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Exercises

Weight training for men: 14 lifts and a routine for your week

Published October 29, 2026

Weight training for men who want more muscle comes down to a handful of lifts done hard and often: the trap bar deadlift, hack squat and Bulgarian split squat for legs; dumbbell bench and incline presses and the seated dumbbell press for chest and shoulders; lat pulldowns, chest-supported rows and one-arm rows for the back; then lateral raises, curls and overhead triceps extensions. Pick the split that fits your week: two full-body days, three days if you are over 40 and rebuilding, or a four-day body part split. Aim for about 6 to 14 hard sets per muscle a week, more as your training days go up, with most sets ending 1 to 3 reps before failure.

  1. Trap Bar Deadlift Quads, Glutes
  2. Hack Squat Quads, Glutes
  3. Flat Dumbbell Press Chest
  4. Incline Dumbbell Press Chest
  5. Lat Pulldown Lats
  6. Chest-Supported Row Upper Back, Lats
  7. Dumbbell Shoulder Press Shoulders
  8. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift Hamstrings, Glutes

Legs and hips

One squat pattern, one hinge and one hamstring curl cover the lower body. The trap bar and hack squat let you load the legs heavily with your back upright, which keeps the weight on the muscles you are trying to grow.

Legs and back, hinge with handles at your sides

Trap Bar Deadlift

Quads, Glutes

Your hands sit at your sides inside the frame, so the weight stays over your midfoot and your back stays more upright than in a straight-bar pull. It is the heavy lift that all three plans keep.

How to do it

  1. Step inside the trap bar with the handles beside your feet.
  2. Push your hips back, bend your knees, and grip the handles.
  3. Flatten your back, take the slack out, and stand up by pushing the floor away.
  4. Lower under control. Each warm-up set adds weight toward your working sets.

Cues

  • Push the floor away
  • Flat back
  • Slack out before you pull

Common mistakes

  • Yanking the bar off the floor: pull the slack out first.
  • Rounding the back as the weight climbs: hold the ramp until the setup is solid.

Swap for: Barbell Deadlift, Romanian Deadlift, Kettlebell Deadlift

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Quads, machine squat

Hack Squat

Quads, Glutes

The sled guides the path and your back rests on the pad, so the only limit is your legs. Use it for sets of 8 to 12 where a barbell squat would wear on your back and hips.

How to do it

  1. Stand on the platform with your back against the pad and shoulders under the pads, feet shoulder-width.
  2. Unlock the safeties and sink down as deep as your knees and hips allow.
  3. Push through your whole foot to stand back up, stopping just short of locking your knees.

Cues

  • Knees travel forward over toes
  • Deep and slow

Common mistakes

  • Cutting depth as the set gets hard: keep the same depth on every rep, and reduce the weight if needed.

Swap for: Leg Press, Smith Squat, Barbell Back Squat

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Quads and glutes, one-leg squat

Bulgarian Split Squat

Quads, Glutes

Each leg works alone with the back foot on a bench, so a pair of moderate dumbbells is a hard set. It also shows up any difference between your two sides.

How to do it

  1. Set the top of your back foot on a bench and place your front foot a long stride ahead.
  2. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, and keep your front foot flat.
  3. Drop your back knee straight toward the floor until the front thigh is close to level.
  4. Press through the front foot to rise, then finish all reps before switching legs.

Cues

  • Go deep for the inner thigh
  • Front foot flat
  • Rear foot is just a kickstand

Common mistakes

  • Pushing up with the back leg: let it relax and make the front leg do the work.
  • Front knee collapsing inward: keep it pointed the same way as your toes.

Swap for: Dumbbell Split Squat, Step-Up, Reverse Lunge

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Hamstrings and glutes, hinge

Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

Hamstrings, Glutes

The Romanian deadlift loads the hamstrings at long length, where they grow best, with weights you can hold for 8 to 12 reps. It is the lighter hinge for the day after a heavy trap bar session.

How to do it

  1. Stand hip-width apart with a dumbbell in each hand resting against the front of your thighs, palms facing you.
  2. Push your hips straight back and let your torso fold forward, knees softly bent, the dumbbells brushing your legs.
  3. Lower until the dumbbells pass your knees and you feel a strong stretch in your hamstrings, with your back still flat.
  4. Drive your hips forward to stand back up, squeezing your glutes at the top, and repeat.

