It’s that time of year where our normal schedules go out the window. Christmas parties, after-work catch-ups and general festive fun mean it’s all too easy to let your training regimen fall by the wayside.
Which is why this workout plan is designed to give you big results without you spending any longer than absolutely necessary on the gym floor.
All you need to do is get in, follow the five-move sessions (sticking to the sets, reps, tempo and rest detailed), then get out again. Try this approach and you’ll realise that building and maintaining a better body doesn’t mean slaving away for hours in the gym.
How The Plan Works
This month’s four-week workout is made up of four sessions a week, two of which (workouts 1 and 3) focus on your upper-body muscles while the other two (workouts 2 and 4) are total-body sessions. The first three workouts are below, and you can find the final workout on this page: Workout 4: Total Body 2.
The emphasis in all four workouts is on working multiple muscle groups with a hard and intense approach – think high reps and short rest periods – in order to make every move of every session as effective as possible to help you build muscle and burn body fat in less time.
All the workouts are made up of five moves. The first two moves of all four workouts are big, compound lifts done in a superset, which means you do all the reps of move 1A then go straight into all the reps of move 1B, resting only after that set is complete.
The final three moves of each session are straight sets, so you’ll do all the sets and reps of each move, then move on to the next one.
Lift as heavy as you can while maintaining perfect form. Do the workouts in order, sticking to the sets, reps, tempo and rest periods detailed, and you’ll be amazed how quickly you build lean muscle and strip away fat to transform your body.
Tempo Training
To get the full effect from these workouts, you need to stick to the four-digit tempo code for each exercise.
The first digit indicates how long in seconds you take to lower the weight, the second how long you pause at the bottom of the move, the third how long you take to lift the weight, and the final digit how long you pause at the top. X means that part of the move should be done explosively.
The accumulated time under tension increases your heart rate to burn fat and break down muscle tissue so it’s rebuilt bigger and stronger. Keep each rep smooth and controlled so your muscles – not momentum – do the work.
Workout 1: Upper Body 1
1A Bench press
Sets 5 Reps 8 Tempo 2010 Rest 0sec
Lie on a flat bench holding a barbell with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Brace your core, then lower the bar towards your chest. Press it back up to the start.
1B Chin-up
Sets 5 Reps 8 Tempo 2010 Rest 90sec
Hold a bar with an underhand grip. Brace your core, then pull yourself up until your chin is higher than the bar. Lower until your arms are straight again.
2 Incline dumbbell flye
Sets 4 Reps 12 Tempo 2010 Rest 30sec
Lie on an incline bench holding a dumbbell in each hand above your face, with your palms facing and a slight bend in your elbows. Lower them to the sides, then bring them back to the top.
3 Triceps extension
Sets 4 Reps 12 Tempo 2010 Rest 30sec
Stand tall holding a dumbbell over your head with both hands, arms straight. Keeping your chest up, lower the weight behind your head, then raise it back to the start.
4 Lateral raise
Sets 4 Reps 12 Tempo 2111 Rest 30sec
Stand tall, holding a light dumbbell in each hand with palms facing. Keeping your chest up and a bend in your elbows, raise the weights to the sides until they reach shoulder height. Lower back to the start.
Workout 2: Total Body 1
Sets 5 Reps 8 Tempo 2010 Rest 0sec
Stand tall with a bar across the back of your shoulders. Keeping your chest up and core braced, squat down as deep as you can. Drive back up through your heels to return to the start.
1B Bent-over row
Sets 5 Reps 8 Tempo 2010 Rest 90sec
Hold a barbell with an overhand grip, hands just outside your legs. Bend your knees slightly, brace your core, then pull the bar up, leading with your elbows. Lower it back to the start.
2 Triceps dip
Sets 4 Reps 8-12 Tempo 2010 Rest 30sec
Grip rings or parallel bars with your arms straight. Keeping your chest up, bend your elbows to lower your body as far as your shoulders allow. Press back up powerfully to return to the start.
3 Good morning
Sets 4 Reps 12 Tempo 2110 Rest 30sec
Stand tall holding a light barbell across the backs of your shoulders, feet shoulder-width apart. With your core braced, bend forwards slowly from the hips, as far as your hamstrings allow but not past horizontal. Return to the start.
4 Barbell roll-out
Sets 4 Reps 6-10 Tempo 4111 Rest 30sec
Kneel on the floor holding a barbell with both hands. Roll the bar forwards so you lower your torso, keeping your core braced. Then use your abs muscles to return to the start.
Workout 3: Upper Body 2
1A Incline bench press
Sets 5 Reps 8 Tempo 2010 Rest 0sec
Lie on an incline bench holding a barbell with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Brace your core, then lower the bar towards your chest. Press it back up to the start.
1B Pull-up
Sets 5 Reps 8 Tempo 2010 Rest 90sec
Hold a pull-up bar using an overhand grip with hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Brace your core, then pull yourself up until your lower chest touches the bar. Lower until your arms are straight again.
2 Seated overhead press
Sets 4 Reps 12 Tempo 2010 Rest 30sec
Sit on an upright bench with a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height. Keeping your chest up, press the weights directly overhead until your arms are straight, then lower them back to the start.
3 Standing biceps curl
Sets 4 Reps 12 Tempo 2110 Rest 30sec
Stand with dumbbells by your sides, palms facing forwards. Keeping your elbows tucked in, curl the weights up, squeezing your biceps at the top. Lower them back to the start.
4 Reverse flye
Sets 4 Reps 12 Tempo 2111 Rest 30sec
Bend forward from the hips with a light dumbbell in each hand with palms facing. Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, raise the weights out to shoulder height, then lower back to the start.
