This month we change the order in which you train the various muscle groups. For the past two months, you will recall, you worked legs first, followed by chest, deltoids, back, arms and midsection.

In addition, of course, you perform an almost entirely new routine - only one exercise, the bent-knee sit-up, is carried over from last month - and in the last two weeks you increase the number of sets per exercise to four from the previous high of three.

Another thing that's different about this month's workout is that it does not include a movement that's classified as a direct deltoid exercise, such as the seated side laterals that you did last month. Even so, your delts get significant although indirect stress in the first exercise of this routine, incline laterals. Remember that it's impossible to work your chest without working your delts.

More important is the fact that the military press, which is the third exercise in this routine, is one of the most difficult shoulder, or deltoid, exercises you can do. Because it works both the traps and shoulders, it is not regarded as strictly a deltoid exercise. Under the circumstances, however, I'd be reluctant to recommend any more delt work than you are going to be getting here.

Indeed, the military press is so demanding that you may find yourself arching your back from the effort on the last few reps. This can aggravate any low-back instability you may have. If you have a history of low-back problems, and many people do, you can do this exercise seated. That will take the pressure off your back - and actually make the movement seem harder, since you cannot cheat by arching your back and getting your lag and hip muscles into the action as you press the barbell up. You may also want to wear a lifting belt to give your back added support.

And now that you have presumably been training consistently for two months and have established something of a foundation with your weight training - even if you are a beginner - let me address a point that's crucial to your bodybuilding progress. As you know, I have emphasized over and over again in this program that you should not train to failure. Don't get me wrong - in no way, shape or form am I suggesting that you coast through your workouts. The last rep of each set should not be an all-out effort, but it should be a challenge.

Another very important point is that you should try to do a little more work every time you go into the gym. Don't try for a lot more, but make some type of increase in intensity or work load each time so you are not just maintaining. Remember that this is a progressive-resistance weight-training program. Only by increasing your intensity or work load from week to week and month to month will you see results. Besides, as you continue training and increase your strength, it's only common sense that you try to do more. Otherwise, a workout that seemed challenging a few weeks ago will now seem less so, and your progress will, consequently, slow down.

The stronger a muscle becomes, the more work you must give it in order for it to keep increasing in size, strength and tone. That's the very essence and the underlying principle of progressive-resistance training. Indeed, it's the principle of any type of physical training - you push the body, give it an opportunity to rest, recuperate and consolidate its fitness gains and then push it again. Runners do it, cyclists do it, and bodybuilders do it. Simply put, it's the way all athletes go from a lower level to a higher level of conditioning, whatever the sport.

Naturally, there will be days when you go into the gym and you may feel tired or under the weather for some reason. On those days you may decide - and wisely so - to cut back on the intensity or work load. Generally speaking, however, try to keep increasing the effort you subject your muscles to from workout to workout. It will pay off in the weeks and months to come. I guarantee it.

A Simple Answer to a Common Problem

Bodybuilders sometimes say to me, "Bill, when I am doing several sets of an exercise, I often have trouble completing the full number of reps in the final sets with the weight I started out with. And if I can somehow complete all the reps on the last few sets with that weight, it's a struggle and my exercise form goes all to pieces. What should I do?"

The answer is simple, though it goes against the grain of what most bodybuilders have a tendency to do under the circumstances: You should cut back the poundages on the last few sets of an exercise in order to complete the prescribed number of reps - actually decrease the weight you are using so you can continue to use correct exercise form and stay within the don't-train-to-failure guideline.

Of course, if you are like most bodybuilders, your ego gets in the way as you struggle to complete all the reps in the last set or two, and the idea that's running through your brain is, "I'll be damned if I am going to decrease the weight I am using!".

That's the natural tendency, but it's important to clearly and objectively keep in mind the bigger picture, which is your overall training philosophy and what you are trying to accomplish.

I always say, You control the weights; they don't control you. And if you don't give yourself the freedom to adjust your poundages upward or downward to complete your workout in the manner in which you set out to do it, the result is that the weights win and you lose. Don't let that happen. Decrease the weight if necessary on the last few sets of an exercise so that you not only complete the required number of reps, but you also do it with correct form.

• Lie on incline bench.
• Hold dumbbells together at arms' length above shoulders, palms forward.
• Slowly lower dumbbells to chest until 10" from each side of chest.
• Elbows in line with ears.
• Forearms slightly out of vertical position.
• Return to starting position using same path.
• Inhale down, exhale up.

• Place a dumbbell on the floor in front of a flat bench.
• Put left leg back, knee locked.
• Bend right knee slightly.
• Bend over and hold dumbbell with left hand, palm in, about 6" off floor.
• Put right hand on bench, elbow locked.
• Pull dumbbell straight up to side of chest keeping arm close to side.
• Return to starting position using same path.
• Inhale up, exhale down.
• Reverse position and repeat movement on right side.

