Steve Maxwell – Barbell and Dumbbell Exercises

At my age , I’m not really interested in a body building per se, however, if I needed to put on some muscle fast, I would stick with the tried, true and proven exercises- the big three combos of size, power and strength. The first big three combo is heavy weighted chins, weighted dips and full barbell squats. The second ‘big three’ combo is the barbell or dumbbell bench press, the barbell or dumbbell bent over row and full barbell squats. The last is the squat, stiff legged deadlift and standing military press. Any of these simple routines will pack on plenty of size if you work, eat and rest. Medium rep sets of 5 to 8 reps works best for most people. One warm up set and three to four work sets. Ancillary movements can be added like standing calf work, neck harness, grip and forearm work and some ab work. But keep the workouts heavy, hard and brief. Thirty minutes two to three times per week should do it. Pack on the protein. On the off days, do joint mobility, walk a brisk 3 miles and stretch. Don’t eat so much that you get too fat. Stay with the program for three months. Try to add a little bit of weight to the bar (one and a quarter to two and a half pounds) each workout. Sleep at least 8 hours every night, drink plenty of water and rid yourself of all emotional stress.