When and how you should train (either bodyweight exercises or weighted exercises)

Inspired by Mike Mentzer’s HIIT Workouts

Good Morning! I hope you are doing well & having a nice cup of tea! Since you have found this website, let me introduce you to myself. I have been a fitness enthusiast since I was 15 years old. It all started when I was in a boarding school located on the highway near Karachi. Back then, I was a gymnast & most of the workouts done were related to bodyweight & flexibility. When my primary education was completed, I shifted back to my hometown. It was then that I discovered a gym near my house, which was located in High School Number 2 in Shikarpur. There I met with the best coach and bodybuilding expert, Mr Abdul Wahab Kaghzi, who helped me a lot in my journey of fitness & diet.

What I’ve experienced is what discipline is and how it can be applied in your life. It’s not as difficult as you think it is. Dear reader, what you need to do is to make it your lifestyle! Before you do, identify your spare time. You don’t need to make a hectic schedule. What you need is a good & balanced plan which should maintain a balance with your life, work & hobbies. This whole article is about my experiences with Mike Mentzer’s HIIT Workouts. So bear with me, I definitely believe that it’ll be useful for you!

“The only one you can accurately compare yourself to is you.” Mike Mentzer

With this quote in mind, let us not forget that everyone’s anabolic system (muscle stimulus and development system) works subjectively! Some gain faster, and some with time and patience. What matters most is that you are giving your 100% and you’re not giving up!

When should you start to train? After resting enough (3 to 4 days), depending on your recovery and energy, you should start your workout again. Since weight training stimulates muscles, it also begins the breakdown cycle of the muscle fibers. It does not mean that you are getting injured after every workout, it simply means that you are getting in shape! For this reason, it is prudent to take a rest after your exercise session. It takes at least three days to recover from your workouts, so train hard, rest harder! (Little, 2026)

Here’s a table that shows how your exercise schedule should be, and that’s what I did when I conducted research on myself!

Here’s your workout schedule

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Push Pull Chest, Back, Arms, Abs & Cardio	Pilates & Kegel workouts 2 workouts for each section (4 workouts total)	Abs & cardio 4 Workouts for abs with cardio	Pilates & Kegel workouts Repeat 2 workouts for each section	Legs, Shoulders & Calves 5 workouts Abs & Cardio

To ensure that you have alternatives especially when the gyms are packed in rush hours, I have included alternative exercises so that your goals are achieved!

Remember to ensure slow and deliberate movement!

Here’s the workout plan which you must follow to get those gains!

The exercises you should do on Mondays Chest, Back & Arms, Push Pull & Abs (Weight Based Workouts)

Begin from the back workout first and then proceed to chest. As soon as your chest exercise is complete do your second back exercise. Once these major muscles are done you should train the secondary muscles which are used in these exercises, your biceps and triceps!

For weighted and bodyweight workouts draw sketches of exercises via tracing them!!!!

Monday Push-Pull: The Gym Version

CHEST	BACK
1- Bench Press/ Machine Chest Press	1- Neutral Grip Wide Pulldown/ Chest Supported Machine Rows/Dumbbells Rows 2- Underhanded Barbell Rows
BICEPS	TRICEPS
1- Dumbbell Curls	1- Skull Crusher 2-Overhead Triceps Extension (with a dumbbell)
CHEST	BACK
2-Dumbbell/Machine Fyles	3-Close Grip Palms Up Pulldown 4- Rope Pulldown
BICEPS	TRICEPS
2-Preacher Curls/Concentration Curls	3-Overhead Triceps Extension (with two hands & one dumbbell) 4-Close Griped Bench Press

Monday Push Pull : The Bodyweight Version

In weight based workouts you’ll need access to free weights, benches & machines. However, in body weight exercises you’ll only need an area of your liking such as your home or a park near your house. Secondly, you’ll need something elevated to hold to do pull-ups/chin-ups. To save you from the hassle of planning workouts I have designed it for you! It solely depends on your time, access, mood, likes and dislikes. What matters is that you’re doing any sort of weight-based training! Due to this reason there is HIIT based bodyweight training chart below & begin from the back exercise!

Monday: Push Pull Bodyweight Workout Plan

CHEST	BACK
1- Pushups	1- Pullups
BICEPS	TRICEPS
1- Palms Up Pullups	1- Bodyweight Dips 2- Diamond Pushups
CHEST	BACK
2-Wide Grip Pushups	2-Pull Ups
BICEPS	TRICEPS
2-Palms Up Pullups	3- Bodyweight Dips 4- Diamond Pushups
Forearms	1- Hang on the pullup equipment for up to 5-10 minutes

As I have written above the table I will repeat it once again, when you begin your workout, begin from the first back exercise and then hit your chest. Once you have hit the chest finish your major muscle workout with the second back exercise given in the chart. Once they’re done hit your biceps, triceps & forearms by starting from the first triceps exercise like you did with the back and then biceps exercise in the middle and lastly your finisher workout which is your triceps along with forearms holds.

The exercises you should do on Fridays Shoulders, Legs & Abs

Fridays: Legs & Shoulders Weight Based Workouts

For calves exercises you can do either standing calf raises or seated calf raises, both variants are effective. Whatever fulfills the needs of the calves do either!

Fridays: Legs & Shoulders: The Body Weight Variant

Don’t worry I have got your back when it comes to body weight workouts. Remember fellow reader, when it comes to need, necessity and your desire to stay fit, the biggest driver to achieve the outcome is to make it your “Ikigai” (the purpose of life)!

