Cory's Six Day Bodybuilding Workout Routine

Submitted by admin on October 26, 2011 - 5:38pm

Philosophy. Never use physical exercise as a direct means of mentally managing your body weight (body composition) and especially body fat (adipose tissue). That is best achieved through optimum nutrition. Consume a whole food diet compatible with your genome and learn to manage your intake of macronutrients (fats, carbs and proteins).

The function of controlled exercise is to optimize form and function, improve resistance to stress and create an outstanding level of complete physical fitness including muscle strength, muscle endurance, aerobic capacity, flexibility and balance.

Six-Day Split Exercise Regime

This routine is excellent for building muscle and developing a lean symmetrical physique. It fills in the gaps leaving no stone unturned. I followed this system for one year prior to competing in the INBA Natural Olympia and it helped me win a silver medal in Greece at age 50.

Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6
Warm-Up	Warm-Up	Warm-Up	Warm-Up	Warm-Up	Warm-Up
Chest	Back	Arms	Legs	Shoulders	Traps & Calves
Abs	Lower Back	Abs	Lower Back	Abs	Lower Back
Cardio	Cardio	Cardio	Cardio	Cardio	Cardio
Stretch	Stretch	Stretch	Stretch	Stretch	Stretch
Tan	Tan	Tan	Tan	Tan	Tan

Sample Workout Protocol

DAY ONE (Chest)

WARM-UP

Light Body Stretch/Loosen Up Joints
Rotate Neck, Arms, Shoulders, Trunk, Knees & Ankles
Standing Front Twist with 6' wooden bar (100 reps)
Rotator Cuff Cable Extensions (4 x 25 reps)
10-minute cardio (Recumbent Life Cycle) read health/fitness literature

CHEST

Barbell Bench Press (medium grip) - 2 sets x 3-6 reps
Incline Dumbbell Press - 2 sets x 6-8 reps
15° Incline Dumbbell Flyes (emphasize stretch) - 2 sets x 6-8 reps
Cable Crossover Flyes - 2 sets x 8-12 reps

CORE TRAINING - ABDOMINALS

Hanging Knee Raise (underhand grip on the chinning bar, bend arms at elbows slightly, raise knees above head through arms) - 1 set x 20 reps
Horizontal Floor Ab Crunch (completely exhale & hold each "crunch" for a count of 1-2-3-4-5 or 3 seconds) - 1 set x 20 reps
Side Crunch (completely exhale & hold each "crunch" for 3 seconds) - 2 sets x 12 reps
Free-style Alternating "bicycle" Crunch (smooth rhythmic motion) - 1 set x 200 reps

CARDIO

20 minute Incline Treadmill (walk at moderate pace [65% of V02 max] & read health/fitness literature)

STRETCH

Emphasize primary joints and lower back (hold each stretch for 20-30 seconds) breathe out deeply through mouth as you go into the stretch, nose breathe lightly during stretch

TAN

Natural Hawaiian Sun or 8-10 minutes light to moderate intensity tanning bed (compensation for insufficient exposure to light, never burn, stay well hydrated, always saturate blood with primary antioxidants before & after session, apply fresh aloe gel to skin afterwards)

DAY TWO (Back) WARM-UP

BACK

Barbell Deadlift (reverse grip) - 2 sets x 6 reps
Bent-over DB Rows - 2 sets x 10-12 reps
Close-Grip, Overhand Side-Grip Chin-Up (full range of motion) - 2 sets x 8-12 reps
Dumbbell Pullovers (body is perpendicular to bench, elbows bent slightly, good stretch, butt down) - 2 sets x 10-12 reps

CORE TRAINING - LOWER BACK

Stiff-legged BB Deadlift (slight bend in knees, stretch down to the top of in-step) - 2 sets x 6 reps

CARDIO

20 minute Incline Treadmill (walk at moderate pace [65% of V02 max] & read health/fitness literature)

STRETCH

Emphasize primary joints and lower back (hold each stretch for 20-30 seconds) breathe out deeply through mouth as you go into the stretch, nose breathe lightly during stretch

TAN

DAY THREE (Arms) WARM-UP

TRICEPS

Weighted Bar Dips (all the way down & all the way up) - 2 sets x 6 reps
Close-grip Lying Tricep Press (with e-z curl bar) - 2 sets x 6-8 reps

BICEPS

Standing Barbell Power Curl - 2 sets x 6 reps
Standing BB Scott Curl (90° angle bench) - 2 sets x 6-8 reps

FOREARMS

Standing Hammer Inside Dumbbell Curls (raise DB in front of chest) - 2 sets x 12 reps
Seated Close-Grip Barbell Wrist Curls (thumbs underneath BB) - 2 sets x 8-12 reps

CORE TRAINING - ABDOMINALS

Roman Chair Sit-Ups - 2 sets x 25 reps
Hanging Knee-Ups (arms straight, overhand grip) - 2 sets x 50 reps

CARDIO

20 minute Incline Treadmill (walk at moderate pace [65% of V02 max] & read health/fitness literature)

STRETCH

Emphasize primary joints and lower back (hold each stretch for 20-30 seconds) breathe out deeply through mouth as you go into the stretch, nose breathe lightly during stretch

TAN

DAY FOUR (Legs) WARM-UP

Light Body Stretch/Loosen Up Joints
Rotate Neck, Arms, Shoulders, Trunk, Knees & Ankles
Standing Front Twist with 6' wooden bar (100 reps)
Rotator Cuff Cable Extensions (4 x 25 reps)
10-minute cardio (Stair Master or Life Cycle) read health/fitness literature

