muscle group routines
Important Note: All the routines in the Barnett Training System use percentages of your one rep max (1RM) to determine the weight. This is a hard but precise form of weighlifting. However, if you do not want to use this approach you can use the percentages as an indicator of EFFORT.
For example, if the routine calls for 10%, you would select a light weight that would require little effort. Likewise, if the routine calls for 80%, you would select a heavy weight that would require a high level of effort .
Chest Training
The bench press is arguably the best upper body exercise. First of all, there are three general types of bench presses:
-
Barbell Bench Presses
-
Dumbbell Bench Presses
-
Specialty Bar Bench Presses
These types of bench presses can also be done at different angles to further isolate the upper or lower pecs. You can do flat benches, various angled incline bench presses, and various angled decline bench presses. Additionally, the higher the incline the greater the deltoid involvement. Bench presses can also be performed for two basic purposes:
Powerlifting Bench Press (Max attempt development)
Lie on a bench and grip the bar a few inches wider than shoulder width. Establish a solid foundation with your feet. Use a normal grip (never remove your thumb) and keep your wrist as straight as possible. Lower the bar slowly to the nipple line, pause, and blast the bar up with an even extension. You must explode from the paused position. Keep your butt on the bench.
Bodybuilding Bench Press (Pectoral development)
Flat Bench Press
Lie on a bench and grip the bar a few inches wider than shoulder width. (This exercise can be done very effectively with dumbbells.) Use a normal grip (never remove your thumb) and keep your wrist as straight as possible. Lower the bar slowly to the nipple line and keep your elbows away from your body. Drive the bar up using an even extension while keeping your shoulders down and back and your chest arched. You do not have to lockout completely for pectoral development.
Incline Bench Press
Adjust the bench up by approximately 30 degrees. Using the same mechanics as the bench press, lower the weight (barbells or dumbbells) to your upper chest. (Do not lower the weight to your neck in that this position will strain your shoulders.) Drive the bar up using an even extension while keeping your shoulders down and back and your chest arched.
Decline Bench Press
Adjust the bench down by approximately 20 degrees. Using the same mechanics as the bench press, lower the weight (barbells or dumbbells) to one or two inches below your nipple line. Drive the bar up using an even extension while keeping your shoulders down and back and your chest arched. This movement should replace the standard bench and the incline bench if you have or have had any shoulder injuries.
Comments
If your goal is to develop your pectorals, you will need to reduce the involvement of the secondary movers which are the delts and triceps. Many powerlifters have incomplete pectoral development because they bench with their anterior deltoids doing much of the work. For pectoral development keep your shoulders down and back and your chest arched. Additionally, do not lockout at the top in that the lockout is primarily triceps. It is very important that you learn how to isolate the target muscles. First, you need to understand how the pectorals function physiologically. You then have to exercise your pecs accordingly without a lot of secondary mover involvement. (Use super-slow reps to get a feel for your pectorals.) Until you can do this, your pecs will not be optimally stressed. Regarding weight, sets and reps, I'd suggest the following:
Powerlifting
|
|
|
|
Bodybuilding
|
|
|
|
|
The exercises I would incorporate for complete pectoral development would be the following:
Flat Barbell Bench 3 x 8 |
Pyramid up from 50% to 80% 1RM |
Incline Dumbbell Bench 3 x 8 |
Pyramid up from 50% to 70% 1RM |
Weighted Dips 3 x 8 |
Pyramid up from 50% to 70% 1RM |
Dumbbell Flys 3 x 10 |
Pyramid up from 50% to 60% 1RM |
Back Training
With most intermediate bodybuilders, back training seems to have taken a back seat to other muscle groups. However, competitive bodybuilders, like Dorian Yates, recognize the importance of this muscle group in total body development. Dorian's back is his best body part, and he won the Mr. Olympia Contest for several years. In reality, the back muscles respond very well to resistance training. Even so-called "hard-gainers" can develop good back musculature without a tremendous investment in time. However, you do need to make an investment in effort. I've always trained my back muscles very hard, and as a result, the deadlift was my best lift as a powerlifter.
The back is composed of several muscles. Most bodybuilders just train the lats (latissimus dorsi), but the traps, and the spinal erectors are equally important for balanced development. The smaller back muscles, such as the teres major and minor and the rhomboids, are hard to isolate and thus are seldom targeted directly during back workouts. Some bodybuilders target the upper, middle and lower back, which is an appropriate training approach. In short, just don't train your lats to the exclusion of the other back muscles.
I generally train the traps on my shoulder day following the delt exercises. I normally do upright rows and shrugs. Upright rows develop both the delts and traps and serves as a good bridge between these muscle groups. I normally do 3 sets of 8 reps for both upright rows and shrugs. Note: upright rows can be a problem exercise for people with shoulder problems so proceed cautiously. Additionally, I do abs and back extensions (spinal erectors) after every workout - four times a week.