Cues

  • Hips back, not down
  • Dumbbells slide down your legs
  • Flat back, chin tucked

Common mistakes

  • Bending the knees into a squat so the dumbbells go lower: the depth comes from the hips, and most people stop just past the knees.
  • Rounding the lower back at the bottom: end the rep where your back stays flat, and lighten the load if that is high.

Swap for: Single-Leg RDL, Dumbbell Good Morning, Kettlebell Deadlift

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Hamstrings, knee flexion

Lying Leg Curl

Hamstrings

Squats and deadlifts barely bend the knee under load, which is the hamstrings' other job. Two or three sets of leg curls a week fill that gap.

How to do it

  1. Set the machine so your knees line up with the pivot point when you lie face down, and move the ankle pad to sit on your lower calves, just above your heels.
  2. Lie flat with your kneecaps hanging just past the end of the bench, hold the handles and press your hips into the pad.
  3. Bend your knees and pull the pad up in a smooth arc until your heels are as close to your glutes as the machine allows.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top without letting your hips lift off the bench.
  5. Lower the pad over about two seconds until your legs are almost straight, and start the next rep before the stack touches down.

Cues

  • Hips glued to the pad
  • Heels to glutes
  • Slow on the way down

Common mistakes

  • Lifting your hips as the weight gets heavy: your lower back takes over and the hamstrings do less. Drop the load until your hips stay down on every rep.
  • Stopping short at the bottom: that cuts out the part of the rep where your hamstrings are longest. Let your legs come back to almost straight before you curl again.
  • Swinging the pad up: a kick from the bottom hands the hardest part of the rep to momentum. Count two seconds down and start each rep from a dead stop.

Swap for: Seated Leg Curl, Nordic Hamstring Curl, Stability Ball Leg Curl

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Chest and shoulders

With dumbbells, each arm takes its own path and the hands can drop below the line of the chest. Pair a flat and an incline press for the chest, a seated press for the front delts, and lateral raises for the side delts that make the shoulders look broad.

Chest, dumbbell press

Flat Dumbbell Press

Chest

Dumbbells let you lower deeper than a bar and press each arm on its own, which suits men whose shoulders do not like a fixed bar path. It opens chest day in the four-day split and the first full-body day in the two-day plan.

How to do it

  1. Lying on a flat bench, hold two dumbbells above your chest.
  2. Lower the bells to the sides of your chest with elbows at about 45 degrees.
  3. Press them back up over your shoulders.

Cues

  • Shoulder blades pinched.
  • Control the lowering.

Common mistakes

  • Flaring the elbows straight out.

Swap for: Push-Up, Barbell Bench Press

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Upper chest and front delts, incline press

Incline Dumbbell Press

Chest

Tilting the bench to 30 degrees shifts the press toward the upper chest, which flat pressing leaves behind. Use it as the second chest lift, or the first on the day you train shoulders.

How to do it

  1. Set the backrest to about 30 to 45 degrees and sit with the dumbbells on your thighs.
  2. Lean back and bring the weights to the outside of your shoulders as your back meets the pad.
  3. Squeeze your shoulder blades back and keep your hips on the seat.
  4. Press up and slightly in until your arms are straight over your upper chest.
  5. Lower under control until your elbows are just below the bench line.

Cues

  • Low incline, not a shoulder press
  • Wrists stacked over elbows
  • Touch the stretch, then press

Common mistakes

  • Setting the bench steeper than about 45 degrees: the front delts take over. Drop it a notch if you mostly feel your shoulders.
  • Lifting your hips off the seat to finish a rep: that turns it back into a flat press.

Swap for: Single-Arm Incline Dumbbell Press, Incline Dumbbell Squeeze Press, Incline Barbell Bench Press

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Front delts and triceps, seated press

Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Shoulders

Sitting with back support lets you press heavy overhead without arching. Press with the elbows slightly in front of your body, not flared straight out.

