Branch Warren is a fitness model, athlete, writer, and public speaker. He’s very passionate about fitness and nutrition, and he has been using his skills and talents to help other people achieve their fitness goals. Branch is always giving back to the fitness community, and he has now launched his own fitness business–called Branch Warren Training.
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Branch Warren has the NBA’s most feared player defense, and has been awarded the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award twice. But what you may not know is that he is also an accomplished trainer. He has an extensive training program that he created to help his players get stronger, faster, and more powerful.
Branch Warren is one of the world’s most well-known and accomplished bodybuilders. Branch is the training partner of IFBB star Johnnie Jackson and has won the Arnold Classic bodybuilding competition two years in a row from 2011 to 2012.
Branch Warren follows a high-volume, high-intensity bodybuilding routine. He works each muscle group once a week with a variety of exercises, and he nearly always trains to failure.
The following is a breakdown of Branch Warren’s training:
- Monday – Resumption
- Tuesday is Chest Day.
- Wednesday is a holiday.
- Thursday is Arms Day.
- Legs – Friday
- Shoulders – Saturday
- Sunday is a holiday.
Branch used a typical bodybuilding bro split to train each muscle type on its own distinct training day. The only exception is his arm exercise, in which he works both his biceps and triceps at the same time.
Branch Warren believes that the best way to exercise each muscle group with optimum intensity is to do it once a week on a different training day for each muscle group. Branch Warren himself describes his training method as follows:
“I would never have gone pro if I had trained like a regular bodybuilder. “Intensity is the only way to succeed.”
Branch Warren had a distinct style when it came to performing his performances. All of his repetitions are done ballistically, with an intense lifting phase and a quick lowering phase. On most exercises, he aimed to bounce the weight off of the bottom position in order to lift more weight and injure as many muscle fibers as possible.
Branch doing ballistic reps on the barbell overhead press may be seen in this video:
What an engrossing performance! Every rep, Branch nearly rockets the bar off his chest. Branch Warren had great success with these ballistic reps, which are an advanced bodybuilding technique.
Branch Warren like to exercise each body component in a particular manner. His chest exercises usually began with various kinds of dumbbell and barbell pressing routines. He went on to dips and other isolation exercises later in the session to truly isolate the chest.
One of Branch’s favorite chest exercises is this one. Take a look:
Chest Workout #1 by Branch Warren
- A1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions of flat DB press
- B1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions on a 30 degree incline bench press**
- C1: Flat bench press with a football bar, 3 sets of 8-20 reps
- D1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions of V-bar dips
- E1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions on the pec dec machine
- F1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions of cable chest press
**On your final set, do a triple drop set. On the drop set, Branch Warren utilized 405 pounds, 315 pounds, 225 pounds, and 135 pounds for each attempt.
This workout’s training video is as follows:
Branch Warren does a standard chest exercise. He does six various chest workouts as hard as he can, including four compound pressing exercises and two chest isolation routines. On his final set of incline bench presses, Branch even did a massive drop set. For most individuals, this is much too much training volume to recover from, yet it worked like magic for Branch Warren.
Branch Warren did another chest exercise throughout his professional bodybuilding career. Take a look:
Branch Warren’s Second Chest Workout
- A1: Bench press at 30 degrees inclination, 3 sets of 8-20 reps
- B1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions of flat DB press
- C1: Bench press with neutral grip, 3 sets of 8-20 reps
- D1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions of V-bar dips
- E1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions of flat DB fly
- F1: Cable crossover, three sets of eight to twenty repetitions
This workout’s training video is as follows:
Branch Warren changes up his movements a little bit from the prior session. For example, he begins with an incline bench press and then moves on to a flat dumbbell press. Branch, on the other hand, adhered to his preferred chest program for the most portion of his career, with just minor variations from one session to the next.
This reminds me of other great bodybuilders like Ronnie Coleman and Dorian Yates, who followed the same training regimen from start to finish.
