In this article I am going to share with you my personal workout schedule for building muscle which had helped me to gain over 16 pounds of lean muscle mass in less than 12 weeks. It is a very effective four day body-split workout routine. The best thing about this workout schedule is that the workouts aren't too long, yet they're highly effective.
Day 1, Monday - Chest and Triceps
1) Incline Bench Press - 4 Sets x 8-12 repetitions
2) Flat Bench Press - 4 sets 8-12 reperitions
3) Dumbbell Flyes - 4 sets x 12 repetitions
4) Skullcrushers - 4 sets x 12 repetitions
5) Tricep Pushdown - 4 sets x 12-15 repetitions
Day 2, Tuesday - Shoulders and Abs
1) Seated Dumbbell Press - 4 sets x 6-8 repetitions
2) Dumbbell Lateral Raise - 4 sets x 8-12 repetitions
3) Dumbbell Front Raise - 3 sets x 8 repetitions per hand
4) Various abdominal exercises for 20 minutes
Day 3, Thursday - Back and Biceps
1) Pull-ups - 3 sets x MAX. amount of repetitions
2) Bent-over Barbell Rows - 4 sets x 8-12 repetitions
3) Dumbbell Rows - 4 sets x 10-12 repetitions
4) Deadlifts - 4 sets x 6x8 repetitions
5) Preacher Curls - 4 sets x 12 repetitions
6) Alternating Dumbbell Curls - 3 sets x 6-8 repetitions per hand
Day 4, Friday - Legs
1) Barbell Squats - 4 sets x 8-12 repetitions
2) Leg Press - 4 sets x 12-15 repetitions
3) Leg Extensions - 4 sets x 12 repetitions
4) Lying Leg Curls - 4 sets x 8-12 repetitions
As you can see using this workout schedule you only train one large muscle group per workout. For new lifters this kind of approach to training is very effective, because you don't overtrain and large muscle groups get more time to recover. This eventually leads to quicker progress and improved muscle gains.