12 Week Off-Season Classic Physique Bodybuilding Workout

Whether you’re an up and coming competitor in bodybuilding or a longtime fan, it’s been almost unanimously agreed that classic physique competitions and training have been a big hit.

The training and preparation for shoots or contests combined with the posing and presentation of the old-school champions has been appealing to many who follow fitness.

If you’re wanting to either make the most out of your next offseason or just want to train and develop your own classic look, then we have the plan for you.

This 12 week program will help you build muscle while also helping you develop or maintain those lines and symmetry that makes that look so popular.

What to Know About This Classic Workout

No workout should take you longer than 90 minutes and if you can keep your rest periods down, you can even do a couple of them in around an hour. 60-90 seconds of rest between sets should be enough. If you need 90, take them but try to cut that down by 5 seconds each week.

As for the split, everyone has their own schedules so it can be tough to make a one split fits all approach. Set your weekly training up as it fits you with these guidelines.

• No more than three training days in a row without taking one off.
• One of those days must be after leg day.

As for cardio, since this is the offseason you’re wanting to grow but you want to keep body fat gain to a minimum and cardio is good for heart health and your respiratory system. Perform 20-25 minutes of cardio three to four times a week. The style and intensity is up to you, your goals, and how you’re recovering.

Classic Physique Workout 1: Chest

The chest gets a lot of attention onstage because it is right above the abdominals. So when you are facing the judges or doing a photo shoot, you want the pecs to be big, full, and have that shelf like look. That’s why this workout starts with two incline movements.

The first one is your meat and potatoes movement, the incline barbell press. You’ll go heavy here so have a partner or spotter helping but remember the goal is to flex the chest and build that necessary mass. No maxing out with anything below six reps here.

Next will be an incline fly which should be at a lower angle than the press. This will make the upper pecs work harder while keeping delt recruitment at bay.

After that you have two machine movements. The goal is quality over quantity. Machines are great for isolation and safely performing reps. There’s never been a sanctioned pec-deck max out contest so weight is only a means to an end.

Classic Physique Workout 2: Back

When you turn around or if someone sees you from behind, you want that person to notice your width. If you have your shirt off you also want to showcase thickness. This workout starts with an emphasis on the width with pullups. Use an assistant or bands and decrease the help as the sets proceed until you use your bodyweight. If a pulldown is necessary, go ahead and do that.

One arm rows are next but you use a machine version so you can focus on holding the top of the rep and the stretch at the bottom safely. Pullovers are always a go to for lat development and the same can be said for the T-bar for thickness. The low back extension is so you can develop that Christmas tree in the lower back so the masterpiece is complete.

Classic Physique Workout 3: Hamstrings and Quadriceps

Ahh, leg day. You knew it was coming. The legs are the pillars or the foundation and if they aren’t well developed, then the entire physique is off. You’ll notice that the attention on this workout is only on the hamstrings and quads. If you do calves first, you don’t have your maximum energy for the hamstrings. If you do them last, you’ll be exhausted and may want to rush through them. So the work below the knee comes later.

When you start with the first movement, focus on the glutes at the top as well as the hamstrings. This will help you not only be stronger but make the most out of the exercise. You know how to do leg curls, right? Get them done and move on to quads.

Go heavy on those hack squats and leg presses. You should be pushing hard so you’re at the point of failure by the time you’re done. As for the extensions, slow and consistent movement from start to finish is what is important here. Go slow on the way up, flex those quads, slow on the way down. Repeat.

Classic Physique Workout 4: Shoulders and Abs

Remember when we covered width on back day. That width starts with the shoulders. So the side delts should be first. Lateral raises are always a winner to start a shoulder session but make sure you do them seated. Standing leads to you generating momentum and recruitment from other areas. We want the hard work of the free weights but the side delts need to do that work.

Rear delts are often an afterthought but for a classic physique look, they matter a lot. So there are two rear delt movements here. Do these slow and calculated like you did the leg extensions. You can’t see your rear delts working so you must feel them to know you did a good rep.

There is an overhead pressing movement but it’s at the end and on a Smith machine so you can use less weight and focus more on the front delts which ultimately makes them safer and less damaging to the shoulder joint.

Next up, we’ve got the abs. Leg raises help with that lower part of your core. The decline crunches should be done while holding a weight. They are muscles too and this could help them pop which is what you want when you hit that abs and thigh pose. Twisting rope crunches will emphasize the obliques as long as you take your time doing them.

Classic Physique Workout 5: Arms and Calves

You still need and want big arms but it isn’t only about the tape measurement. Shape and symmetry are just as important. Your biceps peak is genetic but you can still maximize the potential you have which is why these exercises are included. Focus on the squeeze and contraction at the top and feel the stretch at the bottom.

The triceps workout below allows you to hit all three heads of the muscles effectively. Pressdowns prepare the elbows and help with the horseshoe look. Lying tricep extensions are that classic mass builder. Finally, the single arm extension helps with that long head. Since this is offseason, go with a dumbbell but don’t take it super heavy.

Here is where we will take care of the calves as well. Yes, they’re after arms but it shouldn’t take that much energy to train them since they are smaller areas so you should be able to work the calves effectively.