Sunday: Rest Every workout, add 5 lbs to the weight you lifted in the previous session. If you ever reach a plateau, reduce your weight by 10% and start slowly adding 5 lbs again until you break through it. That’s the basics of the program. I highly recommend that you to get a more comprehensive and detailed look at the workout. The ebook includes links to instructions on how to do the exercises, some nice spreadsheets you can use to track your progress, and other helpful info on how to get started with StrongLifts 5×5. Also, take some time to peruse for even more information. (I have zero affiliation with Medhi, by the way; this is honestly the program I use myself and have gotten good results from.) On the days I’m not doing the 5×5 program (Tuesdays and Thursdays), I do my cardio workouts: Tuesdays: Sprints or plyometrics. For my sprint workouts I go to the middle school football field near my house and mark off 40 yards with some cones. I’ll warm up with a jog around the footballfield with some dynamic warm-ups mixed in. I’ll then do 40 sets of full-out 40 yard sprints, resting about a minute between each sprint. I’m starting to add one sprint to every workout. This is High Intensity Training (HIT), which is super effective at boosting your aerobic capacity, lowering blood sugar levels, and burning fat. For my plyometrics workout I follow Thursdays: Long distance run (well, long distance for me). I usually do a 5k, and I use the NikeRun app to track my progress. I make sure my course has some challenging hills. Bodyweight Workout This bodyweight program is one I do sometimes when I can’t or don’t want to go to the gym. It works your entire body and can be done anywhere. The only equipment this routine requires is an that you can place in any doorframe and which doesn’t require you to drill any holes. Even if you plan on going to the gym regularly, buying an Iron Gym Pull-Up Bar is a great investment for any young man. Make it a policy to crank out a fewpull-ups each time you pass through the doorframe from which it hangs. Even if you can’t swing an Iron Gym bar, I’m sure you could find a tree branch or another bar that could be used for pull-ups. Or you can sub in a bodyweight row. Let show you how (he’s got great and bodyweight workouts on his site for more ideas too): This is a circuit program, meaning you do each of the exercises back-to-back without any rest. When you’ve completed all the exercises, you’ve completed one circuit. The exercises link to how-to videos for those who haven’t done them before. : 20 reps : 10 reps : 10 reps : 20 reps : 5 reps : 15 reps Do a ten minute warm-up first (jumping jacks, jump rope, jogging), and then complete each exercise back-to-back without resting. That’s a circuit. Rest for two minutes after completing a circuit and then start another one. Start with one circuit, and then add a circuit once you’re able to perform all the reps for all the exercises. Keep adding circuits until you cancomplete all the reps for all the exercises for five circuits. After that, start adding 1 rep to each exercise at each workout. Perform this workout every other day, three times a week. Here’s a suggested schedule: Monday: Bodyweight workout Tuesday: Sprints or plyometrics Wednesday: Bodyweight workout Thursday: 5K run Friday: Bodyweight workout Saturday: Rest Sunday: Rest Whatever workout program you choose, the key is to be consistent with it. Treat your workouts like an important doctor’s appointment. When you , block off a time each day for exercise. You should also look for ways to incorporate exercise into your everyday life – walk and bike to campus when you can, join an intramural team, play some pick-up games of ultimate Frisbee with your buds, and take a date on a bike ride. Establishing a habit of regular exercise – both at the gym and throughout your day — will reap enormous benefits for the rest of your life.   Tags: