Designing a Total Body Weight Training Program

A total body weight training workout should encompass at least one exercise from each movement group. When designing a workout choose at least one exercise from each group for a total of six to nine exercises not including abdominal exercises. This type of workout will net the most gains for an athlete who is training on a two or three day per week weight schedule. As is with any thing in life the more effort, intensity, and plain old fashioned hard work you put into it, the better results you will see from it.

If you are doing just 6 exercises be sure to select one from the primary group in each movement category. Theses are the exercises that should net you the most gains in strength, flexibility, power, and coordination. If you choose to do more than 6 exercises in a workout, now go back through and begin to select from the secondary groups based specifically on your individual needs. For example if you need to develop low back strength choose from the center body category, if you have a weak leg choose a single leg exercise. Keep your workouts to about an hour in length; the positive effects of weightlifting quickly diminish after 60 minutes of intense lifting.

Set and Rep schemes

For the "quick lifts" rarely go over 5 reps The best results with these lifts are found when doing more sets with fewer reps. For the other lifts there are 1000 different theories from one set to temporary muscular failure to multiple sets, and pyramid systems. All of these theories work as long as they include progressive overload and hard work by the lifter. I'll give you the basics, and you know what I think because it is how you train here at UCR.
Definition/Endurance 3 sets 15-20 reps
Size/Weight Gain 3-5 sets 10-12 reps
Strength 4-6 sets 5-8 reps
Absolute Strength 4-10 sets 1-5 reps

Obviously sets and reps vary between exercises. I wouldn't recommend going for all out 1-rep maxes on single joint exercises such as leg curls and leg extensions. Also along with altering reps to work a certain component (i.e. endurance) you can also manipulate your rest interval between sets. For example if I want to train for anaerobic endurance I’d rather have the athlete perform 10 sets of 2 with 30 seconds rest between sets at 80% of their maximum than have them perform 3 sets of 15 reps.

Movement Areas and Exercises

1. Quick Lift: (Primary Group)
Examples: Power Clean, Power Snatch, Hang Clean, Hang Snatch, Squat Clean, Drop Snatch, Jerk, Push Jerk, Power Shrug, Hang Shrug, Clean Combo, High Pull
(Secondary Group)
Examples: Power Shrug, Push Press, Jump Squat, Plyos, High Pull, Combo Lifts, dumbbell Snatch, dumbbell Clean

2. Squatting: (Primary Group)
Examples: Back Squat, Front Squat, Lunge, Squat Clean, Clean Combo
(Secondary Group)
Examples: Overhead Squat, Step-ups, Walking Lunges, One Legged Squats, Single Leg Squats, Hack Squats, Squatting W/Awkward Objects, Split Squats, Leg Press
(Advanced Group-Plateau Breakers)
Examples: Bottom Position Squats, Pause Squats, Partials

3. Center Body Pulling: (Primary Group)
Examples: Power Shrug, Hang Shrug, RDL’s, Glute-Ham Raise, ReverseHypers, Good Mornings, High Pull, Dead Lift, Hyperextensions, DUMBBELL or Kettlebell Swings

4. Pressing: (Primary Group)
Examples: Push Press, Jerk, Push Jerk, Bench Press, Incline Bench, Military Press, Dips, and Dumbbell equivalents of the listed exercises
(Secondary Group)
Examples: One Armed DUMBBELL bench-military-incline-push press-jerk, Bumper Pushups, Pushups, Decline Bench, pressing on machines
(Advanced Group-Plateau Breakers)
Examples: Thick Bar Pressing, Bottom Position Bench, Lockouts

5. Upper Body Pulling: (Primary Group)
Examples: Chins, Lat Pulldowns, Bent Rows, DUMBBELL Bent Rows
(Secondary Group)
Examples: Seated Machine Rows, T-Bar Rows, Upright Rows, Thick Bar work

6. Rotational Work: (Primary Group)
Examples: Wrestlers Twist, Med Ball Throws, Windmill Press, Bent Press, Suit Case Dead Lifts,
Turkish Getups, Russian Twists.

7. Abdominals:
Examples: Med Ball Abs, Long Ball Throw, Cardinals, J-Hawks, Regular ABS, Russian twists, Scoops, Hanging Knee Raises, Hanging L’s, Crunches, Crunches w/twist. There are thousands of different abs.