Have you watched the Mr. Olympia contests in awe, wanting to have the same body as Shawn Rhoden, Phil Health, and Big Ramy? Everyone wants more muscle, but only the serious and dedicated can pack on the size that these mass monsters do.
Also called hypertrophy training, bodybuilding focuses on maximizing muscle size and definition. If you're new to weight lifting and want to get swole and show off some serious muscle serration, you must arm yourself with the right workouts. Let's review everything you need to know about bodybuilding workouts for beginners.
WHAT ARE ACUTE VARIABLES?
Before we talk about the bodybuilding workout, you'll be doing; you must understand the acute variables essential for muscle building. The term acute variables refer to the following:
- Repetitions
- Sets
- Rest / Break
- One Repetition Maximum (1RM)
- Intensity
- Speed (Tempo)
Repetitions
Repetitions are a counting system for the physical movement of the exercise. One repetition is when you complete a lifting, pausing, and lowering movement.
For example: With a dumbbell curl, you lift the dumbbell, pause at the top, then lower the dumbbell. This is one repetition.
Sets
Sets are based on the completion of the prescribed repetitions for an exercise. When you complete all of the prescribed repetitions, that is considered one set.
For example: Let's say that your workout recommends three sets of 15 repetitions. You would complete 15 repetitions (set one), take a break, complete another 15 repetitions (set two), take another break, then perform the final 15 repetitions (set three).
Rest / Break
The recommended amount of time you should stop exercising and focus on active stretching or simply catching your breath.
For example: After completing a set of push-ups, you rest (or take a break) for 60 seconds, then begin again.
1RM One Repetition Maximum
This is the maximum amount of weight you can successfully move once with perfect form during an exercise.
For example, You can successfully bench 150 pounds once with perfect form during the barbell bench press. After that, the weight becomes too heavy, your form slips, and you need assistance. One hundred fifty pounds is your one repetition maximum (1RM).
Intensity
This is the amount of effort and energy you are using in order to push yourself to complete the exercises in your workout. There are two ways to measure intensity:
- How intense the exercise is for you.
- Based on a percentage of your 1RM.
For example, your workout recommends performing three sets of barbell bench press at 65% to 75% of your 1RM. Your 1RM for the bench press is 150 pounds. We would take 65% of 150, which is 97.5, but it's easiest to round up. For this exercise, you'll be using 100 pounds.1.6
Speed (Tempo)
Speed or tempo refers to the pace you use to move through each phase of the exercise. There are three phases to any repetition of an exercise:
- Concentric: Lifting the weight.
- Isometric: Pause at the bottom or the top of the movement
- Eccentric: Lowering the weight to the starting position
A tempo will be displayed as a three-number readout that looks like this: 3 / 1 / 2. Each number refers to the amount of time in seconds you should spend in each phase above, respectively.
For example, let's say the tempo is 3 / 1 / 2, as in the example above. If you are performing a dumbbell bench press, you would spend three seconds lifting the weight, one-second pausing, and two seconds lowering the weight.
SPECIFIC ACUTE VARIABLES FOR BODYBUILDING
When you enter bodybuilding, or if your goal is to maximize muscle mass growth, you will use a specific set of acute variables. The goal of hypertrophy training is to push the muscle into a zone of complete fatigue so that during recovery, your muscle will be forced to adapt to the stress placed on it.
Now that you know all about acute variables, let's review the specific numbers for bodybuilding workouts:Repetitions: 8 – 12 (15, on occasion)
- Sets: 3 – 5
- Rest / Break: 60 – 90 seconds
- Intensity: 65% - 75% of your 1RM
- Speed (Tempo): 2 / 0 / 2
BEST EXERCISES FOR BODYBUILDING WORKOUTS
You have your acute variables, but what about ideal bodybuilding exercises? Your bodybuilding workout schedule will have three phases: full-body, splits, and hybrid. You will begin with the essentials: compound exercises.
FULL-BODY TRAINING
Compound exercises activate the greatest number of muscle groups during a single movement. For example, compare the pull-up to the bicep curl. The pull-up activates muscles in the back, abdominals, and biceps. The bicep curl only needs the bicep muscle to be active.
