Over the past eighteen years of coaching, I’ve worked with lots of different people from pig farmers to millionaire businessmen. I’ve recorded every workout that I’ve ever written for a client and also the results that those programs provided. I decided to feature some of these programs in this article, which, hopefully, some of you will find useful.

Program #1

This was used by a female client who wanted to get into a bikini competition. She didn’t have any resistance training experience but had competed as a dancer for nine years at a top amateur level. We changed the program every three weeks or when I felt that she had milked the program dry. She was very successful and competes in bikini, reaching a top three position in a national competition.

Monday: Full Body

  1. Body weight squats, 2 warm-up sets of 12, 2 work sets of 25
  2. Glute-ham raises, 2 warm-up sets of 6, 2 work sets of 10
  3. Cable chest presses, 2 warm-up sets of 10, 2 work sets of 15
  4. Bent over dumbbell rows (using both arms at the same time), 2 warm-up sets of 12, 2 work sets of 15 reps
  5. Cable side raises, 1 warm-up set of 15, 2 work sets of 20
  6. Dumbbell standing triceps extensions, 1 warm-up set of 15, 2 work sets of 20
  7. Dumbbell Zottman curls, 1 warm-up set of 12, 1 work set of 20

glute ham raise agent x 040814

Ab training:

  1. Hanging knee raises, 3 sets of 20 reps
  2. Russian twists, 3 sets of 15 reps
  3. Planks, 3 sets of 40-second holds

Wednesday: Full Body

  1. Dumbbell step-ups, 2 warm-up sets of 12, 2 work sets of 20 reps
  2. Romanian deadlifts, 2 warm-up sets of 12, 2 work sets of 15 reps
  3. Dumbbell chest flys, 2 warm-up sets of 15, 2 work sets of 20 reps
  4. Cable rows, 2 warm-up sets of 12, 2 work sets of 15 reps
  5. Dumbbell standing shoulder presses, 2 warm-up sets of 8, 2 work sets of 10
  6. Close grip bench presses on Smith machine, 2 warm-up sets of 10, 2 work sets of 12
  7. Barbell curls, 1 warm-up set of 10, 1 work set of 12

Ab training:

  1. Reverse crunches, 3 sets of 15 reps
  2. Side planks, 3 sets of 60-second holds
  3. Hanging leg raises, 3 sets of 12 reps

juliacrunch 040914

Friday: Full Body

  1. Kettlebell squats, 2 warm-up sets of 10, 2 work sets of 20
  2. Glute-ham raises, 2 warm-up sets of 8, 2 work sets of 10 reps
  3. Swiss ball chest presses, 2 warm-up sets of 10, 2 work sets of 15 reps
  4. Plate loaded lat pull-downs, 2 warm-up sets of 10, 2 work sets of 12
  5. Barbell shoulder presses standing, 2 warm-up sets of 10, 2 work sets of 15
  6. Diamond push-ups, 2 warm-up sets of  10, 2 work sets of 15
  7. Dumbbell incline curls, 1 warm-up set of 10, 1 work set of 12

Ab training:

  1. Landmines, 3 sets of 25 reps
  2. Crunches, 3 sets of 20 reps
  3. Flutters, 3 sets of 15 reps

Program #2

This program was used by a male client of mine who had a background in powerlifting but wanted to compete in bodybuilding. He was fairly lean and was 245 pounds. After working with him, he dropped down to a competition weight of 210 pounds at 7 percent body fat. He has competed four times since and placed top three in all four competitions.

bench press agent x bodybuilder powerlifter 040914

Monday: Chest/Triceps

  1. Cable incline flys, 2 warm-up sets of 12, 1 work set of 20
  2. Barbell incline chest presses, 1–2 warm-up sets of 8, 1 set of 15, 1 set of 12, 1 set of 10, 1 set of 8, 1 set of 5
  3. Dumbbell kickbacks, 1 set of 20, 1 set of 15, 1 set of 12
  4. Rope push-downs, 1 set of 20, 1 set of 10, 1 set of 8