Deadlift
Wear a lifting belt and stand with your feet at shoulder width apart and with your shins lightly touching the barbell. Use an over/under grip with your hands on the outside of your legs. Keep your butt down, your back flat, and your head up. Pull the weight up your thighs until you are upright with your shoulders back. Lower the weight rather quickly but under control.
Cable Rows
The bent over barbell row can cause many back problems, therefore, I have my fitness clients do cable rows. Both the neutral grip and pronated grip variants of this exercise involve the middle and lower latissimus dorsi and teres major.
Lat Pulldowns
Lat Pulldowns are a very effective exercise used mainly for developing the upper latissimus dorsi. The typical lat pulldown uses a wide pronated grip, however, narrow grip pulldowns stimulate other portions of the latissimus and other secondary back muscles. So for full development of the back muscles, I'd suggest that you do both wide grip and narrow grip variants of the lat pulldown. You should also experiment with different bar attachments for the lat machine.
The exercises I would incorporate for complete back development would be the following:
Deadlift 3 x 8 |
Pyramid up from 50% to 80% 1RM |
Seated Cable Rows 3 x 8 |
Pyramid up from 50% to 80% 1RM |
Lat Pulldowns 3 x 8 |
Pyramid up from 50% to 80% 1RM |
Shoulder Training
The shoulder joint is a ball-and-socket joint. Because of its mobility and range of motion, many movements and exercises can be executed by the shoulders. There are eleven muscles that are involved in shoulder joint movements. The two arm muscles (biceps and triceps) only assist with the actions of the shoulder. However, the chest (pectoralis major) and back muscles (latissimus dorsi and teres major) are actually primary movers with most shoulder movements. The main deltoid muscles of the shoulder are the anterior, middle (lateral) and posterior deltoid. The infamous "Rotator Cuff" muscles, which are classed as shoulder joint muscles, are the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subcapularis. In summary, we have the following muscle groups engaged in moving the shoulder joint:
- Shoulder Muscles - Deltoids
- Chest Muscles - Pectoralis Major
- Back Muscles - Latissimus dorsi and Teres Major
- Arm Muscles - Biceps and Triceps
Each deltoid has three sections or heads. All three heads attach basically to the same spot on the humerus, but each section originates from a different location.
Anterior Deltoid |
Lateral Deltoid |
Posterior Deltoid |
|
| Origination | Outermost third of the collarbone | Top of the acromion | Top of the rear edge of the shoulder blade |
| Movement | Pulls the arm up to the front |
It pulls the arm up to the side |
It pulls the arm horizontally from across the body |
| Exercises | Front Arm Raise |
Side Laterals |
Rear Laterals |
While the previous exercises can be classed as isolation exercises, the various shoulder presses involve all three heads of the deltoid and the other eight muscles to varying degrees. Generally speaking, I start my delt workouts with pressing movements (a compound exercise). I then move on to isolation exercises as described above.
Military Press
Wear a lifting belt and sit or stand with a barbell held to your neck. You should have a grip slightly wider than your shoulders. Press the bar up and lower it back down to your neck. Never press from behind your head if you have or have had any shoulder problems.
Dumbbell Press
Wear a lifting belt and sit or stand holding a pair of dumbbells at your shoulders with a forward facing grip. Press the dumbbells together overhead.
Lateral Raise
Hold a pair of dumbbells in front of your thighs with your palms facing each other. Raise the dumbbells simultaneously to your sides keeping a slight bend in your elbows. Raise the dumbbells to shoulder level. Keeping the dumbbells parallel to the floor and slowly lower the weights to the starting position in front of your thighs.
Rear Lateral Raise
Hold a pair of dumbbells in front of your thighs and bend over at the waist until you are parallel to the floor. Using the same mechanics at the “lateral raise”, lift the dumbbells to shoulder height and lower slowly. Use very light dumbbells for this exercise.
The exercises I would incorporate for complete shoulder development would be the following:
Military Presses 3 x 8 |
Pyramid up from 50% to 80% 1RM |
Side Laterals 3 x 10 |
Pyramid up from 50% to 70% 1RM |
Rear Lateral |
Pyramid up from 50% to 60% 1RM |
Biceps Training
The biceps are our most important “show muscle” but very few people know how to train their biceps properly. To begin with, we will start with some very basic muscular physiology. The biceps are composed of the “biceps brachii” and the “brachialis”. Additionally, the lower arm “brachioradialis” are involved with all curling exercises. The primary function of the biceps brachii is elbow flexion and forearm supination. That means it bends the elbow and helps turn the wrist. Also, the forearm brachioradialis’ primary function is elbow flexion and supination. The primary function of the brachialis is elbow flexion but not supination of the wrist. The biceps muscles turn (supinate) the wrist and bend the elbow. In that this is the case, our exercises must involve these movements. My belief is that biceps exercises that consist of both curling with supination yield the best overall results. However, you can isolate the brachialis with biceps curls without supination, and you can isolate the brachioradialis with “hammer curls” where the forearm is in a neutral position (not pronated or supinated).
