[MikeB]

MOVEMENTS FOR MUSCLE

Choose your exercises from the six major movement patterns on the next page. And by taking our recommendations that follow, you'll work all your muscles intensely while allowing plenty of recovery time for them to grow.

EXERCISE GROUPINGS

1. Horizontal Pushes: Upper-body exercises in which you move the weight away from your torso horizontally. (Imagine your torso is upright.)

Exercises:

* Any bench press or chest fly; dips

2. Horizontal Pulls: Upper-body exercises that require you to move the weight toward your torso horizontally

Exorcises:

* Any bent-over or seated row; dumbbell or machine reverse flys

3. Vertical Pushes: Upper-body exercises in which you move the weight vertically in relation to your torso

Exercises:

* Any type of shoulder press; lateral or front raise; upright row

4. Vertical Pulls: Upper-body exercises that require you to move the weight in a downward direction in relation to your upright torso

Exercises:

* Any pullup, pulldown, or pullover

5. Quad-dominants: Exercises in which your quadriceps are the primary mover Exercises:

* Any squat, lunge, or leg extension

6. Hip-dominants: Exercises in which your hamstrings and glutes are the primary movers

Exercises:

* Any type of deadlift or leg curl

BUILD A BETTER WORKOUT

Now that you understand how to group your exercises by movement patterns instead of body parts, the rest is easy. Simply use the guidelines below to structure your workout.

Practice organized lifting. To create an effective training split, divide your workout into two upper-body sessions and two lower-body sessions per week. For example, you might work your upper body on Monday and Thursday, and your lower body on Tuesday and Friday. In your first upper-body session, perform only horizontal-push and horizontal-pull movements; in the second upper-body session, do only vertical-push and vertical-pull movements. For your lower body, use quad-dominant exercises in your first workout and hip-dominant exercises in your second workout. This technique provides an ample amount of work for all your muscles while allowing more recovery time than body-part training.