Easy bodybuilding programs are slightly too easy to search out. You could possibly pull them from fitness magazines — those ghost-written workouts that your favorite bodybuilders supposedly follow. You could possibly roll the dice and ask a synthetic intelligence chatbot to generate one for you. Or, you can try to develop one for yourself.

Just a number of problems there. The high intensity, high volume programs utilized by the professionals don’t are likely to be sustainable for the remaining of us as a consequence of some physiological (and sometimes pharmaceutical) reasons. Most individuals also aren’t able to trust their potential gains to an algorithm-fueled robot, in order that leaves you making a program for yourself.

Consider a time-tested axiom before diving in: It’s not hard to create a superb bodybuilding workout program, nevertheless it’s also not hard to create a foul one. Fortunately, we’ve got your back. And your chest, shoulders, arms, and legs.

Credit: Jacob Lund / Shutterstock

Here you’ll find evidence-based workouts to construct every major area of an aesthetic physique. These workouts assume you’re a comparatively healthy lifter with not less than some experience within the gym (i.e. not a real beginner who may gain advantage from a more generalized approach). These plans work best with a body part split across the week.

Bookmark these workouts on your next hypertrophy training block and support the workouts with enough food to fuel performance, recovery, and growth so you’ll be able to start adding size. 

Best Bodybuilding Workouts for Each Body Part

Best Bodybuilding Workout for Chest

The chest muscles play a distinguished role in our physique. They’re most frequently trained by multi-joint, upper body pushing exercises. The angle the “push” could be used to bias certain portions of the chest, allowing us to totally develop this region. Along with pushing exercises, single joint exercises can be used to focus on the chest. Single-joint exercise serves as “icing on the cake,” providing a touch of additional training stimulus. 

The Complete Chest Workout

Nearly any repetition range can construct muscle. (1)(2) This engaging workout begins with the heaviest exercise. Because the workout progresses, moderate repetition, moderate weight exercises are introduced as compound sets — a time-efficient superset technique that pairs movements targeting the identical muscles back-to-back without rest. The workout ends with high repetition “pump work,” leaning into the metabolic mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy. (3) This general format is repeated for workouts for all body parts. 

This chest workout is designed to be performed once per week. Select weights that allow completion of repetitions is near the lower end of the repetition range. Sets needn’t be taken to failure but should flirt with it. Meaning, sets must reach a high level of effort. (4)(5) While you end the set, it’s best to feel like you will have three or fewer repetitions remaining “within the tank.”

While you’re capable of complete sets at the highest end of the repetition range, add five to 10 kilos. This progression method “resets” your sets back toward the lower certain of the repetition range, allowing your to progress repetition volume once more in subsequent weeks. 

Barbell Bench Press

• The right way to Do it: Lie on a bench along with your back arched and shoulder blades pulled down and together (“in your back pockets”). Unrack the bar and lower it to your chest. Press the bar upward until your elbows are straight but not locked.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 6-8
• Rest time: Rest three minutes seconds between sets.

Dip

• The right way to Do it: Support your body from a dip bar and lean barely forward. Lower yourself until you are feeling a stretch across the front of your chest and shoulders or until your upper arms break parallel. Add weight or assistance as needed to attain the goal repetition range.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 8-12
• Rest time: Move immediately to the following exercise without rest.

Incline Dumbbell Flye Press

• The right way to Do it: Lie on a 30- to-45-degree incline bench and start with the dumbbells pressed locked out above your chest. Face your palms together and lower the weights in a flye, keeping a slight bend in your arms. From the underside position, pull the weights in toward your shoulders and press the weights as much as lockout.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 12-16
• Rest time: Rest two minutes before repeating the previous exercise.

Machine Incline Press

• The right way to Do it: Sit along with your back and buttocks supported on an incline press machine. Push the handles along the arc of the machine’s path until your elbows are straight but not locked. Control back to the beginning position.
• Sets and Reps: 2 x 16-20
• Rest time: Rest 90 seconds between sets.

Muscles Trained on Chest Day

Chest day often draws added attention since the pecs are featured so prominently if you check the mirror, much more so when you get an awesome pump going mid-session. Nearly all of chest movements may also recruit “the pressing muscles” — your shoulders and triceps — for assistance.

