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How to Build a Workout Routine
Step #1 - Determine Your Training Split
I suggest training 3 to 4 days per week. This is the best place to start.
Many lifters live by the belief that more is better. More might be better for you, but how will you know unless you construct a 3 to 4 day protocol and run it for 6+ months? You don't.
Tricep ExtensionsSpend time learning how to maximize your training using 3 to 4 workouts per week. You will learn a lot, and likely realize that training 5 days per week really isn't needed. This is not to say you can't lift 5 days per week if you want to; you can. It's simply better to learn how to maximize workouts and evolve your training before you jump into more training days.
If it makes you feel any better, most of the advanced lifters I know train 4 days per week. Not all, but the majority of them. On off days they do cardio, conditioning work or simply rest.
Here are some sample 3 to 4 day training splits you might want to consider:
3 day fullbody workout.
3 day push, pull, legs split.
3 day upper/lower split. ABA workouts one week, BAB the next.
4 day upper/lower split.
4 day body part split.
It is beyond the scope of this article to detail what each of these splits looks like. There are numerous split examples on the Muscle & Strength site. Take some time and poke around. Find a training split that appeals to you.
Step #2 - Plug In Compound Movements
Each training day requires a base of meat and potatoes movements, also know as heavy compound exercises. I suggest no more than 2 to 3 heavy compound movements per day. Intermediate lifters may also opt for 1-2 heavy compounds per day.
These movements should be the best of the best; the cream of the crop. Examples of top compound movements include:
Posterior Chain - Squats, Deadlifts, Heavy Good Mornings, Low Rack Pulls, Romanian Deadlifts, Zercher squats, Front Squats.
Pressing Movements - Bench Press, Military Press, Dumbbell Bench Press, Push Press, Dips.
Pulling Movements - Barbell Rows, Dumbbell Rows, Pull Ups, Power Cleans.
Other quality compound exercises include (based on primary focus):
Legs - Leg Press, Hack Squats, Walking Lunges.
Chest - Incline Bench Press, Incline Dumbbell Bench Press, Decline Bench Press.
Back - T-Bar Rows, Yates Row.
Shoulders - Arnold Dumbbell Press, One Arm Overhead Dumbbell Press.
Triceps - Close Grip Bench Press, Bench Dips.
Biceps - Chin Ups.
Traps - Low Rack Pull and Power Shrug Combo
Let's look at an example.
Chest and Triceps Day. So you decide to run a 4 day workout split that features a training day dedicated to chest and triceps. After thinking things through, you decide to utilize 3 heavy pound movements:
Barbell Bench Press
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
Close Grip Bench Press
Fleshing this out into a complete workout, your training day might look something like this:
Barbell Bench Press - 3 sets x 6-10 reps
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press - 3 sets x 8-12 reps
Pec Dec - 4 sets x 12-15 reps
Close Grip Bench Press - 3 sets x 8-10 reps
Cable Tricep Extensions - 4 sets x 10-12 reps
Seated Press
Step #3 - Flesh Out Your Training Day Exercises
Now that you have 2-3 compound lifts plugged into your training days, it's time to flesh out your workouts with other exercises. I recommend no more than 5 to 6 movements total per session.
Now that the big compound movements are programmed in, feel free to add in the following lifts (as appropriate):
Machine exercises
Isolation exercises
Bodyweight exercises
Cable exercises
Exercises should not be randomly chosen. You want a program that makes sense. Use the following guidelines for each body part:
Major Body Parts - 3 to 4 exercises
Minor Body Parts - 1 to 2 exercises
How many exercises you use may depend on how many sets per exercise you prefer. At the end of the day, set total is also as important as the amount of exercises used. Use the following guidelines for set total per bodypart:
Major Body Parts - 9 to 16 sets
Minor Body Parts - 6 to 9 sets
Major Body Parts. Major body parts include chest, shoulders, back, quads and hamstrings.
Minor Body Parts. Minor body parts include traps, forearms, triceps, biceps, abs, and calves.
You can go as high as 20 to 25 sets per training day. I recommend you choose your exercises first, start with 3 sets per exercise, and then add sets if needed.
So to make this a bit more clear, let's return to our chest and triceps day example. Your compound exercise selection was:
Barbell Bench Press
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
Close Grip Bench Press
You decide to use 6 total exercises on this training day: 4 for chest and 2 for triceps. You add in 3 quality movements and your training day now looks like this:
Barbell Bench Press
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
Chest Dips
Pec Dec
Close Grip Bench Press
Cable Tricep Extensions
Now, set the baseline at 3 sets per exercise:
Barbell Bench Press - 3 sets
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press - 3 sets
Chest Dips - 3 sets
Pec Dec - 3 sets
Close Grip Bench Press - 3 sets
Cable Tricep Extensions - 3 sets
Concentration Curls
This is a total of 18 sets. You can add more sets to the mix if you'd like, but 18 sets per training day is plenty when after quality muscle gains.
