If you’ve already Figured out your Rep Ranges for each Respective Body Part, then you can stay with the Rep Ranges that work well for you. Otherwise you can Break the Body Parts down according to the Following Rep Ranges:
• Chest, Shoulders, Back, Hamstrings & Glutes; 6-10 Reps
• Biceps, Triceps, Adductors; 8-12 Reps
• Quads, Calves & Abs; 10-15 Reps

Bigger Body Parts with 2 Exercises have 4 Sets in the 1st Compound Exercise, followed by 2 Sets in the 2nd Isolation Exercise. While Smaller Body Parts with 1 Exercise, can have Sets during the Compound / Isolation Exercise. Each Body Part is Performed in it’s Specific Rep-Ranges, Cycling from the Higher End of the Range at the 1st Set, to the Lower End of the Range towards the latter Sets.

In order to Warm-Up before you start your Workout, you can either choose to do 10 Minutes of Elliptical Cardio at Medium Intensity or do 2 Sets of 20 Reps of the First Exercise you chose to do, before increasing Weight in order to get 4 Sets that Body Parts Specific Rep Range.

If your Day & Diet has been Structured to your Fitness or Body Building Aspirations, in order to Improve Recovery & Maximize Training Intensity, you can choose to Train 2 Days ON & 1 Day OFF; Upper, Lower, Rest, Upper, Lower, Rest, etc.!

Otherwise it’s best to Stick with a Every other Day Approach to allow for Adequate Recovery Time in between Workouts.

Either way, it’s best to Limit your Exercise Selection on Upper & Lower Body Days to 10 Exercises Maximum. Including Warmup Sets, this usually Results in a Workout Budget of around 25-30 Sets over the Entirety of the Workout.

It’s also VERY Important to Constantly Select Different Free Weight & Machine Exercises throughout the Upper / Lower Rotations. In order to Prevent Overlap of Exercises & Over Training, as you’re Training Body Parts every 3 Days!

The Aim is not to go to Beyond Failure on ANY of the Sets as you’ll be Training each Body Part again 2-3 Days later. Your Goal is to improve your Mind-Muscle Connection with each Exercise and learn how to Properly Contract your Muscles against Resistance. Once you’ve learned to Master that, you can Progress into a Push-Pull-Legs Routine! P-P-L has more Recovery Days in between Workouts, which allows for Beyond Failure Training.

With the Exercise Selection, Workout Budget & Advised Rep-Ranges, you can Program the Split in the Following Way:

Upper Body Day 1

• Incline Dumbbell Bench Press; 20, 20, 10, 8, 6, 6 Reps
• Cable Flyes; 10, 8 Reps
• Seated Hammer Strength Shoulder Press; 10, 8, 6, 6 Reps
• Dumbbell Lateral Raises; 10, 8 Reps
• Pullups; highly individual Rep Range
• Machine Pullovers; 8, 6 Reps
• EZ Bar Skull Crushers; 12, 10, 8 Reps
• Standing Cable Curls; 12, 10, 8 Reps
• Lying Crunches; 15, 15,15 Reps
NOTE: Total 29 Sets over 9 Exercises for 6 Body Parts!

Lower Body Day 1

• Barbell Squats; 20, 20, 15, 12, 10, 10 Reps
• Leg Extensions; 15, 12 Reps
• Seated Adductor Machine; 12, 8, 8 Reps
• Dumbbell / Barbell Stiff Legged Dead Lifts; 15, 10, 8, 8 Reps
• Smith Machine Swinging Hamstring Curls; highly individual Rep Range
• Hip Thrust Machine; 10, 6, 6 Reps
• Standing Calf Raises; 15, 12, 10 Reps
NOTE: Total 24 Sets over 7 Exercises for 5 Body Parts!

Upper Body Day 2

• Flat Hammer Strength Press; 20, 20, 10, 8, 6, 6 Reps
• Dumbbell Flyes; 10, 8 Reps
• Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press; 10, 8, 6, 6 Reps
• Cable Front Raises; 10, 8 Reps
• T-Bar Rows; 10, 8, 6, 6 Reps
• Cable Pullovers; 8, 6 Reps
• Overhead Dumbbell Extensions; 12, 10, 8 Reps
• EZ Bar Curls; 12, 10, 8 Reps
• Hanging Leg Raises; 15, 15,15 Reps
NOTE: Total 29 Sets over 9 Exercises for 6 Body Parts!

Lower Body Day 2

• Leg Press; 20, 20, 15, 12, 10, 10 Reps
• Sissy Squats; 15, 12 Reps
• Jefferson Squats; 12, 8, 8 Reps
• Lying Hamstring Curls; 15, 10, 8, 8 Reps
• Seated Hamstring Curls; 10, 8, 8 Reps
• Barbell Hip Thrust; 10, 6, 6 Reps
• Seated Calf Raises; 15, 12, 10 Reps
NOTE: Total 24 Sets over 7 Exercises for 5 Body Parts!

