Fitness Guys: Help with Workout Routine (1 Viewer)

[thecatch]

This is what I have always done. The secret for me is just doing them fast and heavy, with very little rest. (This is obviously extremely common now and while I didn’t invent it or anything,) I’ve been doing this for 30+ years. You can murder a workout in 20 minutes that takes most people an hour.

I've gotten really into the Peloton strength training classes over the last couple of years, and this is one of the things I like about them. They really push you through the workouts without giving you a ton of rest and as a result you end up efficiently using your time. Back when I used to go to the gym on my own it'd take me 2x-3x as long to get the same amount of work in because without the guidance, I just can't motivate myself to rip through the exercises (like a few of you apparently can).

 

[eighsse2]

Just wanted to share an interesting regimen I've come up with, and this was the first thread I found talking about workout routines (I am NOT a fitness person, just trying to get into this working out stuff.)

I have been trying off and on (mostly off) for the last 2 years or so, to get into working out for the first time in any serious capacity. (My job has always been rather physical, though.) And I have HATED IT. I despise going to the gym. So I was going two days a week (my days off work) and trying to pile in a whole bunch of exercises. Hated it.

Now I've worked something out basically the opposite idea, and I'm liking it much better. Workout essentially every day (SUCKS). But, only have to do three exercises, then you're done (AMAZING). I think it's an interesting regimen, though. Maybe some would find it too complicated or something, but it's pretty simple, just requires organization.

I have a list of 30 different exercises (some on machines, some dumbbells, a few barbells). They are organized into 10 groups of 3. The groups are numbered 0-9. Every day, you do the 3 exercises in the group that the day of the month ends in. Today was April 9. So I did group 9. The only exception is, if there is a day 31 in the month, you get the day off. Because it would make no sense to do group 1 exercises two days in a row.

It's that simple. Just a matter of choosing which exercises to include and how to group them. I really don't thing the groupings are important. As long as you don't have, for instance, all the leg stuff for all three exercises for three consecutive days, something terrible like that. Just spread the muscle groups around throughout the 10 day cycle and there shouldn't be any problem with overworking.

As for sets and reps, for most exercises I am trying to to 4 sets of 8 reps of every exercise I do. If the weight is too much and I miss several reps, drop the weight next time. If I hit all the reps and I didn't have to truly struggle, think about bumping it up next time. Of course different goals call for different weight/reps/sets. This is just what I'm doing.

Again, I am relatively new to this, but I'm liking this schedule so much more than any other I've tried, so I thought I'd throw it out there in case this or a similar variation might work for other people.

If there are exercises that seem like a good thing to throw in your regimen, but you don't know how to do them, get help learning them. Even if you don't have a friend who knows about it, shell out a bit of money for a personal trainer for just a few sessions. That is what I had to do. I am cheap, but when it is a one-time thing, a limited number of sessions, it's not that bad in the long run if they can teach you what you want to learn.

This is what I have always done. The secret for me is just doing them fast and heavy, with very little rest. (This is obviously extremely common now and while I didn’t invent it or anything,) I’ve been doing this for 30+ years. You can murder a workout in 20 minutes that takes most people an hour.

Yeah, I think the thing that gets me through is I don't have to dread it so much. Doing 10 exercises 2 days a week or 5 exercises 4 days a week ... it's just so taxing, the actual process of going to the gym, and knowing all day that you're going to be going to the gym later. Makes the day miserable, for me anyway. 3 exercises 7 days a week, it's just get in, get the heck out. Although it does take me 45 minutes to do my three exercises because I'm doing a 3 minute rest between sets and 4 sets of each thing (though I don't know if that is necessarily the best model, I'd love to go to 2 minute rest and 3 sets, but for now this is what I'm doing.)

 

[culdeus]

It does take longer to get thru the gym now with the proliferation of females getting into barbell training.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Just wanted to share an interesting regimen I've come up with, and this was the first thread I found talking about workout routines (I am NOT a fitness person, just trying to get into this working out stuff.)

I have been trying off and on (mostly off) for the last 2 years or so, to get into working out for the first time in any serious capacity. (My job has always been rather physical, though.) And I have HATED IT. I despise going to the gym. So I was going two days a week (my days off work) and trying to pile in a whole bunch of exercises. Hated it.

Now I've worked something out basically the opposite idea, and I'm liking it much better. Workout essentially every day (SUCKS). But, only have to do three exercises, then you're done (AMAZING). I think it's an interesting regimen, though. Maybe some would find it too complicated or something, but it's pretty simple, just requires organization.

I have a list of 30 different exercises (some on machines, some dumbbells, a few barbells). They are organized into 10 groups of 3. The groups are numbered 0-9. Every day, you do the 3 exercises in the group that the day of the month ends in. Today was April 9. So I did group 9. The only exception is, if there is a day 31 in the month, you get the day off. Because it would make no sense to do group 1 exercises two days in a row.

It's that simple. Just a matter of choosing which exercises to include and how to group them. I really don't thing the groupings are important. As long as you don't have, for instance, all the leg stuff for all three exercises for three consecutive days, something terrible like that. Just spread the muscle groups around throughout the 10 day cycle and there shouldn't be any problem with overworking.

As for sets and reps, for most exercises I am trying to to 4 sets of 8 reps of every exercise I do. If the weight is too much and I miss several reps, drop the weight next time. If I hit all the reps and I didn't have to truly struggle, think about bumping it up next time. Of course different goals call for different weight/reps/sets. This is just what I'm doing.

Again, I am relatively new to this, but I'm liking this schedule so much more than any other I've tried, so I thought I'd throw it out there in case this or a similar variation might work for other people.

If there are exercises that seem like a good thing to throw in your regimen, but you don't know how to do them, get help learning them. Even if you don't have a friend who knows about it, shell out a bit of money for a personal trainer for just a few sessions. That is what I had to do. I am cheap, but when it is a one-time thing, a limited number of sessions, it's not that bad in the long run if they can teach you what you want to learn.

This is what I have always done. The secret for me is just doing them fast and heavy, with very little rest. (This is obviously extremely common now and while I didn’t invent it or anything,) I’ve been doing this for 30+ years. You can murder a workout in 20 minutes that takes most people an hour.

Yeah, I think the thing that gets me through is I don't have to dread it so much. Doing 10 exercises 2 days a week or 5 exercises 4 days a week ... it's just so taxing, the actual process of going to the gym, and knowing all day that you're going to be going to the gym later. Makes the day miserable, for me anyway. 3 exercises 7 days a week, it's just get in, get the heck out. Although it does take me 45 minutes to do my three exercises because I'm doing a 3 minute rest between sets and 4 sets of each thing (though I don't know if that is necessarily the best model, I'd love to go to 2 minute rest and 3 sets, but for now this is what I'm doing.)

If it’s working for you just keep it up.


Personally I can’t sit still for that long. I do 30 seconds and even that’s a bore for me. Patience always alludes me.