There's nothing like a bad habit to ruin a perfectly good workout. I'm not talking about smoking, drinking, or even procrastination. (Though, of course, those would all qualify.) I'm talking about complacently repping in the same range--performing sets of the same number of reps week after week, month after month, and even year after year--and thus locking yourself into a perpetual growth plateau.

Repetitions are the workout variable to which your muscles adapt the fastest. So the longer you do a particular repetition range--say, 8-10 reps per exercise--the fewer muscle-growth benefits you'll derive as time goes by. Unfortunately, most guys are resistant to change, which affects most every aspect of their lives. (How else do you explain why a 60-year-old man puts on black dress socks to mow his lawn?)

And that "creature of habit" habit is a major obstacle to hardcore gains. Arizona State University researchers found that men who changed their repetitions each workout for four weeks boosted strength levels twice as much as guys who performed the same number of reps each session. In case you weren't aware: Greater strength equals heavier weights equals more muscle. You don't have to be an exercise scientist to get the gist of that relationship.

That's why I've created a workout plan that uses "undulating periodization," a fancy way of saying that it varies in repetition range from session to session. The beauty of this program is its simplicity. It's a four-day-a-week plan but includes only two separate workouts--one for your upper body and one for your lower body. So each week, you'll do the upper-body session one day, followed by the lower-body session the next. You'll then rest a day or two and repeat, doing the same exercises in the same order for each workout. The catch? You'll change the sets and reps. So even though you'll be doing the same exercises each time, you won't actually perform the same workout. That means better results, since varying your repetitions prevents your muscles from adapting as fast, keeping them guessing about how hard to work and forcing them to grow. The change of pace will make them bigger faster.

If it helps, don't think of it as "changing" to a new workout--consider it the natural evolution of your old one. Try it this month, and I bet you'll be converted once and for all.

Workout A

FREQUENCY: Do this workout two times per week for four weeks. Perform Workout A and Workout B on consecutive days, then rest a day or two and repeat.

HOW TO DO IT: Perform each pair of exercises (1A and 1B, 2A and 2B, etc.) as alternating sets, resting for 90 seconds between each until you've completed the prescribed number of sets. (See the training log, page 142, for the appropriate number of sets and reps for each workout; you'll do either 2-3 sets of 15 reps, or 5 sets of 5 reps.) So you'll do one set of 1A, rest 90 seconds, then do one set of 1B, and rest for another 90 seconds, and so on. After you've finished the prescribed number of sets, move on to 2A and 2B.

[1A] BENTOVER ROW

Target: Upper and Middle Back

* Keep your lower back arched and don't move your torso.

[1B] INCLINE PRESS

Target: Chest

* Set the incline bench at a 30-degree angle.

[2A] MIXED-GRIP CHINUP

Target: Lats, Core

* Grip the bar overhand with one hand, and underhand with the other (alternate each set).

[2B] ALTERNATING-DUMBBELL PUSH PRESS

Target: Shoulders

* Explosively straighten your legs as you push the weight overhead.

[3A] TRICEPS DIPS

Target: Triceps, Chest

* Keep your elbows tucked in close to your body.

[3B] STANDING REVERSE CURLS

Target: Forearms, Biceps

* Curl the weight as high as you can without moving your upper arms forward.

FREQUENCY: Do this workout two times per week for four weeks. Perform Workout A and Workout B on consecutive days, then rest a day or two and repeat.

HOW TO DO IT: Perform the first (1) and last (4) exercises as straight sets, doing all sets of the exercise before moving on to the next. (Rest 90 seconds between each set.) Perform each pair of exercises (2A and 2B, 3A and 3B) as alternating sets, resting for 90 seconds between each until you've completed the prescribed number of sets, (See the training log, page 142, for the appropriate number of sets and reps for each workout; you'll do either 2-3 sets of 15 reps, or 5 sets of 5 reps.) So you'll do one set of 2A, rest 90 seconds, then do one set of 2B, and rest for another 90 seconds, and so on. After you've finished the prescribed number of sets, move on to 3A and 3B.

[1] SINGLE-LEG GOOD MORNING/LUNGE

Target: Hamstrings, Hips, Quadriceps

* Raise your torso, then step backward into a lunge.

[2A] SNATCH-GRIP DEADLIFT

Target: Hips, Hamstrings

* Use a double-shoulder-width grip.

[2B] BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUAT

Target: Quadriceps

* Keep your torso as upright as possible.

[3A] FRONT SQUAT

Target: Quadriceps

* Keep your upper arms parallel with the floor for the entire move.

[3B] LATERAL LUNGE AND TOUCH

Target: Quadriceps

* Lower your hips as far as possible.

[4] SWISS-BALL CRUNCH TO PRESS

Target: Abs

* Curl your body as high as possible.

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