Legs	Shoulders
1- Squats	1- Pike Pushups
2- Lunges/Walking Lunges	2-Handstand Pushups (wall supported)
Next Friday	Next Friday
3- Hip Bridges	3- Dips
4- Jefferson Curls	4- Decline Pushups
Next Friday	Next Friday
5- Sides Lunges	5- Bird Dogs
6- Deep Squats	6- Shrugs
7- Calf Raises	7- Neck Raises

Number Of Reps Required For Major Muscles

Since you are proceeding with your exercise with slow and deliberate movements and you are a beginner let’s not get into number of sets! One set of each exercise with slow and deliberate movements are more efficient compared to 3 sets of exhaustions with fast movement. I have seen people giving time and exhausting themselves unnecessarily doing three to four sets with volume and they don’t get much out of it. When you rest enough, only then you recover from your workout and develop muscles.

1- Chest: 15 reps	3- Back: 15 reps
2- Triceps: 15 reps	4- Biceps: 15 reps
3- Shoulders: 15 reps	5- Legs: 20 reps (muscle section is big)

The Abdominal (Abs) Exercises

Since you have read till here, I am surprised that there are people who still love to read! especially about achieving their fitness goals and learning new ways to stay fit! This article will remain incomplete without the discussion on “how to train abs”. Since core is what maintains the equilibrium of upper and lower body, it is very important for you to work it out from every angle, let it be upper abs, lower abs or the torsos (obliques). Since the diagram contains scientific observations, to make things easier to understand I’ll use simple terms. Since most of you would be occupied in your work life balance’s management Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays are when you should train your abs. If you are beginner start from small and slow movements, because slow and steady wins the race!

When to train your rectus abdominis muscles & how?

What I prefer to do is that I train my abs right after I get done with my major muscle workouts and on Wednesdays. as for Tuesdays & Thursdays, I simply do cardio, Pilates and Kegel workouts. Therefore, I know that it will be effective this way since it builds a sequential flow & this is how your workout chart should be!

List of Abs Exercises & Training Chart

For greater Rectus Abdominus (Abs) it is advised to always do bodyweight exercises!

WORKOUTS FOR TARGETING UPPER ABS	WORKOUTS FOR OBLIQUES	WORKOUTS FOR LOWER ABS
1- Half Crunches	1- Standing Side Crunches	1- Leg Raises (Inverted)
2- Full Crunches	2- Dead Bugs	2- Knee Raises
3- Floor Crunches	3- Bicycle Crunches	3- Leg Raises
4-Frog Crunches	4-Standing Alternative Crunches	4- Bent Over Knee To Elbow Crunches

Your total abs exercises are 12 but you must do three exercises each week until you adapt. As for the reps, stick to 10 to 15 reps per exercise and no 3 sets are needed just do as its stated until you adapt. Increase 10 to 8 reps every month for abs exercises until you reach 50 reps per each abs exercise as stated in the table.

Abs Workout Schedule Chart

Monday	Wednesday	Friday
1- Half Crunches	1- Full Crunches/Floor Crunches	1- Frog Crunches
2- Standing Side Crunches	2- Dead Bugs	2- Bicycle Crunches
3- Inverted Leg Raises	3- Leg Raises	3- Knee Raises
	4- Bent over Knee to Elbow Crunches
Sets Count	Reps Required	Motion Needed
1 Superset	10-15 Reps	Deliberate & Slow

Ensure that you’re targeting different sections of each muscle group every week & increase 10 to 8 reps each month till you reach 50 reps per exercise for abdominal muscles!

The Diet Intake Radius & Sets Dilemma.

Since you have seen the workout tables & the diet chart below, you’re probably wondering why there are gaps of three days after training major muscles? Why there aren’t three sets? Since three sets ensure gains and muscle development! Muscles require higher protein intake to develop and to ensure it one needs higher protein intake, why the radius of carbohydrate intake is high?

The answer is simple, for protein synthesis, it is necessary that you take more carbs along with protein because they’re what fuel your energies. Due to this reason the protein synthesis process will conduct in your body due to chemical synchronization. It will be consumed usefully & it won’t be stored in your body as fats! Remember this, love handles and the belly fats are hard to burn. It’s hard but not impossible!

Source of nutrition	Their caloric percentage & radius
Carbohydrates	65%
Protein	35%
Fats	15%

Since diet is a very subjective matter it’s better that you consult a dietitian because you can be allergic to something or perhaps anything. So therefore, eat healthy and document your macros always!

THE CONCLUDING FACTOR

In weight based workouts you’ll need access to free weights, benches & machines however in body weight exercises you’ll only need an area of your liking such as your home or a park near your house. However, you’ll need something elevated to do pull-ups/chin-ups. To save you from the hassle of planning workouts I have designed it for you! Lastly, since diet is very subjective matter it’s better that you consult a dietitian because you can be allergic to something as I have mentioned it again! Eat healthy and document your macros always!

When it comes to your last act, turn your back against the audience to build momentum!

In conclusion, if you’re tied up with life and your responsibilities but you want to stay fit, this article & HIIT workouts are just for you! Let it be body weight workouts or weight based workouts, it’s very important that you should do it! Cardio is not the only solution to stay fit there are many ways, soon in my next blog we’ll discuss it too!

Thank you for reading. Stay fit with purpose.