To change the way your body looks you have to change the way you work out. The routine below is perfect for starters who are serious about becoming a lean, mean, I’m-a-hell-of-a lot-more-muscular-than-I-used-to-be machine. It’s going to be rough, but building strength by isolating single muscle groups will help get you ready to graduate to multijoint exercises, like the bench press and the squat.
*Do this workout Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for about a month.
*Hop on a stationary bike or a jog on a treadmill for about five minutes to get the blood flowing.
*Do one or two light sets or 10-20 reps of each exercise; this will help prevent injury.
*Don’t feel pressure to use heavy weight. As long as you’re using good form and it’s difficult for you, who cares if the dude next to you wearing the bandana and cutoff jeans is lifting more?
*Rest as long as you need, and adjust the number of sets and reps if this is too intense. You want to look better, not kill yourself. To track your progress, bring a workout journal and jot down how much weight you used for each exercise.
*Each machine should be labeled in your gym, so if you don’t know what something is, try asking the biggest dude in the gym or flagging down one of the staff.
| EXERCISE | SETS / REPS | REST |
| Pec-Dec Flye (Chest) | 3 / 15 | 2 minutes |
| Machine Lateral Raise (Shoulders) | 3 / 15 | 2 minutes |
| Seated Row Machine (Back) | 3 / 15 | 2 minutes |
| Biceps Curl Machine (Biceps) | 3 / 15 | 2 minutes |
| Triceps Extension Machine (Triceps) | 3 / 15 | 2 minutes |
| Leg Extension (Quads) | 3 / 15 | 2 minutes |
| Lying Leg Curl (Hamstrings) | 3 / 15 | 2 minutes |
| Standing Calf Raise (Calves) | 3 / 20 | 1 minutes |
| Abs machine (Abs) | 3 / 20 | 1 minutes |
