This is a simple program. It’s easy to understand and easy to follow – just a bit less so than the original one, which you’ll find here.

Working out can be quite simple. You need only follow these three steps:

1. Show up: consistency is more important than anything else
2. Work hard: don’t half-ass things
3. Don’t do anything stupid: skip anything wildly inefficient and always weigh risk with reward

While optimizing the efficiency of your workouts is an inevitable goal, it represents perhaps the last 10-20% of your journey. You can choose a program that isn’t great and still walk away with an A in results. Just follow the three steps above.

Let’s divide up duties: your job is to show up and work hard. My job is to give you a program that minimizes injury risks and makes good use of your time. Good? Good. Let’s get to work.

Part 1: Soft tissue

Grab a foam roller. If you don’t have a foam roller, use a medicine ball, aluminum bottle, a rolling pin, or anything else that will let you regulate pressure. Roll it along your body (or your body along it). Hit the following:

• The sides of your legs (between knee and thigh)
• Your quads and hip flexors (knee to hip)
• The inside of your thighs (by the knees and by the groin)
• Your bum
• Your upper back
• Your lats
• Whatever else feels tender

Give each area 8-12 passes. Each spot should take no more than a minute. If there’s a problem area, frequency is the key, not duration. If something’s bugging you, hit it again in an hour.

Part 2: Stretching

Pick the two tightest parts of your body and stretch them. The odds are strongly against these being any part of your back. However they are likely to be the:

• Front of your shoulder and pecs
• Hamstrings
• Hip flexors
• Glutes

Don’t force anything and only look at range of motion through the joint you’re stretching. Rounding your back out until you look like a hedgehog will not give you more flexible hamstrings; it will give you a bad back.

Some people consider it heretical to perform any static stretching before a workout. Ask them for links to the relevant journal articles. If they can actually name some, read them and draw your own conclusions.

Part 3: Warm-up

Spend 5-10 minutes practicing light versions of the movements you’re going to use during the strength training portion of your program. Those movements might be:

• Glute bridges
• X-band walks
• Reaching to the sky
• Bodyweight split squats
• Scapular push-ups
• Regular or knee push-ups
• Running forward
• Running backward
• Skipping sideways
• Crawling around like a ninja

Remember that the objective is not to fatigue yourself, but to prepare your body for the more intense exercise to come.

Part 4: Loading

It should feel as if you can perform one or two more reps in each set (maintaining good technique throughout) than the number prescribed. If you’re not finishing the set, you obviously selected too heavy a weight. However, if you’re finishing the set, you may be overestimating how difficult things felt. For that reason you will periodically choose one (and only one) exercise and go to failure.

Failure means not being able to perform another rep. Not for a $100,000 cash prize. Not to scare away an axe wielding maniac. That’s how you’ll know.

Naturally, you will want to take whatever precautions necessary to ensure that you don’t get hurt if you’re unable to move the weight from Point A to Point B (refer to Step 3).

Part 5: The exercises

Letters denote a series. For example, on Day 1 you will perform the A exercises in the order above. You will rest 60 seconds after each circuit. You will repeat this three times before going through the B exercises – again resting for 60 seconds between your first and second sequence. Within the circuit (i.e. from exercise A1 to A2), rest as little as possible. If you’re going to upchuck, of course take a moment. But push yourself — within reason — to take care of business without too much lollygagging.

Part 6: Intervals

After you finish your strength training, you’ll seal the deal with some conditioning. Intervals may not be easy but they are simple, quick and highly effective. If done properly, they will also be the most difficult 15-20 minutes of your life – every time you do them.

Here’s what you need to do:

• Choose an exercise that you can perform safely at a relatively high intensity.

I recommend a stationary bike. Swimming is ideal for many reasons but pool access is rarely convenient enough. A step mill will be fine and dandy. An elliptical machine will not be. I don’t recommend running unless you’ve already been coached or hail from Kenya. Few of us are sufficiently good natural runners. If you’re really de-conditioned, something as simple as walking fast and/or uphill may be fine.

• Experiment with whatever level of intensity you can safely handle.

Seek good medical advice (not to be confused with listening to any old MD) if you have any cause to be concerned. In a healthy person, 90% of maximal heart rate is considered to be a good goal. If you don’t have a heart rate monitor, then you will have to go by your own sense of difficulty. Take it easy on your first few days. Move into things progressively. Be careful.

• Once you have figured out your own parameters for safe exercise, push them for one minute.

One single minute and no more. You will do this four or five times.

• In between your high intensity minutes, drop your pace as much as you need to in order to recover for your next round.

Beginners may find they need several minutes to recover. Others may find less than one minute to be adequate. Remember that the effectiveness of this style of training has very little to do with how hard you go during your breaks. Don’t get suckered into thinking that more time at a lower intensity will be more effective. It won’t.

Part 7: Post work-out

Take a few minutes to cool down. You can and should repeat the stretches and soft tissue work from the beginning of this program.

Part 8: The big picture

You will get far more out of this program with proper nutrition. Refer to Stumptuous, Kyle Byron or Precision Nutrition for more information on what (and when) to eat.

This program will serve most people well for four weeks or so. I would recommend using it 2-3 times per week. You’ll simply alternate between Day 1 and Day 2, regardless of your training frequency.

Every time you revisit a day you will try to do better than the last. Before you try to up your weight, try to improve your technique. You may have noticed that doing things right is usually more difficult than doing them poorly; the same goes for lifting weights.

After all, you might just want some simple advice on getting started. If so, this article is for you. This program starts you off with a few basic movements that are guaranteed to increase your overall strength and fitness if you’re a beginner.

Of course, this is just a start. You are encouraged to look around this site, take in all the information and even e-mail questions to Krista or myself. You’re definitely encouraged to learn enough to start putting things together on your own. Unless you’re an iron-pumping savant, however, this will take more than an afternoon.