Pectorals

When viewed from the front, the upper bodies of recent bodybuilders are dominated by well-developed chest muscles. The pectoralis major is the most important and most superficial chest muscle. All parts of the pectoralis major act to attract the arms toward the body, pull the arms together in front of the body, and internally rotate the arms. The upper portion of the pectoralis major also raises the arm. Due to this fact, a wide range of exercises goal the pecs. 

Anterior Deltoids

The anterior deltoids, or “front delts,” share the identical actions because the pectoralis major. Conveniently, because of this anterior deltoids are trained during chest workouts, equivalent to the one above, and through direct shoulder workouts. 

Triceps

The triceps brachii primarily serve to increase your elbows (straighten your arms). For this reason, compound movements equivalent to pressing and dips could be counted toward total triceps training volume. This aesthetic “three-headed” muscle fills t-shirt sleeves more readily than some other arm muscle.

The right way to Warm-Up Your Chest

A conventional warm-up has two components: 1) the “general warm-up” and a pair of) the “specific warm-up.” The overall warm-up elevates body temperature, improves oxygen delivery to muscle and other body tissues, and improves joint freedom of motion. It typically consists of short duration, low-to-moderate intensity cardiovascular exercise (e.g. air bike, rowing, jogging, or jumping rope).  

The particular warm-up primes areas of the body and movement patterns to be utilized in the next workout for improved technique and performance. It is usually a superb time for dedicated mobility exercises and/or exercises intended to cut back risk of injury.

A particular warm-up for the chest may consist of exercises to arrange the upper body and spine for correct positions during pressing, stimulate muscle contractions of the muscles to be trained, and reinforce shoulder stability. It is sensible to incorporate lower intensity sets of the workout’s first exercise on the tail end of the particular warm-up.  

Chest Warm-Up

• Cardio: Five minutes, low-to-moderate intensity effort
• Band Pull-Apart: 2 x 15 
• Foam Roller Thoracic (Upper Back) Extensions: 2 x 10
• Push-Up: 2 x 10
• Bench Press: 3 x 6–10, work-up sets at light to moderate weight (e.g. roughly 40%, 60%, and 80% of the burden for use for the primary set of the workout’s first exercise).

Best Bodybuilding Workout for Back

A muscular back supports a confident posture, adds width to your upper body, and provides visual interest for many who occur to be walking behind your statuesque physique. That visual interest will come from the varied muscles of the back, which converge on the shoulder blades and shoulders.

To create desirable definition and size, training the back from multiple angles using quite a lot of exercises could also be useful. each exercise variation biases certain areas of the back and should end in distinct patterns of muscular development. (6)(7)

Back Width and Thickness Workout

Complete this full back workout once per week. Select weights that let you complete repetitions on the lower end of the repetition range. Sets to failure will not be crucial to construct muscle. (8) Nonetheless, each set should reach a high level of effort. (4) While you’re capable of complete all sets at the highest end of the repetition range, add five to 10 kilos. 

Three-Point Dumbbell Row

• The right way to Do it: Perform the three-point dumbbell row with the knee and hand of your non-working side on a flat bench. Initiate the movement by pulling your shoulder blade toward your spine, and row toward the surface of your hip. Lower to a full stretch without rotating or sinking your hips
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 6-8
• Rest time: No rest between sides. Rest three minutes between sets.

Neutral-Grip Lat Pulldown

• The right way to Do it: Because the name implies, the neutral-grip lat pulldown is performing using a handles attachment that faces your palms toward one another. Begin in a full overhead position and pull your elbows right down to the midline of your ribcage — don’t force the bar to achieve your chin or chest.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 8-12
• Rest time: Rest two and a half minutes between sets.

Machine Wide Row

• The right way to Do it: Arrange on a machine with a chest support, grasping the handles with a large, overhand grip. Initiate movement along with your shoulder blades and pull toward your chest. Return to a completely stretched position.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 12-16
• Rest time: Move immediately to the following exercise without rest.

Cable Flexion Row

• The right way to Do it: Perform this seated row variation on a low cable machine. Allow resistance to tug your trunk and shoulder blades toward the machine — your spine should round forward, promoting an enormous stretch through your back muscles. Begin by pulling the shoulder blades together and down. As you row the bar toward your torso, extend your spine but don’t use momentum from the trunk to drive the movement. Reverse the movement and repeat.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 16-20
• Rest time: Rest two minutes before repeating the previous exercise.

