Before we begin:
If you haven’t already done it, I highly recommend that before you continue reading this page, you first check out my article on “A Beginners Guide to Bodybuilding“.
The 18-30 years old age range
There’s a reason to why nearly all of the most extreme physical and mentally demanding sport athletes such as F1 Drivers and American Football players are 18-30 years old.
At this age your body is working at its peak performance. Even if your current physique and fitness level are not being reflective of such yet, you have the potential within you to achieve some amazing feats a lot more easily than others. At this age, your body and mind can be taken to their maximum level. For example, brain processing power peaks at age 18, strength peaks at age 25 and bone mass density peaks at age 30.
Therefore, the routine within this article has been specifically developed in accordance with your age and although it will intensive, it will not leave you overtrained like most mainstream websites’ routines. You can read my own personal experience with one of them back when I had just started bodybuilding when I was 14 years old here.
With that out of the way and since these program series have been designed to go straight to the point, let’s do just that.
Beginner’s Straight-to-the-Point Workout Routine (18-30 Years Old)
Monday
| Exercise | Sets+Reps | Target Muscles | Notes |
| Dumbbell Fly/Standing Cable Fly | 3×10 | Direct: Chest Indirect: Arms, Triceps, Shoulders | Great warm-up exercise |
| Bench Press | 3×5 | Direct: Chest Indirect: Triceps, Shoulders | Go heavy but not crazy |
| Dumbbell Fly/Standing Incline Cable Fly | 3×10-12 | Direct: Chest Indirect: Arms, Triceps, Shoulders | Amazing exercise for quickly developing muscle memory |
| Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise | 3×10-12 | Direct: Shoulders Indirect: Arms | – |
| Tricep Bar Pushdown | 3×10-12 | Direct: Triceps | Easier on elbow joints when compared to rope pushdowns |
| Standing Tricep Overhead Extension | 3×10-12 | Direct: Triceps | Careful with form |
| Dumbbell/Barbell/Weight Plate Shrugs | 3×10-12 | Direct: Traps Indirect: Back | Focus on holding the stretch, don’t let go off the tension |
Tuesday
| Exercise | Sets+Reps | Target Muscles | Notes |
| Pull-ups | 3×10-12 | Direct: Back Indirect: Arms | Warm-up |
| Dumbbell/Barbell Row | 3×10-12 | Direct: Back Indirect: Arms, Shoulders | Careful with form |
| Seated Back Row | 3×6-8 | Direct: Back Indirect: Arms | Go heavy but not crazy |
| Standing/Seated Dumbbell Back Fly | 3×10 | Direct: Back Indirect: Shoulders | Be sure that form is correct and that you are hitting the back muscles, rather than shoulders |
| Face-pulls | 3×12 | Direct: Rear Deltoids Indirect: Back | Definitely do not go heavy on these. Focus on perfect form instead. |
| Dumbbell Hammer Curls | 3×10-12 | Direct: Biceps Indirect: Forearms | Great exercise for building up your forearms |
| Incline Bench Single Arm Preacher Curls | 3×10-12 | Direct: Biceps Indirect: Forearms | Great when compared to other bicep exercises as it avoids putting pressure on the elbow joint. |
Wednesday
| Exercise | Sets+Reps | Target Muscles | Notes |
| Leg Extensions | 3×10-12 | Direct: Quads | – |
| Leg Curl | 3×10-12 | Direct: Hamstrings Indirect: Calfs | – |
| Leg Press | 3×6-10 | Direct: Glutes Indirect: Overall Legs | Go heavy but not too crazy |
| Squats | 3×8-10 | Direct: Glutes, Hamstrings, Quads | You should be pretty tired at this point so try to go a bit heavy but within reason |
| Dumbbell/Weight Plate Standing Calf Rises | 3×12 | Direct: Calfs | Slow motion and focus on holding the stretch at the top |
Thursday – (optional but recommended)
| Exercise | Sets+Reps |
| Hanging Leg Raise (switching to hanging knee raise if too difficult) | 3×15 |
| Ab Crunch (if machine available) or Normal Ab Crunch | 3×10-15 |
| Leg Raises | 3×10-15 |
| Plank (aim for a 30 seconds hold) | 3 |
Friday
| Exercise | Sets+Reps | Target Muscles | Notes |
| Squats | 3×10-12 | Direct: Quads | – |
| Bench Press | 3×10-12 | Direct: Chest Indirect: Arms, Shoulders | – |
| Barbell Shoulders Press | 3×8 | Direct: Shoulders Indirect: Arms, Back, Traps | Careful with form |
| Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise | 3×10 | Direct: Shoulders Indirect: Arms | – |
| Shrugs | 3×8-10 | Direct: Traps Indirect: Back | – |
My Goal Physique 