How to do it

  1. Set a bench upright or one notch back from vertical, sit with your feet flat, and rest a dumbbell on each thigh.
  2. Kick one knee up at a time to bring the dumbbells to shoulder height, then set your back against the pad.
  3. Turn your elbows slightly forward so they sit a little in front of your torso, palms facing forward or angled in.
  4. Drive both weights overhead on a slight inward arc until your elbows are straight, keeping your ribs down and your back on the pad.
  5. Lower slowly until the dumbbells are around ear height or a bit below, then press again.

Cues

  • Ribs down, back on the pad
  • Elbows a little forward
  • Press up and slightly in

Common mistakes

  • Arching your lower back off the pad to finish reps: that turns it into an incline press, so lighten the weight and keep your ribs stacked over your hips.
  • Flaring the elbows straight out at shoulder height: bring them a little forward so the shoulder joint stays comfortable at the bottom.
  • Stopping each rep well above your ears: lower to around ear height so the delts work through a full range.

Swap for: Machine Shoulder Press, Arnold Press, Barbell Overhead Press

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Side delts, isolation

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Shoulders

The side delts set how wide your shoulders look, and presses barely train them. Light weights for 12 to 20 reps, taken close to failure, are what make them grow.

How to do it

  1. Pick light dumbbells you can raise for 12 clean reps, and stand with your feet hip width apart, the weights hanging by your thighs.
  2. Lean your chest forward a few degrees, pull your shoulders down away from your ears and soften your elbows.
  3. Sweep the weights out and slightly forward, leading with your elbows, until your upper arms are level with your shoulders.
  4. Hold that top position for a beat, then take two to three seconds to lower until the dumbbells are a hand's width from your thighs.
  5. Start the next rep from there without resting at the bottom or bouncing out of it.

Cues

  • Elbows lead, hands follow
  • Shoulders down, neck long
  • Push the weights out, not up

Common mistakes

  • Shrugging the weight up: if your shoulders rise toward your ears, drop to lighter dumbbells and stop each rep where your upper arm is level.
  • Swinging the torso to start each rep: brace, stand still and keep the first inch of the lift as slow as the rest.
  • Bending the elbows more and more as the set goes on: set the bend on rep one and keep it, or the lever shortens and the set gets easier without you noticing.

Swap for: Cable Lateral Raise, Machine Lateral Raise, Band Lateral Raise

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Back

Match every pressing set with a pulling set. One vertical pull and one row in each upper body or full-body session keep the back growing at the same rate as the chest.

Lats, vertical pull

Lat Pulldown

Lats

You can set the load below or above your bodyweight, so every man can train the pull-up pattern for sets of 8 to 12 from his first week.

How to do it

  1. Set the thigh pad so your legs are locked under it, then stand up and take the bar a little wider than your shoulders, palms forward.
  2. Sit down with your arms fully stretched overhead and lean back only slightly.
  3. Pull the bar to your upper chest by driving your elbows down toward your hips.
  4. Let the bar rise until your arms are straight and your shoulders lift toward your ears, then pull again.

Cues

  • Elbows to your back pockets
  • Bar to the top of the chest
  • Let the stack lift you at the top

Common mistakes

  • Leaning far back and rowing the bar to your stomach: stay nearly upright so it remains a vertical pull.
  • Stopping with the arms still bent at the top: the stretch overhead is half of what makes the pulldown work.

Swap for: Pull-Up, Neutral-Grip Lat Pulldown, Assisted Pull-Up

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Upper back and lats, machine row

Chest-Supported Row

Upper Back, Lats

With your chest on the pad, holding position costs nothing, so the upper back can be trained hard even on deadlift day. It is the row to choose when you are rebuilding after time off.

How to do it

  1. Set the seat so the handles are at chest height and rest your chest on the pad.
  2. Pull the handles back until your elbows pass your torso.
  3. Let the handles return until your arms are straight and your shoulders reach forward.

Cues

  • Chest stays on the pad
  • Squeeze, then reach

Common mistakes

  • Lifting your chest off the pad to move more weight: the pad is there so your back can rest.

Swap for: Machine Row, Seated Cable Row, Incline Dumbbell Row

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Lats, one-arm row

One-Arm Dumbbell Row

Lats, Upper Back

With one hand braced on the bench, you can row a heavy dumbbell to your hip. It is the back exercise that needs only a dumbbell and a bench.