Let's say you decide you want to do 14 total sets for chest and 8 for triceps. This is one possible way to structure the program:
Barbell Bench Press - 4 sets
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press - 4 sets
Chest Dips - 3 sets
Pec Dec - 3 sets
Close Grip Bench Press - 4 sets
Cable Tricep Extensions - 4 sets
To reach the additional work, we simply added in more sets per exercise rather than adding exercises.
2 More Chest and Tricep Workout Examples
Here are two more examples of possible chest and tricep workouts. The first is based on a 5x5 bench press day using only 2 total heavy compound movements, and the second upon a classic old school 8 sets x 3 reps bench press protocol using two heavy compound movement.
Bench Press - 5x5
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press - 5 sets
Pec Dec - 4 sets
French Press - 4 sets
One Arm Dumbbell Tricep Extension - 3 sets
Bench Press - 8 sets x 3 reps
Chest Dips - 3 sets
Dumbbell Flyes - 3 sets
Skullcrushers - 3 sets
Rope Tricep Extensions - 3 sets
Step #4 - Structure Your Reps Per Set
Reps per set can vary depending on goals. As a general guideline, I recommend the following reps per set averages:
Compound Exercises - 5 to 10 reps per set.
Isolation Exercises - 8 to 15 reps per set.
Machine Exercises - 8 to 15 reps per set.
Leg Exercises - 5 to 20 reps per set.
Cable Exercises - 8 to 15 reps per set.
There is no magic rep range. Progression of weight is most important. Adjust your reps per set to fit each individual exercise, and upon your needs.
The above suggestions can really be molded into numerous variations. Let's look at possible bench press combinations.
Bench Press - 5 sets x 5 reps
Bench Press - 4 sets x 8 reps
Bench Press - 3 sets x 6 to 10 reps
Note About Frequent Training
There are 2 primary type of frequent training:
Upper/Lower Splits. You train 4 times per week: upper body twice, and lower body twice.
Full Body Workouts. You train the entire body three times per week.
Regardless of how you train a body part (once, twice, or three times a week) you will be performing about the same number of sets per week. If you prefer 15 sets of chest per week on a body part split, this would translate into:
7 to 8 sets per training day on an upper/lower split.
5 sets per training day on fullbody workout.
Also understand that you don't have to use the same exercises throughout the week. On a full body workout you could perform bench press one day, pec dec the next, and chest dips on the final day.
Final Thoughts
Remember that the guidelines in this article are just that - guidelines. No workout on paper will be perfect once you hit the gym.
Be prepared to make adjustments. This is a much better option than program hopping.
Switch exercises, modify sets per exercise, or change rep schemes if needed. Do what it takes to create a training day that is effective, and that fits your individual needs.
Step #1 - Determine Your Training Split
I suggest training 3 to 4 days per week. This is the best place to start.
Many lifters live by the belief that more is better. More might be better for you, but how will you know unless you construct a 3 to 4 day protocol and run it for 6+ months? You don't.
Tricep ExtensionsSpend time learning how to maximize your training using 3 to 4 workouts per week. You will learn a lot, and likely realize that training 5 days per week really isn't needed. This is not to say you can't lift 5 days per week if you want to; you can. It's simply better to learn how to maximize workouts and evolve your training before you jump into more training days.
If it makes you feel any better, most of the advanced lifters I know train 4 days per week. Not all, but the majority of them. On off days they do cardio, conditioning work or simply rest.
Here are some sample 3 to 4 day training splits you might want to consider:
3 day fullbody workout.
3 day push, pull, legs split.
3 day upper/lower split. ABA workouts one week, BAB the next.
4 day upper/lower split.
4 day body part split.
It is beyond the scope of this article to detail what each of these splits looks like. There are numerous split examples on the Muscle & Strength site. Take some time and poke around. Find a training split that appeals to you.
Step #2 - Plug In Compound Movements
Each training day requires a base of meat and potatoes movements, also know as heavy compound exercises. I suggest no more than 2 to 3 heavy compound movements per day. Intermediate lifters may also opt for 1-2 heavy compounds per day.
These movements should be the best of the best; the cream of the crop. Examples of top compound movements include:
Posterior Chain - Squats, Deadlifts, Heavy Good Mornings, Low Rack Pulls, Romanian Deadlifts, Zercher squats, Front Squats.
Pressing Movements - Bench Press, Military Press, Dumbbell Bench Press, Push Press, Dips.
Pulling Movements - Barbell Rows, Dumbbell Rows, Pull Ups, Power Cleans.
Other quality compound exercises include (based on primary focus):
Legs - Leg Press, Hack Squats, Walking Lunges.
Chest - Incline Bench Press, Incline Dumbbell Bench Press, Decline Bench Press.
Back - T-Bar Rows, Yates Row.
Shoulders - Arnold Dumbbell Press, One Arm Overhead Dumbbell Press.
Triceps - Close Grip Bench Press, Bench Dips.
Biceps - Chin Ups.
Traps - Low Rack Pull and Power Shrug Combo
Let's look at an example.
