This is a series devoted to what it takes to build the physique you desire. We’ll discuss all aspects of achieving your goals – workouts, meal planning, and mindset! Before we get started, let’s talk about setting goals, and developing a plan to achieve those goals. After all, you’re a sculptor, and a sculptor wouldn’t just start chipping away at the subject without visualizing the finished product in perfect detail! Take a few moments and imagine your perfect physique. Write down what you see in your mind. The more clearly you’re able to visualize what you want, the better the chances are that you’ll achieve it! Simply wanting to be “leaner” isn’t enough – where do you want to be leaner? What muscle groups do you want to build? It might take a little time to put the goals together, and that’s ok! You’re building a body of work that you’ll carry with you, so have patience!
Once you have your objective goals written down, you can design a training program around them. If your goals include leaning down, perhaps you’ll do more supersets and circuits, keeping the heart rate high. There are many ways to split your workouts. Here are a few examples:
- 3x a week total body
- 4x a week, 2 leg days, 2 push-pull days
- 4x a week, 1 leg day, 2 upper body days, and 1 total body day
- 5x a week, 2 leg days, 2 push-pull days, and a met-con or cardio day
- 5x a week, leg/back/chest/shoulders/arms
It’s possible to build muscle and stay lean by increasing the time under tension (TUT) during weight workouts, and keeping recovery time to a minimum. Here’s an example of how to build shoulders using a higher TUT:
