The End Of The Ultimate Weight Training Workout Routine

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If you’re reading this, then it appears you’ve made it all the way to the end of my guide to creating The Ultimate Weight Training Workout Routine. Nice!

At this point, I have just 5 things left to say.

1. Congrats!

First of all… congratulations are in order.

You’ve now learned more about weight training, program design, and how to get the results you want than the majority of the population will ever learn in their lifetime. So… congrats on that!

2. Put It To Use!

I hope you liked the guide and actually use what you’ve learned.

Because honestly, reading and learning and understanding are great and all, but the only way it’s truly going to work is if you actually put it into action. So… do that.

3. But Wait, There’s MORE!

Believe it or not, I still have a ton of information to share with you.

While this guide was pretty damn comprehensive, there’s actually plenty of stuff that I purposely left out, skipped over, or didn’t think fit right within this guide.

Stuff about weight training, cardio, diet and nutrition, supplements, building muscle, losing fat, increasing strength and performance, improving health, and much more.

And I’ll be sharing all of it right here on a regular basis. To make sure you never miss any of it, you can subscribe for free, and also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

4. More Workouts To Choose From!

Even though I just covered how to create your own workout routine, I’ve realized that many people want something more.

More what? More proven workouts to choose from that I designed myself and have been using with my coaching clients for years with amazing results.

They are now all included as part of my Superior Muscle Growth program.

Feel free to check it out.

5. Give Me Your Feedback!

And last but not least, I want to hear your feedback. In fact, I want 3 different kinds of feedback.

  1. First, I want to know what you thought of the guide.
    I want to know what you liked best, what section was most useful, what you wish I covered in more detail or explained better, what you felt was missing (if anything), and basically just your thoughts and opinions on the guide itself.
  2. Second, I want to answer your questions.
    If you had any questions about any aspect of weight training, creating your routine, reaching your specific goal (building muscle, increasing strength, losing fat, etc.), the sample workouts or anything else while reading any part of this guide, email me here and ask. I will answer. Also be sure to check out the nearly 3000 comments below this post. Most questions have already been asked/answered at this point.
  3. Third, I want to hear how well it’s working for you.
    Once you start using the information contained in this guide, guess what’s going to happen? You’re going to start getting the results you want. Sounds good, huh? Trust me… it is. And when that starts happening for you, I want to hear all about it. So, email me and let me know.

The End

Well, that’s about it.

I hope you liked the guide (and if you did, be sure to tell your friends about it) and I hope you actually use what you’ve learned from it.

I also hope you subscribe for free, because I plan on writing similarly awesome and useful guides in the future.

And again, if you have any questions, comments, feedback, or just want to tell me how well it’s working for you, email me here.

Enjoy your results.

(This article is part of a completely free guide to creating the best workout routine possible for your exact goal. It starts here: The Ultimate Weight Training Workout Routine)

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
About Jay
Jay is the science-based writer and researcher behind everything you've seen here. He has 15+ years of experience helping thousands of men and women lose fat, gain muscle, and build their "goal body." His work has been featured by the likes of Time, The Huffington Post, CNET, Business Week and more, referenced in studies, used in textbooks, quoted in publications, and adapted by coaches, trainers, and diet professionals at every level.

2,735 thoughts on “The End Of The Ultimate Weight Training Workout Routine”

2,735 Comments

  1. Hi. In the beginning routine, can i workout on Monday, Thursday, Sunday, if it is not suitable for my schedule to do standard split for that week, or is it too much day offs there?

  2. Jay man,
    Awesome blog – but you knew that!

    Question: I am a 40 yr old male, “beginner”. Am following your beginner guide of ABA-BAB.
    Body fat around 20%, trying to get to 10% or so.

    I eat right but somehow am not losing enough fat; think I need to supplement my weight training with some elliptical work..
    On my 4 off days, what is the best for me for my goals (and I know you aren’t a fan of cardio) – A 60 minute elliptical in the “fat burn” zone, or a 40 minute elliptical in the “cardio” zone?

    thanks

  3. Jay,
    Am a beginner following your ABABAB routine. But I need more work on my chest than arms or shoulders.
    Is it ok if I follow ABA routine (meaning do chest + and triceps twice a week….and shoulders + biceps once a week) EVERY week?

    also, if that is ok – I plan to do chest (flat bench + cable flyes) on Monday and (Incline press+decline press) on Fridays? That sound good?

    thank you!

  4. Wow, there’s a lot of info in the comments as well. Cleared some things up for me, even though the posts where informative enough on its own. Thanks for taking the time to answer them.

  5. Hi Jay,
    Bobby here!

    Like we talked, I have been following your beginner routine (plus the details in the book) for a few weeks.

    Question – I can’t do lower body exercises. so is it ok if I do a bit more on the upper body? I mean, for chest – instead of just bench press, I do bench press PLUS pulley flyes…and so on for biceps, triceps, back and shoulders.

    Still following the ABABAB routine..

    thank you!

    • A beginner routine that only trains upper body isn’t something I have any practical experience with, so I really couldn’t tell you for sure exactly what you can add in for upper body without it becoming detrimental. This will take some trail and error.

        • That would be one obvious option.

          But, without ANY lower body work, there is likely something extra that could be added in. The problem though is that since I have no experience with making this adjustment, I couldn’t tell you exactly how it should go.

  6. Hi Jay.
    I have just graduated to intermediate after about 7 months of following the beginner routine. I am now following the Muscle Building Workout Routine. I am showing good progress in some areas and need to improve in others. I have lost 10 kgs and 4 inches following your routines and am also showing muscle gains. Thanks for putting up such a remarkable website for people like me.

    I actually have three questions:

    1. I workout in my apartment gym which is not very well equipped. But its convenient and lets me maintain a regular consistent workout schedule. But as a flipside, I am not able to do Seated Leg Curls due to lack of equipment. Any alternate for this exercise that you can recommend? The gym does have a lying leg curl machine so that ones not a problem.

    2. There are times when the barbells are not available (some guys keep hogging them). Can I substitute the dumbbell equivalents for these i.e. dumbbell bench press for barbell presses?

    3. I am a practising Muslim and I fast for a month during Ramadan and few other days in a year. This means no food or drink (even water) during the day (sunrise to sunset). How do I ensure that my workout gains do not take a hit during this period? Can I continue the same workout routine?

    • 1. Use the same leg curl machine, but do it one leg at a time.

      2. It’s fine to do a dumbbell exercise in place of a barbell exercise or vice versa, BUT you need to consistently do that version of the exercise. So if you’re doing the barbell version, you don’t want to do end up doing the dumbbell version the next time and then the barbell version the next time and then the dumbbell version the next time based on how crowded your gym might be. Optimal progress requires more consistency than that.

      3. As long as your totals for the day are still what they need to be, you’ll be fine.

  7. 1.) My gym has no leg curl machine, and i wanna do your muscle building workout routine, what should i do?
    2.) My gym only has a flat bench but your routine requires an incline bench, advice?

  8. Are there any accessory movements you recommend we add to your intermediate routine(s) in general. I know you don’t wan’t us to fuck up your routine, but i feel rear delt raises and shrugs would else? What other muscles and exercises should i do?

  9. Is it harder or does it take longer to progress at closed chained exercises, like pull ups and push ups? Because I’ve been doing push ups with weight plates on my back. I was able to progress pretty smoothly. Now it’s very hard. My other lifts’ progress is still sharp.

    Thanks.

    • The only things that would make something like pull-ups harder to progress at than other similar lifts is A) it’s a bit trickier to add resistance to, and B) if your body weight is increasing (e.g. you’re bulking), the amount of weight being “lifted” is increasing as well.

  10. My arms are really lagging behind compared to the other muscle groups, and I’d really like to do an arm day to bring them up. Is there a split that you’d recommend to focus on arm development?

  11. Hi qq about the wine glass with dinner that you had said to a reader is permissible, while trying to lower body fat from 18 to 11. Does it matter whether it is WITH dinner or a little before dinner ?