When an exercise triggers several major muscle groups, you can achieve your goal of muscle growth faster. If you were to jump into isolation-based training, your body could miss important chances to build the groundwork for strength, muscle, and performance.
We recommend that the first two months of your workout program be focused on full-body workouts with compound movements.
SPLIT TRAINING
After the first month or two of your program, your body will have developed a strong foundation. You will notice you have a lot more strength, and while you aren't jacked like Phil or Kai, you'll definitely notice an increase in muscle mass. With the key relationships between length-tension and major muscle groups established, we can upgrade your program and start using split training.
As the name implies, we will split up your exercises to focus on upper-body versus lower-body workouts. Why do we do this?
Your body needs consistent change to continue growing. Compound exercises are great, but we need to throw your body a curveball to keep it guessing. This is how you'll achieve the size you want.
Separating your workouts based on an upper split and lower split will also let you perform more exercises on a given body part. That means the muscle will be pushed to new heights of hypertrophy, resulting in more size.
An example of a week on an upper split and lower split program would look like this:
- Monday: Lower Body
- Tuesday: Upper Body
- Wednesday: Rest / Cardio
- Thursday: Lower Body
- Friday: Upper Body
- Saturday: Rest
- Sunday: Rest / Cardio
BODYBUILDING WORKOUTS FOR BEGINNERS
We present the program you'll be using for the next three to six months, depending on your progress and how quickly you feel comfortable moving to the next level. Stick to what we have listed below, and use the acute variables we've already discussed. This isn't a race, so take your time, enjoy the learning process, and get ready to see incredible results.
Months 1 And 2:
Full-Body
You will alternate every other day with the following A and B workouts. For example, you'll follow an A-B-A workout pattern during your first week. For the second week, you'll perform a B-A-B workout schedule.
Day 1: Full-Body Workout A
- Chest: Flat Bench Dumbbell Press: 3 sets of 12 to 15 repetitions
- Back: Barbell Row: 3 x 12 – 15
- Quadriceps: Barbell Squats: 3 x 8 – 10
- Hamstrings: Leg Curls: 3 x 12 – 15
- Shoulders: Military Press: 2 x 12- 15
- Core: Mountain Climbers: 3 x 25
- Total Body: Burpees: 10
Day 2: Rest
Day 3 Full-Body Workout B
- Quadriceps: Sumo Squat: 3 sets of 15 to 20 repetitions
- Back: Weighted Pull-ups: 3 x 8 – 12
- Hamstrings: Romanian Deadlifts: 3 x 12 – 15
- Chest: Incline Bench Dumbbell Fly
- Shoulders: Lateral Dumbbell Raises: 2 x 12 – 15
- Core: Side Oblique Crunches: 3 x 25
- Core: Hanging Leg Lifts: 3 x 15
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Full-Body Workout A
- Chest: Flat Bench Dumbbell Press: 3 sets of 12 to 15 repetitions
- Back: Barbell Row: 3 x 12 – 15
- Quadriceps: Barbell Squats: 3 x 8 – 10
- Hamstrings: Leg Curls: 3 x 12 – 15
- Shoulders: Military Press: 2 x 12- 15
- Core: Mountain Climbers: 3 x 25
- Total Body: Burpees: 10
Day 6: Rest
Day 7: Rest
Months 3 And 4:
Split Training
Now that you have developed a solid mind-to-muscle connection and your muscles have learned to work efficiently together, we can switch to split training. You'll split your workouts into upper and lower exercises during these months. If you want to improve your grip strength dramatically, consider using a pair of Alpha Grips.
