“Never Do the Same Workout Twice” – Workout Variations Chart

I had received many questions regarding putting together a successful workout program. So in response I wrote the “Guns & Buns” E-Book to set out a 4 week workout program for you. Step by step.

So now what?

Say you did Guns & Buns or any other program out there. You completed it, found success, and are on track to achieving that dream body of yours. Now what? What do you do with your workouts now? Do you do the same exact program all over again?

Absolutely not.

See, your gym life is just like your love life.  It needs some excitement, new adventures, and something to spice things up!  Your muscles get bored if you are continuously doing the same exercises over and over.  As a result, they will stop responding. You will stop seeing progress. You will not see muscle growth. And you will plateau.

Lets not let that happen!

In an effort to encourage variety in your workouts, I have made you a helpful chart so that you will NEVER DO THE SAME WORKOUT TWICE.

Here is how to navigate it…

First pick which muscle groups you are going to work on. This could be just one or maybe even two or three.

Then be creative with your exercises! As the chart shows, you can use different equipment, different types of sets, or even different muscle contractions to challenge yourself.

Mix things up & I promise you will see better results!

You can download a PDF copy by clicking the link below.

Beautiful to the Core Workout Variations Chart

KEY

Straight set = The standard method for lifting. You perform 3-4 sets of the same weight. (example: 3 sets of 12)

Super set = With super sets you pair two exercises and do not take a rest break between the two. (example: 3 sets of bench press paired with pushups)

Drop set = Drop sets are intense and used to increase muscle endurance and mass. You lift until muscle failure, then drop the weight, and lift again until muscle failure, and repeat until you cannot go anymore. (example:  bicep curls with 25lbs until failure, then 20lbs until failure, then 15 lbs until failure, etc.)

Pyramid set = Pyramid sets allow you to gradually warm-up as you increase the amount of weight you use with each set (example: 1 set of 12 with 20lbs, 1 set of 10 with 25lbs, 1 set of 8 with 30lbs, etc.)

Tri set =  This is like super sets, except now you are combining 3 exercises together without a rest break between the three. (example: 3 sets of bench press combined with pushups combined with cable cross-overs)

Time Under Tension set = TUT is the total time a muscle resists weight during each set. The ideal TUT is at least 40 seconds for muscle mass. (example: If you perform a bicep curl going up for 1 second and down for 4 seconds, you would need to perform 8 reps back to back without a second of a break to equal 40 seconds total for that set)

Concentric = Muscle contraction when the muscle itself is shortened. (example: focus your time on a bicep curl on the way up

Eccentric / Negatives = Muscle contraction when the muscle itself is lengthened. (example: focus your time on a bicep curl on the way down)

Partials = Performing an exercise through only part of the range of motion. (example: the 21’s exercise involves doing bicep curls in the bottom range 50% range 7x, then the top 50% range 7x, and then the full 100% range 7x)

Isometrics =  Isometric is a muscle contraction without movement. (example: a wall squat just holding the squat for a long period of time)

Plyometrics = Plyometrics, or jump training, is the repeated stretch and then suddenly contracted muscle (ex: jump squat)