    Thx

  13. Hi, I just discovered your website and it is great. I am trying to read through it, but so far I haven’t read anything about warming up prior to the routine. What is your advice in warming up before we begin your routine? Thanks.

    • This isn’t something I’ve written about yet, but it is on my to-do list.

      Until then, search around for (I think) part 1 of Lyle McDonald’s series of articles called something like “warming up for the weight room.” It covers a lot of the basics.

  14. In one of your upper body days on your muscle building workout routine I switched barbell curls with hammer curls to hit the forearms/brachialis better? Is this bad/unnecessary?

  15. Hi Jay!

    I’m over the moon that I’ve found your website. It’s incredible! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and expertise, so very awesome of you!

    I’m a newb, doing the 3 day body split Version 1 ABA BAB routine. I work out at home, have dumbells and body weight, but no gym access.

    Problem: Pull-ups and Lat Pull-downs – lack of equipment, boohoo.
    Question: Could you suggest some solutions?

    Thanks!

    Marta

  16. Hi I brought u ebook ain’t to sure wether I need to do your begginer routine or an intermediate one eg upper lower. I have being training for about 15 months but never followed a set program for to long bt I have built a decent amount of muscle my 1rm strength levels are squat 130kg deadlift 190kg bench 110kg yours will be great appreciated

    • You can start out with the beginner routine, give it a month or so and see how things progress. If it’s going well, stick with it for as long as that continues. If not, switch to the intermediate routine.

  17. Hi Jay,
    As of right now my max stats are
    236lb squat
    236lb deadlift
    180lb bench
    100lb Press

    I was an intermediate with 3 plate squat and dead a 2 plate bench and a plate press, but i stopped working out for about four months so i lost a lot of strength.
    I have your book right now and i want to cut, so i was wondering which routine should i do if my goal is cutting with these stats?

    • The best way to explain it is like this. The Best Workout Routines (which comes along with Superior Muscle Growth for free) is just the “workouts” component of this new book. So it’s that entire workout book, PLUS a 315 page new book that covers every single aspect of building muscle (weight training, diet and nutrition, cardio, supplements, lifestyle, etc. etc. etc.) and shows you exactly how to adjust each of those factors to produce the best results possible.

  19. For some reason, I’ve always found rows to be awkward and uncomfortable.

    They’re not painful, but they’ll feel so “weird” to the point where they become impractical.

    Any suggestions?

  20. I am very interested in your “Muscle Building Workout Routine” program which I intend to begin using. However, I was shocked to see that you did not include the traditional deadlift anywhere in this routine. This seems strange given it is generally considered one of the “big three” strength exercises used by powerlifters AND bodybuilders across the board. Is there a particular reason for this omission? Do you feel it is unnecessary for this program for a particular reason? Just curious, because I would hate to give up deadlifts. Would it be possible to incorporate them into the routine anyway?

  21. Thanks alot for this guide !!!
    I posted here previously and started to use your workout which started showing results! Unfortunately I came into a string of back problems (not to do with the workout) and only recently got over evrything and been giving the all clear to workout again. I remembered about this guide and thought I’d start back here at square one.
    Although is there anything I can do maybe extra or substitute to help strengthen muscles in my back a little more as that’s where the problems have been and dont want this to stop or hold me back from working out?

    • That’s the kind of thing you’d really need to be evaluated in person for to figure out exactly what the problem is, what the cause of the problem is, and what needs to be done to fix it.

  22. Hallo there,
    I am in the beginning routine since July, (try to lose fat)
    and I do the exercises describes in your book. The problem is I want to go to a gym that is closer to my home but this gym doesn’t have the assisted pull up machine (these machines provide a push to help you do pull ups) which I was using in the gym but another one without the assistance ”thing” where one should work with his whole body weight. What do you suggest? Try to to do pull ups with out assistance, replace the exercise with an alternative (pull downs) or just keep going to the gym where there is an assisted pull ups machine if the the other options are not the best to do? If using the assisted machine is far away better for my workout I can keep going to gym I used to even if it takes me more time to go.

