To maintain fitness and enhance your workout performance, it is crucial to incorporate various training methods into your exercise routine. For example, if your goal is to improve strength and endurance, it is essential to engage in exercises that promote muscle growth and include diverse approaches like circuit intervals and AMRAPs. Here, I have outlined five excellent workout routines that men can follow weekly to ensure they remain in shape and elevate their fitness levels.
Begin the week with a session focused on building strength in both your upper and lower body. Following this, engage in a muscle-building workout that involves high-repetition sets to encourage muscle hypertrophy. Additionally, I have compiled some enjoyable yet effective workout plans that incorporate circuit intervals and AMRAPs to maintain your interest and enhance functional strength and endurance. Conclude the week with a thorough core workout that not only helps in toning and sculpting your midsection but also allows for sufficient recovery before the next week’s training sessions.
Continue reading to discover the top five workout routines that men should incorporate into their weekly fitness regimen. Once you have gone through these, do not forget to check out our guide on 10 Daily Bodyweight Exercises that can help you stay youthful and fit.
Workout #1: Strength Workouts
These weekly workouts for men to stay fit kick off with some strength-based exercises. Regular strength training serves as a powerful weapon for staying fit by fostering the growth of new muscle mass, safeguarding existing muscle, boosting functional strength, and stimulating the secretion of vital hormones such as testosterone and growth hormone, thereby maximizing its impact.
1. Back Squats
Back squats reign supreme as the ultimate leg exercise, particularly for enhancing muscle size and strength in the lower body. Loading up the barbell facilitates substantial strength gains, making it the most efficient compound exercise for your legs. Back squats are highly effective for developing quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves, adductors, and core.
Begin by loading your weight and positioning your hands on a racked barbell just outside shoulder width. Next, step under the bar, squeeze your traps, and rest the barbell on your upper back. Afterward, step back from the squat rack, ensuring you’re standing firmly with your feet hip-width apart.
Once in position, brace your core, bend your knees, and descend into a squat, aiming for a 90-degree angle at your knees. As you reach the bottom of the squat, drive through your feet to stand back up, maintaining control throughout the movement. Repeat this process for the desired number of repetitions, and between sets, remember to rerack the barbell securely.
Complete three to five sets of five to eight reps with 120 seconds of rest between sets.
2. Pull-ups
Pull-ups are a true testament to upper-body strength. This is an excellent total-body exercise that hits on all the functional qualities in the gym that carry over to real life. The pull-up engages your core and upper body while focusing on your lats, rhomboids, traps, and delts.
Grab the pull-up bar with an overhand grip, shoulder-width apart, ensuring the arms are straight. Squeezing the lats, upper back, and arms, pull yourself up until your chest is at the bar. Lower yourself with control, keeping your lats, upper back, and arms tight until your arms are straight. If you don’t quite have the strength to perform a full range of motion pull-up, use controlled lowerings or snag some assistance from bands.
Complete three sets of five to eight reps with 90 seconds rest between sets. If using assisted pull-ups, bump the reps up to 8 to 12.
3. Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Dumbbell shoulder press variations are focused on developing strength and muscle mass in the shoulders, triceps, and core (if you focus on engaging your core). Using tempos (slowing down the reps) and pauses is a beneficial way to intensify the results.
Start by sitting on a bench with back support, and grip a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level, palms facing forward. Press the dumbbells overhead until your arms are straight, keeping your elbows slightly bent to avoid locking them. Lower the dumbbells back to shoulder height, and repeat for the desired reps.
Complete three sets of eight to 12 reps with 90 seconds of rest between sets.
Workout #2: Muscle-Building Workouts
Next up on this roundup of weekly workouts for men to stay fit, gear up for muscle-building moves. View hypertrophy training as the cornerstone of building fitness. By participating in sets and repetitions tailored for muscle growth, you’re nurturing the formation of a toned physique and preparing your body to take on increasingly challenging workouts as you advance in your fitness endeavors.
1. Bulgarian Split Squats
Bulgarian split squats are highly effective for developing muscle mass. They engage multiple lower-body muscle groups, promoting balanced strength development. Split squat variations also engage the stabilizing muscles of your legs and improve balance, which is crucial for maintaining functional fitness.
Place one foot on a bench or elevated surface behind you, and lower into a squat position. Keep your front knee aligned with your toes and your torso upright. Drive through your front heel to return to the starting position. Alternate legs, and add weights for extra intensity if desired.
Complete three sets of eight to 15 reps per side with 60 seconds of rest between sets.
2. Close-grip Dumbbell Pushups
While the dumbbell pushup doesn’t involve lifting weights, it provides an extended range of motion, developing lean muscle growth in the chest and shoulders. Additionally, it engages your abs and improves wrist stability. Opting for a close-grip stance emphasizes tricep activation.