How to do it

  1. Put one hand and the same-side knee on a bench, or your hand on a chair seat with both feet on the floor, so your back is flat.
  2. Hold a dumbbell in the other hand with your arm hanging straight.
  3. Pull your elbow back toward your hip until the dumbbell reaches your ribs.
  4. Lower it until your arm is straight again, finish all reps, then switch sides.

Cues

  • Elbow to your hip
  • Back flat as a table
  • Full stretch at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Twisting your chest open to lift the dumbbell higher: keep both shoulders level.
  • Shrugging the shoulder up toward your ear: pull the elbow back, not the shoulder up.

Swap for: Band Bent-Over Row, Dumbbell Bent-Over Row, Seated Cable Row

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Arms

Presses and rows already train the arms. One curl and one triceps extension at the end of a session, 2 or 3 sets each, is the direct work most men need.

Biceps, two-arm curl

EZ-Bar Curl

Biceps

Curl it right after your rows on back day, when the biceps are warm but not spent. Two or three sets of 8 to 12 is all the direct biceps work these routines need.

How to do it

  1. Grip the angled parts of the bar with palms slightly turned in.
  2. Curl the bar toward your chest while the upper arms stay still.
  3. Lower until your arms are straight.

Cues

  • Upper arms still
  • Finish with straight arms

Common mistakes

  • Cutting the bottom short: every rep starts with straight elbows.

Swap for: Barbell Curl, Preacher Curl, Cable Curl

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Triceps long head, overhead extension

Overhead Cable Triceps Extension

Triceps

Your triceps are the bigger half of the upper arm, and the overhead position stretches the long head that presses barely reach. This one exercise covers the triceps work your presses miss.

How to do it

  1. Attach a rope to a high pulley, take an end in each hand and turn away from the machine.
  2. Step forward into a split stance with your hands behind your head and elbows pointing forward.
  3. Extend your elbows until your arms are straight out in front of your head.
  4. Let your hands return behind your head for a full stretch.

Cues

  • Upper arms stay high
  • Long stretch every rep
  • Brace your trunk

Common mistakes

  • Bringing your elbows down to push: keep them up and still.
  • Shortening the stretch as the set gets hard: reduce the weight instead.

Swap for: Seated Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension, EZ-Bar Skullcrusher, Kettlebell Overhead Triceps Extension

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Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in.

Session 1

Four days a week: chest, back, legs, shoulders and arms

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts4× a week
  • Working sets43 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Flat Bench, Incline Bench, Adjustable Cable +6

You can train four days a week, have six months or more of lifting behind you, and like a day for each body part.

Each muscle gets one main day plus some work on another day: chest 7 sets plus presses on shoulder day, back 10 sets, legs 9, side delts 4, biceps and triceps 5 each. That puts most muscles at 10 to 14 hard sets a week once overlapping work is counted.

Chest and triceps
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Flat Dumbbell Press2 warm-up sets first 4 × 6–10 2 2:30 min
Incline Dumbbell Press 3 × 8–12 1 2 min
Overhead Cable Triceps Extension 3 × 10–15 1 75 s

Open Chest and triceps in the session builder

Back and biceps
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Lat Pulldown 4 × 8–12 1 2 min
Chest-Supported Row 4 × 8–12 1 2 min
One-Arm Dumbbell RowPer arm. 2 × 10–12 1 90 s
EZ-Bar Curl 3 × 8–12 1 90 s

Open Back and biceps in the session builder

Legs
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Trap Bar Deadlift3 warm-up sets first 3 × 5–8 2 3 min
Hack Squat 3 × 8–12 1 2:30 min
Lying Leg Curl 3 × 10–15 1 75 s

Open Legs in the session builder

Shoulders and arms
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Dumbbell Shoulder Press1 warm-up set first 3 × 8–12 2 2 min
Dumbbell Lateral Raise 4 × 12–20 1 1 min
EZ-Bar Curl 2 × 10–12 1 75 s
Overhead Cable Triceps Extension 2 × 12–15 1 75 s

Open Shoulders and arms in the session builder

How to run it
Train chest and triceps Monday, back and biceps Tuesday, rest Wednesday, legs Thursday, shoulders and arms Friday. Keep legs and back at least a day apart.
How to progress
Every lift climbs the same way: more reps until the whole set count tops the range with the planned reps left, then a small weight jump. The trap bar deadlift moves up 5 to 10 lb at a time.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Over 40 and back in the gym: three full-body days

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets32 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentHack Squat, Seated Row Machine, Dumbbells, Incline Bench +3

You are in your 40s or 50s, you lifted before or never did, and you want muscle back without your joints or recovery being the thing that stops you.