Upper Body Day 3

• Decline Bench Press; 20, 20, 10, 8, 6, 6 Reps
• Wide Grip Body Weigh Dips; 10, 8 Reps
• Standing Calf Raise Shoulder Press; 10, 8, 6, 6 Reps
• Bent Over Reverse Dumbbell Flyes; 10, 8 Reps
• Cable Pull Downs; 10, 8, 6, 6 Reps
• Hammer Strength Rows; 8, 6 Reps
• Tate Press; 12, 10, 8 Reps
• Dumbbell Hammer Curls; 12, 10, 8 Reps
• Kneeling Cable Crunches; 15, 15,15 Reps
NOTE: Total 29 Sets over 9 Exercises for 6 Body Parts!

Lower Body Day 3

• Hack Squats; 20, 20, 15, 12, 10, 10 Reps
• Walking Lunges; 15, 12 Reps
• Seated Adductor Machine; 12, 8, 8 Reps
• Dumbbell Hamstring Curls; 15, 10, 8, 8 Reps
• Hamstring Lean; 10, 8, 8 Reps
• Close & High Stance Seated Leg Press; 10, 6, 6 Reps
• Donkey Calf Raises; 15, 12, 10 Reps
NOTE: Total 24 Sets over 7 Exercises for 5 Body Parts!

Adjustments & Variations for Additional Progress

Once you’re a little bit more Advanced in your Upper / Lower Body Routine, you might choose to Focus a bit more on Lagging Body Parts, by Choosing 3 Exercises for Lagging Body Parts, while Preserving Workout Intensity, by reducing Exercise Selection for other Body Parts. Or excluding certain Isolation Exercises as Biceps, Triceps, Adductors & Glutes are already Recruited in Heavy Compound Exercises for Chest, Shoulders, Back, Quads & Hamstrings.

It’s Impossible to Predict where you need to make Adjustments as everybody Develops their Physique based on their own Genetic Strengths & Limitations. Bio-Mechanics become more Important as you Progress from an Upper / Lower Body Routine into Push-Pull-Legs or a 4, 5 or 6-Day Training Program. Allowing for more Recovery in between Body Parts, eventually leads to more Strength, which Results in Accrual of new Muscle Tissue. This Changes your Leverages & Bio-Mechanics, which Impacts your Exercise Selection, Workout Programming and in some Cases, your Rep-Ranges as well!

Before one gets started with Bodybuilding, or can follow any sort of Regimented Fitness Routine, you must First find your Way around the Gym and learn how to Connect with each Muscle & Body Part Individually. In this Article I’ll describe how to Beginners can get Started and make the most Progress possible, before they Transition into a Push-Pull-Legs or Several Day Training Split.

You can read more about other Training Splits & Progressive Overload in these Articles below:
Progressive Overload Principles, Intensity Techniques & Structuring a Deload with Examples
How to Design your own Upper / Lower Body Program with Examples
How to Design your own Push-Pull-Legs Training Program with Examples
How to Design your own 4, 5 & 6 Day Training Program with Examples

3 Day Full-Body Routine

The First Time you Entered a Gym, you probably had no Idea what to do, which Machines to use and you certainly didn’t know the Correct Order of Exercises for Maximum Hyper-Trophy Stimulation. And that’s totally fine because most People have to learn how to ride a Bicycle, how to Swim or play any sort of Team Sports as well. So let’s start with the Basics and allow your own Body to tell YOU, how the Exercises need to be Programmed!

Since you’ll be doing a Full Body Routine, at least 3 Times per Week, it’s better to start with a Budget of 15 Exercises and choose which Exercises you want to do, in whatever Order or whatever Day you prefer to do them on. This allows you to slowly change Exercises around, based on how Sore you are, how much Overlap one Exercise exerts over another Exercise, later in the Workout and if certain Exercises reduce Performance on other Exercises, Performed later in the Week.

Full-Body Exercise Budget

• Dumbbell Bench Press
• Cable Crossover
• Dips
• Cable Pull Downs
• T-Bar Rows
• Dumbbell Rear Delt Flyes
• Standing Barbell Press
• Dumbbell Lateral Raises
• EZ Bar Curls
• EZ Bar Skull Crushers
• Squats
• Leg Press
• Barbell Stiff Legged Dead Lifts
• Walking Lunges
• Seated Calf Raises

Once you’ve made your Selection of Exercises for that Particular Workout, you won’t be able to Perform them again in the same Week. Every Week your Exercises Budget Resets and you want Pick & Choose from your List of Exercises, in any Order or Perform them on any Day you prefer.