Assume a traditional pushup position while gripping dumbbells shoulder-width apart. Lower your body by bending your elbows until your chest nearly touches the ground, then push back up to the starting position, fully extending your arms. Maintain a straight line from your head to your heels, and control your movements throughout.
Perform three rounds of eight to 15 reps with 90 seconds of rest between rounds.
Side note: Ensure you use dumbbells with flat surfaces, and avoid rounded ones when performing this exercise.
3. Incline Chest-supported Rows
The incline chest-supported dumbbell row is a top-notch workout for honing in on the upper-back muscles, specifically the lats, rhomboids, and rear deltoids. By positioning your chest against an incline bench, you stabilize your body and isolate the targeted muscles, minimizing the chance of using momentum to cheat. This setup facilitates a complete range of motion and ensures optimal muscle activation, fostering improved posture, strength, and muscular equilibrium in the upper body.
Position yourself face down on an incline bench. With a dumbbell in each hand and palms facing inward, pull the weights toward your ribcage while keeping your chest firmly against the bench and exhaling. Focus on squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement, then inhale as you lower the dumbbells back down in a controlled manner.
Complete three to four sets of eight to 15 reps with 90 seconds of rest between supersets.
Workout #3: Circuit Intervals
Like HIIT workouts, interval training involves alternating bursts of vigorous activity with longer rest intervals compared to high-intensity routines. These sessions introduce a refreshing diversity to your exercise routine, allowing you to handle heavier weights. This method seamlessly integrates cardiovascular advantages with building lean muscle mass and strength, providing a comprehensive fitness regimen.
For this workout, follow five rounds of 30 seconds of work and 30 seconds of rest between exercises. If necessary, allow yourself a two-minute break between each round to recover.
1. Barbell Deadlifts
Barbell deadlifts are a top pick for circuit interval training to sculpt your physique and boost functional strength. Deadlifts engage numerous muscle groups in one go, including the lower body, core, back, and arms. In addition, this exercise combines strength-building and calorie-burning to offer a potent solution for efficiently achieving your fitness goals.
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, and grip the barbell with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Keep your back straight, hinge at the hips, and lower the barbell towards the floor while keeping it close to your body. Push through your heels to lift the barbell to a standing position, engaging your glutes and hamstrings. Repeat for desired repetitions.
2. Dumbbell Push Presses
This explosive exercise leverages both lower and upper-body strength. By initiating the movement with a powerful leg drive out of the dip, you emphasize the “push” phase while your arms execute the pressing action with force. This exercise engages critical muscle groups, including the quads, glutes, shoulders, and triceps, making it an efficient option for sculpting your body quickly.
Position yourself with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height, palms facing inward. Squeeze your core, initiate a slight knee bend to create momentum, then explosively push your legs upward, driving through your feet to propel the dumbbells overhead. Simultaneously press the dumbbells upward, extending your arms until they are straight overhead. Your legs should provide the primary force, with your arms finishing the movement. Pause momentarily at the top position, then lower the dumbbells back down to shoulder height with control.
3. Box Step-ups
Box step-ups enhance lower-body strength and stability, focusing on the quads, hamstrings, and glutes. This versatile exercise provides numerous variations, allowing you to adjust box height, incorporate tempos or pauses, and try forward-facing or lateral movements to effectively target specific muscles. The unilateral nature and continuous motion elevate the intensity while adding dumbbells or kettlebells further amplifies the challenge.
To knock out reps of box step-ups, position yourself in front of a sturdy box that’s 12 to 20 inches in height. Next, lift one foot onto the box and push to stand tall. Finish each rep by driving the opposite knee up.
Workout #4: As Many Rounds As Possible (AMRAP)
The goal is to finish as many rounds as possible within the set time frame. Find a sustainable pace, yet maintain high-intensity efforts to rev up your metabolism, burn calories, and enhance fitness and strength.
Start by completing the prescribed reps for the first exercise, then transition immediately to the reps for the second exercise. Keep the momentum going to maximize your workout effectiveness.
Complete a 10 to 12-minute AMRAP. Bump the total time by two to three minutes each week.
1. Kettlebell Thrusters
The kettlebell thruster is an ideal option for a superset due to its compound nature, engaging multiple muscle groups. Combining a squat and an overhead press into one fluid movement maximizes efficiency, intensity, and functional strength while providing cardiovascular benefits.
Grasp a kettlebell with an overhand grip at shoulder level (front rack position), positioning your feet shoulder-width apart. Descend into a squat while maintaining a straight back and engaged core. As you rise from the squat, press the kettlebell overhead, extending your arms fully. Lower the kettlebell back to shoulder height as you descend into the next squat repetition. Ensure smooth, controlled transitions throughout.
Perform 10 to 15 reps.
2. Kettlebell High-pull
The kettlebell high-pull blends an explosive leg drive with a solid upward pull from the arms and upper back, resulting in a dynamic, powerful, and full-body engaging exercise. This is the perfect compliment for building your fitness engine in an AMRAP workout.
Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and placing a kettlebell between your feet. Bend your knees slightly, and hinge at your hips to grip the kettlebell. With explosive power, push with your legs while simultaneously pulling the kettlebell toward your chest. Drive your elbows upward and outward as you aim to bring the kettlebell to chest level. Briefly pause at the top of the movement, squeezing your shoulder blades together and maintaining core tightness. Lower the kettlebell back down under control to the starting position.
Complete 10 to 15 reps.
3. Kettlebell Swings
Kettlebell swings are an explosive exercise that power up your posterior chain, developing lean muscle mass in your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. Kettlebell swings are a great exercise to plug into an AMRAP workout due to their dynamic nature, ramping up the intensity.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, grasping a kettlebell while standing tall. Hinge at your hips, maintaining straight arms, then explosively drive your hips forward to swing the kettlebell to chest height, powered by momentum from your lower body. Return the kettlebell between your legs in the hinge position, and repeat the movement.
Perform 10 to 15 reps.
Workout #5: Core Training
These weekly workouts for men to stay fit wrap up with core training. It’s essential to activate your core in every workout, but dedicating time to target the abs specifically can be highly beneficial. These exercises focus on sculpting and defining your midsection, utilizing free weights to enhance and rebuild lean muscle mass in the core.
1. Dragonfly Crunches
Dragonfly crunches involve a powerful isometric contraction at the top of each repetition, transitioning into the benefits of eccentric muscle action as you lower toward the floor. This exercise effectively targets and strengthens your core, providing exceptional sculpting results.
Lie flat on your back on a mat or bench, extending your arms straight above your head and gripping a stable surface. Engage your core muscles as you lift your legs upward until they are perpendicular to the floor, ensuring they remain straight and together. With your abdominal muscles contracted, raise your hips slightly off the ground. Slowly lower your legs back toward the floor while maintaining control, feeling your body lengthen. Stop just before your feet touch the floor, then reverse the movement by lifting your legs back up to the starting position.
Complete three sets of five to eight reps with a five-second lowering each rep. Rest for 60 seconds between sets.
2. Weighted Side Planks
By targeting your obliques, this core workout becomes more effective and comprehensive. Introducing free weights intensifies the challenge, improving overall core strength and enhancing lateral stability simultaneously.
To perform weighted side planks, lie on your side with your legs straight, feet stacked, and your elbow under your shoulder. Hold a weight against your top hip, lift your hips, form a straight line, and engage your core. Hold, then lower your hips and repeat on each side for the desired reps or time.
Perform three rounds of 30 to 45-second holds with 60 seconds of rest.
3. Cable Pallof Presses
Cable Palloff presses are highly effective for sculpting the midsection, boosting core strength, and melting away love handles due to their unique ability to engage the entire core musculature. By resisting the rotational force of the cable, the core muscles, including the obliques and transverse abdominis, are forced to work hard to maintain stability and resist movement. This constant tension on the core muscles helps sculpt and define the midsection while improving overall core strength.
Start by attaching a single handle to a cable machine at chest height. Stand sideways to the machine, feet shoulder-width apart, and knees slightly bent. Grip the handle close to your chest with both hands, elbows bent at 90 degrees. Activate your core to stabilize your torso. Extend your arms ahead of you, pushing the handle away from your body. Hold this position briefly, ensuring your torso remains stable and your arms fully extended. Slowly bring the handle back to your chest, resisting the cable’s pull.
Complete three sets of 10 to 15 presses per side with 60 seconds of rest between sets.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the top 5 workouts men should do every week?
1. Weight Training
2. Cardiovascular Exercise
3. Core Workouts
4. Flexibility and Mobility Training
5. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
Weight training is essential for building muscle mass, increasing strength, and improving overall fitness levels. Men should incorporate exercises like squats, deadlifts, bench press, and rows into their weekly workout routine.
Cardiovascular exercise, such as running, cycling, or swimming, is important for keeping the heart and lungs healthy. Men should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio each week.
Strong core muscles are essential for stability and preventing injuries. Men should include exercises like planks, crunches, and leg raises in their weekly workout routine.
Flexibility and mobility training, such as yoga or stretching exercises, can help improve range of motion and prevent muscle stiffness. Men should aim to stretch for at least 10 minutes each day.
HIIT workouts are great for burning calories, improving cardiovascular health, and increasing endurance. Men should include HIIT sessions in their weekly routine for a quick and effective workout.
How many days a week should men workout?
Men should aim to workout at least 3-5 days per week, depending on their fitness goals and schedule. Consistency is key to seeing results, so finding a workout routine that can be maintained long-term is important.
Should men consult a fitness professional before starting a new workout routine?
It is always a good idea for men, especially those new to exercise or with specific health concerns, to consult a fitness professional before starting a new workout routine. A professional can help create a personalized plan that aligns with individual goals and ensures exercises are performed correctly to prevent injuries.