Barbell Curls
Stand holding a barbell at arms length and with the palms forward. Anchor your elbows to your sides and curl the bar up to your shoulders. Lower the bar very slowly to the starting position. The tempo is up to 1, hold and squeeze at the top to 1, and lower to 2.
Alternating Dumbbell Curls
Hold a pair of dumbbells on the outside of your thighs. Your palms should be facing in toward your thighs. Keeping your elbow anchored to your side, slowly raise one dumbbell and as you do so rotate your wrist a quarter turn so that your palm is facing up at the top position. Slowly lower the dumbbell and again rotate the wrist in the opposite direction a quarter turn until you reach the starting position with the palm facing the thigh. Repeat with the other arm. The tempo is up to 1, hold and squeeze at the top to 1, and lower to 2.
Preacher Curl
Position yourself on a preacher bench. Use an EZ Curl bar and use the narrow grip, which is narrower than shoulder width. Curl the bar up to your chin and lower slowly. The tempo is up to 1, hold and squeeze at the top to 1, and lower to 2.
Concentration Curls
Sit on the side of a bench and bend over at the waist. Hold a dumbbell in one hand and brace your knee with the other hand. Curl the dumbbell to the opposite side of your head. Fully rotate your wrist in the top contracted position (”pinkie finger” toward your ear). Use a 2,1,2 tempo.
Comments on building biceps
One of the most important aspects of biceps development is isolating the biceps and minimizing the forearm involvement. Many people with very strong forearms lack biceps development. They curl the weight up with their strong forearm and wrist muscles, overpowering the weaker biceps. It is important to execute your curls with your wrist straight and not bent. Turn the wrist (supinate) – yes – but don’t break the wrist – keep it straight. Focus on the biceps shortening, and not on moving the weight. Always know how a muscle functions and then isolate that action. If you can minimize your forearm and wrist involvement in your curls, you can grow your biceps.
The exercises I would incorporate for complete biceps development would be the following:
Barbell Curls 3 x 8 |
Pyramid up from 50% to 80% 1RM |
Alternating Dumbbell Curls 3 x 8 |
Pyramid up from 50% to 70% 1RM |
Hammer Curls 3 x 8 |
Pyramid up from 50% to 70% 1RM |
Concentration Curls 3 x 10 |
Pyramid up from 50% to 60% 1RM |
I’d suggest that you do your biceps training no more than twice a week. You can incorporate “supersets” with triceps exercises or you can work your biceps alone. If you are emphasizing biceps development, work this muscle group first. The following is a sample arm specialization routine. Remember, I normally train the largest muscles first, and I normally don’t split my body parts as described. However, if you do this routine for a month or two you can really bring up your arms. Just remember to do the exercises properly!
Day |
Muscle Group 1 |
Muscle Group 2 |
Muscle Group 3 |
| Monday | Biceps | Triceps | Delts |
| Tuesday | Chest | Back | Abs |
| Wednesday | Legs (Heavy and Hard!) | ||
| Thursday | Rest |
||
| Friday | Biceps | Triceps | Delts |
| Saturday | Chest | Back | Abs |
| Sunday | Rest |
||
Leg Training
Most bodybuilders and athletes agree that the legs are the most important muscle group.
-
The legs are your largest muscle group, and therefore affect your metabolism and hormone secretion more than any other muscle group. Thus if you want to grow bigger (hormone secretion) you need to work your legs. If you want to lose weight (increase your metabolism) you need to work your legs. In short, hard leg work benefits the entire body.
-
If you are an athlete your legs are your most important muscle group. In sports in general, we say "the legs are the first to go". Conversely, if you want to prolong your athleticism, keep your legs in shape. In martial arts we say "it's a poor set of feet that lets a body get beat". Bottom-line - your legs have the greatest impact on your coordination, balance, mobility, stability, and power.
-
The legs are generally the most important body part in a bodybuilding contest. You don't want to neglect your upper body, but if you rank lower than the other competitors in legs, you will probably not win first place.
-
Hard leg work will improve your cardiovascular system. No other exercises will contribute as much to you fitness level as leg exercises.