Muscles Trained on Back Day

Your back is one among the most important muscle groups in your body because various various individual muscles coordinate during each movement. This comprehensive workout will address and train a lot of muscles in your posterior torso including the lats, rear shoulders, and upper and mid-back. Your biceps and gripping muscles are also recruited during most exercises.

Mid-Back and Lats

Mid-back muscles, which act on the shoulder blades, create the looks of a raised, central diamond-shape. Your latissimus dorsi (lats) sweep from the small of the back toward the outsides of your armpits and enhances the looks of a “V-shaped” torso. These muscles comprise the majority of the back musculature and are trained by upper-body pulling exercises. 

Rear Deltoids

While your rear deltoids are traditionally trained via shoulder-specific exercises (e.g. reverse flyes and cable external rotations), wide and narrow-grip pulling movements also hit the rear deltoids. When considering total weekly training volume for the rear deltoids, it is acceptable to incorporate pulldowns, pullovers, and rows. 

Biceps and Other Elbow Flexors

Drawing a resistance toward your body, as performed during pulldowns, trains your elbow flexors. As probably the most visible elbow flexor, the biceps brachii gets all of the glory; nonetheless, the brachialis is a deep elbow flexor that enhances the looks of the biceps by pushing it up — type of just like the supportive parent or friend whom it’s best to probably call and thank (after your workout, in fact). 

The right way to Warm-Up Your Back

Once more, it’s a superb policy to boost the body’s temperature with some general movement and prime the areas of the body to be trained before jumping into the workout. On top of that, “back day” is a terrific time to include some direct exercise for the midsection, as many workout splits don’t allocate ab training to 1 specific day. 

Back Warm-Up

• Cardio: Five minutes, low-to-moderate intensity effort
• Abdominal Crunches: 3 x 15-20 
• Medicine Ball or Landmine Rotations: 3 x 10-12
• Band Over and Backs: 2 x 10-12
• Three-Point Dumbbell Row: 3 x 6–10, work-up sets at light to moderate weight (e.g. roughly 40%, 60%, and 80% of the burden for use for the primary set of the workout’s first exercise).

Best Bodybuilding Workout for Shoulders

The deltoids are the muscles that envelop your shoulders. Well-developed deltoids appear full and rounded, “capping” the shoulders. The deltoid has three functional parts — anterior, middle, and posterior.

The anterior deltoid is primarily answerable for raising the arms in front of the body (e.g. pressing), pulling the raised arms in toward your midline, and internally rotating the arms. The center deltoid raises the arms out the edges (e.g. lateral raises and overhead presses) and assists with pulling the raised arms away out of your midline (e.g. reverse flye). The posterior deltoid assists with the reverse flye movement along with external rotation and driving your arms behind your body (e.g. rows).

While your shoulders clearly get some work on chest day and back day, a dedicated shoulder workout helps to make sure each part receives adequate training. The various actions of the deltoids open the door for efficient use of supersets on shoulder day. 

The 3D Delt Workout

Perform once per week using weights that allow repetitions at or near the lower boundary of the stated repetition range. Once more, the vast majority of working sets needs to be high level of effort with three or fewer repetitions remaining before failure. Machine-based overhead pressing is included to permit lifters to soundly approach or achieve failure with out a spotter.

When you reach the highest of any repetition range, add five to 10 kilos to the exercise. Be vigilant for stagnating progress or drops in performance, as these features might indicate that it’s time for a deload. 

Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press

• The right way to Do it: Sit on a bench with a vertical back support. Rest a dumbbell on each thigh before “kicking” each weight into position at shoulder-level along with your palms facing forward or angled barely in. Press each weights overhead to full lockout before returning to shoulder-level.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 6-8
• Rest time: Move immediately to the following exercise without rest.

Dumbbell Reverse Flye

• The right way to Do it: Stand with a dumbbell in each hand at arm’s length by your sides. Hinge forward on the waist and barely bend your legs. Barely bend your elbows and maintain the arm angle throughout the set. Draw your upper arms toward the ceiling, stopping the your elbows are roughly according to your shoulders. Lower under control — don’t allow the weights to construct momentum in the underside position.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 12-16
• Rest time: Rest three minutes before repeating the previous exercise.

