If you’re looking for a Dexter Jackson training routine to build strength and mass, you’ve come to the right place.
Dexter Jackson is one of the respected bodybuilders who is known for his incredible physique, humble behavior, and champion mindset.
He earned the Mr. Olympia title in 2008 and several other trophies, including the Arnold classic.
Dexter Jackson have followed various workout programs throughout his professional bodybuilding journey, so, it is not possible to share them all.
You can see various Dexter “The Blade” Jackson workout plans on web, but I doubt they are the actual ones because his actual workout schedules are hardly available online.
So, how did I get his workout plan? Well, I’ve designed this program based on videos available on Dexter Jackson’s YouTube channel, where he has uploaded numerous exercises. This split may not match the original schedule of The Blade, but he used all the exercises mentioned in this program during his competitive journey.
Dexter Jackson Training Philosophy
After watching more than 50 videos on YouTube I’ve analyzed –
1) Dexter Jackson doesn’t use compound movements like Deadlifts, Free Bench Presses, Barbell Rows, and Free Sqauts in his workout regime. He mostly performed machine exercises for training his every muscle group.
2) He used to lift moderate to heavy weights and keep the rep ranges around 8 to 15.
3) He also didn’t follow a high-volume training, involving numerous exercises and multiple reps-sets. He likes to keep his workout simple and focus more on nutrition to achieve the best results.
4) Dexter Jackson performs a variety of exercises to hit every muscle group from all angles.
5) He used to perform one warm-up set before going heavy for each exercise.
12-Week Dexter Jackson Training Routine
About Program:
- Suggested Duration: 12 Weeks
- Split Type: Single and Two Muscle Group Split
- Sessions/week: 4-5 days a week
- Duration/session: 60-90 minutes
- Goal: Stimulate Muscular Hypertrophy and Strength
- Target Gender: Men
- Workout Difficulty: Intermediate to Advanced
Week 1 to 4: Muscle Group Split
- Monday: Chest and Abs
- Tuesday: Back
- Wednesday: Leg and Abs
- Thursday: OFF
- Friday: Shoulder and Traps
- Saturday: Arm and Abs
- Sunday: OFF
Monday – Chest
Exercises | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Incline Machine Press | 3-4 | 10-12 |
Seated Machine Press | 3-4 | 10-12 |
High to Low Cable Fly | 3-4 | 10-12 |
Neutral Grip Machine Press | 3-4 | 10-12 |
Hanging Knee Raises | 3-4 | 20-25 |
Cable Crunches | 3-4 | 20-25 |
Tuesday – Back
Exercises | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Front Lat Pull Down | 5-6 | 10-12 |
Seated Machine Row | 5-6 | 10-12 |
High Cable Pulldown (Handles) | 4-6 | 10-12 |
V-Grip Lat Pulldown | 4-6 | 10-12 |
Wednesday – Leg and Abs
Exercises | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Leg Extension | 3-4 | 10-12 |
Lying Leg Curl | 3-4 | 10-12 |
Reverse Hack Squat | 3-4 | 10-12 |
Seated Hip Adduction | 3-4 | 10-12 |
LB Extension + Standing Glute Kickback (Superset) | 3-4 | 10-12 |
Lying Machine Crunches | 3-4 | 20-25 |
Seated Machine Abdominal Crunches | 3-4 | 20-25 |
Friday – Shoulder and Traps
Exercises | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Lateral Dumbbell Raises | 4-6 | 10-12 |
One-arm Smith Machine Shoulder Press | 3-4 | 10-12 |
Underhand Barbell Front Raises | 3-4 | 10-12 |
Barbell Upright Row | 3-4 | 10-12 |
Rear Delt Fly | 4-6 | 10-12 |
Saturday – Arm and Abs
Exercises | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Preacher Biceps Curl | 3-4 | 10-12 |
EZ Bar Biceps Curl | 3-4 | 10-12 |
Straight Bar Spider Curl | 3-4 | 10-12 |
Straight Bar Pushdown | 3-4 | 10-12 |
Cable Forward Triceps Extension | 3-4 | 10-12 |
Straight Bar Dips | 3-4 | 10-12 |
Overhead Cable Triceps Extension | 3-4 | 10-12 |
Lying Machine Crunches | 3-4 | 10-12 |
Week 5 to 8: Mix Split
- Monday: Chest, Quad, and Glute
- Tuesday: Back and Hamstrings
- Wednesday: OFF
- Thursday: Biceps, Calves, and Abs
- Friday: Shoulder and Triceps
- Saturday: Light Cardio and Abs
- Sunday: OFF
Monday – Chest, Quad, and Glute
Exercises | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Hammer Machine Press | 6 | 10-12 |
Neutral Grip DB Bench Press | 6 | 10-12 |
Machine Leg Press | 6 | 10-12 |
Reverse Hack Squat | 4 | 10-12 |
Seated Hip Abduction | 4 | 10-12 |
Tuesday – Back and Hamstrings
Exercises | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Front Lat Pulldown | 4-5 | 10-12 |
Chest Supported Barbell Row | 4-5 | 10-12 |
Chest-Supported Row Machine | 4-5 | 10-12 |
Seated Cable Row | 4-5 | 10-12 |
Narrow Grip Lat Pulldown | 4-5 | 10-12 |
Unilateral Leg Curl | 4-5 | 10-12 |
Romanian/Romanian Deadlift | 4-5 | 10-12 |
Thursday – Biceps, Calves, and Abs
Exercises | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Preacher Curl | 4-5 | 10-12 |
Incline DB Curl | 4-5 | 10-12 |
Barbell Drag Curl | 4-5 | 10-12 |
Hack Squat Machine Calf Raises | 3-4 | 20-25 |
Seated Calf Raises | 3-4 | 20-25 |
Lying Machine Crunches | 3-4 | 20-25 |
Seated Machine Abdominal Crunches | 3-4 | 20-25 |
Friday – Shoulder and Triceps
Exercises | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Seated Overhead Dumbbell Press | 5 | 10-12 |
Lying Lateral Dumbbell Raises | 5 | 10-12 |
Reverse Pec Deck Fly | 5 | 10-12 |
Underhand Grip DB Front Raises | 5 | 10-12 |
Triceps Rope Push Down | 5 | 10-12 |
Triceps Bar/Machine Dips | 5 | 10-12 |
Saturday – Light Cardio and Abs
Light Treadmill Walk, and Elliptical Cross Trainer, any three or four core exercises.