And you want to get going now! Good. So while you’re learning, may I present a starter program.

Here’s what you’re going to do:

Warm-up

Move around. Step deep, reach high and breathe deep. Pay attention to where movement feels restricted by tight muscles and gently (gently!) move through that range of motion. Now start moving faster. Jog, crawl, shuffle from side to side. Up the pace until it’s a challenge to keep your breathing even. This whole process should take about 10 minutes. Good? Good enough!

Exercise 1: Split squat – 10 each leg
Weight: Bodyweight

Take a lunge position, but leave your feet in place as you go up and down. The front heel stays dug in, the rear heel stays up. Get nice and long – long enough for you to feel a real stretch. Your feet should be at hip width and both pointed forward. The rear knee should almost touch the ground with each repetition. Your front hip, knee and ankle should form a straight line. Up and down on one side, then the other. If there is any joint pain, stop.

Exercise 2: Dumbbell row – 12 each side
Weight: 40 lbs. for dudes, 20 to 30 lbs. for chicks

Put one hand on a bench. You can have the same-side foot on the ground or put the shin on the same bench. Whatever. Grab a dumbbell with your other hand and pull it as far away from the floor as possible, control your descent and then repeat. Don’t rotate your torso. If there is any joint pain, stop.

Exercise 3: Dumbbell bench press – 12 each side
Weight: 30 lbs. for dudes, 15 to 20 lbs. for chicks

Lie back on a bench with your feet on the ground. Keep your shoulder blades squeezed together throughout and push those dumbbells (one in each hand) toward the ceiling. Keep your elbows within about 45 degrees of your body. Control your descent and repeat. If there is any joint pain, stop.

Exercise 4: Forearm plank – 60 seconds total
Weight: bodyweight

Lie face-down, with only your forearms and feet touching the ground. Hold just a slight pike (your ass should just be slightly higher than the rest of your body). Take very short breaks whenever you feel like your spine is trying to bear the weight (as opposed to your abs). If there is any joint pain . . . well, you know.

Now that you’ve been through all four exercises, go through them a second time. Maybe even a third.

Now get on an exercise bike and perform the following:

Go fast: 30 seconds
Go slow: 2 minutes
Repeat this four times (that’s 10 minutes total).

Towel off, go home and do some more reading. Don’t forget to tip your servers. Thank you and goodnight!

Geoff is also one of my favourite boys in the whole world. He introduced me to the epic joy of Rottblott’s, a hardware surplus store — basically a candy store for people who love old-skool strength training toys. Thanks to Geoff I now own 20 feet of thick rope. And I’m eyeing a heavier sledgehammer…

This is a good workout for folks who have minimal equipment, and/or who are just starting out with a basic dumbbell set. Beginners should start with the higher end of the recommended rep range, and begin with 1-2 sets of each exercise instead of 3, working gradually up to more sets after a month or so. This workout is meant to be done every other day, alternating days.

Notation: Exercise sets x reps
For example: bench press 3 x 8 is 3 sets of 8 reps per set

day 1 – lower body

1. dumbbell squat OR sumo deadlift (aka plie squat)
   3 x 10 – 15
2. dumbbell stiff-legged deadlift OR one-legged dumbbell deadlift OR dumbbell step-up
   3 x 10 – 15
3. single-legged calf raise
   3 x 10-15
4. ab crunches or Swiss ball crunches
   3 x 8-10

day 2 – upper body

1. one-arm row
   3 x 10-15
2. lying dumbbell press OR pushups
   3 x 10-15 (or as many pushups as you can do per set)
3. standing overhead dumbbell press
   3 x 10-15
4. lower back exercise of choice
   3 x 10-15

routine 2: lo-tech ass-busting

This one combines dumbbell exercises with bodyweight exercises for some strength-endurance and conditioning benefits. Good if you play sports, and as part of a fat loss program. Not your Curves circuit training, baby!

You can do this workout 3 or 4 times per week, alternating day 1 and day 2. Another option if you’re after fat loss is to do this 2 times weekly then add 2 or 3 other days of interval cardio.

Circuit: go through the following exercises in order, with 10 to 30 seconds rest between sets. To keep track of progress, you can count both total workout duration and number of circuits. To make it easier, increase the length of the rest periods. To make it harder, add reps to each set, increase the speed at which you perform the reps, and/or shorten the rest periods. There isn’t really any limit on the number of reps per set — this isn’t a “toning” workout and if you went for ultra-high reps you would still be a badass.

Start with 10 reps per set and have some fun with it. Once you’ve completed the total circuit, finish up with a few sets of midsection work (e.g. abs, low back, etc.). Keep the total duration of the circuit short and sweet, no more than about 20 minutes. Even 10 minutes will kick your butt if you’re working hard at this, so get in there and give ‘er!

If you have other low-tech stuff you like to do, such as sandbag lifting, sledgehammer swinging, or stair running, feel free to add it to the circuit. Just keep the total time to about 20 minutes. Aim for intensity and “density” (i.e. the amount of work done in the given time), rather than an extended session.

day 1 – circuit A

1. dumbbbell swing
2. dumbbell squat + overhead press combo
   Squat down holding dumbbells at shoulders, then press up smoothly as you ascend from the squat. Lower dumbbells to shoulders before squatting down again.
3. horizontal pullups
   If you’re at home, you can use a sturdy table for these — just lie with your head underneath and legs poking out, grab the tabletop with an underhand grip, and pull up while keeping your body straight like a plank. If you don’t have anything you can use, do regular dumbbell rows instead.

day 2 – circuit B

1. dumbbell snatch
2. dumbbell hang clean + push press
3. dumbbell burpee, aka squat thrust
   Holding dumbbells, squat down and place dumbbells on the floor. Kick your feet back. Do a pushup with hands still on dumbbell handles (you may need to fiddle a bit to find the proper dumbbell alignment). Kick your feet fowards. Once you have a secure footing, bring your chest up and jump up as high as you can (i.e. don’t try to jump up when curled up and crouched; jump up from a squat position). If this is too tough to start, do regular burpees.

