The MF body-part training program: all right, we hear you. Yes, you can actually grow new muscle by training old school and hitting one body part at a time. We'll show you how

Men's Fitness, Feb, 2008 by Jason Ferruggia

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You win. Despite the countless articles we've produced over the years pointing out the fallacies of body-part training, and the many alternatives we've recommended, most of you are still divvying up your workouts into "arm," "chest," "leg," "shoulder," and "back" days. So, rather than fight you on it any further, we're giving you a flawless body-part split that will allow you to train according to your instincts and still get great results.

Our body-part program is divided into three workout days: back and shoulders; chest and arms; and legs. However, the muscles you target on one particular day won't be worked on that day alone. For example, you'll work your shoulders directly in Workout I, and then you'll hit them indirectly in Workout II when you train your chest. Finally, you'll train them isometrically in Workout III (yes, just holding the bar along your rear delts during squats counts as shoulder training). Because the overall volume your shoulders will be exposed to in each session is fairly low, you can afford to train them more frequently, thereby providing three times the stimulus without risking overtraining.

The greatest advantage of body-part training is that you'll be able to use all your energy on one or two major muscle groups without having to leave something in the tank for other areas, which is often the case in full-body workouts or upper-/lower-body splits. Note: This workout was not designed for beginners or for trainees with less than a year's experience lifting. If you're fairly new to the gym, check out "The MF Beginner's Guide to Weight Training" on page 107.

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DIRECTIONS: BODY-PART TRAINING

FREQUENCY

Perform each workout (I, II, and III) once per week, resting at least a day after each session.

HOW TO DO IT

Perform the exercise pairs (marked A and B) as alternating sets, resting the prescribed amount of time between each set. (So you'll do one set of A, rest, then one set of B, rest again, and repeat for all the prescribed sets.) Perform the remaining exercises as straight sets, completing all sets for the exercise one after the other.

WEIGHT

Use the heaviest weight that allows you to complete all the prescribed repetitions for a given set.

WORKOUT I--BACK AND SHOULDER

1A CHINUP

Grab the bar with an underhand grip, just outside shoulder width. Allow your body to hang [1]. Pull your body up until your chin is over the bar, and squeeze your shoulder blades together [2]. Reverse the motion to return to the starting position. That's one rep.

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1B PUSH PRESS

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a heavy barbell at shoulder level. Dip your knees [1], and explosively straighten them again, generating enough momentum to help you press the bar straight overhead [2]. Lower the bar back to shoulder level. That's one rep.

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2A ONE-ARM DUMBBELL ROW

Grab a dumbbell in one hand, and rest your free hand and the same side's knee on a bench. Focus your eyes on the bench, letting your arm hang straight down [1]. Keeping your lower back in its natural arch, row the weight until it touches your side [2]. Reverse the motion to return to the starting position. That's one rep. Perform all your reps with one arm first, then switch arms. Complete two sets of 6-8 reps, then one set of 15-20 reps with momentum ("cheat" them up, but don't round your lower back forward).

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2B NEUTRAL-GRIP STANDING DUMBBELL PRESS

Hold a pair of dumbbells at shoulder level with your elbows pointed forward and close to your body--your palms should face each other [1]. Press the dumbbells straight overhead [2], and lower them to the starting position. That's one rep.

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3 BENTOVER HIGH-PULLEY ROW

Attach a rope handle to the top pulley of a cable station, and grab an end of it in each hand. Take a few steps back so that there's tension on the cable, and keeping your lower back in its natural arch, bend forward at the hips and crouch down until your torso is at about a 45-degree angle to the floor [1]. Begin pulling the rope toward you as if you were performing a cable pulldown, but as you pull, raise your torso up slightly and finish the movement by rowing the handle to an inch or two above your belly button [2]. The idea here is to combine a pulldown and rowing exercise into one fluid movement. Reverse the motion to return to the starting position. That's one rep.

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4 DEADLIFT

Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, your toes facing straight ahead. Squat down, and grab the bar with an outside-shoulder-width, palms-down grip [1]. Keeping your lower back in its natural arch, drive with your legs and push your hips forward, lifting the bar to hip height as you rise [2]. Reverse the motion to return the bar to the floor. That's one rep. You may also use a rack deadlift here. Simply place the bar on the pins of a power rack at knee height, and deadlift as normal from there. This variation places more emphasis on your back and less on your legs.