Monday Muscle - the One Exercise

A while ago I talked about how to get started on a weight training routine. Basically you need to do a full body workout 2 to 3 times a week to get your body used to working with weights and to prepare your muscles to adapt and thus grow.

The good thing about working with weights, though, is that it allows you to add muscle where you want to add it. a little more here, a little less there and so on until you start to get towards your body ideal. Remember also that muscle is active tissue which requires extra calories just to maintain so every pound gained helps in your fat loss efforts.

That being said there is one exercise which has added more muscle to more people than any other. It is so good that I recommend it remain a part of most routines. That exercise is the squat.

The squat should be a cornerstone of most weight routines

For ladies it can add strong shapely legs to their physique as well as the "booty" that many crave. For men, due to the heavier weights involved and basic body chemistry, it builds strong massive legs that really set off a good physique which is in proportion to a strong upper body. In fact, with this routine, you will add muscle to the whole body.

A breathing squat is done like this: place a barbell on a squat rack and load it with a poundage with which you can get 12 repetitions with good form. However, tell yourself that you will not accept anything less than 20. Take a couple of breaths and then inhale as you start your descent which should take 2 to 3 seconds. When your thighs pass parallel ram the weight up to the start as you exhale. Take a couple of breaths and then start again

Here's how the routine looks:

Squats                   1 set of 20 reps

immediately followed by

Dumbbell pullovers 1 set of 15-20 reps

Rest 5 minutes (you'll need it)

Donkey calf raises 2 sets of 15-20 reps

Stiff legged deadlifts 1 set of 15 reps

Bench presses 2 sets of 8-10 reps

Bench presses can be done with dumbbells or a barbell

Incline flyes 1 set of 8-10 reps

Cable rows 1-2 sets of 8-10 rows

Chins or pulldowns 1-2 sets of 8-10 reps

Overhead presses 2 sets of 8-10 reps

Close grip bench presses 1 set of 8-10 reps

Barbell curls 1 set of 810 reps

Crunches 1 set of 15-20 reps


This routine should be followed twice a week (e.g. Monday and Thursday) and also remember to do 2 warm up sets with 50% and then 70% of your work weight to prepare the muscles. If you're not sure about any of the exercises get a qualified instructor to take you through them until you can do each with perfect form.

If the above doesn't sound that difficult then you haven't done breathing squats. They are brutally hard but well worth it in the end.

Stay with this routine for a month or two and be prepared for the muscle you will put on.