THIGHS

Barbell Back Squat (feet straight, shoulder width apart, break parallel) - 2 sets x 6 reps
Barbell Smith Machine Back Squat (legs forward, shoulder width apart) - 2 sets x 12 reps
Thigh Extension (static contraction-hold at top for 3 seconds) - 2 sets x 6-8 reps

HAMSTRINGS

Leg Curls - 2 sets x 8-12 reps

CORE TRAINING - LOWER BACK

Good Mornings (knees slightly bent) - 2 sets x 6 reps

CARDIO

20 minute Incline Treadmill (walk at moderate pace [65% of V02 max] & read health/fitness literature)

STRETCH

Emphasize primary joints and lower back (hold each stretch for 20-30 seconds) breathe out deeply through mouth as you go into the stretch, nose breathe lightly during stretch

TAN

DAY FIVE (Shoulders) WARM-UP

SHOULDERS

Standing Overhead Barbell Front Press - 2 sets x 6 reps
Seated Overhead Dumbbell Front Press - 2 sets x 6-8 reps
Standing Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise (alternate each arm) - 2 sets x 8-12 reps
Bent-Over Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise (both arms) - 2 sets x 10-12 reps

CORE TRAINING - ABDOMINALS

Cable Side Chops (straight arms, pull up from bottom pulley) - 2 sets x 12 reps
Cable Side Chops (straight arms, pull down from upper pulley) - 2 sets x 12 reps

CARDIO

20 minute Incline Treadmill (walk at moderate pace [65% of V02 max] & read health/fitness literature)

STRETCH

Emphasize primary joints and lower back (hold each stretch for 20-30 seconds) breathe out deeply through mouth as you go into the stretch, nose breathe lightly during stretch

TAN

DAY SIX (Traps & Calves) WARM-UP

TRAPS

Barbell Power Cleans - 2 sets x 6 reps
Dumbbell Shrugs (hold contraction for 3 seconds in the “up” position) - 2 sets x 6-8 reps

CALVES

Seated Calf Raise - 2 sets x 6 reps
Standing Calf Raise - 2 sets x 12 reps

CORE TRAINING - LOWER BACK

BB Hyperextensions (hold contraction for 3 seconds) - 2 sets x 8-12 reps
Hyperextension Side Bends (alternate each side) - 2 sets x 25 reps

CARDIO

20 minute Incline Treadmill (walk at moderate pace [65% of V02 max] & read health/fitness literature)

STRETCH

Emphasize primary joints and lower back (hold each stretch for 20-30 seconds) breathe out deeply through mouth as you go into the stretch, nose breathe lightly during stretch

TAN

BASIC TRAINING PRINCIPLES

Train each body part once a week. Train six days in sequence, then rest one day.
On days off, go for a walk or perform some low-intensity leisure activity.
Train progressively, train with intensity. Log your strength gains. Challenge yourself.
Less is more. As strength increases, and as exercise performance and execution quality improves over time, it should take less volume of work to get the job done.
No sitting down between sets. Sip on a carbohydrate/electrolyte/vitamin C constantly. Stay well hydrated. Prepare the next exercise in advance while resting. Walk around, your body will recover faster.
Rest for 1-3 minutes between sets. Train for strength and power if size and muscularity is your goal. Manage carbs and/or fat intake to modify bodyfat.
Train with weights to build and/or maintain muscle, bone density and underlying ligament structure. Perform aerobic exercise to condition your heart and lungs. Stretch to maintain flexibility. Use nutrition to fuel your body and manage bodyfat - not training.
Exercise intensity and success is determined by repeated failure (oxymoron). Each set is carried to absolute momentary failure except by reason of safety, such as when benching without a spotter, or if you are working to hit specific rep numbers, in which case you DO NOT go beyond. The objective is to initiate damage in the target tissue in a controlled and progressive manner; to disrupt the inner cellular environment forcing the body to adapt and compensate by increasing the strength, size and/or number of muscle fibers (remodeling & hyperplasia).
After you elevate your body temperature by warming-up, perform several warm-up sets of the first resistance exercise scheduled for that particular day. Each warm-up set is an engram; a message sent to your brain that is stored and utilized as a reference regarding range of motion, technique and execution. Add weight and reduce the number of reps as you approach your two (2) primary work sets. Condition your mind and body for the approaching stress to minimize risk of injury and to maximize performance potential.
Ideally, train in the mornings when testosterone levels peak naturally. Work, family, fatigue or appointments seldom interrupt early morning workouts. Go to bed sooner and get up earlier. Start the day off in the right direction. Pump some blood through your veins and sweat. Stimulate your mind. Wet your appetite for excellence. Visualize success. Train early to create a post-workout thermogenic response for the next 12 hours. Jump start your metabolism, increase your mental acuity and create a demand for food. You'll be energized all day long!
Determine your progress and training results through assessment of strength parameters, a monthly or bi-monthly body composition test, a bi-annual fitness analysis and changes in your physical appearance (tape measures and mirrors don't lie).
Eat as hard as you train. Don't leave your diet to chance! Put as much effort into planning your meal strategy as you do your workout schedule. This is by far the hardest part and where the great majority fail, not because they are incapable but because they simply don't understand the importance of nutrition as a science. To be successful you have to overcome the monotony of training, eating and sleeping at the same time, in the same way DAY AFTER DAY!

Primary Compound Exercise Example: Day One CHEST

Barbell Bench Press	Weight	Repetitions
Warm-Up Set	45lbs (Olympic Bar)	12
Warm-Up Set	135lbs	6
Warm-Up Set	225lbs	3
First WORK Set	285lbs	6
Second WORK Set	285lbs	6

Category:

Fitness

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Cory's Six Day Bodybuilding Workout Routine

Six-Day Split Exercise Regime

Sample Workout Protocol

BASIC TRAINING PRINCIPLES