Week 9 to 12: Hybrid Split
- Monday: Chest, Quad, and Hip
- Tuesday: Arms, Calves, and Abs
- Wednesday: Back, Shoulder, and Hamstrings
- Thursday: OFF
- Friday: Chest, Quad, and Arms
- Saturday: Back, Delts, Hamstrings, and Abs
- Sunday: OFF
Monday – Chest, Quad, and Hip
Exercises | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Incline Smith Machine Chest Press | 4-5 | 8-12 |
Incline Dumbbell Flyes | 4-5 | 8-12 |
Seated Pec Deck Fly | 4-5 | 8-12 |
Hack Squat | 4-5 | 10-12 |
Machine Leg Press | 4-5 | 10-12 |
DB Sumo Squat | 4-5 | 10-12 |
Seated Hip Abduction | 3-4 | 10-15 |
Tuesday – Arms, Calves, and Abs
Exercises | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Skull Crusher + Hammer Curl (Superset) | 3 | 8-12 |
Rope Extension + Spider Curl (Superset) | 3 | 8-12 |
Bar/Machine Dip + EZ Bar Curl | 3 | 8-12 |
Standing Calf Raises | 4 | 20 |
Donkey Calf Raises | 4 | 20 |
Lying Machine Crunches | 3 | 25 |
Seated Machine Crunches | 3 | 25 |
Wednesday – Back, Shoulder, and Hamstrings
Exercises | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Narrow Grip Lat Pulldown | 3-4 | 8-12 |
Alternating Machine Row | 3-4 | 8-12 |
Lateral Delt Machine Raises | 3-4 | 8-12 |
Wide-arm DB Upright Row | 3-4 | 8-12 |
Cable Face Pull/Reverse Cable Fly | 3-4 | 8-12 |
Seated Leg Curl | 3-4 | 8-12 |
Seated Hip Adduction | 3-4 | 10-15 |
Friday – Chest, Quads, and Arms
Exercises | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Hammer Strength Chest Press | 4 | 8-12 |
Decline Cable Flyes | 4 | 8-12 |
Cable Upward Flyes | 4 | 8-12 |
Seated Horizontal Leg Press | 4 | 10-12 |
Reverse/Front Hack Squat | 4 | 10-12 |
Leg Extension | 4 | 10-12 |
Overhead Extension + Crossover Curl | 3 | 10-15 |
Saturday – Back, Shoulder, Hamstrings, and Abs
Exercises | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Pull-up | 3-4 | 6-10 |
Lat Pull Down | 3-4 | 8-12 |
Seated Cable Row | 3-4 | 8-12 |
Incline Overhead Press | 3-4 | 8-12 |
Lying Side Delt Raises | 3-4 | 8-12 |
Rear Delt Machine Fly | 3-4 | 8-12 |
Seated Leg Curl/Lying Leg Curl | 3-4 | 8-12 |
Straight-leg Reverse Hack Squat | 3-4 | 8-12 |
Abdominal Machine Crunch | 3-4 | 20-25 |
Here are more Dexter Jackson exercises you can integrate into your training program.
- V-handle Lat Pull Down
- Smith Machine Overhead Press
- Machine/Dumbbell Front Raises
- Bent-arm Machine Lateral Raises
- Neutral Grip DB Front Raises
- Seated Side Delt Raises
- Cable Front Raises
- Seated Reverse Military Press
- Seated Cable Row
- Incline Cable Pulley Machine Fly
- Seated Overhead Dumbbell Press
- Lying Lateral Dumbbell Raises