The body doesn’t really understand “parts”; it understands kinetic chains — a sequence of events designed to achieve an objective. The body will use whatever “parts” it thinks it needs to get the job done, in the appropriate order. Thus, for example, when throwing a ball, the body doesn’t think “OK, first, I’m hitting the rear delts and forearm extensors, then I’m totally recruiting the external obliques…”

It just thinks: Throw ball.

So don’t get all fussy about which body parts a given exercise “works”. Just get as many pieces moving as possible, as smoothly and precisely as possible. Let your body figure out the rest.

routine 1: conventional split

This routine should be done either every other day, or as a Monday-Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday kind of split, if you have to fit it into a 7-day week. Don’t do more than 2 days in a row. I include lower back and ab work twice weekly. This helps a great deal in developing torso stability. Rest about 60-90 seconds between sets (you might want a little longer between squat sets).
Notation: Exercise sets x reps
For example: bench press 3 x 8 is 3 sets of 8 reps per set

day 1 – legs

1. squat
   3 sets of 6-10 reps
2. split squat or lunge
   3 x 6-10
3. stiff-legged deadlift
   3 x 8-10
4. calf raise
   3 x 6-10
5. back hyperextensions
   3 x 8-10

day 2 – chest, triceps, abs

1. bench or dumbbell press
   3 x 6-10
2. dips or assisted dips (if you can)
   3 x 6-10
3. incline bench or dumbbell press
   3 x 6-10
4. close-grip pushups
   2 x 8-10
5. ab crunches or swissball crunches
   3 x 8-10

day 3 – back, biceps

1. deadlift
   3 x 6-10
2. pullups OR lat pulldowns
   3 sets of as many as you can do for pullups (if you can do more than 6-8 pullups at once, put a 5-lb plate between your knees and do them), 3 sets of 6-8 reps for lat pulldowns
3. row of choice
   3 x 8-10
4. biceps curl
   2 x 6-10
5. back hyperextension
   3 x 8-10

day 4 – shoulders, lower back

1. standing shoulder press or one-hand side press
   3 x 6-10
2. power shrugs
   3 x 6-10
3. lateral raises
   2 x 8-10
4. ab crunches or Swiss ball crunches
   3 x 8-10

routine 2: push/pull, light/heavy

This routine should be done either every other day, or as a Monday-Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday kind of split, if you have to fit it into a 7-day week. Don’t do more than 2 days in a row, and try to have a heavy day follow a rest day. Rest about 2 minutes between sets on heavy days (you might want a little longer between squat sets), and about 60-90 seconds between sets on light days.

day 1 – heavy push

1. squat
   3 x 5
2. dips or assisted dips (if you can) or standing shoulder press
   3 x 6-8
3. calf raise
   3 x 6-8
4. ab crunches or Swiss ball crunches
   3 x 8-10

day 2 – light pull

1. power shrugs
   5 x 3, with light weight (i.e. don’t use the weight you’d use for a 3-rep max; use about 70-80% of that)
2. one-arm dumbbell row
   3 x 12-15
3. biceps curls
   2 x 8-10
4. lower back extension
   3 x 12-15

day 3 – light push

1. front squats
   5 x 3 with light weight (i.e. don’t use the weight you’d use for a 3-rep max; use about 70-80% of that)
2. standing shoulder press or one-hand side press
   3 x 12-15
3. pushups
   3 sets
4. close-grip bench press 2 x 10-12
5. ab crunches or Swiss ball crunches
   3 x 8-10

day 4 – heavy pull

1. deadlift OR hang clean pull
   3 x 6
2. pullups OR lat pulldowns
   3 sets of as many as you can do for pullups (if you can do more than 6-8 pullups at once, put a 5-lb plate between your knees and do them), 3 sets of 6-8 reps for lat pulldowns
3. horizontal pullup OR wide-grip row Horizontal pullups: 3 x as many as you can; wide grip row: 3 x 6-8

The body doesn’t really understand “parts”; it understands kinetic chains — a sequence of events designed to achieve an objective. The body will use whatever “parts” it thinks it needs to get the job done, in the appropriate order.

Thus, for example, when throwing a ball, the body doesn’t think “OK, first, I’m hitting the rear delts and forearm extensors, then I’m totally recruiting the external obliques…”

It just thinks: Throw ball.

So don’t get all fussy about which body parts a given exercise “works”. Just get as many pieces moving as possible, as smoothly and precisely as possible. Let your body figure out the rest.

This routine can be done every other day, or as a Monday-Wednesday-Friday split. Don’t do more than two days of this workout in a row. I prefer the Monday-Wednesday-Friday split, because it gives you two days to recover from deadlifting before you squat again. Rest about 90 seconds between sets (you might want a little longer between squat sets).

You’ll notice that although I note “triceps” and “biceps” there is no direct isolation work for these. In general, I feel they get enough work from the compound movements. However if you feel a need for additional isolation work, throw in a couple sets of close-grip pushups or presses on day 2, and a couple sets of biceps curls on day 3.

Technically, of course, deadlifting is also a leg exercise but I’ve filed it in this case under “pulling” exercises. If you wanted to limit the leg involvement, you could also change it to something like a shrug or hang clean pull.