• Raise barbell to chest, hands shoulder width apart.
• Lock legs and hips solidly.
• Keep elbows in, slightly under bar.
• Press bar to arms' length overhead.
• Lower to upper chest.
• Be sure bar rests on chest and is not supported by arms between reps.
• Hold chest high.
• Inhale up, exhale down.

• Lie on back with head off end of bench.
• Hold barbell with hands 6" apart, palms up.
• Press bar to arms' length above shoulders.
• Lower bar in semicircular motion to chin, bending arms at elbows, keeping upper arms vertical.
• Return to starting position.
• Inhale down, exhale up.
• Can also be done with medium grip.

• Hold dumbbells.
• Sit at end of bench, feet firmly on floor.
• Keep back straight, head up.
• Start with dumbbells at arms' length, palms in.
• Begin curl with palms in until past thighs, then turn palms up for remainder of curl to shoulder height.
• Keep palms up while lowering until past thighs, then turn palms in.
• Keep upper arms close to sides.
• Concentrate on biceps while raising and lowering weights.
• Inhale up, exhale down.

• Hold barbell behind you at arms' length.
• Put heels on plates about 30" apart.
• Keep bar tucked against buttocks and upper thighs.
• Palms up, facing back, hands as wide as hips.
• Turn wrists up to lock bar solidly.
• Bar stays this way at all times.
• Head up, eyes up at 45 degree angle.
• Squat until upper thighs are parallel to floor.
• Return to starting position.
• Inhale down, exhale up.
• Can also be done with close or medium stance.

• Stand erect with hands on hips.
• Back straight, head up, feet about 12" apart.
• Step forward as far as possible with right leg until upper right thigh is almost parallel to floor.
• Keep left leg as straight as possible.
• Step back to starting position.
• Inhale out, exhale back.
• Repeat with left leg.

• Sit on seat of machine.
• Place upper thighs under leg pad just above knees.
• Raise up on toes and release safety stop.
• Lower heels to lowest possible comfortable position.
• Raise up on toes as high as possible.
• Hold momentarily, then return to starting position.
• Inhale up, exhale down.

• Stand erect, feet 16" apart.
• Grasp dumbbell with left hand, palm in.
• Place right hand on upper right thigh.
• Bend until dumbbell nearly touches right foot.
• Return to starting position.
• Change dumbbell to right hand and repeat.
• Inhale down, exhale up.

• Hook your feet under the strap of a sit-up board.
• Keep knees bent 45 degrees.
• Put hands behind head, chin on chest.
• Lie back until lower back touches.
• Return to starting position.
• Inhale down, exhale up.
• To make harder, adjust bench to higher angle.

• For best results do this routine three times a week - Monday, Wednesday and Friday or Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Use the off days for rest and recuperation.
• Last month you progressed to three sets per exercise for most of the movements. This month I suggest that on exercises 1 through 8 you do three sets and the minimum reps, 10, for the first two weeks and four sets and the maximum reps, 12, for the last two.
• On the two midsection exercises that conclude this routine, do only one set per workout and increase the reps from workout to workout. Start out at the low end of the rep range at the beginning of the month and gradually build up until you're at the high end of the rep range at the end of the month. Since you already worked through this rep buildup last month with the bent-knee sit-up, I recommend that you repeat the sequence but with the bench at a slightly steeper angle so the intensity is greater.
• Do not train to failure. The last rep should feel difficult but should not be an all-out effort. At the beginning of this routine you'll have to experiment to determine what poundages you should use in order to make the last rep or two challenging but not impossible.
• Increase the poundage on each exercise as warranted by your strength increases. Remember, you want to make the last rep of each set challenging. Make sure you keep accurate records of your exercises, sets and reps from workout to workout, week to week and month to month. This will enable you to easily keep track of your progress from one poundage to the next rather than making the whole process haphazard.
• Concentrate on correct form when doing each exercise, and mentally focus on the bodypart you're working.
• Rest for 30 seconds to two minutes between sets. If you feel any kind of unusual pain during your workout, consult with a trainer. Of course, if you're just starting a training program, you should always check with a physician to ensure that you have no health problems that could make training dangerous.
• If three sets per exercise at the beginning of this month seems too much for you or is too time consuming, feel free to go back to fewer sets and work up again. Likewise, if you're not felling up to par during a given workout, don't hesitate to cut back on your sets. Sometimes it's necessary to ease off the volume of work, regroup and work back up - and the intelligent bodybuilder knows when and where to do this. Generally speaking, however, the idea is to increase the intensity and volume of your work load gradually. That's what you're aiming for and what will give you the best results.