So here we are again with another installment of Muscle Tips. I hope you have actually put the tips into action and implemented them in your fitness routine. However, I am back with the second part and ready to get the ball rolling. As we all know muscle is what most all men strive and bust their butt in the gym for. Then again we have some men that seem to just have muscles with little effort. Now I know you’re asking well why is that? Genetics! However, the person that has to work a little bit harder, pump out that last rep and run that last yard will feel 10 times better knowing they had to put in that extra work.

Let’s talk about fitness routines in general because most people do not even know how to structure a routine that is geared towards their specific goals. As we all know (or should know) we cannot work out the same muscle everyday of the week. We cannot do curls every workout and expect our biceps to grow. If you are working out the same muscle group everyday you are not giving that muscle time to recover. It is better to figure out what days you work out and for how long, so you can structure a routine that fits into your lifestyle.

Some people like to work out every day of the week and take off the weekends. Some people like to work out 3 days a week, and some people just like to work out when they feel like it. For those that work out 5 days a week and take the weekends off, here is a basic guideline to follow.

• If working out 5 days a week you will most likely get more time to focus on each muscle rather than trying to work out multiple muscles in one session.
• If you are working out chest on Monday then obviously you don’t want to work out triceps on Tuesday because they may be sore from bench pressing the day prior. However, you can work out triceps and chest in the same day because they kind of work hand in hand.

A sample workout routine could look something like this:

• Monday – Chest
• Tuesday – Back
• Wednesday – Shoulders
• Thursday – Arms
• Friday – Legs
• Saturday/Sunday – Off

Or maybe you could structure your routine based on the fact that you have a weak trailing chest.

• Monday – Chest (Heavy weight) and Triceps
• Tuesday – Back and Biceps
• Wednesday – Shoulders
• Thursday – Legs
• Friday – Chest (Light weight)

As you can see there are plenty of options out there, you just have to figure out what works for you and what seems to hold you back.

Like I previously stated, some people like to do a 3 day split as well. Maybe its because they do not have the time to work out every day of the week or maybe they have done plenty of trial and error in the past and found out that full body workouts work the best for themselves. A full body work out, for those that do not know, are pretty much self explanatory. You work out your whole body. That means you would be working out your chest, arms, legs, back, etc.. But you wouldn’t do this 3 days in a row and then take the next 4 days off. 3 days in a row of that type of routine can be pretty taxing on your body. I would recommend something like this:

• Monday – Full Body Workout
• Tuesday – Off
• Wednesday – Full Body Workout
• Thursday – Off
• Friday – Full Body Workout
• Saturday/Sunday – Off

Many ways to work out, it is up to you to find out which works best for YOU. I would suggest trying out many different routines and keeping a log of how you do. Then after you try several different routines you can look back and see which one has worked the best. Good luck!