Are you trying to design a workout program? But cannot find anything, anywhere about how to make an effective workout. Look no further!
If you are new to the bodybuilding lifestyle or if you have been a bodybuilder for some time you may already realize that your muscular gains depend on your ability to control three variables: Training, Supplementation and Diet. The effect that each of these three variables will have toward the development of your physique will depend upon how closely each adheres to scientific and physiological principals.

In the article What supplements should you take? I detailed the basic supplements that form the solid basis of a bodybuilders supplementation program. In the article A step-by-step plan for body fat reduction! I detailed the underlying mathematical, physiological and scientific principals involved in designing a program geared to achieve maximal and safe fat loss.

This article aims to detail how to intelligently construct an effective weight-training program. I will present the underlying physiological and anatomical principals upon which effective weight training regimens are based. At the end of this article you will be able to intelligently create your own effective weight-training program suited to your specific goals and needs.

Considerations

When designing a weight-training regimen several variables must be considered. These are:

1. Current Health
2. Personal goals
3. Training Phase

For clarity I will discuss each in detail.

Current Health

The current status of your health is the first element that should be given consideration as this can affect secondary factors like recovery ability, susceptibility to injury and overtraining, and physical limitation.

For example, if a 35-year-old male with a history of back problems were to construct a weight training regimen the efficacy of heavy squats in his leg program or deadlifts in his back program would be questionable. Also, due to his age his recovery ability would be less, as would be his ability to gain strength quickly. This would be due to his decreasing levels of growth hormone and testosterone production. The decline in his androgenic hormone levels would leave him more susceptible to overtraining than his 21-year-old counterpart.

When constructing a weight-training regimen, it is essential that one consider individual history of illness and injury and avoid selecting exercises that will induce injury or irritate preexisting conditions.

Personal Goals

Your personal goals will determine the structure of your weight-training program. For example, do you wish to reduce bodyfat or add mass? Do you wish to remain the same size but gain strength? Perhaps your goal is to rehabilitate an old nagging injury. Whatever your personal goals may be, your training style and method will be adapted toward those ends.

Training Phase

Your training phase will depend upon your personal goals. Again, do you wish to gain muscle? Then your training phase will be mass building. Do you wish to reduce bodyfat? Then your training phase will be geared for fat-loss.

Regardless of training phase knowledge of the human body and its parts is required. For maximum effectiveness you must understand what you are doing, why you are doing it and what results you expect to get from doing what you do.

The Human Body

When designing a weight-training regimen knowledge of the human body and its parts is essential. Being able to identify the major parts of the human body is needed in order to know what bodyparts to work, and what exercises serve to work those parts. When working midnight shift in a retail store I encountered a member of the cleaning staff who was about 5'4 and weighed 130lbs.

While arriving to work one evening he said to me "I can bench press 1000lbs with my legs." Although I did not correct him at the time, it was obvious he was lying. When he accompanied me to the gym for a leg workout two days later he could not even squat 100lbs! When I remarked that I was surprised he could not squat 100lbs when he can bench press 1000lbs "with his legs", he told me that he is used to "only machines."

I told him I never knew machines could go up to 1000lbs! I also told him that I never knew anyone who could "bench press" [a chest exercise] with his or her legs! A coincidence that we did legs right after his comment? Hardly! Unless you want to be like that guy and end up wasting your time in the gym, it is necessary to become familiar with the human body.

The Major Muscle Groups

The major muscle groups that bodybuilders need to be concerned with are:

Pectorals [Chest]:

Upper
Middle
Lower

Deltoids [Shoulders]:

Anterior [front]
Posterior [rear]
Medial [side]

Triceps

Inner Head
Outer Head

Biceps

Back

Latisimus Dorsi
Erectors

Trapezius

Forearms

Legs

Quadriceps
Hamstrings
Calves

Abdominals

Training Split & Frequency

After you have identified the body parts of concern to bodybuilders, you are able to determine what structures will be the subject of your workouts, when those workouts should occur, and in what order. For your benefit I recommend the following split:

Day 1: Deltoids, Triceps
Day 2: Back, Traps
Day 3: OFF
Day 4: Legs, Forearms
Day 5: Chest, Biceps
Day 6: OFF
Day 7: OFF

The above schedule, as presented in The Ultimate Mass Building Workout, is deal for many reasons. Because each body part group is worked once per week, this split allows not only for maximum growth potential, but also for total recovery of a body part. This recovery time is needed because of the intensity associated with each workout. The split also allows for three days recovery in a seven-day period. Again, this has to do with intensity and the desire to avoid over-training. While the split above is ideal to avoid overtraining, it is not rigid. It allows the user flexibility. I shall explain.

In bodybuilding there is a principal known as priority training or the priority principle. The priority principal states that whatever bodypart is a priority to work get worked first. Thus on Day 1, if triceps were a weak bodypart or the goal of the bodybuilder was to put on muscle to his / her triceps, triceps would be worked first before shoulders. If shoulders were the priority, they would be worked first before triceps. This flexibility can be applied to every working day.

Here is brief explanation behind the split provided.

Day 1: Deltoids should be worked before triceps as triceps assist in deltoid pressing movements like seated shoulder presses and military presses. To gain maximum benefit from deltoid compound pressing movements, ancillary muscles must not be pre-exhausted.

Day 2: Back and trapezius are worked together because the trapezius is the upper back. Traps are also worked during lower back exercises like deadlifts and chin-ups and wide-grip pull-ups.

Day 3: Recovery from previous two days of intense exercise.

Day 4: Working forearms on leg day allows for the forearms to be worked when they are fresh. During upper body movements forearms may be partially pre-exhausted. Forearms are worked last as one requires their use as stabilizers when performing squats.

Day 5: Chest is worked before biceps as biceps do play a minor role in chest movements like dumbbell flyes and bench press. This allows chest to rest while biceps are being worked and will not result in bicep over training.

Day 6-7: Two days are required to recover from intense exercise.

The above split takes into consideration main and ancillary muscle groups. For example, working triceps on the same day as chest would be overtraining because triceps assist in heavy bench-pressing movements. In the same sense so do shoulders. Thus, the schedule calls for working these body parts on differing days so as to ensure optimal muscular stimulation and avoid overtraining.

Some bodybuilders have recommended working bodyparts such as chest and shoulders together but I never do this. Why? Exactly for the reason given above. Deltoids are worked extensively in pressing movements like flat bench and to a lesser degree in movements like incline bench. Virtually all chest-pressing movements involve the use of the deltoids. Even dumbbell flyes involve the deltoids as stabilizers. While their involvement is limited because of pectoral control over the weight, they still do have a role to play.

Shoulder injuries amongst bodybuilders are common. Thus to avoid injury and overtraining these bodyparts should be worked on different days in your training cycle. The same rationale applies to all bodyparts. To prevent injury and overtraining, be sure to reduce overlap as much as possible.