[Cornfed_17]

What it do! This is a typical strength training program that I've prescribed for members and clients who are looking for gains in both strength and mass at the gym in which I am the Personal Training Coordinator for. Keep in mind that I am NOT a bodybuilder, nor is this a bodybuilding split. I'm semipro football player (QB) and an Olympic-style weightlifter. However, I do have bodybuilding roots, which are very evident in parts of the following training routine.

My stats (just thought I'd let y'all know!):
6'0" 187lbs 7% bodyfat
40yd Dash: 4.56 Vertical Jump: 38"
Bench Press: 325lbs
Squat (past parallel!!!): 465lbs
Clean and Jerk: 130kg
Snatch: 110kg

MONDAY: Heavy Explosive + Legs (Hamstrings Emphasis)
Power Clean (from floor) 3-5x3
Squat (past parallel!!!) 1x5@50%1rm
1x5@60%1rm
1x5@70%1rm
1x3@80%1rm
1x2@90%1rm
1x1@95%1rm
Romanian Deadlift (RDL) 3-5x5
*superset with*
Hamstring Curl 3-5x10-6
Seated Calf Raise 3-5x25-10

TUESDAY: Light Explosive + Chest and Back
Hang Snatch Pull 3-5x5
Bench Press *use same formula as above for squats*
Barbell Row 3-5x5 (substitute with T-bar Row every other week)
Incline Press 3-5x10-6
Lat Pulldown 3-5x10-6
Chest Choice Exercise 3-5x10-6 (do a chest exercise of your choice! I always advise people to choose an exercise with an incline movement, because the upper chest muscle fibers tend to grow slower than the lower fibers. )

WEDNESDAY: Shoulders, Triceps, and Biceps
Standing Military Press 3-5x5 (use a wide grip. push the bar from the top of the chest to an overhead lockout position behind the head in the same manner as you would in locking out a jerk. in other words, push up and back.)
Lying Triceps Extension (skull crushers) 3-5x5
*tri-set with*
Standing Barbell Curl 3-5x5 (use a straight bar. no ez-curl bar!)
*tri-set with*
Standing Dumbell Lateral Raise 3-5x12-8
Weighted Dips 3-5x10
*tri-set with*
Choice Bicep Exercise 3-5x10-6 (do a bicep exercise of your choice! Remember, though, Hammer Curls and Reverse Curls are great for building bigger brachialis muscles and better grip strength.)
*tri-set with*
Triceps Pushdowns 3-5x10-6 (alternate between using a rope grip and a straight bar grip every other week)

THURSDAY: Heavy Explosive + Legs (Quadriceps Emphasis)
Power Clean + Power Jerk 3-5x3
Squat 3-5x10-6
Seated Hamstrings Curl 3-5x10-6
Front Squat 3-5x3
Walking Lunge 3x10
Standing Calf Raise 3-5x25-6

FRIDAY, SATURDAY, & SUNDAY: Rest

Use this program for four weeks. Use the fifth week for maintainence work and active rest. Then increase the poundage 5% on every lift and use for an additional 4 weeks. It should take you 14 weeks total to complete.

There you have it! The first question that everyone wants to know is: "Why take three consecutive days off?" Well, when you take three days of rest back-to-back like this, it almost feels like a layoff for your body. When you get back in the gym on Monday, you're fully recovered from the previous week's workout but almost on the verge of being stale. Then you hit it hard for four days straight and it puts your muscles in that "shocked" state that we're always looking for.
Next, you probably want to know: "Why train legs twice in a week?" Like I said at the beginning, this is a strength training split. It is my belief that if you ain't squattin', then you ain't liftin'. If you want some good looking wheels that perform well for you on the field or on the court, then you have to squat (past parallel!!!).

I originally designed this routine for myself in order to increase my leg strength and power and overall bodymass for football. On this program I regained the 22lbs of weight that I had lossed over a period of time due to stress and then surpassed my previous heaviest bodyweight by 2lbs. I also gained 1 3/4" on my vertical jump and shaved off 6 one-hundredths from my 40yd dash. And to be honest, I never really did any speed or agility training while doing this program. I believe that doing ground-based exercises are the absolute best not for building mass and strength, but also for enhancing athletic performance. Ground-based exercises force the body to utilize as many muscles as possible to complete each repetition within proper form, therefore, more anabolic hormones are secreted. The more testosterone secreted, the more muscle you pack on. Simple.

Besides my own success using this program, I had a client this past summer who saw fantastic results. He was a 14-year old junior high school back-up running back who looked more like a cross country runner. I trained him for 4 straight weeks using this same program, with some modifications here and there, of course. In those four weeks his bodyweight increase 9 lbs., and he gained at least 10lbs on every one of his lifts, including the supplemental auxillary lifts. His father told me a couple of weeks ago that the kid led his team in rushing and took 3 kickoff returns back for touchdowns this season. His success story, not my own, is the reason why I'm sharing this program with you all. Try it out and let me know something.

CAS QB17