Chest and Triceps Day. So you decide to run a 4 day workout split that features a training day dedicated to chest and triceps. After thinking things through, you decide to utilize 3 heavy pound movements:
Barbell Bench Press
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
Close Grip Bench Press
Fleshing this out into a complete workout, your training day might look something like this:
Barbell Bench Press - 3 sets x 6-10 reps
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press - 3 sets x 8-12 reps
Pec Dec - 4 sets x 12-15 reps
Close Grip Bench Press - 3 sets x 8-10 reps
Cable Tricep Extensions - 4 sets x 10-12 reps
Seated Press
Step #3 - Flesh Out Your Training Day Exercises
Now that you have 2-3 compound lifts plugged into your training days, it's time to flesh out your workouts with other exercises. I recommend no more than 5 to 6 movements total per session.
Now that the big compound movements are programmed in, feel free to add in the following lifts (as appropriate):
Machine exercises
Isolation exercises
Bodyweight exercises
Cable exercises
Exercises should not be randomly chosen. You want a program that makes sense. Use the following guidelines for each body part:
Major Body Parts - 3 to 4 exercises
Minor Body Parts - 1 to 2 exercises
How many exercises you use may depend on how many sets per exercise you prefer. At the end of the day, set total is also as important as the amount of exercises used. Use the following guidelines for set total per bodypart:
Major Body Parts - 9 to 16 sets
Minor Body Parts - 6 to 9 sets
Major Body Parts. Major body parts include chest, shoulders, back, quads and hamstrings.
Minor Body Parts. Minor body parts include traps, forearms, triceps, biceps, abs, and calves.
You can go as high as 20 to 25 sets per training day. I recommend you choose your exercises first, start with 3 sets per exercise, and then add sets if needed.
So to make this a bit more clear, let's return to our chest and triceps day example. Your compound exercise selection was:
Barbell Bench Press
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
Close Grip Bench Press
You decide to use 6 total exercises on this training day: 4 for chest and 2 for triceps. You add in 3 quality movements and your training day now looks like this:
Barbell Bench Press
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
Chest Dips
Pec Dec
Close Grip Bench Press
Cable Tricep Extensions
Now, set the baseline at 3 sets per exercise:
Barbell Bench Press - 3 sets
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press - 3 sets
Chest Dips - 3 sets
Pec Dec - 3 sets
Close Grip Bench Press - 3 sets
Cable Tricep Extensions - 3 sets
Concentration Curls
This is a total of 18 sets. You can add more sets to the mix if you'd like, but 18 sets per training day is plenty when after quality muscle gains.
Let's say you decide you want to do 14 total sets for chest and 8 for triceps. This is one possible way to structure the program:
Barbell Bench Press - 4 sets
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press - 4 sets
Chest Dips - 3 sets
Pec Dec - 3 sets
Close Grip Bench Press - 4 sets
Cable Tricep Extensions - 4 sets
To reach the additional work, we simply added in more sets per exercise rather than adding exercises.
2 More Chest and Tricep Workout Examples
Here are two more examples of possible chest and tricep workouts. The first is based on a 5x5 bench press day using only 2 total heavy compound movements, and the second upon a classic old school 8 sets x 3 reps bench press protocol using two heavy compound movement.
Bench Press - 5x5
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press - 5 sets
Pec Dec - 4 sets
French Press - 4 sets
One Arm Dumbbell Tricep Extension - 3 sets
Bench Press - 8 sets x 3 reps
Chest Dips - 3 sets
Dumbbell Flyes - 3 sets
Skullcrushers - 3 sets
Rope Tricep Extensions - 3 sets
Step #4 - Structure Your Reps Per Set
Reps per set can vary depending on goals. As a general guideline, I recommend the following reps per set averages:
Compound Exercises - 5 to 10 reps per set.
Isolation Exercises - 8 to 15 reps per set.
Machine Exercises - 8 to 15 reps per set.
Leg Exercises - 5 to 20 reps per set.
Cable Exercises - 8 to 15 reps per set.
There is no magic rep range. Progression of weight is most important. Adjust your reps per set to fit each individual exercise, and upon your needs.
The above suggestions can really be molded into numerous variations. Let's look at possible bench press combinations.
Bench Press - 5 sets x 5 reps
Bench Press - 4 sets x 8 reps
Bench Press - 3 sets x 6 to 10 reps
Note About Frequent Training
There are 2 primary type of frequent training:
Upper/Lower Splits. You train 4 times per week: upper body twice, and lower body twice.
Full Body Workouts. You train the entire body three times per week.
Regardless of how you train a body part (once, twice, or three times a week) you will be performing about the same number of sets per week. If you prefer 15 sets of chest per week on a body part split, this would translate into:
7 to 8 sets per training day on an upper/lower split.
5 sets per training day on fullbody workout.
Also understand that you don't have to use the same exercises throughout the week. On a full body workout you could perform bench press one day, pec dec the next, and chest dips on the final day.
Final Thoughts
Remember that the guidelines in this article are just that - guidelines. No workout on paper will be perfect once you hit the gym.
Be prepared to make adjustments. This is a much better option than program hopping.
Switch exercises, modify sets per exercise, or change rep schemes if needed. Do what it takes to create a training day that is effective, and that fits your individual needs.