Machine Shoulder Press

• The right way to Do it: Sit in an shoulder press machine and adjust the seat height to permit you hands to achieve shoulder-height in the underside position. Take a palms-forward grip and drive the burden as much as near-lockout before lowering with control. Aim to maneuver at a gentle pace and maintain continuous tension through each repetition.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 12-16
• Rest time: Rest two minutes between sets.

Face Pull

• The right way to Do it: Set a resistance band or cable pulley at roughly eye-level. Take a palm-down grip and step back to create tension within the stretched position. Begin the face pull by driving your elbows back according to your shoulders while pulling your hands according to your eyes or ears. From the contracted position, reach forward until full lockout.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 12-16
• Rest time: Move immediately to the following exercise without rest.

Lateral Raise

• The right way to Do it: Stand with a dumbbell in each hand at arm’s length, resting the weights on the front of your thighs. Keep a slight bend in your arms and lift the weights “up and out” until your hands are barely above shoulder-height. Maintain a decent core and stable torso — don’t allow your hips or back to swing. Lower to the starting position along with your hands in front of your thighs.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 20-24
• Rest time: Rest two minutes before repeating the previous exercise.

Dumbbell Shrug

• The right way to Do it: Stand with a pair of dumbbells at arm’s length by your sides. Drive your shoulders toward the ceiling as high as possible — move vertically without “rolling” your shoulders or pulling your shoulder blades together. Lower to a full stretch.
• Sets and Reps: 2 x 20-24
• Rest time: Rest 90 seconds between sets.

Muscles Trained on Shoulder Day

The shoulder joint is arguably probably the most precarious joints within the body, answerable for an extended range of motion in quite a lot of directions. The deltoids could also be your primary “shoulder muscle,” but several muscle groups play a job in completing most shoulder-focused movements.

Shoulders

The center deltoids widen the looks of the shoulders, in order that they are a crucial goal for physique-focused bodybuilding training. Your middle and anterior deltoids are trained by the presses on this workout. Middle deltoids get direct, high-repetition work in the course of the lateral raises.

As previously discussed, it’s fair to think about rows, pulldowns, and pullovers as rear deltoid exercises; nonetheless, these exercises alone may not end in adequate stimulation of this relatively small a part of the shoulder — reverse flyes could be superior in that regard. (9) As a bonus for shoulder health, face pulls hit the rear deltoids, middle deltoids, rotator cuff, and a number of the muscles acting on the scapula. 

Trapezius

The traps are a diamond-shaped muscle of your mid- and upper back. The upper and lower fibers of trapezius (e.g. the highest and bottom portions of the “diamond”) are trained during presses, as they act to upwardly rotate your shoulder blades. Shrugs are included within the shoulder workout to further develop the upper trapezius. 

Triceps

Your triceps brachii receive additional training volume in the course of the shoulder workout, owing to the muscle’s role as an elbow extensor. These extra sets are useful, especially if you happen to’re reasonably well-trained. Recent research suggests the triceps brachii are among the many muscles that grow more rapidly with higher training volumes. (10)

The right way to Warm-Up Your Shoulders

Prepare your shoulders for peak performance by increasing your body temperature with a small dose of rhythmic cardiovascular exercise, equivalent to rowing, jumping rope (ideally with a heavy rope to further activate your upper body), or riding an air bike. Then, perform exercises to mobilize your shoulder joints, shoulder blades, and spine through essential ranges of motion. Wrap up the warm-up with light sets of the primary exercise of the workout.

Shoulder Warm-Up

• Cardio: Five minutes, low-to-moderate intensity effort
• Band Pull-Apart: 2 x 15 
• Foam Roller Thoracic (Upper Back) Extensions: 2 x 10
• Band Over and Backs: 2 x 10-12
• Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press: 3 x 6–10, work-up sets at light to moderate weight (e.g. roughly 40%, 60%, and 80% of the burden for use for the primary set of the workout’s first exercise).

Best Bodybuilding Workout for Arms

Although your arms undoubtedly receive training during chest, back, and shoulder workouts, a dedicated arm day may help to speed up muscle gain. But arm day needn’t be exclusively single-joint (isolation) exercises. On this workout, a pull-up variation is used as the primary exercise, since it targets your biceps with the bonus of additional training volume on your lats and rear deltoids. (11)

Single-joint exercises on your biceps and triceps come next within the workout. These are performed back-to-back on the identical incline bench to advertise a searing stretch and enhanced growth. (12)(13) The workout concludes with training for lesser-appreciated muscles for arm thickness.

