Who doesn’t want to be big, strong and lean? The problem is, most workouts focus on only one of those goals at a time. A somewhat rare training strategy called 5-10-20 (Also known as a pyramid) allows you to train for strength on your first exercise (5 reps), muscle size on your second (10 reps) and muscle endurance and body-fat reduction on the third (20 reps).
By combining all three of these rep ranges in a single, fast workout, you’re able to work your muscles in three distinct ways, and switch in up in case you’ve fallen into a comfortable zone lately.
How you arrange your workout is vital to gaining muscle. The first component should be a compound exercise (done here with dumbbells because they’re more difficult to control and stabilize) using a weight with which you can complete just five reps.
The second move is also a compound exercise, but you do it from a different angle and with a different piece of equipment. If you used dumbbells in your first exercise, select a barbell or machine movement for your second.
The last exercise requires high reps, so the best choices are isolation (or single-joint) exercises. You can do this movement with dumbbells, but you get constant tension on the muscle if you choose cables or a machine.
You can use this type of training when you’re in a hurry or want to target a lagging body part, but as with most training programs, you should follow it for no more than about six weeks before making changes, so switching everything up once in a while is a great idea.
Beginner Chest Routine
Flat-Bench Dumbbell Press | Sets: 3 – Reps: 5
Incline Barbell Press | Sets: 3 – Reps: 10
Cable Crossover | Sets: 3 – Reps: 20
Advanced Chest Routine
Incline Dumbbell Press | Sets: 3 – Reps: 5
Smith Machine Decline Press | Sets: 3 – Reps: 10
Flat-Bench Cable Flyes | Sets: 3 – Reps: 20
* Please note, these set and rep schemes do not include an adequate warm-up set for each exercise. Also, make sure you choose a weight that allows you to reach muscle failure at the desired rep range, and no more.
By combining all three of these rep ranges in a single, fast workout, you’re able to work your muscles in three distinct ways, and switch in up in case you’ve fallen into a comfortable zone lately.
How you arrange your workout is vital to gaining muscle. The first component should be a compound exercise (done here with dumbbells because they’re more difficult to control and stabilize) using a weight with which you can complete just five reps.
The second move is also a compound exercise, but you do it from a different angle and with a different piece of equipment. If you used dumbbells in your first exercise, select a barbell or machine movement for your second.
The last exercise requires high reps, so the best choices are isolation (or single-joint) exercises. You can do this movement with dumbbells, but you get constant tension on the muscle if you choose cables or a machine.
You can use this type of training when you’re in a hurry or want to target a lagging body part, but as with most training programs, you should follow it for no more than about six weeks before making changes, so switching everything up once in a while is a great idea.
Beginner Chest Routine
Flat-Bench Dumbbell Press | Sets: 3 – Reps: 5
Incline Barbell Press | Sets: 3 – Reps: 10
Cable Crossover | Sets: 3 – Reps: 20
Advanced Chest Routine
Incline Dumbbell Press | Sets: 3 – Reps: 5
Smith Machine Decline Press | Sets: 3 – Reps: 10
Flat-Bench Cable Flyes | Sets: 3 – Reps: 20
* Please note, these set and rep schemes do not include an adequate warm-up set for each exercise. Also, make sure you choose a weight that allows you to reach muscle failure at the desired rep range, and no more.
