It’s crazy but as personal trainer I can’t tell you how many people I’ve talked to who complain about having a weak body part/ muscle and when I ask them if they’ve ever trained that weak muscle at the beginning of their bodybuilding workout I usually get a blank stare in return…

You know the look a deer gives when it’s about to get hit and run over by a mack truck.

That’s exactly what will happen to your weakest muscles if you train them at the beginning of your bodybuilding workout… They’re going to get run over by a mack truck!

You see most of my clients are guys and as guys we have a natural tendency to only want to train our strongest muscles. Sometimes it’s just to impress the ladies at the gym (it’s all good) and sometimes it’s just to boost our own ego and look at our biggest muscles in front of the mirror at the gym.

Any way you look at it, you have to realize that you have a weak muscle and it’s going to need special attention if you want it too keep up with the rest of your muscles.

I should also mention that we all also have strong muscle groups… muscles that basically grow sometimes by just looking at them! I’m not saying you have to stop working those muscles out but you should pay more attention to your weak muscles if you want a well proportioned body.

One of my clients is this guy with a HUGE barn door back. I have a big back but this guy has a wider back then mine but he has puny and skinny arms which makes him look kinda silly if you ask me…

Sure enough when I asked him for the past few years in his bodybuilding workout he’s been working out his back first and then his biceps right after.

Guys if you’re working out your back and then you hit your biceps, your biceps are already “tired” from the back workout because your biceps are an ancillary muscle to most back exercise. Basically your biceps help out your back (more if you’re a beginner) when you’re doing your back exercises and by the time you get around to your biceps workout your biceps are already exhausted and that’s how NOT to get your muscles to grow.

If you have a similar problem, I recommend that you move your biceps to the beginning of your back/biceps bodybuilding workout and train your biceps while they’re fresh and they can move a maximum amount of weight. I guarantee you’ll see better results.

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One of the questions I receive most often from my personal training clients that are looking to add some muscle with a bodybuilding workout is:

How many sets should I perform per exercise and how many reps to set the stage for muscular growth?

The answer I always give is 3 sets per exercise (after your warm up) and there’s also a certain number of reps I plan on using for each set.

The first set of your bodybuilding workout is usually what I call a feeler set and usually ends up in the 10-12 rep range. I don’t try to go too heavy here. #1 I’m trying to feel how this particular exercise is going to target my muscles today. #2 I’m trying to get as big a pump going as possible with the extra reps.

With the second set of a bodybuilding workout I’m still trying to go for a massive pump but now I’m also trying to move more weight. This set is always in the 6-8 rep range and is a little trickier then the other two because you’re trying to both build strength with the lower reps and increased weight and you’re also still trying to focus the strain of all the weight into your targeted muscle for a huge pump.

The last and 3rd set of a bodybuilding workout is to build strength plain and simple. This set is usually 4-6 reps. I usually try to pick a weight that I’ll be able to move for 6 reps. Very rarely do I shoot for four reps but on the rare occasions that my body feels real good and not at all susceptible to injury I go ahead and max out for four reps.

Well that’s it… those are my sets and reps recommendations for a bodybuilding workout designed to make you the biggest guy in your gym. Give it a shot and let me now what you think.

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Start off with a decent warm up…

On days that I hit chest I usually warm up with some kind of machine press movement but since this is a bodybuilding workout for your home gym I’m going to start off with some elevated push ups.

You do elevated push ups the same way you do regular push ups only you elevate your legs by placing your toes on top of a bench or a chair or pretty much anything that’s a couple of feet off of the ground. This places additional stress on your upper and middle chest and is a great way to target your chest in your home gym.

Once you’re warmed up you can proceed to your first exercise which will be you guessed it the bench press. You’re going for three sets of 4-6 reps. We’re not messing around here… this is the portion of your bodybuilding workout where you’re focusing on getting stronger which will in turn make you bigger.

Once you’re done with those sets it’s time to get really serious… You’re going to do a compound set which is basically two exercises back to back and we’re going to take it up a notch by incorporating some pre-exhaust into this set as well. Yeah pretty much you can kiss your chest good-bye for the next few days if you do this bodybuilding workout right…

On the front half of this compound set you’re going to do flat bench flyes and on the back half you’re going to do incline bench press. If you don’t understand how compound sets and pre-exhaustion work check out this post here located at your home gym.

OK you’re almost home only 2 exercises and 6 sets to go…

Exercise number 3 is flat bench dumbbell presses and I want you to squeeze your chest at the top while holding the weight up there for a second and squeezing your lats together. 3 sets of 8 reps big guy.

Finish up your bodybuilding workout in your home gym with some elevated push ups. Yes the same ones you warmed up with… This is a great exercise for detailing your chest while working out at your home gym.

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This bodybuilding routine isn’t for sissies so if you don’t like pain go read Mens Health or something… this shit is for guys that want to get huge! If that’s not you don’t come around here no moh!

Let’s get on with it…

In this last post I gave a brief description of a bodybuilding workout with compound sets in case you’re too lazy to read that a compound set is basically two different exercises performed back to back for one really long set… that’s what we’re going to do to abuse your shoulders into growth!

The first half of the set: dumbbell side lateral raises. Pound out 10 reps.

The second half of the compound set: behind-the-neck barbell presses. Choose a weight that you think you’ll be able to handle for 6-8 reps.

3 sets and before you even begin to think about starting this set make sure your shoulders are thoroughly warmed up. Your shoulders are easily injured and this is a taxing bodybuilding workout so don’t mess around with your workout.

I usually follow up the compound set with 3 sets of 10 reps of some dumbbell shoulder presses and then I follow that up with some machine presses.

This bodybuilding workout is stacked with pressing exercises because that’s the best way to pack on slabs of muscle to your frame. Nothing changes the way you look more then the width of your shoulders. This workout is sure to help you pack on some size.

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