Effective 4-Day Training Program for Increased Muscle Mass | Hardworkout Magazine
Key takeaways
- The programme consists of four strength sessions per week, with rest days on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.
- The four sessions are split into back and biceps, chest and triceps, legs, and shoulders, trapezius and forearms.
- Sets are taken close to, but not all the way to, failure: stop the set when your technique starts to break down.
- The weight is increased only when you can complete the upper end of the prescribed rep range in all sets with controlled technique.
- Rest 2-3 minutes between sets in heavy compound lifts such as deadlifts, squats and bench presses, and 1-2 minutes in the remaining exercises.
After a while of strength training, progress often slows down compared to the beginning. If you want to continue building muscle mass, it becomes important to track your training over time and ensure that you are actually progressing in the exercises.
Who is this four-day programme for?
This program is suitable for those who already have experience with strength training and good technique in the most common basic exercises.
How to Execute the Program
When should you increase the weight?
The goal is to gradually become stronger in the exercises.
Each set is performed with as many good repetitions as possible within the specified number, but without training to exhaustion. Stop the set if your technique begins to fail, or when you assess that the next repetition is likely not to be performed with good technique.
Use the same weight for all working sets in an exercise. When you can complete the upper part of the specified number of repetitions in all sets with controlled technique, the weight can be increased.
How do the five-minute finishers work?
Several muscle groups are finished with five minutes of high intensity.
Choose a weight that you can normally handle for around 12-15 reps, and do as many reps as possible within five minutes. Break the repetitions into short sets and take 10-20 seconds of rest as needed. You do not need to count the number of sets.
How long should you rest between sets?
Take 2-3 minutes of rest between sets in heavy compound exercises such as deadlifts, squats, and bench presses. In the other exercises, usually 1-2 minutes is sufficient.
Weekly Plan
- Monday: Back and biceps
- Tuesday: Chest and triceps
- Wednesday: Rest
- Thursday: Front thighs, back thighs, and calves
- Friday: Shoulders, upper trapezius, and forearms
- Saturday: Rest
- Sunday: Rest
Monday: Workout 1 – Back and Biceps
- Deadlift: 2 sets × 5 reps
- One-arm dumbbell row: 3 sets × 8-12 reps
- Pull-ups with wide grip or lat pulldown: 3 sets × 10-12 reps
- Barbell row: 3 sets × 8-12 reps
- Seated cable row or machine: 5 minutes
- Preacher curl with EZ bar: 3 sets × 10-12 reps
- Concentration curl: 3 sets × 10-12 reps
- Seated bicep curl with dumbbells: 5 minutes
Tuesday: Workout 2 – Chest and Triceps
- Bench press: 3 sets × 6-10 reps
- Incline bench press with dumbbells: 3 sets × 8-12 reps
- Dips focusing on chest: 3 sets × as many reps as possible
- Cable flyes or pec deck: 3 sets × 12-15 reps
- Machine chest press or bench press with dumbbells: 5 minutes
- Skull crushers with EZ bar: 3 sets × 8-12 reps
- Seated tricep extension with dumbbell: 3 sets × 8-12 reps
- Triceps pushdown in cable: 5 minutes
Thursday: Workout 3 – Legs
- Squat: 3 sets × 6-10 reps
- Leg press: 3 sets × 15-20 reps
- Hack squat or lunges with dumbbells: 3 sets × 8-12 reps
- Leg extension: 5 minutes
- Stiff-legged deadlift: 3 sets × 8-12 reps
- Leg curl: 5 minutes
- Standing calf raise: 3 sets × 10-15 reps
- Seated calf raise: 5 minutes
Friday: Workout 4 – Shoulders, Trapezius, and Forearms
- Seated shoulder press with barbell: 3 sets × 6-10 reps
- Seated Arnold press: 3 sets × 8-12 reps