More often then not here’s what I find in deltoid bodybuilding workout and why I feel these programs are ineffective and incomplete for complete deltoid development. Most of the time the workouts consisted of raises and presses and nothing much more and the worst part is that all exercises targeted the middle and front deltoids and included no exercises for the rear delt. The result of this type of workout is strength imbalance in the shoulders and that makes them less stable.

That loss of stability is bad for a lot of reasons but mainly because you increase your risk for injury in an area that’s already highly susceptible to injury. Dislocations and rotator cuff injuries are common for bodybuilders so it’s important to do everything you can to prevent them and training your rear delts in your bodybuilding workout is one such way.

What may bother you more then the added susceptibility to injury is that not training your rear delts will also result in decreased strength in important lifts such as the bench press, the shoulder press and practically every other upper body lift.

If you’ve hit a plateau in your bodybuilding workout and you’ve noticed that your upper body lifts have plateaued I would strongly recommend you start training your rear delts. You plateau because you can only lift as much as your shoulders can support and if you notice your rear delts are at the bottom of lifts like the bench press and the shoulder press.

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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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There are no exceptions.

If you want big muscles, you’re going to have to move massive amounts of weight and iron every time you’re in the gym doing a bodybuilding workout.

You’re not going to get big curling 25 pound dumbells or benching 135 pounds. Unless you’re warming up of course.

You get big and you add tons of muscle to your frame by pushing your body to the damn limit every single bodybuilding workout.

In order for you to get bigger you’re going to have to get stronger and in order for you to get stronger you’re going to want to limit your bodybuilding workout sets to about 4-6 repetitions per set.

This is the ideal rep range for increasing mass and strength. You usually want to do 3 sets per exercise and I would recommend you do 2 sets at 6 reps and then do your last set at 4 reps to really emphasize increasing your strength.

You’re not going to increase your overall muscle mass unless you start to lift heavier weights.

It doesn’t matter which exercises you are doing so long as you are getting stronger and you are gradually increasing the weight you use for every single exercise you use in your workouts.

So there you go… you want to get bigger? Start moving more weight in your bodybuilding workout.

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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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We’re going to build a huge chest by utilizing two old-school Joe Weider principles of pre-exhaustion and compound sets in this bodybuilding workout. I’m not really sure if compound sets are actually a principle or just a training technique but either way I know the combination of these two works like crazy to blow up your muscles…

A compound set just means you’re going to do one really long set of two different exercises back-to-back with no break in between. So you’ll do one set of something for 10 reps and then we’re going to follow that up immediately (without a break) by another exercise for 6-8 reps.

The pre exhaustion principle works like this…

So we’re going to be doing 2 exercises back to back for one compound set… the first exercise in a pre exhaustion compound set is always some type of isolation movement followed by a compound movement or a multi-joint movement.

Ok so let’s build a big chest with a pre exhaustion bodybuilding workout.

Here’s the bodybuilding workout I challenge you to try if you want to build a huge chest:

1st compound set

Incline dumbell flyes (10 reps) followed by incline bench press (6-8 reps)

2nd compound set

Flat dumbell flyes followed by Flat bench dumbell presses

3rd set (regular set)

Weighted dips (go heavy pussy!)

4th set

Cable flyes (so all the chicks at the gym can see your chest popping out of your damn shirt)

A couple of notes regarding this pre exhaustion compound set bodybuilding workout: Go heavy but don’t be stupid… your muscles will be severely weakened by the isolation movements at the beginning of your pre exhaust compound sets.

There you have it… build a rock hard chest with this bodybuilding workout.

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In my years as a personal trainer if there was one constant for damn near every bodybuilder I ever trained it was that they always worked out in the 6-10 rep range for every exercise in their repertoire.

Sound familiar?

If this is you and you’re in a rut listen up because making one simple change and switching to a high-rep bodybuilding workout will have your muscles more detailed then ever before and a few weeks your muscles will be twice as responsive to your beloved high-weight, low-rep workouts.

Here’s what you do and it’s pretty simple if you want better results from your current bodybuilding workout:

Do the same exercises you’re already doing only cut the weight and give it your best guesstimate as to what you’ll be able to do for 20 reps.

You’ll be doing 3-4 sets and you’ll be doing 20 reps per set.

Bodybuilding and more specifically packing on pounds of muscle is all about switching up the workouts that you attack your muscles with… this high-rep bodybuilding workout is good for 2-6 weeks and it’s a great change of pace workout. Use it when your current workout becomes stagnant and is no longer producing good pumps for you in the gym.

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“Circuit training is for the pansies in biker shorts wokring out on the nautilus machines…”

Normally I would agree with you but there are certain occasions where a particular style of circuit training could really benefit you. I’m talking about those times where you probably only have something like 20-30 minutes to get in a bodybuilding workout and you really want to pump iron and you also want to get in some cardio…

What to do right?

Here’s what I do when I find myself in the above situation:

Basically I tweak your normal circuit training routine and I mix in some cardio usually at the end of the circuit so I can still move a good amount of weight during the anaerobic exercises of the circuit training session/ bodybuilding workout.

I’ll be doing 4 sets of 4 exercises with a couple of minutes between sets, not individual exercises like you would in a typical bodybuilding workout. 3 anaerobic exercises and 1 cardio exercise at the end of the circuit.

For the cardio exercise portion of the circuit training I usually run on a treadmill, ride a stationary bike or ride an elliptical trainer. 9 times out of 10 I’m running on a treadmill for 5 minutes and it’s usually pretty damn close to a good sprint for 5 minutes.

Well there you have it… you get your bodybuilding workout in, you get some cardio in and you get it all in in under 20-30 minutes in this unique circuit training session.

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Sure it’s one of life’s cruelties but it doesn’t have to be.

Here’s what I do.

I switch up the order of the exercises in my bodybuilding workout before I try anything else… then I’ll try super-setting a couple of exercises… if the routine is just 3 exercises for a single bodypart, I might just do 3 giant sets of the 3 exercises!

Point is you mix it up. You don’t necessarily have to ditch your favorite bodybuilding workout just because it’s not as effective as it once used to be. You just have to be flexible and tweak your bodybuilding workout wherever possible untile you start feeling the muscle pumps you are after in the gym.

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