Let’s have a look at two of Branch Warren’s back exercises. Take a look:
Back Workout #1 by Branch Warren
- A1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions of barbell shrugs
- B1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions of chest supported row
- C1: Dumbbell rows with one arm, 3 sets of 8-20 reps
- D1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions seated cable row (v-handle)
- E1: 30 degree incline lat pulldown (v-handle), 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions E2: 30 degree incline lat pulldown (v-handle), 3 sets of 8-20 reps E3: 30 degree inclin
- F1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions of machine rowing (narrow / neutral grip).
- G1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions of lat pulldowns (wide / overhand grip).
This workout’s training video is as follows:
What a high-intensity back exercise! Branch Warren works on his upper back with seven distinct exercises. This would send most bodybuilders to the hospital, but for Branch, it was just another day at the office!
Branch is back in the gym, doing his signature ballistic reps. He cheats or utilizes “body English” to get the weight moving on exercises like chest supported rows so he can stress his muscles with an ultra-heavy weight for high repetitions.
Branch Warren did another back exercise throughout his bodybuilding career. Take a look:
Back Workout #2 by Branch Warren
- A1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions of lat pulldowns (wide / overhand grip).
- B1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions of chest supported row (medium / pronated grip).
- C1: Pronated grip hammer strength pulldown, 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions
- D1: Dumbbell row with one arm, 3 sets of 8-20 reps
- E1: V-handle lat pulldowns, 3 sets of 8-20 reps
- F1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions seated cable row (V-handle)
- G1: DB fly with bent over rear delts, 3 sets of 8-20 reps
- H1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions of reverse pec decs
This workout’s training video is as follows:
For this workout, Branch Warren changes up his back workouts a touch. Many of his favorite exercises, such as lat pulldowns, chest supported rows, one-arm dumbbell rows, and seated cable rows, are still included in his routine.
Branch Warren is aware of the workouts that are most beneficial to his body and does not spend time on those that are ineffective. Branch does two distinct rear delt movements throughout this back workout to strengthen his rear delts. Branch utilized this technique on and off throughout his bodybuilding career. Other bodybuilding champions, like as Dorian Yates, have utilized this technique to pull up their lagging rear delts.
Let’s look at Branch Warren’s shoulder exercises now. Take a look:
Shoulder Workout #1 by Branch Warren
- A1: 3 sets of 8-20 reps of seated barbell overhead press
- B1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions of standing DB lateral raises
- C1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions of standing alternating DB front raises
- D1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions with a standing barbell upright row
- E1: Machine overhead press, 3 sets of 8-20 reps E2: Machine overhead press, 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions E3: Machine overhead press,
This workout’s training video is as follows:
Branch The barbell military press is nearly usually the first exercise Warren does in his shoulder routine. Branch does this practice in a very different manner. He leans on an upper back brace and lifts the weight off his shoulders with a lot of momentum and “body English.”
Because you’re depending on momentum and the stretch reflex to propel the bar out of the bottom position, I call them “ballistic reps.”
Branch does a series of isolation workouts for his front and side delts after his ballistic overhead presses. Branch does all of his repetitions in a ballistic manner, including on isolation exercises, so he may utilize the heaviest weights possible to stress his shoulders.
Branch may sometimes do isolated workouts to pre-exhaust his shoulders before going on to his ballistic barbell overhead presses. Consider the following scenario:
Shoulder Workout #2 by Branch Warren
- A1: 3 x 8-20 rear delt flys
- B1: Dumbbell lateral raises, 3 sets of 8-20 reps B2: Dumbbell lateral raises, 3 sets of 8-20 reps B3: Dumb
- C1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions of seated military press
- D1: Front lifts with a dumbbell, 3 sets of 8-20 reps
- E1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions on the overhead machine press
- E2: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions of cable upright rows
- F1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions of a combo lateral/front raise**
1 rep of front DB lifts, followed by 1 rep of lateral DB rises Rep for a total of 8-20 reps.
