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Since the first competition in 1901, bodybuilders have been searching for ways to get the perfect physique. They are passionate about enhancing their appearance and want to optimize their workouts to reach their potential and push past it.
A well-structured bodybuilding routine can do just that. Like the 2024 Mr. Olympia Samson Dauda workout routine, it requires intense dedication and focus to achieve your desired aesthetics. Between exercise selection, nutrition, and recovery, there are a lot of variables to consider.
This article will help guide you through these choices, providing a road map to attain your goals. Use your time at the gym efficiently and effectively to build size, strength, and definition with this 12-week bodybuilding routine.
Bodybuilding Workout Routine
This bodybuilding routine is structured into a 12-week program targeting every major muscle group. You will train six days per week with a different focus each day.
- Day 1: Shoulders And Abs.
- Day 2: Back And Traps.
- Day 3: Quads And Calves.
- Day 4: Chest And Abs.
- Day 5: Triceps, Biceps, And Forearms.
- Day 6: Hamstrings And Calves.
- Day 7: Rest.
This schedule can be flexible to suit your schedule. Just make sure to perform a lower body workout after two consecutive upper body days.
Bodybuilding Routine
This bodybuilding workout routine is a 12-week program to build muscle size, strength, and definition. Workouts are six days per week with one full rest day built in. A lower body workout will always follow two consecutive upper body days to avoid overtraining.
- Day 1: Shoulders And Abs.
- Day 2: Back And Traps.
- Day 3: Quads And Calves.
- Day 4: Chest And Abs.
- Day 5: Triceps, Biceps, And Forearms.
- Day 6: Hamstrings And Calves.
- Day 7: Rest.
You don’t need to stick to a strict seven-day routine; you can adjust this schedule to fit your needs. Perform part of the workout and take rest days as needed, then pick up where you left off the following week. For example:
- Day 1: Shoulders And Abs.
- Day 2: Back And Traps.
- Day 3: Quads And Calves.
- Day 4: Rest.
- Day 5: Chest And Abs.
- Day 6: Triceps, Biceps, And Forearms.
- Day 7: Hamstrings And Calves.
No matter what split you choose, ensure you use your rest day wisely. Muscles need rest to rebuild bigger and stronger, so recover with gentle stretching or relaxation. If you follow this program as outlined, you will need it!
Day 1: Shoulders And Abs
Day 1 focuses on the deltoids and abdominals, or abs. The deltoid muscles cap your shoulders and contain three sections: anterior, lateral, and posterior. They help move your arm in all directions.
The abdominals are made up of the internal and external obliques, transverse abdominis, and rectus abdominis. These muscles curl, twist, and bend your trunk.
These workouts are hypertrophy-focused workouts, meaning they use moderate weights and reps. To choose your starting weight, use trial and error or calculate your one repetition maximum. For trial and error, select a weight that allows you to perform the listed repetitions at or approaching failure.
Your one repetition maximum, or 1RM, is the maximum weight you can lift for one repetition with proper form. Your starting weight will be expressed as a percentage of your 1RM. For hypertrophy workouts, you will use 60%–80% of your 1RM for weight.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest (between sets) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dumbbell Bent-Over Reverse Fly | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
| Seated Lateral Raise | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
| Machine Shoulder Press | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
| Dumbbell Front Raise | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
| Cable Crunch | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
| Lying Floor Leg Raise | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
Day 2: Back And Traps
Day 2 targets your back muscles and trapezius. Your back consists of many muscles, including the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, and erector spinae. These assist with straightening your spine, moving your shoulders, and pulling your shoulder blades back.
Your trapezius is made up of three sections: upper, middle, and lower. It stretches from the base of your neck to your shoulders and down to your mid back. This muscle helps to stabilize your shoulder blade and move it in different directions.
Additionally, these muscles are essential to supporting proper posture. With the rise of sedentary behavior and computer work, musculoskeletal pain from poor posture is becoming more prevalent. Exercise programs that include strengthening the muscles around the shoulder blades can positively affect posture.
A cable row with a neutral grip can activate the middle trapezius to 64.5% of its maximum contraction. The cable row is similar to the dumbbell and seated rows, indicating a similar activation pattern for these exercises.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest (between sets) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rack Pull Deadlift | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
| Reverse Hyperextension | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
| One-Arm Dumbbell Row | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
| Reverse Grip Lat Pulldown | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
| Wide Grip Seated Row | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
| Dumbbell Shrug | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
Day 3: Quadriceps And Calves
Day 3 focuses on the quadriceps and calves. The quads are a group of four muscles on the front of your thigh. It is responsible for straightening your knee and bending your hip.
The calves include the gastrocnemius and soleus. These help flex the knee and point your toes. They are also crucial for walking and balance.
This lower body workout provides a much-needed rest day for your upper body, in addition to working important muscle groups. As you strengthen your legs, your upper body gets the recovery required for building bigger, stronger muscles.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest (between sets) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Squat | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
| Leg Press | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
| Bulgarian Split Squat | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
| Leg Extension | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
| Seated Calf Raise | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
| Calf Press | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
Day 4: Chest And Abs
Day 4 brings it back to your upper body and works your chest and abs. Your chest is made up of many muscles, including the major and minor pectoralis and serratus anterior. These are responsible for pushing movements and controlling the shoulder blade.
Adequate exercise volume, typically measured in exercise sets, is crucial for muscle hypertrophy. Research indicates that more sets result in a more significant increase in muscle size. This means that to build bigger muscles, you need to put in enough work to cause the change.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest (between sets) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incline Machine Press | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
| Incline Dumbbell Fly | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
| Dumbbell Bench Press | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
| Cable Crossover | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
| Weighted Crunch | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
| Seated Barbell Twist | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
Day 5: Triceps, Biceps, And Forearms
Day 5 targets the triceps, biceps, and forearm muscles. These are used to move your shoulder, elbow, and wrist in all directions. They are essential to lifting, carrying, and many other daily activities.
