A worthwhile muscle-building program trains the entire body, and not just the showy muscles that might be universal favorites (i.e., biceps or chest). The body is a balanced structure from front-to-back and side-to-side. It should always be trained in this manner to maintain its health and fitness.
Second, an important consideration is the time element. It is crucial to accomplish as much as possible in as little time as possible in order to improve strength and muscularity without sacrificing too much of other aspects of daily life. This will ensure continuity in a training program over time. That will mean both short and long-term success.
Speaking of daily life: There arises the question of how many days to actually train. Beginner lifters don’t want to overwhelm their body or mind, so a three-days-per-week regimen is sufficient. Typically, Monday, Wednesday and Friday would be the workout days, with the opposing days set for rest and weekends reserved for other activities. So long as lifters hit it hard when training, they needn’t be chained to a daily exercise schedule to get results. As they become more advanced, they can increase the frequency of workouts, break them up into different segments and so forth. The only way to guarantee long term progress is by being flexible in a fitness routine. This makes a beginning lifter more apt to stick with the regimen if it doesn’t represent too much of a sacrifice.
The last consideration is of sets and reps, the minutia that can make or break a training program. For best results, stick with 3-6 sets per body part, performing 10-15 repetitions per set. But there’s more to it than just numbers. For instance, this regimen calls for the use of supersets, which is the completion of two exercises without rest in between. Exercising in such a nonstop manner speeds results and limits the time commitment to working out. The superset here, however, will be for antagonist exercises -- those that work opposing bodyparts. So, after one set for chest, immediately jump to a movement that targets the back muscles. The only rest comes when both sets are done, then repeat the pair again for up to six supersets.
On the subject of repetitions, the best range of motion is 10-15 reps. This simply signifies a range within which one should train to muscular failure, reaching total fatigue without sacrificing technique. This will ensure that the muscles are fully stimulated, which will cause them to grow in strength and size.
But there is one caveat here, as well: The timing of each rep should be in a 3-1-3-0 cadence. For instance, when the bar is lowered down to the chest to start the bench press exercise, it should be moved in a smooth, three-second count. Then use a three-second pace to press the bar upward to arms’ length, pausing for one second with the pectoral muscles tightened before repeating.