This workout’s training video is as follows:
Branch Warren warms up his shoulders with isolated exercises before going on to the “meat and potatoes” exercise: the standing barbell overhead press. Despite the fact that Branch sometimes switches up the sequence of his workouts, he nearly always returns to his favorites, such as front dumbbell raises and upright rows.
Let’s have a look at Branch Warren’s leg exercises. Branch was well-known for having some of the finest legs in the industry. His quads, in particular, were monstrous! One of Branch’s favorite leg exercises is this one. Take a look:
Leg Workout #1 by Branch Warren
- A1: Leg extension machine, 3 sets of 8-20 reps
- B1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions of back squats
- C1: Leg press at 45 degrees, 3 sets of 8-20 reps
- D1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions of seated leg curls
- E1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions of lying leg curls
- F1: Kneeling leg curls, three sets of eight to twenty repetitions
This workout’s training video is as follows:
Branch does three workouts for his quadriceps and hamstrings. Branch’s quadriceps workout is intriguing in my view. Branch uses the leg extension machine to pre-exhaust his quadriceps before going on to squats.
This may come off as a bit ridiculous. After all, wouldn’t Branch’s ability to utilize more weight in the back squat be limited by the leg extensions? For many individuals, this pre-exhaust approach is very effective. Many elite bodybuilders, like Dorian Yates and Stan Efferding, found that pre-exhausting their quads with leg extensions first thing in their program yielded the finest results.
During back squats, this pre-exhaust technique pushes his quadriceps to work considerably harder than other muscular groups like the lower back and glutes.
Branch’s hamstrings routine is straightforward: he does three kinds of hamstring isolation movements. Branch does his signature ballistic reps once again to stress his muscles with as much weight as feasible.
Branch may sometimes start his leg exercise with hamstrings before moving on to quads. Consider the following scenario:
Leg Workout #2 by Branch Warren
- A1: Leg curls in a lying position, 3 sets of 8-20 reps
- B1: Kneeling leg curls, three sets of eight to twenty repetitions
- C1: Leg extension machine, 3 sets of 8-20 reps
- D1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions of back squats
- E1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions on the machine hack squat
- F1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions on the horizontal leg push
This workout’s training video is as follows:
Before going on to the remainder of his exercise, Branch does two different kinds of leg curls for his hamstrings. Branch’s favorite method to add variation to his leg exercises is to do this. Branch continues to use his “meat and potato” leg workouts including leg extensions, back squats, and leg presses here.
Branch had such great results from these fundamental exercises that he never felt the need to try any newer or more advanced workouts.
Branch’s arms, in my view, were one of his weaker body parts. They were never quite big enough to match his chest, back, or quads. This wasn’t Branch’s fault – after all, he trained his arms every bit as hard as the rest of his body.
As a professional bodybuilder, Branch discusses the significance of developing big arms:
“It ain’t going to work well for you if you have amazing legs but tiny T-rex arms. As a result, it’s critical that you work on your biceps and triceps and get them in proportion to the rest of your body. So don’t miss arm workouts, don’t skip the intensity, and push yourself to failure.”
Branch took his arm day extremely seriously, despite the fact that the biceps and triceps are lesser muscular areas. Branch’s go-to arm exercise, which he utilized throughout his competitive bodybuilding career, is seen here. Take a look:
Arm Workout #1 by Branch Warren
- A1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions of standing alternating DB curls (supinating grip).
- B1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions of standing cable curls (broad / supinated grip).
- C1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions of standing alternating DB curls (hammer grip).
- D1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions of preacher barbell curl (medium / supinated grip).
- E1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions of cable pushdowns (wide / pronated grip).
