Holidays Winter Workout by Hugo Rivera, BSCE, CFT, SPN
Last week, I gave you 10 tips for gaining muscle during the holidays. The 10th tip was to try out my special Holidays Winter Workout Routine which I’ve outlined below.
While I am not advocating to continue going to the gym everyday like the most hardcore of us will do, I am advocating to continue lifting weights at least 3 times a week with cardio activity (that can be done in your own home) in the days in between. For the purpose of continued muscle growth and fat loss over the holidays, I have used the principles of cycling that I always preach about in order to create a routine that will keep the muscle growth/fat loss process going during the next few months with minimum visits to the gym. While this is a low volume/abbreviated routine, it is by no means an easy one.
LOADING PHASE
WEEK 1
Mon (13-15 reps)/Wed (10-12 reps)/Fri (8-10 reps)
Superset:
A-1) Incline Bench Press 3 sets (No Rest)
A-2) Close Grip Chin-ups (Palms facing you) 3 sets (60 seconds)
Superset:
B-1) Upright Rows 1 set (No Rest)
B-2) Bent Over Laterals 1 set (60 seconds)
Superset:
C-1) Seated Incline Hammer Curls 2 sets (No Rest)
C-2) Triceps Dips 2 sets (60 seconds)
Giant set:
D-1) Lunges 3 sets (No Rest)
D-2) Leg Curls 3 sets (No Rest)
D-3) Squats 3 sets (No Rest)
D-4) Calf Raises 3 sets (60 seconds)
(Use either the machine or Barbell used for Squats)
WEEK 2
Mon (13-15 reps)/Wed (10-12 reps)/Fri (8-10 reps)
Superset:
A-1) Incline Bench Press 4 sets (No Rest)
A-2) Close Grip Chin-ups (Palms facing you) 4 sets (60 seconds)
Superset:
B-1) Upright Rows 2 set (No Rest)
B-2) Bent Over Laterals 2 set (60 seconds)
Superset:
C-1) Seated Incline Hammer Curls 3 sets (No Rest)
C-2) Triceps Dips 3 sets (60 seconds)
Giant set:
D-1) Lunges 4 sets (No Rest)
D-2) Leg Curls 4 sets (No Rest)
D-3) Squats 4 sets (No Rest)
D-4) Calf Raises 4 sets (No Rest)
(Use either the machine or Barbell used for Squats) (60 seconds)
WEEK 3
Mon (13-15 reps)/Wed (10-12 reps)/Fri (8-10 reps)
Superset:
A-1) Incline Bench Press 5 sets (No Rest)
A-2) Close Grip Chin-ups (Palms facing you) 5 sets (60 seconds)
Superset:
B-1) Upright Rows 3 set (No Rest)
B-2) Bent Over Laterals 3 set (60 seconds)
Superset:
C-1) Seated Incline Hammer Curls 4 sets (No Rest)
C-2) Triceps Dips 4 sets (60 seconds)
Giant set:
D-1) Lunges 5 sets (No Rest)
D-2) Leg Curls 5 sets (No Rest)
D-3) Squats 5 sets (No Rest)
D-4) Calf Raises 5 sets (60 seconds)
(Use either the machine or Barbell used for Squats)
GROWTH PHASE
WEEKS 4-6
Mon (10-12 reps)/Wed (8-10 reps)/Fri (5-7 reps)
Modified Compound Superset:
A-1) Incline Bench Press 3 sets (Rest 90 seconds)
A-2) Close Grip Chin-ups (Palms facing you) 3 sets (Rest 90 seconds)
Modified Compound Superset:
B-1) Upright Rows 2 set (Rest 40 seconds)
B-2) Bent Over Laterals 2 set (Rest 40 seconds)
B-3) Seated Incline Hammer Curls 2 sets (Rest 40 seconds)
B-4) Triceps Dips 2 sets (Rest 90 seconds)
Modified Compound Superset:
D-1) Lunges 3 sets (Rest 60 seconds)
D-2) Leg Curls 3 sets (Rest 60 seconds)
D-3) Squats 3 sets (Rest 60 seconds)
D-4) Calf Raises 3 sets (Rest 60 seconds)
(Use either the machine or Barbell used for Squats)
There you have it! After week 6, go into Active Recovery (two full-body workouts a week; a routine similar to the Growth Phase above, performed only on Mondays and Thursdays with each set consisting of 10-12 reps; perform the same number of sets as suggested above). Also, do 20 minutes of cardio first thing in the morning on the days off (Tuesdays/Thursdays/Saturdays). Sunday is the total rest day.
The longest routine is the one from week 3. It lasts around 75 minutes. It is exhausting as well. Try it out and, provided that you follow a good diet along with it (by just limiting yourself to splurge on Thanksgiving day, Christmas day, and New Years Eve—note that I said days not weeks), you should avoid the catastrophic effects that the holidays leave behind in some people. As a matter of fact, you should look better.
Let me know how you like it if you try it. Also remember that the more you splurge on high protein food items, the less detrimental the effect of the splurge.
Until next time, take care and train hard!
Hugo Rivera is an International best-selling fitness author certified in personal training and nutrition with a computer engineering degree from the University of South Florida. Hugo is owner of www.hugorivera.net, an informational, free fitness and nutrition website. He is author of over 10 fitness books (with over a million copies sold) including his best sellers: Body Re-Engineering, The Body Sculpting Bible for Men, The Body Sculpting Bible for Women, The Weight Training Diary, and The Hardgainer’s Bodybuilding Handbook. Through his website, as well as numerous articles, book publications, and TV and radio appearances, Hugo continues to educate the public on how to achieve the body of their dreams via the use of weight training exercise, good nutrition, and correct supplementation.
