While there are plenty of workouts available for advanced or beginner bodybuilders, sometimes it’s difficult to find a workout regimen for intermediate bodybuilders. An intermediate bodybuilder is one who may be ready to take it to the next level by increasing the number of days they lift each week and become a bit more serious about building muscle. Remember to eat right and get plenty of sleep in addition to lifting weights in order to get the best results possible.
Resistance and Cardio
Intermediate bodybuilders should focus on using mostly compound exercises—bench press, dead lifts and squats--with some isolation exercises in between. The bodybuilding experts at Bodybuilding.com put together an effective bodybuilding regimen for intermediate bodybuilders. This program consists of resistance training and approximately four days per week of cardio exercise—30 to 45 minutes per session. Here is the seven day workout schedule: Monday—chest/triceps, Tuesday—back/biceps, Wednesday—shoulders/traps, Thursday—thighs/calves/abs, Friday—chest/triceps, Saturday—back/biceps, Sunday—shoulders/traps. Each muscle should be targeted with two different exercises of about three sets each—eight to 12 repetitions per set. Make sure to rest for about two to three minutes between sets. After a few months, you can make slight changes in which exercises you do on each day to avoid hitting plateaus.
Four-Day-a-Week Workout
This intermediate bodybuilding workout uses a four-day-per-week lifting regimen to maximize training and resting periods. This is an eight-week plan that is slightly modified every two weeks in respect to rest time between sets and the actual exercises you should use. Weight lifting days are scheduled for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Each Monday and Thursday focuses on lower body exercises while Tuesday and Fridays target the upper body. The key to this workout plan is to do three to five sets and four to 12 repetitions per exercise. A typical workout would include mostly compound exercises, which work multiple muscles at once, such as bench presses and squats. Rest periods between sets should be one minute for weeks one and two, 90 seconds for weeks three and four, and two minutes for weeks five through eight. After eight weeks of training, take one week off for rest, and then begin the training regimen again.
Five-Day-a-Week Program
The weightlifting experts at Muscle and Strength have put together an effective intermediate bodybuilding program that is designed to shock your muscles into overcoming plateaus and taking it to the next level. This five-day-per-week lifting regimen hits each major muscle group twice per week. Monday is for chest/triceps/shoulders, Tuesday focuses on back/biceps, Wednesday is a heavy leg routine, Thursday again focuses on chest/triceps/shoulders and Friday targets back/biceps once again. You’ll want to target each muscle group with three to five exercises per session; perform three to four sets of eight to 12 repetitions for each exercise. Some examples of essential exercises you should use for working out each muscle includes bench press for chest, tricep extensions for triceps, dumbbell lateral raises for shoulders, lat pulldowns for lats/back, preacher curls for biceps, squats for legs, calf raises for calf muscles, and abdominal crunches for abs.
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