You will Perform each Exercise with 4 Sets of 15-12-10-8 Reps Respectively. In order to Warm-Up before you start your Workout, you can either choose to do 10 Minutes of Moderate Intensity Cardio on the Elliptical or Stair Master, or do 3 Sets of 20 Reps on the First Exercise you chose to do, before increasing Weight in order to get 4 Sets of 8-15 Reps.

The Aim is not to go to Failure on any of the Sets as you’ll be Training that Muscle again 2 Days later. Your Goal is to improve your Mind-Muscle Connection with each Exercise and learn how to properly Contract your Muscles against Resistance. Once you’ve learned to Master that, you can progress into an Upper-Lower or Push-Pull-Legs Routine!

With this Exercise Budget, you can Split it up in the following Fashion:
• Monday; Dumbbell Bench Press, Cable Pull Downs, Standing Barbell Press, Squats & Seated Calf Raises.
• Wednesday; Cable Crossover, T-Bar Rows, Dumbbell Lateral Raises, EZ Bar Skull Crushers & Leg Press.
• Friday; Dips, Dumbbell Rear Delt Flyes, EZ Bar Curls, Barbell Stiff Legged Dead Lifts & Walking Lunges.
NOTE: Including Warmups, each Exercise Consists of a Total of 23 Sets over 5 Exercises, which Recruit most Body Parts!

Once you’re a little bit more Advanced in your Full Body Routine, you might choose to Group certain Exercises and Split your Budget as followed:
• Monday; Dumbbell Bench Press, Cable Crossover, Standing Barbell Press, Dumbbell Lateral Raises & Squats.
• Wednesday; Cable Pull Downs, T-Bar Rows, Dumbbell Rear Delt Flyes, Barbell Stiff Legged Dead Lifts & Seated Calf Raises.
• Friday; EZ Bar Curls, EZ Bar Skull Crushers, Dips, Leg Press & Walking Lunges.
NOTE: Including Warmups, each Exercise Consists of a Total of 23 Sets over 5 Exercises, which Recruit most Body Parts!

Expect to Follow this Program for about 3-6 Months, at which Point you should have Solid Understanding of how to Perform these Exercises, Correct Form and the Succession of Exercise Selection. Whenever you Complete 4 Sets of a certain Exercise, there’s an Ideal Exercise that could Follow due to it’s Complimentary Overlap. You can follow a Chest Exercise with a Tricep Exercise, a Back Exercise with a Bicep Exercise, a Quad Exercise with a Hamstring or Calf Exercise. An Exercise that Recruits one Body Part, often Stimulates another and Primes it for a Follow-up Exercise.

Over the Course of 3-6 Months, which has about 13-26 Exercise Budget Rotations and 39-78 Workouts in Total, you should be able to Design a Personalized, 3 Day per Week, Full Body Routine for yourself!

5 Day Full-Body Routine

Once you’ve got some Experience with a 3 Day per Week Full Body Routine and if you feel you can Recover from more Workout Volume, you can increase your Exercise Budget to 30 Exercises and Perform them over 5 Workouts every Week. Ideally you follow the 15 Exercises Budget over 3 Days per Week for Several Weeks or Months before you increase for a bit more Volume.

That way you’ll learn how to Perform the Most Basic Exercises which will often Remain a Staple in your Fitness or Body Building Routine for Years to follow. Once you’ve got some Experience with those Exercises and know how to Perform them Correctly, you can add another 15 Exercises to your Exercise Budget.

Extended Full-Body Exercise Budget

• Dumbbell Flyes
• Barbell Bench Press
• Dumbbell Rows
• Barbell or Trap Bar / Hex Bar Dead Lifts
• EZ Bar Front Raises
• Seated Dumbbell Press
• Dumbbell Hammer Curls
• Cable Triceps Push Downs
• Leg Extensions
• Sissy Squats
• Lying Hamstring Curl
• Seated Hamstring Curl
• Standing Calf Raises
• Donkey Calf Raises
• Lying Crunches

With this Exercise Budget of 30 Exercises, you can Split it up in the following Fashion:
• Monday; Dumbbell Bench Press, EZ Bar Front Raises, Cable Pull Downs, Cable Triceps Push Downs, Squats & Donkey Calf Raises.
• Tuesday; Seated Dumbbell Press, Dumbbell Flyes, Leg Extensions, Barbell Stiff Legged Dead Lifts, EZ Bar Curls & Lying Crunches.
• Wednesday; Barbell Bench Press, Dumbbell Lateral Raises, EZ Bar Skull Crushers, T-Bar Rows, Leg Press & Walking Lunges.
• Friday; Dumbbell Rows, Dips, Cable Crossover, Lying Hamstring Curl, Sissy Squats & Seated Calf Raises.
• Saturday; Standing Barbell Press, Dumbbell Rear Delt Flyes, Barbell Dead Lifts, Dumbbell Hammer Curls, Seated Hamstring Curl & Standing Calf Raises.
NOTE: Including Warmups, each Exercise Consists of a Total of 27 Sets over 6 Exercises, which Recruit most Body Parts!