Notation: Exercise sets x reps

For example: bench press 3 x 8 is 3 sets of 8 reps per set

day 1 – legs

1. Squat3 sets x 6-10 reps
2. Split squat or lunge3 x 8-10
3. Stiff-legged deadlift3 x 8-10
4. Calf raise3 x 6-10

day 2 – chest, shoulders, triceps (or “push”)

1. Bench press or dumbbell press3 x 6-10
2. Standing shoulder press or side press3 x 6-10
3. Dips OR assisted dips (if you are able to do these)3 x 6-8
4. Ab crunches or Swiss ball crunches3 x 8-10

day 3 – back, biceps (or “pull”)

1. Deadlift 3 x 6-8
2. Pullups OR lat pulldownsDo 3 sets of as many as you can do for pullups (if you can do more than 6-8 pullups at once, put a 5-lb plate between your knees and do them), 3 sets of 6-10 reps for lat pulldowns
3. Dumbbell row 3 x 8-10
4. Back hyperextension 3 x 8-10

The premise behind this routine is that there is a heavy, medium, and light day, determined by intensity (what amount of your maximal weight you are using). The heavier the day, the lower the rep range and the heavier the weight.

On all 3 days, the squat is performed. Then, each day has a different pushing and pulling exercise. While this workout is challenging and appropriate for both intermediate and advanced lifters, you MUST take the time to learn the exercises properly. Working with low-rep sets presents the potential for injury if you are not careful about form.

If you’re feeling a little burnt out from squatting, you have a few options. One: don’t squat on the light day. Two: try squatting on the light day with 5 sets of 3 using 65-70% of the weight you used for the heavy day. If you do this, keep rest intervals short, between 30-60 seconds. Three: Use unweighted squats.

Caveats aside, this is one of my all-time favourite routines. The key here is to stick within the rep range. Don’t do more reps even if you can do so easily. Rest about 60-90 seconds between sets (you might want a little longer between squat sets).

Notation: Exercise sets x reps
For example: bench press 3 x 8 is 3 sets of 8 reps per set

day 1 – light

1. squat 3 sets x 15 reps
2. power shrug (pull) 3 x 5 using light weight
3. shoulder press (push) 3 x 15
4. calf raise 2 x 15
5. ab crunches or Swiss ball crunches 2 x 15

day 2 – heavy

1. squat 3 x 5
2. bench press (push) 3 x 5
3. Pullups (assisted if necessary) or lat pulldowns (pull) 3 x 5

day 3 – medium

1. squat 3 x 8
2. one-arm dumbbell row OR seated cable row (pull) 3 x 8
3. incline bench press (push) 3 x 8
4. back hyperextensions 2 x 8-10

routine 2

This routine requires some knowledge of basic Olympic assistance lifts. I’ve modified it a bit for beginners so that you’re not required to do the full lifts, but if you know how, go ahead.

Olympic assistance lifts are relatively easy to learn compared to the full lifts, which require a bit of coaching to master. Before you attempt these you should have learned the basics of squatting and deadlifting, which help you learn the correct spine and hip position for the Olympic assistance lifts (i.e. neutral or slightly arched spine, sitting back, etc.). Good sites with pictures and descriptions:

Biofitness, WSU Strength and Conditioning (look under “How do I perform a…” and follow the links), the Cable-Bar Guy, and Chris Thibaudeau’s articles on the “Power Clean and Assistance Lifts”, and “The Competition Lifts and Main Assistance Exercises”.

Ideally this would be done over something like a Monday-Wednesday-Friday, so that you have two days of rest before the heavy day on day 1, and a day of rest in between day 1, 2, and 3. Where 5 sets are indicated, the first 2 sets are warmup sets.

You’ll also see that I’ve put down things like “snatch pull OR clean pull”. This means to alternate them from week to week. This gives you a little variety and also gives you a chance to practice the movements.

day 1 – heavy

1. squat 5 x 3
2. snatch pull or clean pull to shrug on toes 3 x 5
3. push press 3 x 5
4. calf raises 2 x 12-15
5. back hyperextensions OR good mornings
   2 x 8-10

day 2 – medium

1. power clean or hang clean 5 x 5
2. pullups (lat pulldowns if you can’t do pullups yet) OR Smith machine pullups (scroll down for variation #2) 3 x 8-10 (for pullups just do 3 sets of as many as you can do)
3. standing shoulder press 3 x 8-10
4. ab work of choice 3 x 10-12

day 3 – light

1. hang power snatch (scroll down for instructions on WSU site) 3 x 5
2. front squat 3 x 8-10
3. dumbbell row
   3 x 8-10
4. close-grip bench press or triceps pushups 2 x 6-8
5. ab or lower back work of choice 2 x 10-12

This routine can be done on a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule, with the next workout being “floated” into the next week (so that one week Monday would be lower body, the next Monday would be upper body), OR on alternating days (1 day of workout, 1 day of rest, 1 day of workout, and so forth), OR 4 days a week on a Monday-Tuesday-Thursday-Friday schedule. Don’t do this workout more than two days in a row.

Rest 1 to 2 minutes between sets (you might want a little longer between squat sets).

Notation: Exercise sets x reps
For example: bench press 3 x 8 is 3 sets of 8 reps per set

day 1 – lower body

1. Squat or leg press 2 x 12-15
2. Stiff-legged deadlift 2 x 12-15
3. Calf raise 2 x 12-15
4. Back extensions 2 x 12-15

day 2 – upper body

1. Lat pulldown 2 x 12-15
2. Standing overhead shoulder press 2 x 12-15
3. One-arm dumbbell row 2 x 12-15
4. Bench press 2 x 12-15
5. Ab crunches 2 x 12-15

Rest 1 to 2 minutes between sets (you might want a little longer between squat sets).

Notation: Exercise sets x reps
For example: bench press 3 x 8 is 3 sets of 8 reps per set

routine 1

1. Squat or leg press 2 x 12-15
2. Lat pulldown 2 x 12-15
3. Standing overhead shoulder press 2 x 12-15
4. One-arm dumbbell row 2 x 12-15
5. Bench press 2 x 12-15
6. Calf raise 1 x 15
7. Ab crunches or Swiss ball crunches 2 x 12-15

routine 2: get in, get out, go home

This one is a short and sweet version of the workout above. Alternate day 1 and day 2. So, let’s say you work out Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. On the first week, you’d do day 1 on Monday and Friday, and day 2 on Wednesday. Then the second week, you’d do day 2 on Monday and Friday, and day 1 on Wednesday.

