A complete rundown of a pro-level workout.
By now you’ve seen Fred “Biggie” Smalls break down every aspect of his bodybuilding routine – from arms all the way down to dreaded leg day. Now it’s time to put all these tips and knowledge to good use and hard work. Create the perfect week long training program with Fred “Biggie” Smalls’ full guide to working out and training BIG. This video will put together the entire pro bodybuilding training routine so that you can have the perfect mass building workout plan all in one place. Check it out above!
Building a solid week long training program requires knowing not only the right workouts, but also the right way to train. By combining certain muscle groups together, you can best optimize your overall growth to look and feel great. Pairing muscle groups can really work to activate more muscle fibers and allow for increased strength, as well as avoid injury and unwanted strain. Since these movements will be complimentary and work like-minded muscles, any compound exercises done with these certain groups can really increase efficiency, strength, and weight loss.
The Best Pairings
Since your chest, shoulders, and triceps all work in pushing movements, combining these three is a great choice. Your shoulders are a connection bridge point for your chest and triceps and the possibility for growth is undeniable and can work to increase mobility and strength. Training your back and biceps together is a great pairing since they both assist in pulling motions, with the biceps really working to help the back as well. Working your abs with back and biceps can promote stability and also strength. Hitting your legs all at once seems obvious, but the combination of working your hamstrings, quads, calves, and glutes will maximize your benefit and also strengthen your back and core.
Fred Smalls’ Complete Workout
Chest
Incline Bench Press
An alternative to the traditional bench press, the incline bench press will have the angle set at 45-degrees. As a great compound movement, this will allow you to move more weight and overload the muscle, really targeting the upper chest. To avoid injury, retract your shoulder blades, place your hands slightly further than shoulder-width apart, and control your movement.
Incline Flyes
This isolation exercise is great when used with a pronated grip (palms away from your body), in order to really stretch the pectoral muscle. Pushing your thumbs up as you return to the starting position also works for muscle activation. Reps can range anywhere from 10 to 15 and a 3-4 second negative hold is advised for further growth.
Flat Dumbbell Flyes
It is important to be flat on your back without any arching or space between your back and the bench. This will reduce the risk of injury and unwanted strain. Pushing your thumbs up will help with better contraction and a 3-5 second hold on the stretch portion will promote growth.
Bench Press
One of the three big powerlifting exercises, this is a staple in many chest workouts. By retracting your shoulder blades, you will protect your shoulders from injury and elevate your sternum. An elevated sternum means a greater stretch at the bottom for range of motion. It is important to have controlled movements with this exercise.
Shoulders
Incline Rear Laterals
This exercise is great for increasing strength and hypertrophy in your rear delts, but also in your upper and lower body as well. When doing this exercise, keep your pinky finger outward to focus on the rear delts as opposed to having your elbow back, which brings in the lats and not your delts. This is great for 4 sets of 12-15 reps.
Behind The Back Cable Laterals
This works to get the side delt and is effective in providing for a well-rounded shoulder. The exercise stretches the medial deltoid and it is important to elevate the elbow in order to activate your shoulders and not your lats. The shoulder responds to higher reps so 12-15 reps of good solid, not too heavy weight will work well for isolation.
Standing Military Press
This is a great power movement to work the delts and triceps, but primarily is shoulders focused. Your hands should be slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and make sure to extend all the way through, just short of fully locking out. On the way down, come to your chin or slightly lower if possible, and when pushing up, bend your knees and press through your whole body for more power. Reps should be around 6-10 of heavier weight.
Incline Front Laterals
A great end of the workout shoulder exercise, it is most effective after pre-fatigue. An exercise for pure isolation of the front deltoids, it is important to control your motion with your hands parallel and to turn at the top so your palms are pronated. This is great with 3 sets of 10-12 reps.
Triceps
Dips
Dips are a great exercise to work all three heads of the triceps muscle. Keeping your body upright to avoid using your chest is key and a slow eccentric movement down (around 5 seconds) with an explosive push up will provide for great muscle growth. You can do these with no weight for higher reps, or with some weight for lower reps.
Triceps Pushdowns
Using the rope on this exercise will provide for great isolation of all three heads, the lateral, medial, and long. For this, 20 reps total is great to perform 10 reps spreading your hands at the bottom and 10 reps keeping your hands together.
Lying Triceps Extension
This exercise is a take on the typical skull crusher exercise, but works to relieve elbow pain and strain that skull crushers can cause. It is great for targeting the lateral and medial heads. As a good exercise to end a triceps workout, don’t go to heavy but work to get 8 reps before failure. Around 4-5 sets of 8 reps with 60 seconds rest should be solid for this exercise.
Back
Rack Deadlifts
Starting on the rack above the knee allows for more emphasis on the upper back. Push through the hips and get a good squeeze at the top with retracted shoulder blades. Lower reps will build strength and stimulate muscle mass, but the rep range for this is 3-25 reps.
Close-Grip Pull Ups
Pull ups are great for working the lats from top to bottom as opposed to the traditional wide grip. It is important to contract the scapula before you pull up to activate all of the muscles. A great pull ups workout is 4-5 sets of 8-10 reps.
Hammer Low Rows
To build lat thickness, especially in the lower lats, hammer low rows are a great exercise. Keep your elbows tucked in and retract your shoulder blades to keep under tension longer. 4-5 sets of 10-12 reps will be great for the hammer low rows.
Bent Over Rows
Using an overhand grip, keep your torso still and focus on contraction to really feel the muscle work. Doing this exercise from a dead stop each rep will really work the lats. Lower reps and more sets will really promote growth so shoot for 8 sets of 6 reps.
Biceps
Easy Bar Curls
Easy bar curls are easier on the wrists given how the bar is built and can really hit the inner and outer head well. Retract your shoulder blades and have a controlled movement with this exercise. It is best to do 4 sets of 8-10 reps.
Hammer Curls
Hammer curls work well to target the brachioradialis and brachialis. As a good exercise to add in the middle of your workout, you can go heavy to add width to the biceps with hammer curls. A good place to start is 4 sets of 8-10 reps.
Preacher Curls
Preacher curls work the mid-range of the curl. For this, keep your arm pit over the pad and allow for full arm extension. Controlling your movement is key to avoid injury and dumbbells really help with that. Anywhere from 10-12 reps is great for preacher curls.
Legs
Front Squats
As a good isolation exercise, solid form is key to avoid pain on the front delt. Sink your hips low, just lower than the top of your knee. With your chest up, push through your heels and control the movement.
Leg Press
A great exercise for muscle growth, start with a medium stance, feet around-shoulder width apart. Work to go as deep as possible without your butt rolling up on the seat and your lower back leaving the pad. As the quads fatigue, higher reps or a pause at the bottom will work to hit the hamstrings and glutes. Ideally, your reps will be 12-15, but the rep range varies from 12-30.
Bulgarian Split Squats
A fantastic exercise for your quads and glutes, this will focus on the muscles being worked with a controlled tempo. Find a point on the wall for balance, keep your chest up, and don’t drop your shoulders. Using dumbbells as opposed to the smith machine allows for more work on the stabilizing muscles.
Wrap Up
This complete workout from Fred Smalls will keep you growing in your quest for that stellar physique and boost in athletic performance. Working like-minded muscles and combining the right muscle groups can really promote great muscle growth and having a solid guide like this complete workout will be just what you need to succeed. Try these exercises and work to build muscle and promote athletic performance in efforts to look and feel great.
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