Train like an athlete and look like a bodybuilder

Learn how to put together a workout program that will help you train like an athlete while reaping the hypertrophy benefits of bodybuilding training.

A muscular and defined look is the goal of many men, but what is such a look worth if it lacks the associated performance? Sure, you might have thick arms that could rival Arnold in his prime, but if you can't even keep up with a game of beach volleyball on vacation, you've got a problem.

But where do you start if you don't have the money for a qualified trainer and have decided to put together your own training program? Which exercises are the best if you are concerned not only with appearance but also with performance? What's the best way to train like an athlete while still reaping the hypertrophy benefits of bodybuilding training?

Well, it's a good thing you found this article. I'm going to show you all of this step by step. I'll even give you a sample training program at the end of this article that will take you a big step closer to your goals.

All too often I see people get caught up in the non-essentials and analyze every aspect of their training down to the last detail - and unfortunately, I'm not immune to this either. However, it is important to look at your own training from an outsider's perspective from time to time. With this in mind, we should first ask ourselves what the top priorities are for each individual training program.

1. train well before you train often

There's no way around it - if you want to train like an athlete but grow like a bodybuilder, then you need progressive overload in the form of variations of exercises such as presses, pulls, squats, carries and lunges. Does this mean you need to perform classic squats or conventionally pull a weight up from the floor? No, and some people won't even be able to do this.

Let me make this clear: Some people will not be able to perform these exercises in a proper manner because they lack the mobility and/or stability necessary to get into a safe and efficient position to perform these exercises. Sure, I see people doing squats and deadlifts every day, but does that mean they should be doing them? Right now, probably not...

"How do I know which exercise variation is right for me?"

Ideally, you would work with a qualified strength and conditioning coach or personal trainer who is well versed in movement variability and compensatory movement patterns. Such a trainer would be able to help you adjust your training program and movement demands based on your athletic ability and any history of injury.

However, for the purpose of this article and the training program presented at the end, I will use a progression scheme that increases the range of motion over time as your mobility improves and your strength increases. This goes along the following lines: Note: > and larger numbers indicate a higher level of difficulty.

Squat variations

1. Dumbbell goblet squats
2. Front squats with two kettlebells
3. Belt squats(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwweqpHU6_E)
4. Safety bar squats(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2jmZyptN64)
5. Front squats
6. Classic squats

Variations of lunges

1. Step-ups
2. Split squats > front foot on an elevation
3. Reverse lunges > front foot on an elevation
4. One-legged squats on a bench
5. Lateral lunges
6. Bulgarian split squats (back foot on an elevation)
7. Single-leg squats from a bench(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLQNCmrullk)
8. Walking lunges
9. Lunges to the front
10. One-legged skater squats (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH0qj4JuQGQ)
11. Pistol squats (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjxQrgLsty4)

Variations of the press (horizontal)

1. Push-ups supported by bands(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_JeoSS87rE)
2. Pure eccentric push-ups
3. Push-ups
4. Barbell floor press (bench press lying on the floor)
5. Dumbbell floor press
6. Dumbbell bench press
7. Barbell band press

Variations of the press (vertical)

1. Forearm Wall Slide(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqWvJ_11zEs)
2. Half Kneeling Kettlebell Press(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSjQLfp_aBk)
3. Kneeling Kettlebell Press
4. Half Kneeling Landmine Press (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ovRm9BdOds)
5. Standing Landmine Press (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clVS_j5EO-A)
6. Dumbbell shoulder press sitting
7. Standing one-arm dumbbell shoulder press
8. Two-arm dumbbell shoulder press standing
9. Neck press
10. Barbell shoulder press standing
11. Neck press with wide grip
12. Push Press (barbell shoulder press with momentum from the legs)

Pulling variations (horizontal)

1. Inverted rowing
2. Incline bench dumbbell rowing with supported chest(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nl2MnK1i504)
3. Incline bench T-bar rowing with supported chest
4. One-arm dumbbell rowing
5. Rowing bent over with dumbbells
6. Barbell rowing bent over

Pulling variations (vertical)

1. Hanging with bent arms (jump up to a pull-up bar and hold your body in the upper position of a pull-up for as long as possible)
2. Pull-ups supported by bands
3. Pure eccentric pull-ups with an overhand grip
4. Pure eccentric pull-ups with an underhand grip
5. Pull-ups with overhand grip
6. Pull-ups with an underhand grip

