el Ejercisio Perfecto
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el Ejercisio Perfecto is a basic eight week program of progressive resistance that starts at a low to medium intensity into workout a high to all out intensity workout. This program is designed to gradually and consistently work you into heavier weights without overtraining you. This workout emphasizes basic mass movements, progression and brevity.
- Basic Mass Movements
Since this workout is designed to put on muscle mass, only basic mass movements are included. I chose compound movements because you are able to lift more weight than with an isolated movement. A stronger muscle is a bigger muscle, period.
- Progression
In order to make gains, you MUST increase your poundages every week. In the earlier weeks this is actually very easy since you are actually working at a level significantly below maximum capacity. As you progress, however, the workouts become increasingly more difficult. It is this increase in difficulty that create muscle growth.
- Brevity
Long prolonged workouts only lead to overtraining. Your objective should be to have as intense a workout as you can in as few sets as necessary. In other words, do what gets the job done and nothing more.
Now without further ado, here is the workout:
Monday & Thursday |
Wednesday |
Tuesday & Friday |
Incline Dumbell Bench Press 4x8 |
Squat 2x15 |
Lat Pulldown 4x8 |
Barbell Curl 4x8 |
Deadlift 2x15 |
Dumbell Military Press 4x8 |
This workout is performed with straight sets over an eight week period with increases in poundage every week. Depending on the exercise, you would add 5-10 pounds each week. In order to sustain these weekly poundage increases, you start out with a weight reasonably below maximum capacity. The starting weight should be such that you are working above maximum capacity by the time you reach week 8.
Finding a Starting Weight
You find your starting weight by taking your weekly increment, multiplying it by 6 and subtracting that number from your 8 rep maximum. Your 8 rep maximum is basically the maximum amount of weight you can perform 8 repetitions on a given exercise. For example, let's say your 8 rep maximum on the dumbell bench press is 70 pounds. For this exercise, you'd want to add 5 pounds a week. The way to find your starting weight would be:
5 (weekly increment) x 6 = 30
70 (8 rep maximum) - 30 = 40
This makes your starting weight for dumbell bench presses 40 pounds. You would do this for the rest of the exercises also. Below is a list of exercises with the recommended weekly increments:
Exercise
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Increment
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Incline Dumbell Bench Press
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5 lbs (ea)
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Barbell Curl
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5 lbs
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Lat Pulldown
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10 lbs
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Dumbell Military Press
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5 lbs (ea)
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Squat *
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10 lbs
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Deadlift *
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10 lbs
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So a sample workout might look something like this:
Exercise
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8-Rep Max
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Week 1
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Week 2
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Week 3
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Week 4
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Week 5
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Week 6
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Week 7
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Week 8
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Incline DB Press
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70
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40
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45
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50
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55
|
60
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65
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70
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75
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Squat *
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185
|
125
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135
|
145
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155
|
165
|
175
|
185
|
195
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Deadlift *
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185
|
125
|
135
|
145
|
155
|
165
|
175
|
185
|
195
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Lat Pulldown
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150
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90
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100
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110
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120
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130
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140
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150
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160
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Dumbell Press
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55
|
25
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30
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35
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40
|
45
|
50
|
55
|
60
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Barbell Curl
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60
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30
|
35
|
40
|
45
|
50
|
55
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60
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65
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* For squats and deadlifts, I recommend a range of 15-20 reps.
After you have completed this cycle, I recommend taking a break off. This break gives your muscles a break from the intensity and also serves to prevent overtraining. When you start the cycle over, start with the poundages you used at week 2 or week 3 depending on how strong you feel.
With each cycle, you'll also notice that as you reach your previous 8-rep max, you'll be able to handle the weight more easily than before.
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