Do the arm exercises first in your workout.
After that, it’s up to you how to fit in
exercises for other muscle groups. Here
are some suggestions.
BEGINNER : Do a total-body workout two
or three times a week. Here’s a sample:
Do one set of eight to 12 repetitions of
these exercises after you finish your arms.
1. Lat pulldown
2. Squat or leg press
3. Leg curl
4. Dumbbell chest press
5. Cable or dumbbell row
6. Crunch
INTERMEDIATE : Divide your program
into two workouts, one for your upper body
and one for your lower body. Perform your
arm exercises on the day you do your
upper-body workout. Alternate between
the two workouts, taking a day off after
each. So, for example, you might do the
upper-body workout on Monday and Friday
one week and the lower-body workout on
Wednesday, then the following week do the
lower-body workout on Monday and Friday
and the upper-body routine on Wednesday.
Upper-body workout After doing the
arm program in this installment, choose
one exercise each for your chest, back, and
shoulders. Do two or three sets of the
chest and back exercises and one or two
sets of the exercises for your shoulders.
Lower-body workout Choose one “hipdominant”
lift—an exercise that emphasizes
the hamstrings and gluteals
(examples include stepups and deadlifts).
Then choose one “knee-dominant”
exercise, meaning the emphasis is on the
quadriceps muscles of the front of the
thigh (squats, leg presses, and lunges
qualify). Do two or three warmup sets and
two work sets. (A work set means you’re
using the most weight you can for that
number of repetitions. The warmup sets
should be percentages of that weight -
maybe 40, 60, and 80 percent. Do fewer
repetitions in each warmup set.) Add your
choice of abdominal and calf exercises.
ADVANCED : Divide your workout into
four parts. Do each one once a week; don’t
work out more than 2 days in a row.
1. Arms and shoulders
2. Knee-dominant exercises (described
above), plus abdominals and calves
3. Chest and back
4. Hip-dominant exercises (also above),
plus abdominals and calves again