Bending exercises

1. Torso bends with a bar: 3 contact points (back of the head, between the shoulder blades and tailbone)(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dzsx03mQTOc)
2. Cable pull-through(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT4HfQmmYsI)
3. Kettlebell sumo deadlift
4. Romanian deadlift
5. Trap bar deadlift
6. Sumo deadlift
7. Conventional deadlift

Carrys

1. Farmers Walk
2. One Arm Farmers Carry
3. Racked Kettlebell Carry(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PCziOj35ms)
4. Kettlebell Crossover Walk(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gdcZL1thZQ)
5. Overhead Kettlebell Carry
6. Overhead Bottoms-Up Kettlebell Walk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgJFFlo4yn8)
7. Barbell Carry overhead

This is a highly simplified version of potential exercise progressions and regressions. There are a million and one variations you could incorporate into any program. The sequencing of difficulty is also quite controversial, but that's a topic for another article.

"You place barbell band backs, classic squats and conventional deadlifts last - but why should I do these other boring exercises when I can use the exercises that will give me the most bang for my buck instead?"

Sure, you might not want to regress your exercises by doing push-ups with extra weight or Romanian deadlifts, but as I've said before, just because you're doing something right now doesn't necessarily mean you should.

You may love classic deadlifts, but if the next day you feel pain and tension in your lumbar spine and have trouble getting out of the car, then you should probably review your motor movement patterns and try to look at your training from a more long-term perspective.

If you look at some of the best athletes in the world (sprinters, gymnasts, wrestlers, swimmers, etc.), what qualities will they all share? They are masters of their body weight in space. You need to build a foundation first and get strong with the basics before you think about moving on to the heavy, "sexy" exercises that everyone wants to do.

2. a training program is more than just sets and reps

The best training program is one that you enjoy, one that you can do consistently, and one that keeps you healthy from a musculoskeletal and neural standpoint. However, if you look at most exercisers' training programs, they pledge their undying love to bench presses and flying movements on the cable, but don't find time to do pull-ups or inverse rows during the rest of their training session.

Athletes, on the other hand, train with a very balanced approach most of the time, as they do not put together their own training programs. Bodybuilders, on the other hand, live for their 3 x 10 approach to everything and use such a high volume that they almost throw up or collapse. We'll address the hypertrophy component of periodization in the next point, but first here are a few basic requirements that should be incorporated into any well put together training program:

A 2:1 ratio of pulling to pushing exercises (3:1 for exercisers with shoulder issues).

This is more or less the standard protocol of most strength coaches, but many seem to forget this. When you consider that most exercisers are quite weak in their upper back and combine this with the fact that they overdo it with the vertical pull and horizontal press (i.e. lat pull and bench press), then it's always a good decision to train some more horizontal rowing.

Your upper back can handle a lot of volume, but most neglect this due to poor program design.

Train the hamstrings in both a stretched and extended position

The hamstrings are muscles that cross two joints (the hip and the knee) and can flex or extend both of these joints. For this reason, you need to train your leg flexors in positions of both hip and knee flexion or extension. For example, if you incorporate Romanian deadlifts (a hip extension workout in a knee extension position) into your training program, then you should also include something like hip thrusts (a hip extension workout in a knee extension position) in your training.

If you still don't understand what I'm getting at, here's another example: let's say you're doing incessant seated leg curls (knee flexion combined with hip flexion). Then you should also do something like glute ham raises (knee flexion combined with hip extension) to train your hamstrings optimally.

Learn how to perform squats correctly

Stop giving up on squats because they are too strenuous or too difficult - nothing commands more respect than flawless deep squats with a few slices on the bar. Find exercises that you enjoy and that suit your goals. Not a powerlifter? Cool, then you don't have to do classic squats, but you should check out one of the variations I've listed above.

Include single-leg training in your program

Hip stability is one of the key components that ensures proper leg swing mechanics during normal walking, jogging or sprinting. Don't care about sprinting? That's cool, but maybe you're one of those people who's always complaining about tight hip flexors. Do some single-leg training, build up your gluteus and learn how to achieve stability on one leg.

This doesn't mean you have to start doing lunges straight away from day 1 - start with split squats and work your way up (see the lunge progression above).

Include push-ups in your supportive training

I know, I know, you train flying movements, incline bench presses and even on the Hammer Strength machine. But the truth is, you may still have a weak serratus anterior.