Gun Day Isn’t Only Sunday

Complete the arm workout once per week. Use weights that let you complete of repetitions on the lower end of the repetition range. While you’re capable of complete all sets with repetitions at or exceeding the repetition range, add five kilos.

Neutral-Grip Pull-Up

• The right way to Do it: Hang from a neutral-grip pull-up bar or freely moving handles with palms facing one another. Pull your chest toward the bar by driving your shoulders back and flexing your elbows. Lower with control.  
• Sets and Reps: 2 x 6-8
• Rest time: Rest three minutes between sets.

Incline Dumbbell Curls

• The right way to Do it: Perform incline dumbbell curls on a bench set at an roughly 45-degree angle. With underhanded grips on the dumbbells, allow your arms to hold vertically beneath your shoulders. Without swinging your upper arms forward, curl the dumbbells. 
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 12-16
• Rest time: Move immediately to the following exercise without rest.

Incline Skull Crusher

• The right way to Do it: Take a palms-down grip on the inner handles of an EZ-bar and lie on a 45-degree incline bench. Point your elbows toward the ceiling and permit the bar to lower just behind your head without moving your upper arms. Feel your triceps stretch after which straighten your arms to return to the beginning position.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 16-20
• Rest time: Rest two minutes before repeating the previous exercise.

Reverse Biceps Curl

• The right way to Do it: Perform the standing reverse biceps curl with an overhand grip on an EZ-bar or straight bar. Keeping your arms at your sides, curl the burden by bringing your knuckles toward your shoulders. Return to the beginning position. 
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 12-16
• Rest time: Move immediately to the following exercise without rest.

Gripper

• The right way to Do it: Hold grip trainers, or the handles of a grip machine, using an influence grip with the fingers and thumb of every hand wrapped fully around each handle. Close your hands against the resistance, then slowly control the opening of the grip trainers or machine so far as possible without losing control of the implements.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 20-24
• Rest time: Rest 90 second before repeating the previous exercise.

Muscles Trained on Arm Day

Arm training has a misconception of being just for vanity and appearance, but well-developed biceps and triceps can contribute to overall strength in addition to shoulder and elbow joint health.

Biceps and Elbow Flexors

Your biceps brachii and brachialis add upper arm size, while the brachioradialis adds dimension to the forearm. All three of those muscles are trained via elbow flexion (bending your arms against resistance), whether in single-joint fashion as within the curl variations, or inside compound pulling movements just like the neutral-grip pull-up. 

Triceps

The three heads of your triceps brachii could be trained via resisted elbow extension (arm straightening). Because the long head of the triceps crosses behind the shoulder, triceps exercises that place the shoulder in flexion (e.g. overhead movements including incline skull crushers) may expose the triceps to more mechanical tension. Ultimately, this can lead to enhanced growth. (12)(13)

Forearms

While you train your grip, forearm muscles that flex the fingers contract forcefully. These muscles are likely to bend your wrists as well. To counteract wrist flexion, the muscles on the other side of the forearm (i.e. wrist extensors along the highest of your forearm) contract. The result is a strong forearm-training stimulus. 

The right way to Warm-Up Your Arms

Your arm day warm-up could be straightforward: Simply get your body moving. Special attention is given to the wrists, forearms, and elbows. The exercises needs to be non-fatiguing. 

Arm Warm-Up

• Cardio: Five minutes, low-to-moderate intensity effort
• Push-Up: 2 x 8-12
• Zottman Curl: 2 x 8-12
• Dumbbell Wrist Flexion (Wrist Curl): 1 x 8-12
• Dumbbell Wrist Extension (Reverse Wrist Curl): 1 x 8-12
• Neutral-Grip Pull-Up: 2 x 6–10, work-up sets at light to moderate difficulty (e.g. on an assisted pull-up machine if crucial, using a greater amount of assistance than you’d use on your working sets).

Best Bodybuilding Workout for Legs

Leg day is an extended, often more grueling workout in comparison with other body parts, and rightfully so. For those who’re only going to coach lower body once per week, you’d higher make it count.

While there may be debate regarding whether deadlifts belong with back day or leg day, the hamstring-dominant Romanian deadlift (RDL) is programmed on this leg workout, as this variation reduces the general load required by reducing leg drive without sacrificing training stimulus to the goal muscles. Supersets and compound sets are used extensively during this 24-set workout to save lots of time. 

