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40 & Over Training
 

"12 Week Weight Lifting Program"

“Are You Looking For Something Different In Your Weight Lifting Routine? Try This 12 Week Weight Lifting Program”


Welcome to Building Muscle 101's 12 week weight lifting program.

Has your current weight training routine gone stale? Are you looking for a weight lifting program that can get you back on the road to muscle growth? Well, if your looking for something in a weight training routine, I may have what your looking for.

This weight training routine is an intermediate to advanced workout that will add additional intensity to your current training regiment. This is an intense 12 week weight lifting program that will allow you to really blast your muscles into hyper growth. I have to warn you though, it’s a tough weight training routine and should not be attempted by beginners.

The 12 week weight lifting program is designed to add some quality lean muscle to your frame. What you’ll find here is a 12 week weight lifting program, 7 day menu, and a supplement schedule to help you pack on the beef.

I’ve decided to give the average weight trainer a program that you can simply follow. The 12 week weight lifting program is an intermediate to advanced weight training program that is designed to build lean muscle. If you follow the program and it’s suggest meal and supplement schedule, I can almost promise to you that you will add some beef to your body.

With that being said, all I can say is that you have to take this 12 week weight lifting program very seriously. This program only works if your serious about making awesome gains. If you have the will to add lean muscle mass and want to work hard for it, than follow this 12 week weight lifting program.

The program is divided into 2 sections, the first section is the actual weight lifting program and the second section is the menu. You cannot have one without the other. If you want to add slabs of quality beef to your frame, you have to train hard and heavy and eat a lot of quality nutrients - No getting around this.

Now, you don’t have to follow the menu section to a tee. It’s meant to act as a guide and you can add or delete certain foods that you enjoy. Just remember that you can’t have any junk. All of your foods have to be clean and you must eat at least 6 meals per day. Yes, you have to eat 6 meals per day. You will ensure optimal growth this way.

The 12 week weight lifting program is designed to get you strong. I’ve designed the weight lifting routine that allows for maximum rest in between workouts thereby allowing for optimal muscle recovery and growth. Don’t worry about training each body part two times per week. If you hit them hard in the workout, it will take a full week of recovery to hit them hard again. Trust me, once a week is plenty.

The rep range is kept low for a reason. It’s meant to build up to your working sets without expending all of your energy. You need heavy reps between the 6 and 8 range to get strong and grow. Except for isolation exercises, this will be your rep range.

Now, I strongly suggest that you strive and increase your weight when you can. But, only increase your rep range when you can do at least 8 reps on your final work set. For example, let’s say last week, I was able to only get 6 reps out with 175 pounds in the bench press for my last working set. This week however, I did the same 175 pounds for 8 reps.

Therefore, I would increase my weight to 5% to 10% or in this case, roughly 185 pounds if I increased it by 5%. The key is to keep striving to beat your last workout by performing more reps on your last work set. A word of caution: Always use the correct form and technique. The real key to getting big and strong is to perform each exercise correctly. There will be an illustration with each exercise.

This program uses super sets for arms. I strongly suggest you use the routine outlined below. Super sets allows you to work two opposing muscles using different exercises. Super sets are designed to increase the intensity of your training routine by allowing for minimum rest between exercises.

An example of super setting is alternating biceps curls with triceps push downs with minimum rest between exercises. Trust me, it will pump your arms up to the max. Remember, as soon as you finish the first set, you will do the other exercise with minimal rest. Use this technique in your free weight lifting program to stimulate more muscle growth.

I also strongly suggest you use a weight training log. It’s very important that you keep track of your progress and believe me, it can really help you improve. You can find weight lifting logs and charts here

Alright, let’s take a look at the 12 week weight lifting program:

Weight Lifting Program

The training schedule for this weight lifting routine is as follows:

Day one: Chest, arms, and abs
Day two: Legs
Day three: Rest
Day four: Back and shoulders
Day five: Rest
Day six: Rest
Day seven: Repeat

Day1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Chest, arms, and abs
Legs
Rest
Back and Shoulders
Rest
Rest
Repeat cycle


Day 1: Monday
Chest, Arms, and Abs

5 minutes on the exercise bike to warm up

Chest

Bench Press
Warm up: 1 x 20 reps
Set 1: 1 x 8 reps - 50 % of one rep max
Set 2: 1 x 8 reps - 60 % of one rep max
Set 3: 1 x 8 reps - 70 % of one rep max
Set 4: 1 x 6 reps - 85 % of one rep max

click here to see an illustration of the bench press exercise

Incline Barbell Press
Set 1: 1 x 8 reps - 60 % of one rep max
Set 2: 1 x 8 reps - 70 % of one rep max
Set 3: 1 x 6 reps - 80 % of one rep max
Set 4 1 x 6 reps - 85 % of one rep max

click here to see an illustraion of the incline barbell press

Flat Bench Fly
Set 1: 1 x 12 reps - 60 % of max
Set 2: 1 x 12 reps - 60 % of max

Click here to see the flat bench dumbell fly

Arms:

The next set of exercises use super sets. As soon as you finish one set on the first exercise, immediately proceed to the corresoponding exercise. For example, as soon as I complete the first set of 8 with the barbell curl, I'll immediately head over and perform a set of 8 with the close grip bench press. That is one super set.

