Find Your Perfect
Weight Lifting Routine
Use this page to find the weight lifting routine that's best for you. I have compiled the top workout routines for building muscle and strength.
Each routine on this page shows its important highlights as well as a short description. This makes it easy to find the right fit for your goal, preferences, and experience. Each workout program has a link to another page with a template and full details.
I made this section because I fully understand the frustration of searching for a reliable weight lifting routine. Unfortunately, the Internet is chock full of crap-grade programs. It seems like you have to jump backwards through hoops of fire just to find a decent training regimen.
My goal is to make it simple for you to find the right weight lifting routine. I post only high quality programs and the accompanying details, all in one place.
Know Your Experience Level
Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced. First and foremost, we must do a preliminary reality check. What is your true experience level? Are you a beginner, intermediate, or advanced lifter? You won't make impressive gains if you can't answer this correctly.
Beginner Lifters. If you're new to lifting, check out the beginner weight lifting routines, specifically designed for the novice weight trainee. It's common to see beginners doing advanced routines when starting out (I did). Unfortunately, doing so only leads to sub-optimal results and an increased likelihood of injury – you have to crawl before you walk.
Be happy if you’re in the beginner stage so you can fully exploit your potential for rapid and obvious progress, known as "newbie gains."
Intermediate/Advanced Lifters. Once you've been in the iron game long enough, you have some different options. Take a look at the intermediate or advanced workout routines. Or if you're feeling creative, you can make your own weight training program.
Top Workout Routines
MyWeightlifting Routine (coming soon)
Experience level: Beginner
Days per week: 3
Workout Type: Full Body
Workout Summary: This routine utilizes a full body strength training
approach, effective for beginning strength athletes and bodybuilders alike. It
is designed to increase strength and size while building and maintaining proper
exercise technique. The program implements lower volume and high frequency,
which allows you to quickly build a powerful foundation.
Starting
Strength
Experience level: Beginner
Days per week: 3
Workout Type: Full Body
Workout Summary: Starting Strength is a classic beginner weight training program
designed by world renowned trainer Mark Rippetoe. It gives the novice trainee a
solid foundation to build upon. The program focuses on training the entire body
by focusing on just a few compound lifts – no bells and whistles. Rippetoe's
weight lifting routine is a time-tested approach that efficiently maximizes
strength, muscle growth, and technique.
Westside for Skinny Bastards (coming soon)
Experience level: Beginner, Intermediate
Days per week: 3-4
Workout Type: Upper Body/Lower Body Split
Workout Summary: Westside for Skinny Bastards is a popular program
designed by strength coach Joe DeFranco. It gets its name because it utilizes
some of the Westside Barbell Club's powerlifting principles. This program
includes the max effort technique for maximizing strength, but also implements
higher rep ranges for targeting growth. I like this workout routine because it
effectively uses all rep ranges, while keep your body in balance with
unilateral and core exercises.
Lyle McDonald's Generic Bulking Routine (coming soon)
Experience Level: Intermediate
Days Per Week: 4
Workout Type: Upper Body/Lower Body Split
Workout Summary: Lyle McDonald is a leader when it comes to stamping out the
BS in the fitness industry. His weight lifting routine is done in 6-8 week
cycles. One cycle entails several weeks of heavy lifting followed by a 1-2 week
deload. This maximizes progress by providing necessary rest before jumping
into the next cycle. The workouts use moderate repetitions (6-8) for the major
exercises and higher repetitions for the secondary exercises (10-12 or 12-15)
for targeting size. However, you can tailor the cycles to emphasize
strength.
Max-OT Routine
Experience level: Intermediate, Advanced
Days per week: 5
Workout Type: Body-Part Split
Workout Summary: Short for 'maximum overload training,' MAX-OT is
designed to maximize muscle stimulation by using high intensity weight and
going to failure on each set (4-6 reps). You train each body part just once a
week using mainly compound exercises. Overall, MAX-OT yields impressive size
and strength results. My only qualm is that the low frequency training
detracts somewhat from strength gains.
Check Back for More Workouts
Hopefully you found a weight lifting routine that will work great for you. I add new bodybuilding and strength training programs to this page periodically. So bookmark this page and check back for updates of more proven workout routines that'll get you bigger and stronger.
