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Eliminate plateaus with this ‘one-half plus one’ Workout Routine

The race to consistently gain strength should be a marathon, not a sprint.

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The no-plateau workout plan
Westend61/Getty Images
The no-plateau workout plan
Westend61/Getty Images

When it comes to muscle building. patience is critical. It’s important to remember that muscle growth is a slow (and gradual) process that must consist of an evolving lifting routine, clean nutrition, consistency, challenging your muscles, busting through plateaus, and again, patience.

With that, if your goal is to see some gains in the future (or at least a solid post-workout pump) the ‘One-half plus one” workout is your muscles’ new best friend.

While you can’t speed up the strength-gaining process, this workout method will shift you in the right direction.

How it works

The “one-half plus one” method is a practical, systematic approach that will yield big strength gains on the four best muscle-building exercises—the bench press, deadlift, shoulder press, and squat.

Write your max lifts down today, and be prepared for jaw-dropping results within two months (and every month, year, and even decade thereafter).

Directions

  1. Perform the paired exercises (Marked A and B) in sequence.
  2. You’ll do one set of the first exercise, rest, and then one set of the next exercise, and rest again before repeating.
  3. Continue for all the prescribed sets.
  4. Perform the last exercise of each workout as straight sets.

Frequency: Perform workouts 1, 2, and 3 in the same week, resting at least a day between sessions. The next week, begin with workout 4 and repeat the cycle.

Follow this plan for the first lift of each workout:

Week 1: Find your 12-rep max (the most weight you can lift 12 times). Perform 4 sets of 7 reps.

Week 2: Add 6% to the load you used in Week 1 (this is your 10-rep max, roughly). Do 4 sets of 6 reps.

Week 3: Add 6% to the load you used in Week 2 (8-rep max). Do 4 sets of 5.

Week 4: Add 6% to the load you used in Week 3 (6-rep max). Do 4 sets of 4.

Week 5: Repeat, beginning at Week 1, but add weight to your 12-rep max (5 lbs for the bench and shoulder press, and 10 for the deadlift and squat).

Rest about 2 minutes between sets. On the fourth set, attempt to do more reps than the prescribed number, but don’t go to failure.

 

Updated Jan. 11, 2024

Routine

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Workout 1

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 1 of 28

Bench Press

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
4
Reps
4-7 (depending on the week)
Rest
120 sec.
Exercise 2 of 28

Inverted Row

Equipment
Power Rack
Sets
2
Reps
8-12
Rest
120 sec.
Exercise 3 of 28

Isometric-explosive pushup

Equipment
Sets
2
Reps
15-45 sec. (per position)
Rest
120 sec.
Exercise 4 of 28

Face Pull

Equipment
Cable Machine
Sets
2
Reps
8-12
Rest
120 sec.
Exercise 5 of 28

Dumbbell Side-to-Side Rotation

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
2
Reps
8-12 (each side)
Rest
120 sec.
Exercise 6 of 28

Dumbbell Curl

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
2
Reps
8
Rest
120 sec.
Exercise 7 of 28

Triceps Pushdown

Equipment
Elastic Band
Sets
2
Reps
8-12
Rest
120 sec.
Exercise 8 of 28

Pallof Press

Equipment
Elastic Band
Sets
3
Reps
5 (each side)
Rest
120 sec.

Workout 2

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 9 of 28

Deadlift

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
4
Reps
4-7 (depending on the week)
Rest
120 sec.
Exercise 10 of 28

Swiss Ball Leg Curl

Equipment
Swiss Ball
Sets
2
Reps
8-12 (each leg)
Rest
120 sec.
Perform this exercise one leg at a time.
Exercise 11 of 28

Bulgarian Split Squat

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
2
Reps
8-12 (each leg)
Rest
120 sec.
Exercise 12 of 28

Isometric lunge with band front raise

Equipment
Elastic Band
Sets
2
Reps
10 (each side)
Rest
120 sec.
Exercise 13 of 28

Single-Leg Calf Raise

Equipment
Sets
2
Reps
12-20 (each leg)
Rest
120 sec.
Exercise 14 of 28

Ab-Wheel Rollout

Equipment
Ab Wheel
Sets
3
Reps
8-12
Rest
120 sec.

Workout 3

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 15 of 28

Shoulder Press

Equipment
No Equipment
Sets
4
Reps
4-7 (depending on the week)
Rest
120 sec.
Exercise 16 of 28

Chinup

Equipment
Pullup Bar
Sets
2
Reps
8-12
Rest
120 sec.
Exercise 17 of 28

Medicine Ball Pushup

Equipment
Medicine Ball
Sets
2
Reps
8-12 (each side)
Rest
120 sec.
Exercise 18 of 28

One-arm reverse-grip cable row

Equipment
Cable Machine
Sets
2
Reps
8-12 (each side)
Rest
120 sec.
Exercise 19 of 28

Shrug

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
2
Reps
8-12
Rest
120 sec.
Exercise 20 of 28

Barbell Curl

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
2
Reps
8-12
Rest
120 sec.
Exercise 21 of 28

Incline Dumbbell Press

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
2
Reps
8
Rest
120 sec.
Exercise 22 of 28

Elbows-to-Hands Plank

Equipment
Sets
2
Reps
5-8
Rest
120 sec.

Workout 4

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 23 of 28

Squat

Equipment
Squat Rack
Sets
4
Reps
4-7 (depending on the week)
Rest
120 sec.
Exercise 24 of 28

Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
2
Reps
8-12 (each leg)
Rest
120 sec.
Use a pair of dumbbells.
Exercise 25 of 28

Dumbbell Step-Up

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
2
Reps
8-12 (each leg)
Rest
120 sec.
Exercise 26 of 28

Cable pullover

Equipment
Cable Machine
Sets
2
Reps
8-12
Rest
120 sec.
Exercise 27 of 28

Side Lunge

Equipment
Sets
2
Reps
8-12 (each leg)
Rest
120 sec.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand.
Exercise 28 of 28

Side Plank

Equipment
Medicine Ball
Sets
2
Reps
30-45 sec. (each side)
Rest
120 sec.
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