Squat
I'd suggest a smith machine or safety squat bar, but regardless of the type of squat, squats are the best leg exercise by far! Place the bar on your traps below your neck and take a shoulder width stance. Inhale and lower yourself until the tops of your thighs are parallel with the floor. Begin to exhale as you drive the bar back up. Keep as upright as possible -- do not lean over excessively at the waist. Keep your head up and look at the floor ten feet in front of you. Always wear a lifting belt and use a spotter for this exercise. Knee wraps are appropriate for heavy poundage’s.
Leg Presses
Second to squats, leg press provide excellent quadriceps recruitment. Place your feet at shoulder width apart and at a 45 degree angle. Your feet should be fairly high on the leg press pad. Press the weight up primarily with your heals. Lower the weight until your upper thighs are parallel with the leg press pad. Do not let your back round by lifting your hips and buttocks off the seat.
Leg Extensions
Leg extensions really brings out the separation between the vastus medialis and rectus femoris. Additionally, leg extensions help stabilize the knee. Hold the grip bars and lean back slightly. Extend the lower legs and flex the quads at the top position. Lower the legs slowly.
Leg Curls
Leg curls and straight leg deadlifts are your primary hamstring exercises. There are several leg curls machines - I like the standing machine the best because it most closely approximates the natural movement of the hamstring. Regardless of the leg curl machine type, try to keep your body straight and your hips down throughout the movement. Curl the weight up and lower it slowly.
Toe Raises
Standing and sitting. Actually, you need to do both standing and sitting toe raises in order to develop both the gastrocnemius and the soleus. Additionally, calf develop is very hard for most people, and by working both of the major calf muscles you will speed your overall calf development. Position yourself under the calf machine or place the balls of your feet on a block if you do not have a machine. Your feet should be about ten inches apart with your feet pointed out slightly. Raise up on your toes as high as possible, and immediate attempt to raise up even higher a second time. This is a double movement on the contraction. Lower your heels down and stretch the calves before repeating.
The exercises I would incorporate for complete leg development would be the following:
Squats 3 x 8 |
Pyramid up from 50% to 80% 1RM |
Leg Presses 3 x 15 |
Pyramid up from 50% to 70% 1RM |
Leg Extensions 3 x 10 |
Pyramid up from 50% to 70% 1RM |
Leg Curls 4 x 8 |
Pyramid up from 50% to 70% 1RM |
Standing and Seated Toe Raises 3 x 15 |
Pyramid up from 50% to 70% 1RM |
Comments on leg development
I'd suggest that you work your legs only once a week. Do two warm-up sets before you do your three working sets of squats. Pyramid your poundage's in the squat and leg presses and generally work at about 80% of your 1RM. Do two warm-up sets before your four working sets of leg curls, and perform this exercise very carefully and under perfect control. Safety is a concern with all leg exercises, particularly for people with bad backs. Please read the section on injury prevention prior to beginning this routine. This routine will produce good results if you train intensely. No effort - no gain! Legs respond to intensity and volume so you really have to work hard, but it's worth the effort.
Ab Training
When I was a young we all wanted big arms - bulging biceps. Today, everyone wants abs! How many infomercials have you seen on developing great abs? This is certainly the new fitness craze, however, there is quit a bit of marketing hype obscuring the truth.
|
|
|
If you do thousands of crunches, and your abs are covered with a layer of fat, you will develop great abdominal muscles that can't be seen. In short, developing abdominal muscles has no direct effect on abdominal fat! It is true, however, that ab training has a few indirect effects on abdominal fat:
|
|
|
Aside from these indirect benefits, ab training will not burn away your abdominal fat. Only good nutrition will "banish the belly". Please the section titled "The Ripped Look" for a program that incorporates the elements necessary to burn away abdominal fat!
|
|
|
Arms-overhead Crunch
This is the regular crunch done with added resistance. Lie on the floor with your knees bent. Preferably, use an exercise ball and keep your feet flat on the floor. Extend your arms overhead and cross them at the wrists. Curl your upper body off the floor. Feel your spine being pushed into the floor and your back rounding. This is a short movement - bring your shoulder blades just off the floor.
Exercise Ball Crunch
The exercise ball crunch is one of the most effective ab training devices in that it provides an excellent pre-stretch to the Abdominals which is an essential element in ab development. Obtain a good solid position with your feet widely spread. Lead back and pre-stretch. Crunch forward and contract your abs.
Hip Thrust
Lie on the floor with your hands by your sides. Raise your legs straight up using your lower abdominals. Your hips and gluteus should raise up slightly off the floor. Remember, the range of motion is again quite limited.
Machine Crunch
The Cybex, Vectra, etc. have chairs which allow for a pre-stretch and a resistance added crunch. Additionally, they keep your knees bent and thus provide a safe and effective ab workout.
The exercises I would incorporate for complete abdominal development would be the following:
|
|
|
Other Points
|
|
|
|
|
