Unfortunately this is how most people feel. So they wind up applying themselves to a only handful of exercises with moderate effort. Or they grab the first fitness mag they see, find one workout regimen and follow it… for the next couple of months… until they get bored and stop going to the gym. The key is to rotate through different programs that you can change up week to week or even month to month. Below is an example of an expandable program to keep things fresh, intense, and moving you towards your weight loss goals.

Weeks 1 & 3 – Reps

Set your fitness base with repetitions. So set up your weight where you can do 1 set of 20 reps without compromising form. You are to take no more than a 1 minute rest between sets. Be sure to complete all sets of the exercise listed before moving to the next exercise.

Monday & Thursday – Chest & Tri
Dumbbell Incline Chest Press: 4 Sets of 15 Reps
Triceps Cable Press Down: 4 Sets of 20 Reps
Cable Machine Chest Flyes: 4 Sets of 20 Reps
Triceps Cable Pull Down (underhand): 4 Sets of 20 Reps
100 Crunches on Decline Bench

Tuesday & Friday – Back & Bi
Pull ups or Assisted Pull-ups: 4 Sets of 10 Reps
Preacher Curl w/ Barbell: 4 Sets of 20 Reps
High Row Machine: 4 Sets of 20 Reps
Reverse Curl: 4 Sets of 20 reps

Wednesday & Saturday – Shoulders & Legs
Leg Press – 4 Sets of 20 Reps
Overhead Dumbbell Press – 4 Sets of 15 Reps
Lunges w/ Dumbbells – 2 Sets of 20 Reps (each side)
Lateral Dumbbell Raises – 4 Sets of 15 reps
100 Bicycle Crunches
100 Flutter Kicks

Weeks 2 & 4 – Strength & Endurance

Your weights should be set so you can complete 1 set of 10 Reps without compromising form. Be advised this is not a mass building program per se, but if you drop the reps to a max of 4 to 6 for a set without compromising form it can begin to build mass. You get 1-1/2 minutes rest between sets.

Monday – Chest* *Follow each set w/ 10 Push-ups before taking your rest Incline Bench Press – 3 Sets of 8 Reps Flat Bench Press – 3 Sets of 8 Reps Cable Crossovers – 3 Sets of 10 Reps

Tuesday – Biceps
Standing Hammer Curl – 3 Sets of 10 Reps
Standing Barbell Curl – 3 Sets of 10 Reps
Reverse Barbell Curl – 3 Sets of 10 Reps
Underhand Pull-ups – 3 Sets of 10 Reps

Wednesday – Legs & Abs
Smith Machine Squats – 3 Sets of 10 Reps w/ 25 Crunches after each set
Smith Machine Static Lunges – 3 Sets of 8 Reps (each side) w/ 25 bicycles after each set
Leg Extensions - 3 Sets of 10 Reps
Plank – 1 minute
100 Prisoner Squats

Thursday – Back
T-Bar – 3 Sets of 8 Reps
Low Row – 3 sets of 10 Reps
High row – 3 Sets of 10 Reps
Bent-over Dumbbell Row – 3 Sets of 8 Reps (each side)

Friday – Shoulders
Front Dumbbell Raises – 3 Sets of 8 Reps
Lateral Dumbbell Raises – 3 Sets of 8 Reps
Shrugs – 3 Sets of 10 Reps
Alternating Standing Overhead Dumbbell Press – 1 Set of 100 Reps

Saturday – Triceps
Cable Kick-out – 3 Sets of 8 Reps
French Press (aka Skull Crushers) – 3 Sets of 8 Reps
Narrow Grip Bench Press – 3 Sets of 10 Reps (keep your elbows in!)
Dips on Bench – 100 Reps (no weight)

Wrap Up –