In a previous Muscle & Fitness article, women ranked their favorite male body parts. Abs, glutes, shoulders, back, chest, and arms topped the list. Now, it’s time to put that knowledge to work. While some of the desirable features are impossible to change, others can be sculpted in the gym with dedication and the right workout program.
This workout is based on a few common principles of hypertrophy training, namely compound lifts, rep and rest ranges, and progressive overload. A major benefit of compound lifts is that they recruit major muscle groups across the entire body. This will lead to more progression for less of the effort with each exercise. Ultimately you’ll be able to lift more weight than with isolation lifts because you will be placing your muscles under more mechanical stress. This is just one of the principle tenants of hypertrophy.
The reps/rest ranges chosen are designed to give you a good amount of both mechanical stress and metabolic damage. Both are factors that promote muscular hypertrophy. You’ll achieve progressive overload in this program as it’s designed so that you increase the weight as the number of reps go down. The gradual increase in weight will allow you to place more stress on your body in a calculated way so that you can build more mass.
This program consists of two workouts that will each be done two times a week for a total of four workouts a week. Take a day of rest between each workout so that you provide your body with time to recover. Don’t take too many consecutive days off. The high frequency of the program is one of the reasons that it’s effective.
Throughout the program only take 1-2 minutes (depending on your fitness level) of rest between sets.
6 -Week Workout Routine Directions
Week 1 & 2 perform workouts A & B with 3 sets of 10 reps for every exercise.
Week 3 & 4 perform workouts A & B with 4 sets of 8 reps for every exercise and increase the weight.
Week 5 & 6 perform workouts A & B with 5 sets of 5 reps for every exercise and increase the weight.
