Intermediate Workout Routine: Get Stronger, Leaner & More Defined

This intermediate workout routine is for gymgoers with a solid fitness base but might be stuck on a plateau. This means they are struggling to reach the next level in their training. Our plan uses compound movements to target each major muscle group twice per week.

Upper body days focus on the chest, triceps, shoulders, back, and biceps. On the other hand, lower body days work your glutes, quads, calves, and hamstrings. Read on to review our intermediate workout routine with suggested exercises, training tips, and expected benefits.

Intermediate Workout

The plan below provides a recommended intermediate workout routine to level up your training. It includes five active days per week for six weeks working each major muscle group twice per week. 

Below is a sample weekly training schedule:

• Monday: Chest, shoulders, and triceps.
• Tuesday: Back and biceps.
• Wednesday: Legs.
• Thursday: Chest, shoulders, and triceps.
• Friday: Back and biceps.
• Saturday: Rest.
• Sunday: Rest.

Chest, Shoulders, And Triceps

Day one focuses primarily on the chest, shoulders, and triceps. These muscles are highly influential in daily tasks involving pushing and throwing movements. The exercises listed follow similar movement patterns for effective engagement. 

Chest workouts like those below should be performed using a full range of motion to achieve maximum benefits. Of these, the incline dumbbell bench press is especially effective for increasing focus on the upper chest muscles. 

Back And Biceps

Day two primarily works the back and biceps. These muscles are highly involved during pulling activities like reaching, bringing objects towards you, or lifting boxes. The exercises below resemble pulling and lifting movements to strengthen these muscles effectively.

A study on muscle activation for select back exercises found the straight arm lat pulldown significantly engages the latissimus dorsi. The muscle activation rate can reach approximately 20% of maximum voluntary contraction. This movement is similar to the lat pulldown, demonstrating how the exercises listed effectively build your back muscles.

Additionally, movements like the wide-grip pull-up can be incorporated into an intermediate calisthenics workout for a different kind of stimulus.

Legs

Leg day is your most intensive lifting day as it works your largest muscle groups. These include the glutes, hamstrings, calves, and quadriceps which are highly active during activities like climbing, running, and jumping.

Movements like the squat strengthen the lower body muscles that support proper knee alignment. Additionally, movements such as the lunge improve posture, bone health, and balance.

The exercises below will improve lower body foundational strength and muscle hypertrophy for increased leg size and definition. This contributes to an aesthetically pleasing and balanced lower body physique. 

Chest, Triceps, And Shoulders

Day four goes back to working the chest, triceps, and shoulders to maximally fatigue them. These muscles are all used during pushing movements, and working them together allows for targeted strength building and increased volume while enabling optimal recovery.

This day emphasizes focus on the tricep muscles, which are often a deprioritized upper-arm muscle. However, as your largest arm muscles, strengthening them is key for building big arms. 

The triceps brachii is highly active after performing overhead elbow extension exercises against resistance. One study found the muscle to achieve increases in volume of 19.9% during a 12-week tricep training program. This depicts how hard the muscle is working during movements like the lying dumbbell extension.

Every second week, you should perform a superset with the barbell bench press and dumbbell flys. This refers to performing them one after the other with limited rest in between. Additionally, perform the cable crossovers slowly with a two-second pause to squeeze at the top of the movement.

Back And Biceps

The final day of the week returns the focus to the back and biceps to exhaust the upper body. These muscles are primarily responsible for pulling and bringing your arm backward, across your body, and turning it inwards. They also provide support to help stabilize the spine.

The most strength benefits are achieved when using a full range of motion, which applies tension to the joints when stretched. This builds and defines the upper body for a more desirable physique.

Benefits Of An Intermediate Workout

There are many benefits to achieve with this intermediate workout plan. We provide details on some key ones below.

Build Muscle Strength

Muscle strength is the ability of our muscles to work against resistance as a stimulus. When performing these exercises for a certain duration or intensity, the body adapts to become stronger. 

To continue adapting and progressing during exercise, you must incorporate progressive overload, or continuously increase the intensity and/or duration. This routine will enhance muscular strength by providing a necessary stimulus for adaptation and muscle growth to occur over time. It will help level up your fitness to break through plateaus.

Enhances Physique

Many fitness enthusiasts’ primary goal is to develop a more toned and sculpted physique to enhance appearance. This typically involves reducing body fat, increasing lean body mass, and improving muscle tone.

This routine uses a compound approach to work all major muscle groups, which is key for achieving a more aesthetically pleasing physique. It will define and tone your entire body, leading to improved muscle symmetry and balance. 

The workout plan will also help increase baseline metabolism, which contributes to reducing body fat. The exercises are effective at building muscle and improving definition through muscle hypertrophy. Together, these factors result in improved physique and overall body composition.

Improve Joint Mobility

Many exercises included in this intermediate workout routine increase the range of motion by targeting multiple joints simultaneously. Working the muscles through their full range of motion improves joint mobility and flexibility by encouraging muscle lengthening under tension.

These exercises also mimic movements in daily activities such as lifting, pulling, jumping, and reaching. Improving joint mobility with these exercises enables us to perform these daily tasks with greater ease for an enhanced quality of life.

Many exercises discussed also strengthen the muscles that stabilize our elbows, shoulders, knees, and hip joints. They use both single and double-sided approaches to reduce muscular imbalances and improve joint mobility.

Expert Training Tips

Below are some recommended training tips to keep in mind when embarking on this program:

• Perform a dynamic warm-up before each session to activate the target muscles and raise the heart rate. Similarly, perform a cool-down at the end to bring the heart rate down and stretch the muscles to stimulate recovery.
• Start with a lower overall volume until you become accustomed to the workload. Those new to training should start with a beginner full-body workout and increase intensity gradually to avoid injury or strain.
• Concentrate on squeezing each muscle to enhance the mind-muscle connection, which enhances muscle activity.
• Determine when to add weight to your training load by using the 2-for-2 rule. When you can complete two additional reps than your target range for two weeks in a row, you can add weight. Start with small increases (1–2 lbs for upper and 3–4 lbs for lower) to avoid injury and compromising form.
• Schedule a cut-back week once you complete the six-week program. This is essential to prioritize muscle recovery before starting a new routine or ramping up intensity.
• Use slow and controlled movements and don’t rely on momentum to complete the exercises. This helps ensure proper form is maintained to reduce injury potential.

Conclusion

This intermediate workout plan is challenging but well-structured to provide significant rewards. It is recommended for intermediate to advanced lifters who already have a solid fitness base. Beginners can also perform it but should modify according to their experience level.

While there are a variety of programs you can follow for an effective strength workout, this one provides valuable benefits. You are likely to achieve your goals and beyond when following our guidance to consider our training tips and advice.