5-day Intermediate Balanced Workout with 2-day HIIT

Plan Details

The 5-day Intermediate Balanced Workout with 2-day HIIT routine by robertosborne is a 5 day workout plan. It is a intermediate level plan to achieve general fitness goals.

Plan Description

Can be used on both cut and bulk cycles - for bulk reduce HIIT to Thursdays only. This is a balanced... Read More

Can be used on both cut and bulk cycles - for bulk reduce HIIT to Thursdays only. This is a balanced workout routine that can be tweaked to focus on weaker lifts, or target areas for improvement. Low-rep barbell exercises ensure that users will continue to build a reasonable amount of strength and refine their technique, whilst higher-rep exercises will add hypertrophy for those looking to gain mass. Aim to increase the weight once a week for low-rep Barbell lifts, and once per fortnight for 8 - 10 rep exercises. Once progress stalls, users should increase their caloric intake and extend rest timers. For lifters on a cut, aim to keep the weight the same for the designated number of reps before reducing your load. After your cut has finished, slowly increase calories in accordance with your lifts to avoid gaining fat and make up for any lost strength/muscle, which should be minimal if diet is taken care of properly. Monday's Elliptical session should be performed at the end of the workout for 25 minutes, aiming to keep heart rate between 60 - 80%. For beginners (<12 months), or those training around lower body injuries, it would be best to substitute Thursday's sprints with a second Elliptical session until a sufficient level of lower body strength has been attained. This is to avoid overtraining in newer lifters and prevent injury, whilst still improving VO2 capacity and cardiovascular function. Sprints should be performed on an incline of 12.5% and last around 20 seconds at top speed, resting until breathing returns to normal before repeating. Total duration should last no longer than 35 minutes per session after a 10 minute warmup. Over the weeks, users will be able to recover quicker and thus perform more sprints per workout. When recovery takes less than a minute, increase top speed slightly. Safest way to do this is by increasing the speed to an appropriate level whilst the user is ON the treadmill, sprinting for 20 seconds, then jumping off onto the sides of the treadmill before reducing the speed back to 0. Get back on the track to rest ONLY when the treadmill has completely stopped to avoid injury. It's best to practice on lower speeds so that users can fully gauge themselves before attempting their first session. The 12.5% incline will reduce stress on the joints as it demands more from the hamstrings, allowing for better skeletal recovery from the squat and deadlift. It is important to note that weekends should be considered 'rest days', and for lifters inside their first year of training it may be necessary to replace Thursday's treadmill sprints with a less intense alternative, or take the day off altogether.