On this Routine Recovery & Auto-Regulation becomes more Important as you’re Training the same Body Parts, 2-3 Days in a Row. This makes it increasingly Hard to Program the Workouts based on your Exercise Budget, as you can’t really Predict the Rate of Recovery, unless you also adjust your Nutrition, Stress Levels, Sleep Patterns and Activity Levels outside of the Gym.

Adjustments & Variations for Additional Progress

Ofcourse there are many more Exercises to choose from Compared to these 15-30 Exercises mentioned above, they are what we consider the Bread & Butter of Building a Physique. As yours Develops, you might have to Rotate certain Exercises out for an Alternative, targeting the same Muscle Group. Or remove an Exercise for a Specific Body Part, that grows Faster than the other Body Parts. You might choose to replace Stiff Legged Deadlifts with Romanian Deadlifts for more Hamstring Development, or replace Dips with Close Grip Bench Press for more Triceps Development. You’ll have to decide which Exercises have to be Exchanged for others in order to keep each Body Part Developing at an equal rate.

Exercise Budget Alternatives

• Hammer Strength or Machine Chest Press
• Dumbbell or Kettlebell Hex Press
• Close Grip Diamond Pushups
• Hammer Strength or Machine Shoulder Press
• Cable Lateral Raises
• Close Grip Barbell Bench Press
• Tate Press
• Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extensions
• Body Weight or Weighted Pullups
• EZ Bar Underhand or Barbell Rows
• Hammer Strength or Machine Pulldowns
• Dumbbell or Cable Pullovers
• Dumbbell or Barbell Shrugs
• Barbell Rack Pulls
• Cable or Dumbbell Front Raises
• Cable or Machine Rear Delts
• Barbell Pendlay Rows
• Cable Face Pulls
• Alternating Dumbbell Curls
• EZ Bar Preacher Curls
• Overhead Cable Curls
• Hack Squats / V-Squats / Pendulum Squats
• Bulgarian Split Squats
• Dumbbell Sumo Squats
• Barbell Hip Thrust
• Glute/Ham Raise
• Smith Machine Swing Curl
• Reverse Hyper Extensions / Hyper Extensions
• Hanging Leg Raises
• Cable Crunches

With this wide Selection of Exercises in your Weekly Budget, you could simply close your eyes, point at an Exercise that you haven’t done yet that Week and perform it. When you Train 5 Days per Week on; Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday for example, it’s very important to keep track of which Exercises give you Soreness and hinder you to perform other Exercises later in the Week.

Beginners will always change the order of the Exercises and start Grouping them together, often resulting in a Typical 5 Day Bro Split. Again, this is totally fine as it shows that the Beginner understands that it’s better to perform certain Exercises for specific Body Parts in Succession during one Workout, and other Exercises for other Body Parts during a Workout later in the Week.

In the meantime the Beginner should slowly start to focus on their Nutrition, make sure they get Adequate Protein, Healthy Fats & Micro-Nutrients from their Diet to provide Recovery from the Workouts, while Carbs can slowly be increased to increase Energy Levels in the Gym and slowly progress up in Weight on each of the 4 Sets Performed for each Exercise in their Budget.

This is the Fastest Way to learn your own Body & Auto-Regulation!

Training Intuitively by Feel

Enthusiastic Beginners that like a Challenge and want to improve their Shape & Athletic Performance, will Max out on a Full Body Routine within a Year and progress into an Upper/Lower or Push-Pull-Legs Routine, Focusing on Progressive Overload. They will then follow a PPL Routine for Several Years until they can no longer make noticeable Progress as they’re not recovering with their Limited Hormone Production, even though Calories are as high as they can Stomach them!

Once you’re able to go by Feel, you don’t really need an Exercise Budget anymore. You should already have a Fundamental Understanding of how to Perform the Majority of the 30 Exercises mention above, as well as every other Exercise you can do at your Gym. This means a Mental Portfolio of 50 Exercise or more, which allows you to Select Exercises as you go Along.

As you Train one Body Part, another might get Stimulated and Primed for another Exercise. Based on your Level of Soreness & Energy Levels of that Particular Body Part, you can Pick & Chose a Corresponding Exercise from your Mental Portfolio or Exercise Budget List and Proceed with your Workout. At this Point you’re no Longer a Beginner, but well versed in Gym Etiquette, Exercise Execution & How your Body Responds to the Exercises you like to Perform during your Workout!

Training by Feel is perhaps the most Important Aspect of your Fitness or Body Building Journey, as even the most Planned Out Exercise Program, needs Room for Flexibility, when certain Pieces of Equipment in your Program, might be in use by other Gym Members.