Day 1: Legs
- Quadriceps: Barbell Squats: 3 sets of 12 to 15 repetitions
- Quadriceps: Leg Extensions: 3 x 15 – 20
- Quadriceps: Jump Squats: 2 x 15
- Hamstrings: Leg Curl: 3 x 12 – 15
- Hamstrings: Stiff Legged Deadlift: 3 x 8 – 12
- Calves: Calf Press: 5 x 25 – 30
Day 2: Back and Biceps
- Back: Deadlifts: 3 x 8 – 12
- Back: Lat Pulldown: 3 x 12 – 15
- Back: Seated Rows: 2 x 8 – 12
- Biceps: Preacher Curls: 3 x 12 – 15
- Biceps: Hammer Curls: 2 x 12 – 15
- Reverse Barbell Curls: 2 x 12 – 15
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Chest and Triceps
- Chest: Incline Barbell Bench Press: 3 x 12 – 15
- Chest: Flat Bench Dumbbell Flys: 3 x 8 – 12
- Chest: Push-ups: 2 x 25
- Triceps: Rope Pushdown: 3 x 12 – 15
- Triceps: Dumbbell Kickbacks: 3 x 12 – 15
[RELATED: Bigger Biceps And Triceps: How to Get Big Arms Fast]
Day 5: Shoulders and Core
- Shoulders: Military Press: 3 x 8 – 12
- Core: Swiss Ball Crunches: 3 x 20 – 25
- Shoulders: Lateral Dumbbell Raises: 3 x 8 – 12
- Core: Cable Crunch: 3 x 20
- Shoulders: Rear Deltoid Fly: 3 x 8 – 12
- Core: Lying Oblique Crunches: 3 x 20
Day 6: Rest
Day 7: Core and Cardio
- Core: Lying Swiss Ball Pass/Exchange: 3 x 20
- Core: Reverse Crunch: 3 x 25
- Core: Cable Crunch: 3 x 20
- Cardio: 20 minutes of high-intensity interval training
- Give this HIIT workout a try on your cardio day.
Months 5 And 6:
Hybrid Training
As you progress in your fitness journey and have honed a strong mind-to-muscle connection, it's time to take your training to the next level with hybrid training. This training approach seamlessly blends different workout styles.
Day 1: Full-Body Workout
- Quadriceps: Front Squat: 3 x 12 – 15 (Use a squat pad to protect your shoulders.)
- Hamstrings: Romanian Deadlifts: 3 x 8 – 12
- Chest: Cable Crossover: 3 x 12 – 15
- Back: Barbell Rows: 3 x 12 – 15
- Shoulders: Barbell Overhead Press: 3 x 12 – 15
- Core: Plank: 60 seconds
Day 2: Legs
- Quadriceps: Hack Squat: 3 x 12 – 15
- Hamstrings: Romanian Deadlifts: 3 x 8 – 12
- Calves: Calf Press: 3 x 20
- Quadriceps: Barbell Squat: 3 x 12 – 15
- Hamstrings: Leg Curl: 3 x 12 – 15
- Calves: Calf Raise: 3 x 25
- Quadriceps: Leg Extension: 3 x 12 – 15
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Chest and Back
- Chest: Flat Bench Barbell Press: 3 x 12 – 15
- Back: Lat Pulldown: 3 x 12 – 15
- Chest: Decline Dumbbell Fly: 3 x 12 – 15
- Back: Seated Row: 3 x 12 – 15
- Chest: Elevated Push-ups: 3 x 15
- Back: Weighted Pull-ups: 3 x 10 - 12
Day 5: Shoulders and Arms
- Shoulders: Lateral Dumbbell Raises: 3 x 8 – 12
- Triceps: Overhead Dumbbell Press: 3 x 12 – 15
- Biceps: Alternating Dumbbell Curls: 3 x 12 – 15
- Shoulders: Dumbbell Overhead Press: 3 x 8 – 12
- Triceps: Rope Pushdown: 3 x 8 – 12
- Biceps: Barbell Curls: 3 x 8 – 12
- Shoulders: Bent Over Rear Delt Fly: 3 x 12 – 15
Day 6: Rest
Day 7: Core and Cardio
- Core: Cable Crunch: 3 x 20
- Core: Reverse Crunch: 3 x 25
- Core: Hanging Leg Lift: 3 x 20
- Cardio: 20 minutes of high-intensity interval training
ARE YOU NEW TO BODYBUILDING WORKOUTS?
Have questions about how to get started? Have a favorite bodybuilding workout? Have a video of yourself doing a bodybuilding routine? Tag us on Instagram so we can share!