Super set 1

Standing Barbell Curls
Warm up: 1 x 15 reps
Set 1: 1 x 8 reps
Set 2: 1 x 8 reps
Set 3: 1 x 8 reps
Set 4: 1 x 6 - 8 reps

click here to see the barbell curl

Supersetted with:

Close Grip Bench Presses

Warm up: 1 x 15 reps
Set 1: 1 x 8 reps
Set 2: 1 x 8 reps
Set 3: 1 x 8 reps
Set 4: 1 x 6 - 8 reps

click here to see the close grip bench press

Super set 2

Seated Dumbbell Curls
Set 1: 1 x 12 reps
Set 2: 1 x 10 reps
Set 3: 1 x 8 reps

click here to see the seated alternate dumbell curl

Super set with:

Standing Cable Push Downs
Set 1: 1 x 12 reps
Set 2: 1 x 10 reps
Set 3: 1 x 8 reps

click here to see the standing cable press down

Super set 3

Seated Preacher Curls
3 x 12 reps

click here to see the preacher curl

Super set with:

Seated Overhead Barbell Extensions
3 x 12 reps

click here to see the overhead barbell extension

Abs

Incline Sit Ups
4 x 15 reps

click here to see the incline sit up

Day 2: Tuesday

Legs

5 minutes on the exercise bike

Quadriceps

Squats

Warm up 2 x 20 reps
Set 1: 1 x 8 reps - 50 % of one rep max
Set 2: 1 x 8 reps - 60 % of one rep max
Set 3: 1 x 8 reps - 70 % of one rep max
Set 4: 1 x 6 - 8 reps - 80 % of one rep max

click here to see the squat

Leg Press
Set 1: 1 x 10 reps - 50 % of your one rep max
Set 2: 1 x 8 reps - 60 % of your one rep max
Set 3: 1 x 8 reps - 70 % of your one rep max
Set 4: 1 x 8 reps - 80 % of your one rep max

click here to see the leg press

Leg Extensions
Set 1: 1 x 12 reps - 60 % of your max
Set 2: 1 x 12 reps - 60 % of your max
Set 3: 1 x 12 reps - 60 % of your max

click here to see the leg extension

What you want to do here is totally flush your quadriceps with blood. Really concentrate hard on the movement. The reps should be slow and smooth with no bouncing. Really Squeeze at the top part of the movement.

Hamstrings

Leg curls
Warm up: 1 x 20 reps
Set 1: 1 x 12 reps - 50 % of your max
Set 2: 1 x 10 reps - 60 % of your max
Set 3: 1 x 8 reps - 70 % of your max
Set 4: 1 x 6 to 8 reps - 80 % of your max

click here to see the leg curl

Stiff leg deadlifts
Set 1: 1 x 10 reps - 50% of your max
Set 2: 1 x 10 reps - 60 % of your max
Set 3: 1 x 10 reps - 60 % of your max

click here to see the stiff legged deadlift

Calves

Standing Calf Raises
5 x 15 reps - 60 % of your max

click here to see the standing calf raise

Day 3: Wednesday

Rest

Day 4: Thursday

Back and Shoulders

5 minutes on the exercise bike

Back

Seated Lat Pulldowns
Warm up: 1 x 15 reps
Set 1: 1 x 12 Reps - 60 % of your max
Set 2: 1 x 10 reps - 70 % of your max
Set 3: 1 x 8 reps - 75 % of your max

click here to see the lat machine pull down

Barbell Bent Rowing
Set 1: 1 x 8 reps - 50 % of your max
Set 2: 1 x 8 reps - 60 % of your max
Set 3: 1 x 7 reps - 70 % of your max
Set 4: 1 x 6 reps - 80 % of your max

click here to see the barbell bent over row

Seated Cable Rows
Set 1: 1 x 12 reps - 60 % of your max
Set 2: 1 x 10 reps - 70 % of your max
Set 3: 1 x 8 reps - 80 % of your max
Set 4: 1 x 8 reps - 90 % of your max

click here to see the seated cable row

Shoulders

Seated Behind The Neck Barbell Press
Warm up: 1 x 20 reps
Set 1: 1 x 8 reps - 50 % of your max
Set 2: 1 x 8 reps - 60 % of your max
Set 3: 1 x 8 reps - 70 % of your max
Set 4: 1 x 6 - 8 reps - 80 % of your max

click here to see the press behind the neck

Seated Dumbbell Press
1 x 8 reps - 60 % of your max
1 x 8 reps - 70 % of your max
1 x 6 - 8 reps - 80% of your max

click here to see the seated dumbell press

Standing Dumbbell Lateral Raise
3 x 12 reps - 60 % of your max

click here to see the dumbell side lateral raise

Standing Dumbbell Shrugs
4 x 12 reps - 65 % to 70 % of your max

click here to see the dumbbell shrug

Day 5:

Rest

Day 6:

Rest

Day 7:

Repeat program

Alright, now that you know the weight lifting portion of the program, it’s time to go to the nutrition and menus section of the 12 week weight lifting program.

Click here to find out what to eat to build muscle


Click here to return to weight lifting routines

Click here to return to building muscle 101 home page