- F1: JM press, 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions F2: JM press, 3 sets of 8-20 reps F3: JM press,
- G1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions of standing rope cable pushdowns
- H1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions of standing DB tricep kickbacks
This workout’s training video is as follows:
Branch works his biceps and triceps to failure on four workouts each. Branch’s biceps exercise was straightforward. He chooses certain tried-and-true “meat and potatoes” workouts and goes to town with them. His triceps workout, in my view, is much more intriguing.
With some hard cable pushdowns, First Branch pre-exhausts his triceps. In his Mountain Dog tricep exercises, John Meadows employs this technique often. John recommends beginning your triceps exercises with cable pushdowns since they are gentle on the elbows and effectively activate the triceps muscles. Great minds, I suppose, think similarly!
The JM press is Branch’s second triceps workout. JM Blakely, a world-class powerlifter who trained at the Westside Barbell powerlifting club, created this workout. The JM press is a cross between a bench press with a tight grip and a lying triceps extension. It completely kills your triceps’ long and lateral heads while allowing you to exercise them with a lot of weight.
Branch completes his exercise with dumbbell tricep kickbacks and rope cable pushdowns. Branch, unlike his other muscle groups, enjoys mixing up his arm training with a variety of exercises on a daily basis.
In this workout, he uses a variety of exercises to keep things interesting. Take a look:
Arm Workout #2 by Branch Warren
- A1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions of standing alternating DB curls (supinated grip).
- B1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions on the preacher curl machine (supinated grip).
- C1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions of standing cable curls (broad / supinated grip).
- D1: Spider ez-bar curls @ 30 degrees (broad / supinated grip), 3 sets of 8-20 reps
- E1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions of standing cable pushdowns (wide / pronated grip).
- F1: Hammer strength dips, 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions F2: Hammer strength dips, 3 sets of 8-20 reps F3: Hammer strength dips
- G1: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions of JM Press
- H1: Supinated grip one-arm cable pushdowns, 3 sets of 8-20 reps
This workout’s training video is as follows:
I’d want to concentrate on Branch Warren’s triceps exercise once again since I find it more fascinating than his biceps routine. Branch does some standing cable pushdowns to pre-exhaust his triceps once again.
Branch does them in his signature “ballistic reps” manner, using a lot of momentum and trickery to move the weight. Branch then goes on to some AWESOME triceps workouts, including hammer strength dips and JM presses.
Branch completes his triceps workout with with one-arm underhand grip cable pushdowns. Dorian Yates, a six-time Mr. Olympia winner, was a huge admirer of finishing his triceps with this workout.
Conclusion
Branch Warren will go down in history as one of the greatest bodybuilders ever. Branch won 11 professional bodybuilding contests, including the Arnold Classic in 2011-2012 and the 2009 Mr. Olympia competition, where he narrowly lost to Jay Cutler.
Branch Warren’s teaching method, in my view, has a lot to teach you. Branch’s emphasis on big weights for high repetitions is something I like. Ronnie Coleman utilized this technique throughout his bodybuilding career.
Branch understands that no matter how much volume you do with the pink dumbbells, you won’t develop a huge chest. Lifting the 200-pound dumbbells for sets of 10-20 repetitions, on the other hand, will.
Branch’s utilization of the pre-exhaust technique for various muscular parts, such as his quadriceps and triceps, is extremely impressive. Advanced bodybuilders may use this technique to break past hypertrophy training plateaus.
Here’s one more statement from Branch Warren to energize you even more:
“If you want to be huge, you lift a lot of weight. You want to be little, so you lift small weights.”
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I wish you the best of success in your strength-training endeavors!
Mike Jansen, M.D.
Thank you for visiting my website! I’m the creator of Revolutionary Program Design, and my name is Dr. Mike Jansen, PT, DPT. You’ve come to the correct spot if you want to achieve your size and strength objectives quicker. My ambition is to create RPD the best strength training resource on the planet. So take a seat, sit back, and unwind. There has never been a better moment to lift weights or learn about the science and art of strength training program creation.
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