This bodybuilding workout combines compound movements with isolation movements. Compound movements are excellent for time efficiency, utilizing multiple muscle groups simultaneously to get a big bang for your buck. Isolation movements are excellent for focusing on one muscle group to give it extra attention.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest (between sets) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tricep Dips | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
| One-Arm Dumbbell Extension | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
| Rope Tricep Extension | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
| Concentration Curl | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
| Preacher Curl | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
| Standing Hammer Curl | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
| Reverse Grip Barbell Curl | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
| Seated Barbell Wrist Curl | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
Day 6: Hamstrings And Calves
Day 6 focuses on the lower body, specifically the hamstrings and calves. The hamstrings are a group of muscles on the back of your thigh. They are responsible for straightening your hip and bending your knee.
This training routine is extensive, but modifications can be made to make it beginner-friendly. For example, start with a lighter weight until you are comfortable with the movements and then progress when ready.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest (between sets) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stiff Leg Deadlift | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
| Walking Lunge | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
| Standing Cable Hamstring Curl | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
| Lying Leg Curl | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
| Standing Calf Raise | 3 | 12,10,8 | 60–90 seconds |
Benefits Of A Bodybuilding Routine
This bodybuilding routine is optimized to build muscle and improve definition. Below, we’ll outline three important benefits of this hypertrophy-focused training program.
Improved Body Composition
Body composition refers to the percentages of muscle, fat, and bone in the body. Bodybuilders strive to increase lean muscle mass while decreasing body fat percentage and improving definition.
Resistance training has been proven to reduce body fat percentage and overall body fat mass. Therefore, this bodybuilding routine can help shed excess fat to make those muscles pop when correctly implemented.
Preserved Bone And Muscle Mass
Osteoporosis and sarcopenia are age-related diseases where losses of bone and muscle negatively impact health. These conditions are widespread—10 million Americans have osteoporosis, with millions more at risk.
Resistance exercise has been shown to preserve bone and muscle mass with aging. The mechanical load on the musculoskeletal system facilitates bone and muscle strength changes. This could be important in reducing the risk of developing osteoporosis and sarcopenia.
Improved Athletic Ability
Athletes can benefit from resistance training, including the bodybuilding routine above. Enhanced strength and overall muscle mass can lead to improved sport-specific performance.
A 2024 review indicates that general resistance training significantly improved performance in many sports like cross-country skiing and soccer. While overall benefit was shown, there were large differences in individual improvement. More research is needed to investigate further; however, resistance training can still benefit athletes.
Progression
Progression is imperative to seeing results inside and outside the gym. Applying a training principle like progressive overload ensures you improve and avoid plateaus.
For this program, we have designed a specific progression formula. Each exercise is performed for three sets. Each set will reduce the amount of reps slightly. This means you will increase weight with each set, making each set a little more challenging than the last.
Use a moderate starting weight for the first set, then add a little for the second set. The final set should be performed to failure. Track your workouts, especially the last set of each exercise. Each week, add one rep or additional weight to the last set of each exercise.
For example, say you start with 20 pounds for eight reps on the last set of the concentration curl. Try for nine reps the following week, then ten the week after. Once you can perform two additional reps with proper form, increase the weight to 25 pounds.
Cardio And Nutrition
Incorporating aerobic exercise with resistance training can reduce body fat percentage and increase lean muscle mass. Additionally, many benefits of cardio are advantageous to all gymgoers. For this program, perform 30 minutes of steady-state in the morning or post-workout.
If you want to perform high-intensity interval training, or HIIT, do it after your workouts. Limit the time to 20 minutes maximum and avoid performing HIIT workouts first thing in the morning. Check out these bodyweight HIIT workout ideas for inspiration.
Successfully incorporating aerobic exercise will depend on calorie balance. Your body needs sufficient calories to build bigger, stronger muscles, and cardio will burn additional calories. If you want to perform additional cardio, you can. Just keep in mind your physique goals.
Nutrition is critical for bodybuilders to gain muscle and cut fat. Your body needs protein to build muscle, so consuming an adequate amount is necessary. Current recommendations are 1.4–2.0 grams of protein per kilogram bodyweight per day to boost muscle growth.
Check out how to bulk for more information on building muscle properly and effectively.
Conclusion
This 12-week bodybuilding routine is a comprehensive guide to getting the most out of your time at the gym. Hypertrophy-based workouts focus on every major muscle group to build bigger, stronger muscles.
It can even be modified into a beginner bodybuilding routine for those just starting their fitness journey. Follow the guide above to implement this full-body routine and reap the impressive benefits today!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use this routine to build muscle and lose fat. This hypertrophy-focused workout is designed to increase muscle size and reduce body fat mass.
You can change the order of the exercises, but ensure you perform the compound movements first. If you want to change the exercise, choose a substitute that works the same muscles as the exercise listed.
Yes. After two consecutive upper body workouts, perform a lower body workout to rest your upper body. Implement one complete rest day as outlined in the program above to reduce the risk of overtraining.
Most of these exercises can be modified to be performed with free weights. You can also build strength with an equipment-free calisthenics workout. You can read more about calisthenics vs. bodybuilding and the benefits of each.
Resources
Endomondo.com refrains from utilizing tertiary references. We uphold stringent sourcing criteria and depend on peer-reviewed studies and academic research conducted by medical associations and institutions. For more detailed insights, you can explore further by reading our editorial process.
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About the Author
Tara Mitchell, DPT Doctor Of Physical Therapy