Giant Superset:

  1. Flat dumbbell presses, 1 set of 12, 1 set of 10, 1 set of 8
  2. Dumbbell pull-overs, 1 set of 20, 1 set of 15, 1 set of 12
  3. Weighted chest dips, 1 set of 10, 1 set of 8, 1 set of 6

fred duncan kb pull over agent x 040914

Tuesday: Legs

  1. Back squats, 2 warm-up sets of 8, 1 set of 20, 1 set of 15, 1 set of 12, 1 set of 10
  2. Hack squats, 1 set of 20, 1 set of 15, 1 set of 8
  3. Leg presses, 1 set of 8, 1 set of 6
  4. Romanian deadlifts, 1 set of 20, 1 set of 15, 1 set of 12
  5. Single leg ham curls, 1 set of 30, 1 set of 10

Thursday: Back/Biceps

  1. Deadlifts, 2 warm-up sets of 8, 2 work sets of 20 reps
  2. Plate loaded pull-downs, 2 warm-up sets of 10, 2 work sets of 12
  3. Dumbbell rows, 2 warm-up sets of 8, 2 work sets of 12
  4. Deadlifts, 2 work sets of 8 reps
  5. Dumbbell curls, 2 warm-up sets of 8, 2 work sets of 10

bicep curls fred duncan agent x 040914

Friday: Shoulders

  1. Wide grip upright rows, 2 warm-up sets of 15 reps, 2 work sets of 25 reps
  2. Cable side raises, 2 work sets of 10 reps
  3. Dumbbell shoulder presses, 2 warm-up sets of 10, 2 work sets of 12
  4. Cable front raises, 2 work sets of 8 reps
  5. Cable rear delt raises, 1 warm-up set of 20, 1 work set of 20

Program #3

This program was used by a male, aged 43. He hadn’t exercised in a gym for many years. He worked a full-time, stressful job, was the father of three kids, and just wanted to look and feel better. After the twenty-week program, he was down 39 pounds and looked like a new man. He also had better blood pressure and his cholesterol was down, too.

Monday: Back/Biceps

  1. Pull-ups/chin-ups, 4 sets of max reps
  2. Deadlifts, 2 warm-up sets of 8 reps, 1 set of 8, 1 set of 6, 1 set of 5, 1 set of 3
  3. Dumbbell rows, 2 warm-ups of 10 reps, 2 work sets of 15 reps
  4. Preacher curls, 2 warm-up sets of 12, 2 work sets of 20

back squat legs agent x joe schillero 040914

Conditioning work:

One-mile jog on treadmill

Wednesday: Legs

  1. Back squats, 2 warm-up sets of 6, 1 set of 10,1 set of 8, 1 set of 6, 1 set of 20
  2. Romanian deadlifts, 2 warm-up sets of 15, 2 work sets of 20 reps
  3. Walking lunges, 2 work sets of 10 reps
  4. Glute-ham raises, 1 set to failure

Conditioning work:

  1. Skipping, 15 minutes
  2. Heavy bag, 15 minutes

dugdale dips agent x 040914

Friday: Chest/Shoulders/Triceps

  1. Barbell incline presses, 2 warm-up sets of 8, 1 set of 12, 1 set of 10, 1 set of 8, 1 set of 3
  2. Dips, 3 sets of max reps
  3. Barbell shoulder presses, 2 warm-up sets of 15, 2 work sets of 20 reps
  4. Dumbbell side raises, 2 warm-up sets of 10, 2 work sets of 15
  5. Overhead cable triceps extensions, 3 sets of 20 reps

Conditioning work:

  1. Farmers walk, 4 trips
  2. Keg carries, 4 trips
  3. Sprints, 3 sets of 50 meters

I’ve tried the programs above and have tested them on a few different clients. They’ve all had good results. I really enjoy working with non-bodybuilders as much as I like working with bodybuilders. The programs above are only one phase. However, I think that if they suit your goals, you should give them a try. As always, I’m available via email atifbbpro@outlook.com for any feedback or questions regarding my programs.