Goal/focus; This program is aimed at muscle growth. For the novice weight lifter, strength gains will also be achieved.

Follow this process

1. Warm up on the treadmill for 3-4 minutes.
2. The first set of each exercise should only be 70 % of your working weight ( that is, sets 2 and 3). In the first set you are feeling your body out to make sure it is ready for the exercise.
3. Ensure you roll those areas that are tight at the end of the session, and go through a whole body stretch to reduce your chance of injury and maximize performance.
4. Complete the program 3 times per week, with a minimum of 48 hours rest between each workout.

Sidenote: A new exercise is introduced here (on the fitball). This is a core exercise. By strengthening your core, you will increase your ability to lift more in other exercises. Also, people with back and knee pain will often benefit from increasing their core strength (once they have learnt how to activate it).

The Program

Lay with your shoulder blades on a fitball. Keep your hips high and raise one foot an inch off the ground. Hold this for 2 seconds before putting it back down and doing the same with the other foot. Repeat this until you have done it 5 times for each foot. That is one set; complete three sets with 30 seconds rest in between.

For the following exercises, complete 3 sets of 10;

• Chest press machine
• Leg press machine
• Lat pull-down machine
• Back squats
• Bent-over barbell row
• Skull-crushers
• Then do 3 sets of 30-40 bicycle crunches.

It is beneficial to consider your long-term goals. If you wish to develop all aspects of your strength, from muscle endurance all the way through to power, click here to see a 6 month plan/guideline.