MADE TO ORDER
82
FLEX | MARCH ’18
EXERCISE
Shoulders,
Biceps & Abs
EXERCISE
SETS REPS
3 12, 10, 8
SHOULDERS
Standing
Barbell Press
SETS REPS
4 12, 10, 8, 6
BICEPS
Standing
Barbell Curl
3
Alternating
Dumbbell Curl
3
10, 10, 10
3
3
ABS
3
One-arm
Cable Lateral
Raise
3
12, 10, 8
3
3
This barbell/dumbbell/machine
strategy is the driving force behind
the accompanying full-body regimen,
which is geared for an off-season
muscle-building periodization plan.
Yet you don’t have to go all-in to
make this approach work for you.
If you don’t want to discard your
current training scheme, you can
instead sub in the tactic on a smaller
scale—such as following the order for
one or two body-part workouts that
need a shake-up, or just inject a few
trisets here and there in your program.
Whatever your decision, this is an
idea you can keep at the ready, no
matter what your current goal may
be: gaining muscle, stripping away
body fat, or even using it as an
element of a strength phase.
“The legs are probably the best
muscle groups where supersets
involving a bar, dumbbells, and a
machine are most effective,” Liles
suggests. “You’d be moving from
a maximal load with the barbell to a
lighter load with high rep counts on
the dumbbells or machines.” His
favorite leg combinations include
barbell back squats, sumo goblet
squats and the abductor/adductor
machine, and barbell deadlifts,
staggered one-dumbbell deadlifts,
and single-leg hamstring curls.
“I also like the barbell bench press,
dumbbell flye, and cable pushdowns
for the chest and triceps,” he adds.
You can give those a try, or combine
your own favorites for a 1-2-3,
plateau-quashing workout of
your own.