Abbreviated routines ROCK!
- Thread starter Sci
- Start date
Sci is spot on! Simple is always best but even more so for the lifter with less than 5 years of steady work:
My favorite program (the only one you'll ever really need):
M, W, F
Incline bench press or dips
Shoulder press or lateral raise
T, TH, Sat
Chin ups or pull ups
Squats or deadlifts
4 Sets per lift. Yup, only 8 lifts per day but make them count. Hit each bodypart three times per week. Frequency is more important than volume as long as intensity is relatively high. This is true for even the juiced up pros. Slow on the eccentric movement and forceful on the concentric. Do some arm work Sunday if you feel you absolutely must (you don't). Forget about donkey raises, inverted decline reverse grip dumbell presses at 31.9% decline, etc until you are big enough that people say you should enter contests, if you are so inclined. Switch up between barbells and dumbells in different cycles. And don't forget to SD!
When you get to benching twice your bodyweight call me for the next lesson on tweaking body parts.
O&G
My favorite program (the only one you'll ever really need):
M, W, F
Incline bench press or dips
Shoulder press or lateral raise
T, TH, Sat
Chin ups or pull ups
Squats or deadlifts
4 Sets per lift. Yup, only 8 lifts per day but make them count. Hit each bodypart three times per week. Frequency is more important than volume as long as intensity is relatively high. This is true for even the juiced up pros. Slow on the eccentric movement and forceful on the concentric. Do some arm work Sunday if you feel you absolutely must (you don't). Forget about donkey raises, inverted decline reverse grip dumbell presses at 31.9% decline, etc until you are big enough that people say you should enter contests, if you are so inclined. Switch up between barbells and dumbells in different cycles. And don't forget to SD!
When you get to benching twice your bodyweight call me for the next lesson on tweaking body parts.
O&G
Last edited by a moderator:
Sci
Well-Known Member
Yeah, obviously I am going to the extreme end of the spectrum, but the point is, that you can get a great workout for the whole body with somewhere between 5-10 exercises, maybe 12 tops if you really want to. I can't ever see any reason to go beyond 10-12 exercises at most. And like O&G said, less advanced guys should probably use even less, like 4-6 exercises.
chadenegger
New Member
Sci is spot on! Simple is always best but even more so for the lifter with less than 5 years of steady work:
My favorite program (the only one you'll ever really need):
M, W, F
Incline bench press or dips
Shoulder press or lateral raise
T, TH, Sat
Chin ups or pull ups
Squats or deadlifts
4 Sets per lift. Yup, only 8 lifts per day but make them count. Hit each bodypart three times per week. Frequency is more important than volume as long as intensity is relatively high. This is true for even the juiced up pros. Slow on the eccentric movement and forceful on the concentric. Do some arm work Sunday if you feel you absolutely must (you don't). Forget about donkey raises, inverted decline reverse grip dumbell presses at 31.9% decline, etc until you are big enough that people say you should enter contests, if you are so inclined. Switch up between barbells and dumbells in different cycles. And don't forget to SD!
When you get to benching twice your bodyweight call me for the next lesson on tweaking body parts.
O&G
Hey O&G,
I was planning on running chins, dips, oh press and deads for my next cycle pretty much as youve stated. I was thinking whole body 3xweek, but i take it you think splitting as youve stated and training 6 days a week is superior. i gotta say that 6 short sessions per week does sound good to me. Ive been training a long time, but never with HST principles so not sure which way to go.
cheers
Whatever fits into your schedule Chad. I prefer short seesions so I do not go into any lift with a tired feeling as that could lead to bad form and, ultimately, injury. In fact, when I can, which is most of the time since I have a fairly nice gym at home, I split each day into 2 sessions. Thus I have 12 training sessions of about 15 to 20 minutes each for the week. That way I can give each set a sound pounding and still walk away feeling as though I could go another couple of rounds if I resorted to sloppy form or fast sets. However, when you are younger than dirt, school, work and family come first so do the best you can and feel good about it.
"Be Happy, Happy, Happy!" Si Robertson, world class ducker upper.
"Be Happy, Happy, Happy!" Si Robertson, world class ducker upper.
Last edited by a moderator:
chadenegger
New Member
Thanks o&g, i may give it a go. A shorter work out like that would give me the oppurtunity to get it done first thing in the morn before work which would be good, as i dont always know what time im gonna get home from work( i get a lot of unplanned overtime, call outs etc), ensuring i get it done every day.
chadenegger
New Member
Sounds tough lol. Do like my C&J's though, so will keep that in mind for the future.
I have a youngish female friend who does one-half Iron Man Triathalons for fun. Her strength portion of training is LOL's exact program (albeit at much lower weight, around 1X bodyweight)! A great program indeed!
I have a youngish female friend who does one-half Iron Man Triathalons for fun. Her strength portion of training is LOL's exact program (albeit at much lower weight, around 1X bodyweight)! A great program indeed!
That's great to hear! Women who C&J are too few and far between IMHO.
Umm, you did realise I meant 20 reps with bodyweight and not a load of 20 x BW?!
I also didn't mean 20 consecutive reps. I don't think anyone could do it! I have read that attempting 10 consecutive C&J's with BW is possible but extremely taxing. I recently did a double with my BW and decided I would wait until another day to try for 10 consecutive reps (ie. Die Another Day!).
20 times bodyweight for 20 consecutive reps sounds more impressive.
But you are right. My friend does about 20 reps at body weight but takes close to an hour. Very little rest at first but then more rest is needed as she progresses in volume.
But you are right. My friend does about 20 reps at body weight but takes close to an hour. Very little rest at first but then more rest is needed as she progresses in volume.