The Ultimate Leg Day

Complete once per week. Select weights that let you complete repetitions on the lower end of the repetition range. Each set should reach a high level of effort. For those who are accustomed to high-volume leg training (e.g. 25+ sets), you might consider adding a set or two to front squats, the squat machine exercise, or leg extensions, because the quadriceps have been shown to reply favorably to higher training volume amongst well-trained lifters. (10) While you’re capable of complete all sets at the highest end of the repetition range, add 10 to twenty kilos. 

Front Squat

• The right way to Do it: Support a barbell across the front of your shoulders with a palms-up or cross-arm grip. Keep your trunk as upright as possible as you squat to a cushty depth. 
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 6-8
• Rest time: Move immediately to the following exercise without rest.

Prone Hamstring Curl

• The right way to Do it: Lie on a prone hamstring machine with the roller pad contacting just above your heels. Flex your knees through the longest range of motion you’ll be able to achieve, then control back to the stretched starting position.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 8-12
• Rest time: Rest three minutes before repeating the previous exercise.

Romanian Deadlift

• The right way to Do it: Hold a barbell in front of your thighs. Begin by lowering from the hips, keeping your knees barely bent throughout the exercise. Aim to feel a powerful stretch in your hamstrings before returning to standing upright.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 8-12
• Rest time: Move immediately to the following exercise without rest.

Leg Extension

• The right way to Do it: Sit in a leg extension machine along with your knee joint aligned with the pivot point of the moving a part of the machine. Straighten your knees, pause very briefly at lockout after which lower slowly with control. Keeping your feet pulled up toward your shins (ankle dorsiflexion) may enable you to feel a stronger quadriceps contraction. 
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 12-16
• Rest time: Rest two and a half minutes before repeating the previous exercise.

Machine Squat

• The right way to Do it: Pendulum or lever-style squat machines are rising in popularity in gyms; nonetheless, in case your gym doesn’t have one, a hack squat or leg press machine is an appropriate substitute. Arrange under the padded “yoke” of the squat machine, keep your feet flat as you lower right into a deep squat. Use a controlled motion at your hips, knees, and ankles. Keep off to an almost locked out position. 
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 12-16
• Rest time: Move immediately to the following exercise without rest.

Calf Machine

• The right way to Do it: Locate a calf machine that enables a comparatively straight knee position during operation (e.g. standing calf machine or leg press). Lower slowly through your entire ankle range of motion. Without bouncing out of the underside position, push through the ball of your foot and large toe until you’ve reached the highest of your available ankle range of motion. Pause briefly in each the fully stretched and fully contracted positions.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 16–20
• Rest time: Rest two and a half minutes before repeating the previous exercise.

Back Extension

• The right way to Do it: Hit your lower back, hamstrings, and glutes by organising in a glute-ham developer (GHD), as shown, or in a 45-degree Roman chair (back extension) with the highest of the pad set just under your hip joints. Lower and lift your trunk primarily from the hips; nonetheless, it is appropriate to allow some low back movement as well. 
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 12-16
• Rest time: Move immediately to the following exercise.

Seated Calf Machine

• The right way to Do it: Set the pads atop your thighs along with your knees bent roughly 90-degrees. Lower to the underside position by allowing your ankles to full dorsiflex. Without bouncing out of the underside position, raise to the highest position of full plantar flexion (rising onto the ball of your foot).
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 20-24
• Rest time: Rest 90 seconds before repeating the previous exercise.

Muscles Trained on Leg Day

Working entire lower body, leg day involves a big variety of separate body parts working in unison for a lot of movements. Targeted isolation exercises will emphasize your quadriceps, hamstrings, or calves for further muscle-building stimulus.

Quadriceps

The quadriceps femoris, or “quads,” refers back to the 4 muscles on the front of your thigh. All 4 act to increase your knee, and the centermost quadriceps muscle also contributes to hip flexion. You’ll be able to train these muscles with squats, squat-type movements, and isolated knee extension exercises. For safety and confidence, machine-based exercises could also be helpful, especially toward the tip of the workout as fatigue sets in.

Glutes

Few muscle groups enhance the image of athleticism just like the glutes. Due to this fact, the glutes are a standard goal for physique-based training. Although the glutes have various actions on the hip, all three “glutes” — gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus — act to increase your hips.  

