Intermediate Training Routine

Overview

The intermediate routine is suitable for people with over 3 months training experience and is typical of routines used for the first two years of training. It can also be used in conjunction with the bulking up routine. If you do not have any experience of resistance training this is not the routine to be starting on. You should study and set off on the starting out with weights program, where you will indeed see excellent results whilst learning true forms of weight training.

The intermediate routine uses four workouts, each performed once per week. Typically your perform the first two workouts on two consecutive days, take a days rest and then perform the final two workouts on two consecutive days. After that you take two days off and start over. A typical split would be Mon, Tue, off Wed, Thurs, Fri, off Sat and off Sun.

The first two workouts are lower volume, compound movements, performed to failure. The second two workouts contain mostly isolation movements, with higher volume and performed to the point just before failure (ie an 'easy day'). This is the traditional and favourite heavy/light split training popular with many, if not most  trainers who don't find better results with HIT training methods.

If you are relatively new to weight training, this program will give you phenomenal results and you will be learning so much about resistance training, technique and more than anything else - how your unique body responds to exercise.

Each exercise should be performed in a strict style such that you are in control of the weight when both raising and lowering the weight. Cheating by swinging the weight or throwing the weight up may result in injury, you will also make little if any progress. You can learn more in depth information about this by reading the sections on loading parameters and TUT. To put it simply, make sure that you controlling your weight as you move it from the start position to the end position. And return the weight back to the starting position under strict and steady control. There is no need to rush the movement. In fact the slower that you move, the better. You will have more control and safety and cause more stimulus to the muscle tissue by keeping it under greater tension for longer. Try and perform each rep over about 6 seconds. Maybe two to three seconds up and three to four seconds back down. If you can, try to emphasis the downward eccentric portion of the exercise as this has been shown to produce more stimulus for muscular growth.

For each exercise a number of reps ( the number of times you repeat the movement) and the number of sets (the number of times you perform the exercise) are shown on the workout sheet. Between each set you should take a 2-3 minutes rest for the first two workouts and around 1 minutes rest between sets on the last two workouts.

For the first two workouts you should push yourself to failure, the point at which you just cannot complete a rep in good style. Do not attempt to perform any reps in bad form or by cheating. You are doing yourself no favours here. Count the last rep you can perform with good lifting technique as your failed rep. On the last two workouts you should stop just short of failure, the last or second to last rep you can complete prior to the rep you would fail on. Again, you will only have a feel for this if you have been training with weights for a number of months. If you are a complete beginner, you probably wont have learnt how to notice this feeling.

On each workout sheet there is a target rep range and a training tempo you should follow, these will play a part in the amount of weight you can use. IT is recommended you familiarise yourself with the workouts and the structure of them a little to get a feel for how they work before diving straight into the program.

For the first two workouts you should aim for about 75% of your 1RM, which allows you to complete about 8 reps in good form and with the training tempo required. After each set reduce the weight by 2-3%, or enough to maintain the rep count.

For the last two workouts you should use about 70% of your 1RM, which allows you to complete around 12 reps in good form with the required training tempo. You should not need to reduce the weight on subsequent sets to maintain the rep count.

If in the first few sessions you discover the weight is too light, then increase it by a few pounds in the following workout. Don't increase the weights too quickly, it is more productive to train below your maximum poundage's and build up gradually than to jump the weight quickly to your maximum. Increasing slowly has been shown to leave you at a point using a heavier weight than increasing your training poundage quickly. This has been the technique of many many strength athletes and coaches for decades. It's a true, tried and tested method for greater increases in poundages. Some strength athletes are famous for nearly always training sub-maximally for the majority of the time.

If the weight is too heavy, reduce the weight by 10% and complete the next set. If it's still too heavy, reduce by a further 10%.

Once you have the correct weight, increase them only when you can complete the target rep range without reaching failure.

Normally strength levels peak around late afternoon, early evening, and therefore working out after school/work is an ideal time. You will probably also have an empty stomach at this time, which is also ideal for a workout. Finally, after the workout you would be going home for your evening meal which is also good for post workout recovery.

Having said this, you can workout any time of day, but try to ensure you haven't eaten solid foods for 60 minutes beforehand, although liquid protein in water, or a small amount of liquid carbs is fine. After training you should consume a carb and protein drink mix in water followed by a balanced, solid food meal 2 hours later.

Muscles repair and build during rest, not during the workout, and therefore it's important to get adequate rest. In general you should aim for 8-9 hours sleep per day, longer if you have a physically demanding job.

Each muscle group is trained twice a week, once hard and the other holding a little back, which should provide adequate recovery time. However, if you find your strength levels are not increasing on any of the exercises in the first two workouts, then you should lower the training effort in the second two workouts to prevent over training.

This sort of routine can be followed for a few months, alternated with bulking routines or split routines, and returned to at a later date.

After following this routine for two to three months you should notice a steady buildup in your competency to use and handle heavier weights and a mixture of isolation exercises. You will notice a dramatic increase in learning how your unique body is responding to the stimulus that you place upon it. So long as your exercise selection and execution is of good quality and you supply your body with all of the nutrients that it needs to repair itself and grow, you should notice an even and steady increase in strength and muscle size. You will notice a slight decrease in bodyfat and a good amount of definition and excellent muscle tone with a sound nutrition plan. We would recommend that you follow one of the specified diets for shedding fat such as the confusion diet or even the standard athlete plan for this weight training program dependent upon your current physique goals.