The serratus is mainly responsible for protraction and upward rotation of the shoulder blades. However, in most variations of the bench press, the shoulder blades typically remain fixed on the bench to keep your shoulders in the most biomechanically advantageous position. While this is excellent for shoulder health, it's not so great when it comes to activating the serratus.

Push-ups, however, give you the best of both worlds as they allow the shoulder blades to move around the chest while the exerciser pushes up concentrically. You don't have to use the same old classic push-ups that everyone else is using - use bands, chains, repetition pyramids, tempo training or isometric holds to add some variety to your workout.

3. intensity first and volume second

If you want to build an impressive body and increase your athletic performance, then you need to consider a few different variables when structuring your set and repetition scheme.

If you're putting together your own training program with the goal of looking like Ronnie Coleman and moving like Barry Sanders, then you need to remember the following: stick to higher intensity exercises at the beginning of your training session when you're fresh and rested, and then transition to a more pump-oriented, bodybuilding-style workout during the second half of your training session.

Why? If you've read any of Brad Schoenfeld's work, you'll know that muscle hypertrophy can occur via 3 different mechanisms (1):

1. Mechanical tension - This is the most powerful mechanism when it comes to achieving muscle adaptations.
2. Muscle damage - This is a useful mechanism, but it is a bell curve, meaning that there is an optimal range, but you can overdo or underdo it.
3. Metabolic stress - An accumulation of metabolic waste products from specific energy systems that become active during training with weights: Hydrogen ions, lactate, phosphates, etc.

Schoenfeld notes in his research that there is something like a maximum stimulus threshold for stress-induced hypertrophy, above which metabolic factors become more important than a further increase in load.

What does this mean for exercisers like you and me? After an exerciser has accumulated a certain volume at a high intensity (80%+), the other two hypertrophy factors (especially metabolic stress) become more important.

So from a practical standpoint, you should not only manipulate sets and reps, but also shorten rest intervals and increase your training density (more work in a shorter period of time). By shortening rest intervals, you will increase the amount of blood that can build up in a specific muscle due to the mild ischemic effects of repetitive contractions. This contributes to a phenomenon known as muscle swelling, known as a pump among bodybuilders.

Studies have shown that muscle cell swelling induces a threat-based survival mechanism due to potential cell rupture (2). This results in the initiation of anabolic signals and a strengthening of the cell membrane to prevent damage during future intense training sessions.

Your body will always try to adapt and manipulating rest intervals, sets and repetitions will ensure that you are truly optimizing every factor of your training.

Practical applications

1. You need to build a foundation and get strong with the basics first before you can think about moving on to the big, "sexy" exercises that everyone wants to do.
2. The intricacies of planning a training program go far beyond sets and reps. To create the best possible training plan, you need to consider certain physiological and biomechanical factors.
3. Stick to more intense exercises at the beginning of your training sessions when you are fresh and rested, but transition to a more pump-oriented, bodybuilding-style workout during the second half of your training session.
4. Your body is always trying to adapt, which is why you should manipulate rest intervals, sets and reps to ensure you are optimizing every single factor of your workout.

Example program

Day 1 - Exercise A	Set
A1: Front squats	3,2	3,8
A2: Bench T-Spine Mobilization (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3w33f18MQvM)	5	4
B1: Romanian deadlift	3	8-12
B2: Half kneeling pallof presses	3	6 (per side)
C1: Dumbbell Step-Ups	3	3-10 (per leg)
C2: Rowing with supported chest	3	10-12
C3: Dumbbell hammer curls in front of the body	3	12 (per arm)
Day 2 - Exercise B	Sets
A1: Dumbbell incline bench press	6	4
A2: Latissimus stretch on the rack	3	5 (per side)
B1: Dumbbell row	4	8 (per arm)
B2: 3-D band pullapart	4	12
C1: Push-ups with chains	3	8-10
C2: Hip thrusts with bands	3	12-15
D1: Seated leg curls with rest	3	15-20
D2: Dumbbell farmer's carry	3	25 m

Day 3 - Exercise C	Set
A1: Sumo deadlift	8	2
A2: Lateral adductor mobilization	5	3 (per leg)
B1: Standing shoulder press	3	6
B2: Glute-Ham Raises	3	8
C1: Reverse lunges with dumbbells	3	12 (per leg)
C2: Physioball rollouts	3	10-12
C3: Dumbbell triceps press lying down	3	12-15

Simple and effective. Depending on your work capacity and recovery ability, this program could also be expanded to a 4-day-a-week plan.

Source: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/train-like-an-athlete-look-like-bodybuilder