You may find it saves even more time to alternate sets labeled as A and B. For instance, you could do one set of shoulder press, then one set of lat pulldowns, then a second set of shoulder presss, and finally a second set of lat pulldowns. I’ve labeled some exercises as this OR that — pick whichever one suits you best. You can even alternate from week to week but don’t go overboard with the variety because it becomes hard to track progress.

day 1

1. Squat or leg press 2 x 15-20
2. A Standing overhead shoulder press 2 x 12-15
3. B Lat pulldown 2 x 12-15
4. Calf raise 1 x 15
5. Back extension 2 x 12-15

day 2

1. Sumo deadlift 2 x 15
2. A One-arm dumbbell row OR Seated cable row 2 x 12-15
3. B Pushups, 2 sets of as many as you can do OR Incline dumbbell bench press 2 x 12-15
4. Calf raise 1 x 15
5. Ab crunch 2 x 12-15

Nevertheless I thought it might be helpful to compile some ideas for you.

These routines are meant to be suggestions based on generally accepted principles of training. They aren’t the only routines out there. Through experimentation and careful record-keeping, you’ll find what’s right for you. Please don’t write me to tell me I missed things in routine X. These routines are for you to use and adapt to your needs, so they shouldn’t be considered to be the final word on the “right” routine. Pick one and use it as is, or modify it as you see fit. The usual disclaimers apply here about checking with your doctor before starting a fitness program, and making sure you’re doing the exercises with correct form, blah blah blah.

There is one constant in the routines on this page: there is no high-rep training with low weight, no “toning and sculpting” workouts. You’ll never find those useless heresies on this page. Basic, compound movements with significant weight resistance is the only way to go regardless of your goals and abilities, and don’t let anyone tell you differently (obviously while you are learning, you are not expected to do huge quantities of weight, but the weight should be a challenge for you). You can do a trillion leg lifts with a pink ankle weight, or you can do one set of heavy squats. It’s your choice; make it a good one.

how did you build these routines?

The first thing to remember is that the body knows movements, not muscles. Don’t build a workout around isolated body parts, but rather around integrated movements. Think about how your body moves around in “real life” and then think about which exercises best emulate that. You’ll notice that few of the movements you do in real life involve sitting or lying down and moving a single joint. Rather, real life movements are multi-joint movements such as squatting down to pick something off the floor (i.e. a deadlift) or putting something on a high shelf (i.e. a standing overhead press).

Thus, many workouts follow what I call the “squat, push, pull” format. What that means is that each workout is composed of the following “recipe”:

1. A squatting type movement such as squats, deadlifts, or lunges. This typically involves some combination of all the muscles in the lower body.
2. A pushing type movement, which can be done in three planes: pushing up/overhead (like an overhead press); pushing horizontally (like a bench press or pushup); and pushing down (like a dip). Of course you can also push somewhere in between, as in an incline press that presses both forward and up. Usually these types of movements involve some combination of shoulders, chest, and triceps.
3. A pulling type movement, which can be done in three planes: pulling down from overhead (like a pulldown or a pullup); pulling horizontally (like a row); and pulling up (like a shrug). Usually these types of movements involve some combination of the back and biceps muscle groups.
4. Midsection work for torso strength and stability: this includes low back, abdominal, and/or oblique work and can be anything from isometric holds to spinal flexion/extension

I usually throw in some calf work as well since ankle flexion/extension doesn’t tend to get worked with the above types of movements unless you’re doing something like squat jumps or Olympic lifting. Most movements can be done with one limb or two. For example you can squat with both legs or one at a time (i.e. a split squat, pistol, or lunge).

For the average trainee, a basic squat/push/pull arrangement is usually quite sufficient. Once you understand this concept of “movements not muscles”, feel free to experiment with it.

which routine is right for me?

To figure out what routine you should be following, some specifics are in order.

How long have you been training?

I tried writing down numerical representations of workout time with regard to beginner vs. intermediate vs. advanced trainer status, but it’s hard to pin down exactly who is a beginner and who isn’t.

A beginner can be someone who’s been training for a while, but hasn’t been doing it seriously or with any real plan or knowledge, or someone who’s coming back to training after a long layoff. The intermediate workouts are intended for trainees who have been training for at least 6 months, and who have at least some familiarity with all of the exercises given.

If you’re a really brave beginner who knows her stuff, you’re welcome to try them, but don’t write me a hate letter if you hurt yourself. Generally, for beginner workouts, the reps are relatively high and the intensity/weight relatively low. A typical recommendation is to use a weight that’s manageable for 12 to 15 reps per set.

However, for a few complex exercises such as squats or deadlifts, you can do more, shorter sets while using the same lighter weight, so instead of 3 x 12 perhaps try 6 x 6 with shorter rests (the total rep count is the same, but your ability to keep good technique will be better). This is to give your connective tissue time to adapt to the loading. After 8-12 months, you can go a little heavier. But don’t rush it. Connective tissue, such as cartilage, ligaments, and tendons, takes a little longer to adapt than muscle does, so a wise beginner takes it easy for the first while to avoid overuse injuries. There is always time to go heavier later.

What are your goals?

Beginners can both gain muscle and lose fat at the same time, but after about 6-12 months of training, this freebie runs out, and you will have to be more specific in your objectives. If body recomposition, i.e. gaining muscle or losing fat, is your goal as an intermediate or experienced trainer, it’s best to pick one or the other. Trying to do both at once is like trying to build a house while someone keeps taking the bricks away.

How many days a week do you want to work out?

I’ve given everything here from full-body workouts that can be done twice weekly, to 4-day a week splits.

Are you training for a particular sport, activity, or rehab?

I’ve included some routines aimed at specific sports or developing specific qualities like explosiveness. Also, check my Sport Specific Training page for more ideas.

