Big Boy Basics 8 training principles you should be using plus a beginner program!

by Chad Waterbury

Lessons From Dallas I made a trip to Texas a few weeks ago to give a seminar and hang out with T-mag assistant editor Chris Shugart. My introduction to Dallas was nothing short of memorable. There are many valuable pieces of information I learned during my first trip to the "Big D." The first three I want to share with you relate to food, women, and music. Lesson 1: Food — If Chris and I got together on a regular basis, we'd probably have to join a traveling freak show as the "Fat Hillbilly Bastards" exhibit. When we hit Dallas for the weekend you would've sworn we had devised our eating guidelines based on some seriously salacious feelings toward John Berardi. In fact, during a couple of meals I think I heard Berardi, all the way up in Maple Leaf Country, wake up in a pool of sweat screaming, "It’s not possible to eat with such inhumane principles!" (Hopefully he didn’t disturb the baker’s dozen of women asleep in his bedroom.) Lesson 2: Women — Fort Worth has some gorgeous, grass-fed and cattle-bred, voluptuous vixens. But there are some big heifers there too! I think the big ones eat like Shugart and I did on an hourly basis. Lesson 3: Music — You haven’t lived until you’ve had a five-year-old little girl sing you every word of Kasey Chamber’s beer drinkin' song "We’re All Gonna Die Someday." Thank you, Ashlyn, that's something I'll never forget! In addition to the aforementioned lessons, I also learned something important about the articles I write and who they're geared toward. Testosterone has an incredibly diverse group of readers ranging from obese newbies to elite athletes and fitness models. But I think it's pretty safe to say that the majority of readers fall somewhere smack dab in the middle. What I’m referring to are those who have minimal to moderate training experience, fulltime jobs, family or school responsibilities, and anything but an endless supply of cash to dump on every supplement on the market. However, I sometimes lose track of who the majority of Testosterone readers really are and what information would help them out the most. The Dallas seminar allowed me to chat with T-mag readers and get a sense of who they are and what they need. I'm going to give you some of the principles I feel are most often overlooked or misunderstood when creating an effective exercise program. Think of this information as a cheat sheet to my basic training principles. After the eight principles, I'll provide you with a basic training program using all of them! Waterbury's Basic Essentials 1) Frequency Each body part should be trained twice per week. I’ve learned that anyone, regardless of recovery ability or experience, can benefit from upping the training frequency of each body part to twice every week. See my previously published articles here at T-mag for full programs or check out the sample program at the end of this very article! 2) Weekly Workout Plan The breakdowns I feel are most effective for devising weekly training cycles are: Plan #1 Day 1: Train Day 2: Train Day 3: Off Day 4: Train Day 5: Train Day 6: Off Day 7: Off Plan #2 Day 1: Train Day 2: Off Day 3: Train Day 4: Off Day 5: Train Day 6: Train Day 7: Off Plan #3 Day 1: Train Day 2: Train Day 3: Off Day 4: Train Day 5: Off Day 6: Train Day 7: Off Plan #4 Day 1: Off Day 2: Train Day 3: Off Day 4: Train Day 5: Off Day 6: Train Day 7: Train Any of the above breakdowns will work great. Many people favor the first example since it allows for weekends off. Others try to train as much as possible on the weekends due to standard work-week time restraints. For them, plan #4 is ideal. Regardless of the breakdown, I always alternate upper and lower body workouts throughout the week. 3) Exercise Selection Compound, multi-joint exercises such as squats, deadlifts, presses, and rows should make up at least 75% of your total exercises. If not, you're wasting your time on isolation exercises that aren’t demanding enough on your neuromuscular system to have any real physique-enhancing benefits. I must stress that 75% is an absolute minimum. Spending 100% of your time on compound exercises is an excellent idea! 4) Set/Rep Volume As a general rule of thumb for inexperienced trainees, I like to use a set/rep volume in the 24 to 30 range. For example, 8 x 3 or 3 x 8 per body part works well for the lower end of the range. A set/rep scheme of 10 x 3 or 3 x 10 works well for the upper end range. I recommend you start with a volume of around 24 and increase from there if you feel your recovery allows for it. (Just multiply the sets by the reps to get your number.) 