Today, we’re going to suggest a routine for building muscle in the upper and lower body. As you’ll see, it’s not the usual one-muscle-group-per-day routine.

Instead, we’re training the whole body in two days, one torso and one leg, so that we can train all muscle groups twice a week. This is a great way to stimulate growth because we’re increasing the frequency of training when the muscle is already recovered, which is 48-72 hours.

This routine is designed to be done four days a week. Here’s an example of how it could be planned out for the week, but as you know, it’ll depend on what’s available each day.

MONDAY: TORSO.

TUESDAY: LEG.

WEDNESDAY: Rest.

THURSDAY: TORSO.

FRIDAY: LEG.

You can focus the routine in different ways to achieve hypertrophy and strength. We could try a heavier training day focused on strength and other “softer” exercises focused on hypertrophy, but we won’t go into personal goals here.

We could also switch up the exercises on the second day of the routine. On Monday, we’d do some exercises for the torso, and on Thursday, we’d do different ones. We’d do the same with the legs.

As I said before, you can approach the routine in different ways depending on what you want to achieve. Below, we’ve outlined a hypertrophy-focused routine along with some basic tips.

It’s also worth noting that everyone’s at a different level. Some people might need less work, while others might need more, depending on their level. It’s important to remember the principle of individualization in training.

Routine Tips

Here are a few tips for the routine:

1. Do a specific warm-up for the day you’re working out. For example, if it’s the day for your torso, do some shoulder mobility, activate your back and shoulders, and do a couple of sets of chest and back warm-ups.
2. When you’re doing the exercises, make sure you’re doing them right. Keep your joints open and, as a general rule, do the whole thing.
3. It’s important to pay attention to the rest periods between sets. How you recover between sets can make a big difference in how your workout goes.
4. If you have any questions about an exercise, ask your instructor.
5. Try not to push yourself too hard and reach muscle failure.
6. It’s important to keep an eye on the mirror, focus on the muscle you’re working on, and notice how it contracts. This is all about connecting your mind and muscles, and it’s essential for building muscle!
7. As we reduce the number of reps, we should increase the weight.
8. The cadence is the speed at which you perform the exercises. For the concentric phase (the pushing part), do it explosively in one second. For the eccentric phase (the pulling part), keep the descent at the same speed for three seconds.

Instructions: TORSO

• Take a 60-second rest between sets.
• Speed of execution/cadence: 1/3.

1 – Incline Dumbbell Press 4 x 15/12/10/8.

2 – Rowing End Rowing – 4 x 15/12/10/8.

3 – Flat Bench Press Barbell – 3 x 12/12/10/8.

4 – Open Chest Pull-up – 3 x 12/1 0/8.

5 – Shoulder Press on an independent machine – 3 x 12/10/8

6 – Chin Pulley Row – 3 x 12/10/8

7 – Pulley triceps extension – 3 x 12/10/8

8 – Supine biceps curl bench at 30° – 3 x 12/10/8.

Instructions: LEG

• Rest between sets: 60 seconds.
• Speed of execution/Cadence: 1/3.

1 – Free Squat – 3 x 12/10/8

2 – Deadlift with Dumbbells – 3 x 12/10/8

3 – Walking Lunge – 3 x 24/20/16

4 – Hip Strike Quadriceps machine – 3 x 12/10/8

5 – Quadriceps Extension – 3 x 12/10/8

6 – Femoral Curl – 3 x 12/10/8

7 – Twinset on Multipower – 4 x 15/12/10/8

That’s all for today. I hope you like it. Now, put it into practice!