Eight-Week Workout Program

Some people are moderate by nature. While online sources and magazines are constantly espousing the virtues of the latest get-fit-quick scheme or the next six-month diet, sometimes it pays to hold fast to the middle road and search for an exercise program designed to produce quality results over a reasonable time frame. For these enlightened individuals, an eight-week program provides the perfect balance between "rapid but transient" and "lengthy but boring."

  1. Reg Park

    • Reg Park was a bodybuilder from the golden era of the 1960s who designed and published a masterful routine in his book, Strength & Bulk Training for Weight Lifters and Body Builders. Do not be discouraged if you do not consider yourself either a "weight lifter" or "body builder" as such. While his 5x5 program was originally intended to help these dedicated individuals accomplish their fitness goals (even Arnold Schwarzenegger has commented on how much he admired Reg Park), it is still more than suitable to help recreational trainees like yourself achieve quality results without spending years under the bar. After you try his eight-week plan, you will undoubtedly be a fan as well.

    5x5 Program

    • The program itself is a 5x5 program, which simply means that most of the exercises in the routine are performed for five sets of five repetitions per set, making it a very simple and accessible way to pursue fitness. The beauty of the eight-week variant is that it allows for steady progression over the course of the program. The first four weeks will gradually acclimate your body to the rigors of exercise while the second four weeks will further your development by increasing muscle tone and melting away body fat.

    Sample Plan

    • The program is designed to be performed three days a week. Optimally, the workouts will be buffered between off days from the gym, or "rest" days. Most people like to workout on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, but any three days will do as long as you are not trying to lift weights on any two consecutive days.

      The first phase of the program starts off slowly, as you will only be performing four exercises a day. On each workout day, perform:

      Back Extensions for three sets of ten repetitions
      Squats for five sets of five repetitions
      Bench Press for five sets of five repetitions
      Deadlift for five sets of five repetitions

      For the second four-week period you will be adding some additional exercises, but still training only three days a week. Perform:

      Back Extensions for four sets of ten repetitions
      Front Squat for five sets of five repetitions
      Back Squat for five sets of five repetitions
      Bench Press for five sets of five repetitions
      Military Press for five sets of five repetitions
      High Pull for five sets of five repetitions
      Deadlift for five sets of five repetitions
      Standing Calf Raises for five sets of twenty-five repetitions

      And that is it. At the conclusion of the eight-week period you will be a changed individual. Be sure to eat plenty of healthy food and get plenty of rest for the best possible results.