5) Training Intensity The only time you should flirt with failure is on the last rep of the last set for each body part. If you reach failure before that time, decrease the load by 5% for the next workout (using the same method) the following week. If you don’t feel like you're approaching failure on the last rep of the last set, increase the load 5% for the next workout the following week. 6) Method Cycling The simplest way to alternate training methods (sets and reps) without driving yourself into a frenzy is to simply switch the set/rep scheme for the subsequent workout for the same upper or lower body training day. In other words, if you performed 8 x 3 on day one for upper body, switch to 3 x 8 for the next upper body workout of the week. 7) Antagonist Exercise Selection Antagonist refers to opposing exercises. In other words, an upper back exercise is an antagonist to a chest exercise, and a biceps exercise is an antagonist to a triceps exercise. When creating a program, I like to use exact antagonist exercises. What in the hell does that mean, you ask? For example, if you choose the barbell bench press as your chest exercise for your upper body workout, I recommend a rowing movement with the exact same hand spacing/position as the bench press. So if your index fingers are 24 inches apart when bench pressing, the rowing movement should consist of a palms-down hand position with exactly 24 inches between your index fingers. Another example would be with pull-ups (or pulldowns depending on your strength levels). If you execute a pull-up with your palms semi-supinated (facing each other) and 18 inch spacing hand position, then your antagonist exercise would consist of standing dumbbell shoulder presses with a semi-supinated hand position that's 18 inches apart throughout the movement. Got it? This is actually much simpler than it sounds if you think about it. Just remember to press and pull with the exact same hand positions. Note: For various reasons that I don't want to discuss in this article, this doesn’t apply to lower body training. (It’s not that it can’t be done, it’s just more complicated). But what about leg extensions and leg curls? Aren’t those perfectly opposing antagonist exercises? Yep, but that particular pairing sucks. In regard to lower body training, just remember to alternate quad-dominant exercises like squats with hip-dominant exercises such as deadlifts. 8) Lifting Tempo Don’t worry about it. As long as you use proper form and control the lifting and lowering phase, you'll be fine. Focus your mental energy on moving the load instead of counting the rep tempo. Sample Program: Big and Basic So, based on those guidelines, here's a sample beginner routine for a trainee who prefers to have the weekends off. Obviously, this same program can be used for the other recommended weekly breakdowns too. Day 1 (Upper Body) Exercise: Barbell Bench Press Sets: 8 Reps: 3 Rest: 60 seconds between sets Load: 5RM (repetition maximum) Tips: 24" hand spacing Exercise: Seated or Chest-Supported Rows Sets: 8 Reps: 3 Rest: 60s Load: 5RM Tips: 24" hand spacing Exercise: Pull-ups or Pulldowns Sets: 8 Reps: 3 Rest: 60s Load: 5RM Tips: Semi-supinated 18" grip Exercise: Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press Sets: 8 Reps: 3 Rest: 60s Load: 5RM Tips: Semi-supinated 18" grip Day 2 (Lower Body) Exercise: Barbell Squats Sets: 3 Reps: 8 Rest: 90s Load: 10RM Tips: High bar position, feet shoulder-width apart Exercise: Leg Raises Sets: 3 Reps: 8 Rest: 60s Load: 10RM Tips: Perform hanging or on a leg raise apparatus. Exercise: Dumbbell Deadlifts Sets: 3 Reps: 8 Rest: 90s Load: 10RM Tips: Hold dumbbells at your sides; squat down until dumbbells are just below knee level. Exercise: Decline Bench Sit-Ups Sets: 3 Reps: 8 Rest: 60s Load: 10RM Tips: Hold a dumbbell or plate on your chest to increase the load. Exercise: Standing Calf Raises Sets: 3 Reps: 8 Rest: 60s Load: 10RM Day 3 (Off) Perform 15-20 minutes of moderate intensity cardio. Day 4 (Upper Body) Exercise: 45º Incline Dumbbell Bench Press Sets: 3 Reps: 8 Rest: 90s Load: 10RM Tips: Perform in a traditional fashion with the palms facing away from you as if holding a barbell. Exercise: 45º Dumbbell Rows Sets: 3 Reps: 8 Rest: 90s Load: 10RM Tips: Lay face down on the bench with the same hand position as the incline presses. Exercise: Standing Barbell Curls Sets: 3 Reps: 8 Rest: 60s Load: 10RM Tips: Perform with pinky fingers 18" apart. Exercise: Standing Reverse Grip Triceps Pressdown Sets: 3 Reps: 8 Rest: 60s Load: 10RM Tips: Perform with the same 18" hand position as the barbell curls. Day 5 (Lower Body) Exercise: Hack Squats Sets: 8 Reps: 3 Rest: 60s Load: 5RM Tips: Hold a barbell or two dumbbells behind your legs. Squat down until your knuckles touch the top of your calves. Exercise: Lying Leg Curls Sets: 8 Reps: 3 Rest: 60s Load: 5RM Tips: Don't let the feet rotate outward. Exercise: Lying Leg Raises Sets: 8 Reps: 3 Rest: 60s Load: 5RM Tips: Hold a dumbbell between your feet to increase the load. Exercise: Seated Calf Raises Sets: 8 Reps: 3 Rest: 30s Load: 5RM Days 6 and 7 (Off) Perform 15-20 minutes of moderate intensity cardio if desired. Conclusion That's everything you need to know to design an effective workout program for anyone who's been lost in a sea of misinformation. Now get to it! About the Author Chad Waterbury is a strength and conditioning coach with Bachelor of Science degrees in Human Biology and Physical Science. Currently, he's studying graduate work in Physiology at the University of Arizona. He operates his company, Chad Waterbury Strength & Conditioning, in Tucson, AZ, where his clientele consists of members of military special forces units, athletes, professionals, and non-athletes seeking exceptional physical performance and development. You can contact him through his website, ChadWaterbury.com.

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