Alternating two sessions over three days gives the back about 9 sets a week, the legs about 12 and the chest and shoulders about 5 each to start, below what you will need later but enough to grow after time off. Machines and supported rows carry most of the load, and every set stops 2 or 3 reps short of failure.

Full body A: Hack squat and row
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Hack Squat 3 × 10–12 3 2:30 min
Chest-Supported Row 3 × 10–12 2 2 min
Incline Dumbbell Press1 warm-up set first 3 × 8–12 2 2 min
Lying Leg Curl 2 × 12–15 2 75 s

Open Full body A: Hack squat and row in the session builder

Full body B: Trap bar and pulldown
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Trap Bar Deadlift2 warm-up sets first 3 × 6–8 3 3 min
Lat Pulldown 3 × 10–12 2 2 min
Dumbbell Shoulder Press 2 × 10–12 2 2 min
Dumbbell Lateral Raise 2 × 12–15 2 1 min

Open Full body B: Trap bar and pulldown in the session builder

How to run it
Use Monday, Wednesday and Friday and swap between the sessions: A, B, A one week, then B, A, B the next. Leave at least one full day between sessions.
How to progress
Add reps first, and only take the next weight once every set hits the top of its range while you still have 2 or 3 reps left. After four weeks, add one set to the first two lifts of each session.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Two full-body days a week

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets34 a week
  • Per workout~50 min
  • EquipmentTrap Bar, Dumbbells, Flat Bench, Lat Pulldown +3

Work, family or another sport leaves you two gym sessions a week, about an hour each.

With only two days, every session trains every muscle: 5 lifts, 3 or 4 sets each, so each muscle gets about 6 to 8 hard sets a week. That is the low end of what builds muscle, which is why the sets go close to failure.

Full body A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Trap Bar Deadlift2 warm-up sets first 3 × 5–8 2 3 min
Flat Dumbbell Press 4 × 6–10 2 2:30 min
Lat Pulldown 4 × 8–12 1 2 min
Dumbbell Lateral Raise 3 × 12–20 1 1 min
EZ-Bar Curl 3 × 8–12 1 75 s

Open Full body A in the session builder

Full body B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Bulgarian Split Squat1 warm-up set firstPer leg. 3 × 8–12 2 2 min
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift 3 × 8–12 2 2 min
Incline Dumbbell Press 4 × 8–12 1 2 min
One-Arm Dumbbell RowPer arm. 4 × 8–12 1 90 s
Overhead Cable Triceps Extension 3 × 10–15 1 75 s

Open Full body B in the session builder

How to run it
Space the two days evenly, such as Tuesday and Saturday, and always run A before B.
How to progress
Because each lift is trained once a week, push for one more rep on at least one set every session. Go up in weight once all sets land at the top of the range with the planned reps left.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What is a good workout routine for men over 40?

Three full-body sessions a week built around supported lifts: a machine squat, a trap bar deadlift, a chest-supported row, a pulldown and dumbbell presses. Stop sets 2 or 3 reps short of failure for the first months and add load slowly.

What age is hardest to gain muscle?

Gains come more slowly with each decade, but lifters in their 60s and 70s still add muscle with regular training that keeps getting heavier. Age sets the pace of progress, not the possibility.

Does weight training really work?

Yes, as long as the load or reps go up over time. Lift two to four times a week, take your sets close to failure, eat enough protein, and you will usually see a difference within a few months.

How many days a week should a man lift weights?

Two days builds muscle, three is the sweet spot for most, and four suits men with a year or more of training who want more volume. More days help only if you recover from them.

Free weights or machines?

Use both. Free weights train balance and suit home training; machines let you push a muscle hard without the setup and stability limiting you. The plans here mix them.