Have you ever wanted to have the same physique as bodybuilder Rich Piana? Well, now you can—with his signature workout routine! This workout routine has been designed with the help of certified personal trainers and nutritionists to give you the best results. Here’s everything you need to know about Rich Piana’s famous workout routine.
Contents
Get Swole Like Rich Piana With His Signature Workout Routine
Rich Piana believed training one body part daily was the most effective way to maximize muscle growth. This type of workout routine is known as a “bro-split” because it involves splitting your weekly workouts into individual days dedicated to each muscle group.
Here is an example of what it looks like:
- Monday: Chest
- Tuesday: Back
- Wednesday: Shoulder
- Thursday: Leg
- Friday: Arm
- Saturday & Sunday: Rest
This principle allows you to concentrate more on each body part and ensure that each set is performed with maximum intensity, ensuring maximum growth and development. It also allows you to recover better between workouts since you only focus on one area at a time instead of trying to spread your energy across different body parts.
Rich Piana believed in this approach and often recommended it to aspiring bodybuilders looking to improve their physique.
Rich Piana’s 5-day Workout Routine For Maximum Results
This workout plan targets different muscle groups each day of the week, with rest days on Saturday and Sunday. Let’s take a look at what this 5-day routine entails.
Monday: Chest
On Mondays, Piana recommends doing exercises that target your chest muscles. These include bench presses, incline presses, dips, and pushups. For each exercise, doing 3 to 5 sets of 8 -12 reps per set is recommended. Make sure to rest for 30-60 seconds between sets.
- Pec deck flat fly (5 sets x 8-12 reps)
- Machine flat press (5 sets x 8-12 reps)
- Incline cable fly (5 sets x 12-20 reps)
- Hammer strength incline press (4 sets x 8-12 reps)
- Standing cable crossover (5 sets x 10-15 reps)
Tuesday: Back
On Tuesdays, Piana recommends focusing on back exercises such as bent-over rows, lat pulldowns, pullups, and shrugs. Again it is recommended to do five sets of 08-15 reps per set with a 30-60 second rest period between sets.
- Grip pull-ups (5 sets x 10-15 reps)
- Lat pulldown (5 sets x 10-15 reps)
- Close-grip seated cable row (5 sets x 8-12 reps)
- Wide-grip pull-up (5 sets x 10-15 reps)
- T-bar row (5 sets x 8-12 reps)
- Bent-over cable row And lat pulldown (5 sets x 10-15 reps)
Wednesday: Shoulders
For shoulders, Wednesday will be dedicated to pressing movements such as overhead presses, lateral raises, rear delt flyes, and upright rows. The same guideline applies here – 3 sets of 10-12 reps per set with a 30-60 second rest period between sets.
- Seated machine overhead press (5 sets x 8-12 reps)
- Dumbbell lateral raise (5 sets x 10-15 reps)
- Smith machine upright row (5 sets x 10-15 reps)
- Front raise (5 sets x 10-15 reps)
- Standing shrug (5 sets x 10-15 reps)
- Incline rear delt fly (5 sets x 10-15 reps)
Thursday: Leg On
Thursdays, it’s time to focus on leg exercises such as squats, lunges, and leg curls/extensions. For these exercises, doing five sets of 8-15 reps per set with a 60-second rest period between sets is best.
- Lying hamstring (5 sets x 10-15 reps)
- Single leg curl (5 sets x 10-15 reps)
- Seated leg extension (5 sets x 10-15 reps)
- Leg press (5 sets x 8-12 reps)
- Hack squat machine (5 sets x 8-12 reps)
Friday: Arm
Finally, on Fridays, we come to arm exercises such as bicep curls (hammer or barbell), tricep press downs/pushdowns, or extensions (with either dumbbells or cable machines). Again, doing four sets of 10-15 reps per set with a 30-60 second rest period between sets is recommended.
- Single-arm dumbbell extension (4 sets x 15 reps)
- Skullcrushers (4 sets x 10 reps)
- Barbell curl (4 sets x 10 reps)
- Dumbbell hammer curl (4 sets x 15 reps)
Saturday & Sunday
Rest On Saturday and Sunday, you will rest your muscles to recover and prepare for next week’s training cycle. This is an important part of the program, as recovery time is necessary to see gains from your training.