Hamstrings

While your quadriceps are distinguished when the legs are viewed from the front, well-developed hamstrings steal the show when the legs are viewed from the side. Composed of 4 muscles, the hamstrings act to flex the knee, and three of them act to increase the hip. Leg curls train the hamstrings as knee flexors, while the Romanian deadlift and back extension are the first exercises within the workout for training hamstrings as hip extensors.  

Calves

Even if you happen to favor baggy cargo shorts as your go-to warm weather attire, your calves are prone to be probably the most readily visible lower body muscle group. Although they could receive a modest training stimulus during squats and other squat-like movements, direct calf exercises are typically needed to stimulate meaningful growth.  

The right way to Warm-Up Your Legs

Prepare your lower body for this leg workout with a warm-up that mobilizes stiff hips and elongates tight muscles. Use front squat warm-up sets to hone technique and dial-in a powerful squat stance. 

Leg Warm-Up

• Cardio: Five minutes, low-to-moderate intensity effort
• Walking Lunge: 2 x 10 per leg 
• Hamstring Sweep: 2 x 10 per leg
• Deep Squat plus Trunk Rotations: 2 x 10
• Front Squat: 3 x 6–10, work-up sets at light to moderate weight (e.g. roughly 40%, 60%, and 80% of the burden for use for the primary set of the workout’s first exercise).

On the Road to Ripped

You’ve probably heard of the “Stairway to Heaven” and the “Highway to Hell,” however the roadmap provided here gets you on the Road to Ripped. When all five workouts are performed once per week, total training per major muscle group is consistent with current best practice recommendations for constructing muscle. (1)(14) Those accustomed to lengthy or convoluted training sessions will find this program to be refreshingly easy. Easy, but challenging.

References

1. Schoenfeld, B., et al. (2021). Resistance training recommendations to maximise muscle hypertrophy in an athletic population: Position stand of the IUSCA. International Journal of Strength and Conditioning, 1(1).
2. Lacio, M., et al. (2021). Effects of resistance training performed with different loads in untrained and trained male adult individuals on maximal strength and muscle hypertrophy: a scientific review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(21), 11237.
3. Schoenfeld, B. J. (2013). Potential mechanisms for a job of metabolic stress in hypertrophic adaptations to resistance training. Sports Medicine, 43, 179-194.
4. Helms, E. R., et al. (2016). Application of the repetitions in reserve-based rating of perceived exertion scale for resistance training. Strength and Conditioning Journal, 38(4), 42-49.
5. Refalo, M. C., et al. (2022). Influence of resistance training proximity-to-failure on skeletal muscle hypertrophy: A scientific review with meta-analysis. Sports Medicine, 1-17.
6. Lehman, G. J., et al. (2004). Variations in muscle activation levels during traditional latissimus dorsi weight training exercises: An experimental study. Dynamic Medicine, 3, 1-5.
7. Wakahara, T., et al. (2012). Association between regional differences in muscle activation in a single session of resistance exercise and in muscle hypertrophy after resistance training. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 112, 1569-1576.
8. Grgic, J., et al. (2022). Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: a scientific review and meta-analysis. Journal of Sport and Health Science, 11(2), 202-211.
9. Franke, A. R., et al. (2015). Evaluation of anterior, middle and posterior deltoid activation during single and multijoint exercises. J Sports Med Phys Fitness, 55, 714-721.
10. Brigatto, F. A., et al. (2022). High resistance-training volume enhances muscle thickness in resistance-trained men. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 36(1), 22-30.
11. Youdas, J. W., et al. (2010). Surface electromyographic activation patterns and elbow joint motion during a pull-up, chin-up, or perfect-pullup™ rotational exercise. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 24(12), 3404-3414.
12. Wackerhage, H., et al. (2019). Stimuli and sensors that initiate skeletal muscle hypertrophy following resistance exercise. Journal of Applied Physiology, 126(1):30-43.
13. Maeo, S., et al. (2022). Triceps brachii hypertrophy is substantially greater after elbow extension training performed within the overhead versus neutral arm position. European Journal of Sport Science, 1-11.
14. Schoenfeld, B. J., et al. (2019). Calculating set-volume for the limb muscles with the performance of multi-joint exercises: implications for resistance training prescription. Sports, 7(7), 177.

Featured Image: Prostock-studio / Shutterstock