What kind of equipment do you have access to?

I’ve included a routine for minimal equipment as well as one for dumbbells only.

A man takes his wife to see a marriage counselor. “She’s just not interested in sex,” he explains to the counselor. “She always says that she’s tired.”

“Well,” responds the counselor, “why don’t you try taking on some of the housework?” The husband agrees to do this, and off the couple goes.

A month later the wife brings the husband back to the counselor’s office, and says, “He’s just not interested in sex. He always says that he’s tired.”

*cymbal crash*

What can I say? Feminists aren’t known for their humour. Here is the only other feminist joke I know:

Q. How many feminists does it take to change a light bulb?
A. That’s not funny.

And I have a PhD in Women’s Studies. Lawyers and golfers in the crowd, if you have any spare jokes you’re not using, send them our way because we desperately need them.

Anyway, the point is that if you’re a woman, and if you’re reading this site then you probably are, there’s a darn good chance that you’re doing a whole lot of things that are keeping you busy. Although more women are in the paid labour force than ever, and although men are taking on more responsibilities in the home, women are still the primary domestic labourers for their families – which means that they often do, on average, between 20 to 30 hours per week of unpaid housework and caregiving (2006 Canadian Census data). This is like taking on another job! This situation is particularly dire for women who are employed full-time and between ages 25 and 44, which are the prime child-bearing and -rearing years for North American women. Interestingly, as women’s hours of paid labour increase, their hours of unpaid labour don’t decrease significantly. It all just keeps adding up.

Site reader Wendy gets in a few minutes of overhead child presses.

It’s become a bit of cliché now to talk about how time stressed and busy one is. Partly this is because in North America and the UK, full-time workers are working longer hours than a generation ago (and in laissez-faire continental Europe, long a fan of two-hour lunches and six-week vacations, work hours are on the rise again too). Partly this is because many of our lives revolve around working in geographically idiotic patterns requiring driving long distances to our jobs. Maybe you have kids, although like Wendy in the photo to the right, you can lift them too. Maybe, like me, you need eight hours of sleep a night to feel human. Whatever your reasons for time stress, the fact remains that you need to figure out how to make exercise a priority.

Although I’m not a medical resident nor a parent of young children, I still think I can speak with some authority on the issue of time pressure.

Before I quit my job at the university, my commute to work took me an hour each way. During the summer months, I could cycle that distance in just over an hour, which made that time spent more pleasantly efficient. (This karma all evened out in the winter, when I’d spend many freezing hours waiting for the bus.) I worked full-time in a job that demanded more than a 9 to 5 commitment. I often worked early mornings, weekends, and evenings. On top of one main full-time job, I taught undergraduate courses. I saw training clients. I finished three books and the obligatory articles that were part of the conditions for keeping an academic job. If I hadn’t allocated time to take care of myself, I would have been in some deep trouble healthwise.

One thing I’ve found over the years from surveying students and clients is that most people use time inefficiently and perceive time inaccurately. Students who complain about workload might actually spend only 20 hours a week doing schoolwork. We might think we can easily complete tasks in a given time, only to find that it takes us twice as long because we’re working distractedly.

A time diary is an effective tool to discover where you’re really spending time. Try keeping one for a week to find out how you spend your time. It might be something like: wake up 7 am, get ready for work 7 to 8 am, commuting 8-8:30, etc. What you will very likely find is that there are several hours a week that are being used wastefully.

After all, there are 7 days in a week. That means 168 total hours. Let’s subtract sleeping 8 hours per day, and working full-time (40 hours) plus an assumed 1.5 hours per day for commuting, 3 hours per day for making and eating meals, and 1 hour for bathing and dressing. By my calculation, there are still 33.5 hours left in that week. Surely, somewhere in there, we can all find 3 hours to get some activity, especially if we do it in 30 min chunks, 6 days per week.

Now, I’m not opposed to constructive time wasting. We all need time to do nothing. But if I had to guess, I’d say that most folks could find a lot of productive time if they cut down on TV and/or the internet. Surfing websites of slash fiction and chimp porn, or sucking in endless braying commercials in between brief bouts of vacuous laugh tracks isn’t making you smarter anyway.

Once you have your weekly time diary, look at it honestly and critically. Where do you absolutely have to put in time, and what time is negotiable? We always manage to find time for things that we think are priorities. Often, finding time for exercise means that you re-evaluate what you think are priorities.

In my case, I drew the following conclusions.

1. Early morning is the only time that I can really control. Evenings are much harder to plan, as I might have been asked to work late, or the bus might have been slow because of the snow, or I might have needed to pick up groceries for dinner, or whatever. Sometimes I was so tired when I got home that all I wanted to do was drool on myself while eating a reheated salmon puck over the sink.

2. Early morning is also a better time to work out than evening, since as I said, I need eight hours of sleep and working out in the evenings just gears me up too much. Plus I can chug coffee before a morning workout. This plan also requires me to be smart about getting to bed early enough. Most of the time I’m not doing anything particularly brilliant at 10 pm anyway, so I might as well be snoring.

3. I have more time on weekends than on weekdays. That means I deliberately allocate the most time-heavy workouts for the two weekend days.

To solve the time crunch, I resolved to work out more, rather than less, frequently! This may sound crazy but bear with me.

Going to the gym for a long workout might take 2 hours. Doing a few well-chosen exercises at home with dumbbells takes much less time. Working out less frequently would mean that each workout was less negotiable; if I missed a long workout due to last-minute commitments then my schedule would be really messed up. More frequent but shorter workouts seemed to be the perfect solution.

Emerging research is suggesting that the old style of bodybuilding workout — the pump til you puke, blast a bodypart then let it rest for a week — is less effective for both strength and mass gains, as well as overall fitness, than more frequent workouts where intensity is cycled. So working out more frequently, using shorter workouts, is actually a better idea anyway.

