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The muscle-building, fat-burning workout plan to build your perfect body

Get it all—strength, size, and killer abs—with these all-in-one routines.

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The muscle-building, fat-burning workout plan to build your perfect body
James Michelfelder
The muscle-building, fat-burning workout plan to build your perfect body
James Michelfelder

If you want to get strong, you need to spend a few months training heavy. If you want to look like a bodybuilder, you need to do more sets and reps. Lose your gut? That means 12 weeks of circuit training. Well, life is too damn short. That’s why we’ve come up with a system that lets you develop strength, size, and definition—the “perfect” body—in a single all-encompassing workout.

Why it works

Using the most time-efficient exercises (the squat, deadlift, and dip), our workout minimizes the overall number of moves. This will stimulate the muscles enough to grow without hurting their ability to recover. Each session emphasizes specific parts aimed at strength, muscle gain, and conditioning. Workouts begin with a heavy lift, then move on to fast-paced circuits for a big pump, and finish with a calorie-burning superset designed to leave you gassed.

Directions

Frequency: Perform each workout (I, II, and III) once per week, resting at least a day between each session.

How to do it: Complete all the sets for the first exercise in each workout before moving on. Perform the exercises marked “a,” “b,” and, sometimes, “c” in sequence, resting as directed between sets, until all prescribed sets are done. Use the heaviest weight possible for the first exercise. You can probably increase this load as your sets go on. The weight you choose for the 2a, 2b, and 2c exercises should be your 10-rep max (10RM), the heaviest load you can handle for 10 reps on the first set. Stick with that weight for all prescribed sets, doing as many reps as possible with that same weight. Perform all the exercises with explosive—but controlled—speed.

Routine

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Day I

Workout I

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 1 of 17

Front Squat

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
6
Reps
3
Rest
5-7 min.
Exercise 2 of 17

Wide-Grip Pullup

Equipment
Pullup Bar
Sets
4
Reps
As many as possible with 10RM
Rest
30 sec.
Exercise 3 of 17

Dip

Equipment
Dip Station
Sets
4
Reps
As many as possible with 10RM
Rest
30 sec.
Exercise 4 of 17

Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
4
Reps
As many as possible with 10RM
Rest
30 sec.
Exercise 5 of 17

Medicine ball squat thrusters

Equipment
Medicine Ball
Sets
5
Reps
30 sec.
Rest
15 sec.
Exercise 6 of 17

Dumbbell Swing

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
5
Reps
30 sec.
Rest
15 sec.

Day II

Workout II

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 7 of 17

Power Snatch From Hang

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
5
Reps
3
Rest
5-7 min.
Exercise 8 of 17

One-Arm Dumbbell Row

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
4
Reps
As many as possible with 10RM
Rest
30 sec.
Exercise 9 of 17

Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
4
Reps
As many as possible with 10RM
Rest
30 sec.
Exercise 10 of 17

Jump Squat

Equipment
No Equipment
Sets
5
Reps
30 sec.
Rest
15 sec.
Exercise 11 of 17

Ball Slam

Equipment
Medicine Ball
Sets
5
Reps
30 sec.
Rest
15 sec.

Day III

Workout III

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 12 of 17

Snatch-Grip Rack Deadlift

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
6
Reps
3
Rest
5-7 min.
Exercise 13 of 17

Shoulder Press

Equipment
No Equipment
Sets
4
Reps
As many as possible with your 10RM
Rest
30 sec.
Exercise 14 of 17

Chinup

Equipment
Pullup Bar
Sets
4
Reps
As many as possible with your 10RM
Rest
30 sec.
Exercise 15 of 17

Bulgarian Split Squat

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
4
Reps
As many as possible with your 10RM
Rest
30 sec.
Exercise 16 of 17

Dumbbell chop

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
5
Reps
30 sec. each side
Rest
15 sec.
Exercise 17 of 17

Jumping Jack

Equipment
No Equipment
Sets
5
Reps
30 sec.
Rest
15 sec.
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