Strength Training Exercises
Below are some examples of exercises that are included in Rich Piana’s workout routine:
- Incline Bench Press – 3 sets x 8-12 reps (2 warmup sets followed by 1 working set)
- Barbell Bent Over Row – 3 sets x 8-12 reps (2 warmup sets followed by 1 working set)
- Dumbbell Shoulder Press – 3 sets x 8-12 reps (2 warmup sets followed by 1 working set)
- Barbell Curls – 3 sets x 8-12 reps (2 warmup sets followed by 1 working set)
- Leg Press – 3 sets x 10-15 reps (2 warmup sets followed by one working set)
Additionally, Piana suggests adding plyometric exercises such as box jumps or jump squats twice or thrice weekly for maximum results. Cardio should be done after all strength training workouts for optimal performance.
The Basics Of Rich Piana’s Diet Plan
Rich Piana’s diet plan was structured on an extreme calorie surplus. It featured high amounts of protein and fats with moderate amounts of carbohydrates. Here are some key aspects of the diet plan:
Consume at least six meals daily: This gave Rich all the nutrients he needed throughout the day while keeping his metabolism running at full speed.
Include a balance of lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats in each meal: This combination provided him with all the essential vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients necessary for optimal muscle growth.
Drink plenty of water throughout the day: Drinking water helps flush toxins from your system and keeps you adequately hydrated for optimal performance in the gym.
An Overview Of Rich Piana’s Diet Plan
Meal 1: Rich Piana would start with ten egg whites or two scoops of whey protein powder every morning. He would also add four oatmeal packets for carbohydrates and fiber to this meal.
Meal 2: Around mid-morning, Piana would have a shake of 2-4 scoops of Mutant Mass and two scoops of whey protein powder. He also liked mixing in additional ingredients, such as oatmeal, peanut butter, and bananas, if he was trying to gain weight.
Meal 3: For lunch, Piana would typically eat three chicken breasts with 2 cups of brown rice as another source of carbohydrates.
Meal 4: After a workout session in the gym, Rich would have a post-workout shake consisting of 3-4 scoops of Mutant Mass along with two scoops of whey protein powder plus 1 or 2 bananas for added energy.
Meal 5: For dinner, Rich usually ate steak, fish, lean pork, or turkey (10lbs) with 2 cups of brown rice as his carbohydrate source again.
Meal 6: Lastly, once or twice daily as a snack, he would consume a container of fat-free Greek yogurt with two scoops of chocolate whey protein powder and 80g protein altogether (his favorite snack).
Decoding Rich Piana’s Supplement Stack
Amino Acids
Amino acids are essential for muscle growth and repair—which is why it should come as no surprise that they were one of the mainstays in Rich Piana’s supplement stack. He typically took around 10-15g of amino acids pre and post-workout, depending on his goals at any given time.
Creatine
Creatine is another popular supplement among bodybuilders as it helps to increase strength, power, and overall muscle size.
Rich Piana reportedly took 5g of creatine daily, with some days seeing doses as high as 10g.
Protein Powder
Protein powder is a must-have for any serious bodybuilder or gym enthusiast. Rich Piana often started his day with a protein shake with around 30g of protein powder mixed with milk or water. He also liked having an additional shake between meals to keep his energy levels up throughout the day.
Pre-Workout Supplements
Rich Piana was a big fan of pre-workout supplements because they help you get more out of your workouts by providing extra energy and focus when needed. His pre-workout supplements included caffeine tablets, beta-alanine, citrulline malate, and BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids). He occasionally used nitric oxide boosters like L-arginine to improve circulation during workouts.
Multivitamins & Minerals
Rich Piana was also known for taking a daily multivitamin and mineral supplement to ensure he got all the essential nutrients from his diet. He believed taking multivitamins was key for maintaining optimal health and performance in the gym, especially since his diet was high in protein but low in other vitamins and minerals like iron, zinc, magnesium, etc.
Conclusion
Rich Piana’s workout routine is a great way to get into shape and feel more energized. His regimen combines high-intensity cardio exercises with resistance training, bodybuilding moves, and plyometrics for an intense full-body workout.
Not only will these exercises help you build muscle, but they’ll also help improve your cardiovascular health and increase your energy levels. You can achieve amazing results with Rich Piana’s workout routine with dedication and hard work.
Remember that proper nutrition is key for any fitness goal; eating healthy and drinking plenty of water will help ensure the best possible results from your workouts. So whether you want to gain muscle mass or stay fit, Rich Piana’s workout plan can help you get there safely and effectively.