I came up with the following workout ideas. I should mention that at the time, I had a very minimal setup for my home gym. I had only a pair of adjustable dumbbells (handles, collars, and a handful of weight plates), a jump rope, a few square feet of floor space in the living room (I had to push the couch out of the way to jump rope), and an egg timer (for timing intervals). Later, I added a bar and a sledgehammer.

This setup nevertheless allowed me to do a wide range of movements. I have only listed a few ideas below, but you can use your imagination. You do not need a fancy setup to get a good home workout. Ideas for bodyweight exercises and low-tech dumbbell exercises can be found here, here, and here.

I trained daily, sometimes twice daily if I felt energetic and had the time. Sometimes I’d break one workout into two parts, doing 10 or 15 min in the morning and 10 or 15 min in the evenings. Sometimes I’d combine an A workout in the morning with a C workout in the evening. I usually take one or two days off per week, but rarely feel like I need those rest days (which is good). On rest days, I’ll do some moderate “recovery” cardio such as walking.

workout ideas

Workouts are divided into A, B, and C workouts. An A workout is the heaviest workout, often done at the gym if I’m using the power cage. A workouts use heavier weight and shorter sets. Good exercises for A workouts are squats, weighted pullups, deadlifts, presses, and rows. If you can do Olympic lifts or their assistance lifts, those work well too.

B workouts are strength-endurance, conditioning-type workouts. These can be done with bodyweight-only exercises such as pushups and jumps, high-rep weighted ballistic exercises such as kettlebell/dumbbell/sledgehammer swings, sandbag carries, and hybrid exercises such as squat + press combos. Again, if you know your Olympic and OL assistance lifts (as well as their dumbbell variations), feel free to use them here as well with lighter weight.

A C workout is an interval cardio-type workout, or even just a moderate cardio “recovery” workout. Here I might run sprints or up hills/stairs, jump rope, shadow box or hit a heavy bag, etc.

Don’t get too focused on carefully sorting your exercises or being perfect with categorization. Do what you can with what you have available and be creative. These are just ideas — use your imagination. Depending on how you organize it, an A workout can easily have a B component to it, etc.

Each workout takes no more than 30 minutes, and B or C workouts are usually about 20 minutes. It doesn’t matter if each workout isn’t a maximal effort; indeed, more frequent workouts are necessarily sub-maximal because they are so frequent. At no time do I attempt to work to failure. Indeed, I deliberately try to leave a couple of reps “in the tank” on every set. This improves recovery, which is key for more frequent workouts.

Sample A Workout

Squat 3 to 5 sets x 5 reps (2 warmup sets, 3 working sets)
Pullups (weighted if possible) 3 x 5
Standing barbell overhead press 3 x 5
Weighted ab or low back exercise of choice exercise 2 x 8-10

Sample A Workout 2

Sumo deadlift 3 to 5 sets x 5 reps (2 warmup sets, 3 working sets)
Unsupported dumbbell row (rather than using a bench, squat down a little bit and place the nonlifting hand or forearm on your knee): 3 x 5
One-hand side press 3 x 5
Weighted ab or low back exercise of choice 2 x 8-10

Sample A Workout 3: “I Can’t Believe It’s A Workout!”

Alternate these two exercises for the allotted time, or 5 “rounds”, whichever you prefer:

1. Rotating one-hand dumbbell deadlift: grab a heavyish dumbbell. Place it on the floor beside you, on your right hand side. Squat down and grab it with your right hand. Stand up (using good deadlift form of course!). Squat down and place it in front of you, between your feet. Switch hands to grab the dumbbell with your left hand. Stand up. Squat down and place the dumbbell on your left side. Keep hanging on to it with your left hand. Stand up. Squat down and place it between your feet again. Switch to the right hand. Stand up. Squat down and replace the dumbbell on the right side. That’s one cycle. Go for 2 to 5 cycles per “set”.

2. One-hand side windmill press. With dumbbell, kettlebell or barbell at your shoulder, press to the side as you descend into the “windmill” position. Keeping arm straight, stand up. Lower your body again, still keeping arm straight. Stand up again. Lower the weight to your shoulder. That’s one rep. Do 2 to 5 per set.

Sample A Workout 4: Boxer’s Delight

I put this one in the “A” category because you need a heavy bag for this. Or you can shadow box, if need be.

Set a timer for 3 minutes.

Grab a pair of dumbbells. For the first minute, do the following combo: dumbbell hang clean (basically, jump, shrug, and hitch the dumbbells up to your shoulders) + dumbbell front squat (holding dumbbells at shoulders, squat down and back up) + dumbbell overhead press. Clean + squat + overhead press = 1 rep. Aim for 6-8 reps of the combo for the minute.

For the second two minutes, pound the snot out of a heavy bag. When the two minutes is up, grab those dumbbells and get ready to start again.

That’s one round.

Shoot for 5 rounds. If necessary, you can rest 20-30 sec between rounds, but keep the momentum going as much as possible.

Sample A Workout 5: The Good, The Bad, and The Cardio

1. Set a timer for 1-2 minutes.

2. Pick a heavy lift. Squat, deadlift, pullup, row, whatever.

3. Do 1 to 5 reps with that lift.

4. Immediately bust out some high-intensity cardio. The cardio can be something traditionally “aerobic” like running or “weighted cardio” like high-speed light calisthenics or swings. The cardio should be the opposite body part to the lift — so, if your heavy lift is a pullup, do sprints or kettlebell swings; if your heavy lift is a squat, do some shadow boxing, hang kettlebell snatches, or heavy bag work.

5. Finish out that cardio till the end of the minute/allotted round time. Thus, one round = desired reps of heavy lift + cardio.

