The 5 Days a Week Weight Workout Program

In my quest to wring out as much from my workouts as possible, I have begun a 5 day a week program that consists of the following:

1. Legs. Squats or leg presses, curls, extensions. Some form of calf work.
2. Chest. Incline bench presses first and foremost. Some Flats and Declines.
3. Back. Rows, Pull-downs. Deadlifts too.
4. Shoulders. Some form of Overhead press coupled with Upright rows, shrugs, and laterals, usually targeting the rear and side delts.
5. Arms. Dips, Extensions, Curls of all kinds.

(I work the calves most of the 5 days. My weight workouts take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes, max. I do some cardio work, too, like cycling, walking, or running, too, which obviously adds time to my overall workouts.) Sets and reps vary according to how I feel. Usually, 2-3 sets per exercise, with a rep range of 5-12 (usually in bands of 5-6, 7-8, and 9-12), but I do “mix up” my rep ranges, say by doing 2 sets of 10, then one set of 15. You get the idea. The objective is to get the muscles to grow efficiently, by doing relatively high intensity sets with varying rep ranges to maximize hypertrophy. If I want to add intensity, I add weight or reps. Generally, I don't do more than 3 sets per exercise. Unless they're some sort of “drop set” (I sometimes do them backwards – low weight, add weight do a few more reps, add more weight, do one or two reps, etc.), which I would consider all one set anyway. If you want personalized exercise and diet help, use my “Contact Me” form here.