All athletes are looking for the best weight training routines that build muscle. Weight training routines that build muscle and strength can help give athletes the edge in their desired sport and allow them to reach certain goals. However, finding weight training routines that build sufficient amounts of muscle overtime can sometimes be tough and let me explain why. Weight training routines that build muscle can only be described as effective if they actually work for YOU. Now, what works for you may not necessarily work for somebody else which is why it is hard to judge what the best weight training routines are.
Weight Training Routines That Build Muscle
However, there are a lot of popular weight training routines and splits out there that work for the majority of people with a few adjustments here and there. Every person’s weight training routine is likely to be different due to the different types of lifestyle each of us has. For example, people who work the ever so popular 9 to 5 office times are going to find it a lot harder to fit their weight training routine in around work hours whereas people who have a lot more freedom will likely have the luxury of choosing when to workout. A good solid weight training routine that builds muscle should not be hard to create.
The truth is that any weight training routine can build muscle as long as it is designed intelligently taking into account sufficient recovery times, good nutrition and the use of progressive overload in your training. A weight training routine made up of mostly compound exercises, enough sets and a rep range of between 5 and 12 with sufficient rest days in between workouts is unlikely to go far wrong. When looking for a weight training routine that builds muscle, you will also need to consider a workout split.
What is a Workout Split?
A workout split is the term given to how you split up your weight training routines i.e. the days you perform your workouts. A workout split may look something like the following:
Monday: Chest and Triceps
Tuesday: Biceps and Back
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Shoulders and Abs
Friday: Legs
A successful workout split needs to be designed intelligently to ensure you are not overtraining specific muscles. For example say you perform 3 sets of the flat bench press on Monday. The bench press will work your chest, triceps and your shoulder muscles so it is important you do not train triceps or shoulders the following day as your muscles will not have had a chance to of fully recovered. On the above workout split, chest and triceps are trained on the same day therefore you won’t need to worry about overtraining your triceps as they will be getting a full weeks rest. Shoulders are not worked as hard as the triceps and chest during the bench press so giving them a couple of days to rest and recover is plenty.
Working specific muscle groups on specific days is not the only way you can create an effective workout split. Another way is to perform full body workouts. A full body workout will work the majority of your muscle groups but with less sets and exercises. Below i am going to list some of the best weight training routines to build muscle. These routines are proven to work so be sure to check them out and apply them to your training if you wish to do so:
Rippetoes Starting Strength Program
Mark Rippetoe is one of the most respected people in the fitness industry. Mark has around 25 years of experience in the fitness industry and competed as a competitive powerlifter for 10 years. Mark is a fully certified trainer and conditioning specialist and has been certified by USA Weightlifting as a level III coach. He has coached and trained a large number of national level competitors and helps thousands of people who are interested in improving their health and becoming bigger and stronger. A more basic version of his Starting Strength Program can be found at the website http://www.startingstrength.net/workouts/. If you want a guide on literally everything you will ever need to know about working out, strength training, how to perform the exercises correctly and how to build muscle be sure to check these out, all of which are written by the great man himself:
Practical Programming offers a different approach to exercise programming. Based on a combined 70+ years of academic expertise, elite-level coaching experience, and the observation of thousands of novice trainees, the authors present a chronological analysis of the response to exercise as it varies through the training history of the athlete, one that reflects the realities of human physiology, psychology, and common sense. Practical Programming explains the differences in response to exercise commonly observed between athletes at the novice, intermediate, and advanced levels, explains these differences in the context of the relevant science, and presents new training models that actually work for athletes at all levels of experience. Complete with new, innovative graphical representation of cutting edge concepts in exercise programming, Practical Programming has become a standard reference in the field of exercise and human performance.
Madcows 5×5
Everything related to Madcows 5×5 programme can be found on: http://madcow.hostzi.com/5x5_Program/Linear_5x5.htm
HST Training
HST stands for hypertrophy specific training. Check http://www.hypertrophy-specific.com/hst_index.html for everything you need to know about HST.
Heavy Duty HIT Training
HIT Training stands for high intensity training. Mike Mentzer is famous for using this type of training style and was the man responsible for creating it. More than any other bodybuilding writer or authority, Mike Mentzer has single-handedly changed the way American bodybuilders have looked at exercise. His insights have been highly sought after by bodybuilding magazine publishers for over 20 years. Although he was a prolific writer and lecturer, traveling the world to speak on the subjects of muscle building and the art of living a more rational and rewarding life, the distilled wisdom of his over 30 years of study and research into the ultimate nature of bodybuilding training has never before been recorded into a single volume – until now! Take a look at our article HIIT Cardio Training for the basic outline of what HIIT is and how to perform it.
DC Training
DC Training actually stands for Doggcrapp Training (yes strange name i know!). Even with such a strange name DC Training is extrmely popular and common among athletes and professional bodybuilders so do not ignore this routine just because of its name. Everything you need to know about this type of training can be found here at http://dc-training.blogspot.com/
FST-7
FST-7 stands for fascia stretch training. The 7 at the end stands for the number of sets. FST-7 isnt really a routine like the rest of the programs listed here, it is more of an addition to a current routine. To apply FST-7 to your routine you add 7 sets to the final exercise of a specific muscle group. More can be learnt by the creator of the program himself at http://www.fst-7.com/fst7.html
