As a personal trainer I’m often asked, “what should I be doing in the gym?” Obviously the answer would be slightly different for everyone but as a minimum I would recommend my basic 3 day a week strength trining program as a start point for most people, forget the cardio and do this first…
Day 1 Upper body Compound, Pull (Back)
Barbell Bent Over Row
Set 1 – 12 reps, Set 2 -10 reps, Set 3 – 10 reps, Set 4 – 8 reps
Cable Straight Arm Pull downs
Set 1 – 12 reps, Set 2 – 12 reps, Set 3 – 10 reps, Set 4 10 reps
Seated Cable Rows
Set 1 – 12 reps, Set 2 – 10 reps, Set 3 – 8 reps, Set 4 – 6 reps
Single Arm Bent Over Dumbbell Rows
Set 1 – 12 reps, Set 2 – 12 reps, Set 3 – 10 reps, Set 4 – 10 reps
Day 2 Lower Body Compound, (Legs)
Alternate Lunges
Set 1 – 24 reps, Set 2 – 24 reps, Set 3 – 20 reps, Set 4 – 20 reps
Deadlifts
Set 1 – 10 reps, Set 2 – 10 reps, Set 3 – 8 reps, Set 4 – 8 reps
Leg Extensions
Set 1 – 12 reps, Set 2 – 12 reps, Set 3 – 10 reps, Set 4 – 10 reps
Leg Press
Set 1 – 10 reps, Set 2 – 10 reps, Set 3 – 8 reps, Set 4 – 8 reps
Day 3 Upper Body Compound, Push (Chest)
Flat Barbell Bench Press
Set 1 – 12 reps, Set 2 – 12 reps, Set 3 – 10 reps, Set 4 – 10 reps
Incline Barbell Press
Set 1 – 12 reps, Set 2 – 12 reps, Set 3 – 10 reps, Set 4 – 10 reps
Pullovers
Set 1 – 12 reps, Set 2 – 10 reps, Set 3 – 8 reps, Set 4 – 8 reps
Dumbbell Flys
Set 1 – 12 reps, Set 2 – 12 reps, Set 3 – 10 reps, Set 4 – 10 reps
Make sure you use a weight on each set that takes you to failure, this will require you to increase the weight on most exercises as the required rep count drops. Rest for around 30 seconds but a little longer if you feel you need it but it’s really important that you don’t go too easy on yourself or you won’t see as much progress as you could. These workouts should take you between 45-60 minutes to complete and at only 3 workouts a week there really is no excuse! Good luck!