6. Repeat for 15-20 minutes.

Sample B Workout 1

Circuit: go through in order for the allotted time or number of sets:
5 to 10 horizontal pullups (you can do these using the underside of a sturdy table if you don’t mind your family wondering what the hell you’re doing in the dining room; just lie under the table with head underneath and legs sticking out, and grab the table’s edge with an underhand grip)
5 to 10 pushups
10 to 15 unweighted squats, pistols, or squat jumps, whichever you fancy

Sample B Workout 2, aka “Gone in 30 seconds”

1. Pick a complex lift. I use cleans. Another good option if you don’t know how to clean a barbell would be a dumbbell deadlift + squat + press. To do this one, use two dumbbells. Set them on the floor on each side of you. Squat down with good form and grab the dumbbells. Stand up. Your palms should be facing your body. Hitch the dumbbells up to your shoulders (try not to curl them, but if you do a little that’s cool). Squat down again, with the dumbbells at your shoulders. Stand up. Press the dumbbells overhead. That’s one rep. Between reps, put the dumbbells back down on the floor. As you progress, you might need to add a little leg drive to get those dumbbells off your shoulders. That’s OK.

2. Start a timer.

3. Do one rep every 30 seconds for the allotted time — 15-20 min is good.

4. Oh, you’re a badass, eh? OK then. How about 20 seconds? Or 15 seconds? After nailing 50 cleans at the 1 clean/15 seconds rate with 75% bodyweight, I’m working on 1 clean per 10 seconds right now. Seriously. You can also try 10 sets of 5 cleans (or hitch+squat+press combo with heavyish dumbbells) — 5 cleans in a minute, then rest 30 seconds, then 5 cleans in a minute, 30 sec rest, etc. for 10 rounds. I pity the fool who effs with you after you get good at that one.

Sample B Workout 3, aka “Sultan of Swing”

Alternate 25 swings (dumbbell, kettlebell, or weight plate) with 25 squat + press combos. Rest 30-45 sec between sets. Go for 5 cycles total or your choice of allotted time.

Sample C Workout 1

Circuit: done in order 2 to 3 times
Jump rope 30 to 60 seconds
Pushups as many reps as possible
Jump rope 30 to 60 seconds
Dumbbell or kettlebell swing 15-20 reps
Jump rope 30 to 60 seconds
Boxing practice: “sets” of punches (e.g. 10 jabs, 10 right crosses, 10 two-punch combos) for 30 to 60 seconds

Sample C Workout 2

Alternate 100 m sprints (walk back) with 20 sledgehammer swings per side for 15-20 minutes. For extra fun find a hill or long set of stairs and put the sledgehammer at the top. Run up, do your swings, walk down, repeat.

the lifestyle component

I also try to get lots of daily life activity, mostly walking. This wasn’t too hard when I was working at the university — the campus was like a small city (60,000 people or so). As many evenings as possible, I took the long way home from the subway, which gave me a nice twenty minute walk — great for unwinding at the end of the workday. Now that I work at home, I try to walk everywhere I can. If something is within a 30-60 min walk, I’ll often just hoof it there regardless of the weather.

I also like to do a form of cardio called “I’m late”. I’m not really late, but I scurry as if I were. Once the subway gets to my stop, I bolt up several flights of stairs to the bus. This has side benefits: it means that I do get where I’m going more quickly, and it means I can get the seat I want as I leave the crowd in my dust. This adds no real additional time commitment to my day. Or I’ll strap on a backpack and run to/from my destination if it’s not important that I arrive a little sweaty.

In the summer, as I mentioned, I tried to commuted to work by bike as often as possible. With the added time and energy load of bike commuting, I cut down the weights a little, and often eliminated C workouts.

I trained this way for years and it went very well.  I had lots of energy and felt good. Getting up in the morning and doing these workouts was kind of challenging some days, but I don’t think “Oh, I have to get up and work out.” I think, “All I have to do is make it to the coffeemaker.” I don’t worry about what comes after the coffee. I just take baby steps. And thank god for a coffeemaker with a timer!

I got added motivation from recording my favourite TV shows and watching them as I worked out. If I worked out, I got to spend 20 min with the CSI crew or watching the guys beat each other up on Ultimate Fighter. Once I work out, fortified by java and Gil Grissom, I always feel great. Better yet, I didn’t spend my workday worrying about when I’ll be able to get away and work out. I didn’t have to exercise the kind of willpower that is necessary when it’s 6 pm, I’m tired and sitting on the subway, and the temptation to just go home is overwhelming. All I had to do is make it to the gym one day a week, and I was set.

Oh yeah, by the way, I wrote this by doing another trick: combining activities. I wrote this while watching TV!

One of the busiest men in the world has time for fitness. So do you. From an article published in December 2008:

Being elected president forces a man to take inventory of his life, so Barack Obama has trimmed his schedule to the bare essentials. He’s not in the White House yet, but gone are the hours he once spent reading novels, watching television and obsessing over the daily transactions of Chicago’s sports teams. He eats out only once every few weeks. He visits friends rarely, if at all.

But one habit endures: Obama has gone to the gym, for about 90 minutes a day, for at least 48 days in a row… The more Obama’s life intensifies, friends said, the more he relies on the gym — which is why he might be taking office in the best shape of his life. The gym is where he releases stress, maintains a routine and thinks without interruption. He sometimes wears headphones and barricades the outside world.

“He does it every day like clockwork,” said Marty Nesbitt, one of Obama’s closest friends from Chicago. “He doesn’t think of it as something he has to do — it’s his time for himself, a chance for him to reflect. It’s his break. He feels better and more revved up after he gets in his workout.”

Also note this part, in bold:

“That’s one of the first things you learn working for him: You better make sure he gets his workout,” said Jim Cauley, who managed Obama’s 2004 U.S. Senate campaign. “If there isn’t any time, he’s not going to feel his best that day. If he only gets 30 or 40 minutes, he’s still not really happy.

“You have to make time for him to exercise, at least an hour or so. You block it out and put it on the schedule, because that’s what makes him happy.”

Watch and learn, folks!

Washington Post article Dec 24 2008