Warning: the routine below was born with strength and hypertrophy goals in mind. If you’re looking to build skills, endurance, etc. there are better options out there. It will also most likely require access to a gym, a workout park, or some basic home equipment—I will leave that up to you.
The Supremacy of Simplicity
I like simple workout routines.
In isolation, they're not the most effective; but over time, they’re by far the most sustainable. And when it comes to a long-term endeavor like getting in shape, sustainability is the unequivocal king of all things.
A simple, seemingly-inefficient workout routine that you can stick to will crush any "scientifically-optimized” workout plan you can’t follow up on. In the long run, modest but consistent increments compound much quicker than bold but inconsistent ones.
To take an utterly-meaningless but ultimately-visual example, consider the plotted effects of achieving sustainable 60% increments vs alternating 20 and 90% increments every month over a year.
This is where simple workouts come in.
By removing any complexity out of the equation, they are much easier to stick to, and much harder to confront with excuses. They make it hard for you to work on them—so you are forced to work in them.
So, how could we make a workout routine as simple as possible, so that it can be as sustainable as possible, without sacrificing results?
What follows is my attempt at answering this question. The routine I’m about to share feels like home to me: it is one I always come back to when things outside the gym get a little messy, or when I simply need to hit the reset button. Most importantly, this routine is an exercise in honesty: it has no place for lethargy nor excuses; no cracks in which weakness can hide.
The Routine
To begin, let’s decide our weekly split.
Having tried all sorts of splits out there (bro splits, PPL, etc.), I remain a big fan of full body training. I have found that training full body three times per week is easily compatible with a busy schedule, and allows room to integrate other activities, movement, or training throughout the week (e.g. I train boxing twice a week). Also, when performed properly, it can bring countless gains and PRs your way.
Thus, our weekly split couldn’t be any simpler:
(NB: don’t be a dork and place all 3 days one next to each other. Give them some breathing room! Think of workout split etiquette like public urinal etiquette.)
This is a high-frequency split, meaning, one that hits each muscle group multiple times per week. We can ‘afford’ to do this because our volume per muscle group, that is, how many sets and reps we perform, is reasonably low within each workout.1
Then, when it comes to exercise selection, we’re going to keep it (unsurprisingly) simple. We will consider three categories:
Pushing exercises: those that involve mainly the pecs, deltoids and triceps.
Pulling exercises: those that involve mainly the back musculature and biceps.
Leg exercises: those that involve mainly the glutes, hamstrings and quads.
I recommend choosing only one for each. This will be the push/pull/leg exercise throughout the training cycle.2 Therefore, it goes without saying that it should be a ‘compound exercise’, meaning, one that involves multiple joints/muscles at once. These will yield us the best results, especially given our limited exercise selection.
Here are a few great ones for inspiration:
Now, when it comes to exercise rotation between workouts, I propose simply sliding each exercise down one position every day. Here, Exercise A is 1st on Day 1, 2nd on Day 2, and 3rd on Day 3. The other exercises follow that same pattern, hopping back into first place after reaching the end.
A visual aid will make it obvious:
Then, with regards to sets and repetitions—again—we will keep it simple. The first exercise of every workout will always be performed for 5 sets of 5 (more strength-focused); the second for 5 sets of 8 (a hybrid strength/hypertrophy focus); and the last for 5 sets of 12 (more hypertrophy-focused).3
This means that, between workouts, exercises will rotate, but sets & reps will always remain fixed in place. Because of this, each exercise will be performed on each of the different set & rep ranges at the end of the week.
Adding in our exercise categories, it looks something like this:
Finally, because this routine could indeed get a little repetitive, we add one final ‘free’ exercise at the end of every workout day. This 4th exercise could be anything you fancy and/or want to add to target specific weaknesses. Running, curls, calf raises, ab work… whatever floats your boat and helps keep things fresh.
Just like that, we arrive to the final iteration:
Again: it is stupid simple. That is its strength. It’s trivial to track, and its high-frequency format will (hopefully) help you make significant progress on the selected exercises—provided you’re resting adequately. This will help you stay motivated and hungry for more.4
Some general guidelines:
I do not want this article to get into Periodization Theory (perhaps another time), but please note that this routine should obviously not be performed forever. I recommend trying it religiously for 2-3 months, taking it easy for a week, then switching things up on the next cycle.
The goal is to hit all target sets and reps every time.
If you do, then you should aim to progress in some way on the next week (e.g. increasing weight slightly, decreasing rest time slightly, polishing technique, aiming for a better contraction, seeking less exhaustion…).
If you don’t, you should repeat the exercise next week as-is, though aiming for better performance this time around.
For instance, let’s say on Day 1 you’re doing Overhead Press for your Push exercise. You’re aiming for 5 sets of 5 at 60kg, but perform 5, 5, 5, 4 and 3 reps. This means you should keep the same weight next week until you can slowly build up to a solid 5x5, without sacrificing form. Only then will you increase the weight (usually for 2.5kg or maybe 5kg total).
Because there is a high degree of repetition (same movement patterns over and over again), a proper warm up is required. You can find some great warm up and mobility drills right here.
Here's how I'm currently using this routine:5
Some context:
A set of gymnastics rings is probably the most overpowered piece of equipment money can purchase. Rings provide infinite exercise variations, regardless of your fitness level. They are also cheap and extremely rewarding to master. As Ido Portal said when describing them: “It’s a perfect circle; what could be wiser?”
I also recommend buying a weight belt to increase the total load on bodyweight exercises. It’s more comfortable to carry around than a weight vest, and allows for much heavier loads when dipping/pulling. Do not underestimate the strength, power, muscle, and athleticism you can build with weighed calisthenics.
That is all! I won’t bore you with any more details. If you have any questions, please leave them below or DM me on Twitter.
Have a wonderful day my friends.
Warning: the opinions expressed on this website are strictly my own. They are intended for educational/informational purposes only, and never as a substitute for a physician or personal trainer’s care/advice. Implement what you find may find here at your own risk.
Dialing frequency & volume is key to plan a workout properly. Something like a high-frequency, high-volume approach will most likely not give your body enough time to recover; whereas a low-frequency, low-volume approach will most likely not stimulate your muscles and nervous system enough to grow. Without getting into ‘Minimum Effective Volume’, ‘Maximum Adaptive Volume’, etc. note that volume per muscle group in this split is 15 sets/week split into three separate 5-sets sessions. This is more than enough volume to yield strength and hypertrophy results.
If you think that is too narrow a selection, I recommend watching Eric Bugenhagen’s videos (one of the most elite natural lifters alive today) who takes it much further and recommends specializing in only one exercise overall, and training it every day.
To be fair, strength/hypertrophy ranges are debatable, and progressive overload is the #1 driving factor behind growth at any range. I still think it’s a good idea to keep them and provide different mechanical, muscular and metabolic loads (as well as some fun variety). It’s a pseudo-DUP (Daily Undulating Periodization) approach.
There is also somewhat of a ‘grease the groove’ aspect to this routine, which can make you progress quickly on those specific exercises.
R. = Reverse
KB = Kettlebell