    Another question is if it’s a big problem to take a 1-2 weeks beak every two months (I think it’s OK but just want to be sure that I don’t break up the muscle built process)

    Finally, should I consume any amount of protein, meal or shake, a specific time of the day (for example within an hour after the workout) or it doesn’t matter as far as my total protein intake of the day is enough?)

    • Lat pulldowns are just as good as pull-ups if needed or preferred. Also, a band assisted pull-up (search for it on YouTube to see examples) would be another option to consider.

      1-2 weeks off every 2 months is a bit excessive in my opinion. Deloading every 2 months would be a better type of “break” for that period of time. Details here.

      Your totals for the day matter 100 times more than any kind of timing. Having said that, consuming protein (and probably carbs as well) some time before and after your workout will provide some degree of benefit. I wrote an entire chapter all about this in Superior Muscle Growth. It contains my specific recommendations.

      • I had no idea about the different versions of assisted pull ups (or that lat pull downs give the same benefit as well) .
        Thank you very much for clearing this up and for the rest of your information.

  23. Hi JAY
    QQ – while doing bench press, is it advisable/allowed for the back (esp lower bakc) to get slightly arched so that there is a little space (an inch or two) created between the lower back and the bench?

    i am reading conflicting things

    thanks

  24. Hey! I bought “the best workout routine” and LOVE it but I’m wondering if Superior Muscle Growth is different material and routines? Thanks for everything you do!!

    • Glad to hear it Bethany! Yup, Superior Muscle Growth is a completely new and completely separate 315 page book of its own that covers every single aspect of building muscle (weight training, diet and nutrition, cardio, supplements, lifestyle, etc. etc. etc.) and shows you exactly how to adjust each of those factors to produce the best results possible (more lean muscle, less body fat). The Best Workout Routines has now become just the “workouts” component of that new book.

  25. Wow, excellent information, and great presentation, I wish I landed on your site sooner.

    I am currently doing the C25K (just completed week 6 of the treadmill version), I was a former smoker who quit 4 years ago and really want to be able to run a 5k without passing out from cyanosis in the first 100 yards.

    I was looking for some strength training component to supplement my overall goal to get fit and look better. I am turning 50 in a couple months and have about 35 pounds of flab between my waist and neck. I have been doing the workout found here ( http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/dumbbell-only-home-or-gym-fullbody-workout.html?page=8 ), on and off for several months but really hate some of the exercises and was looking to make some changes.

    It took me a couple hours but I went through the every single page of the ultimate weight training routine including faqs etc… and it was definitely worth it. You have given me the tools to reach my goals. I started the beginner-weight-training-workout, my skeptical nature is questioning the only 3 exercises per workout but what the hell, I am going to do as you suggest and ride this workout until gains are not forthcoming. I have a pushup bar but am not currently able to do even one, what is more worthwhile: negative pull ups or or an assisted pull up where the bar is 3 -4 feet off high sit underneath bar and keep legs on floor?

    Thanks.

  26. Hi Jay
    i am 37 yr old male, body fat around 14%, reasonably lean/muscular, with 6 pack visible when i really flex.

    I have a pool party (vain, I know!) in a week and was wondering if doing abs everyday for 7 days will make them look any better on d-day – or am i just wasting my time? Yes, i am just looking for some temporary looks.

    thanks

  27. 1. How come the calories listed on food labels never match up with the calories in the macronutrients?

    Ex: This soda bottle says it has 240 total calories. There is no protein or fat. It has 65 carbs. 65 x 4 is 260.

    What’s going on?

    2. My biology teacher said some woman he knows got ripped from supersets and hours of cardio. He said she was really skinny in college (bad genetics) and that she would never do steroids.

    Explanation?

    3. I’m not doubting the calorie deficit thing, but how come the government, scientists, health organizations, and the general public are so blatantly unaware of it? Instead of a deficit, they’re preaching cardio (which barely burns any calories) and “clean eating”. Why?

    4. When are you going to write exercise form guides?

    Thanks.

    • 1. Mainly because the amounts for protein/fat/carbs are rounded off. So if something has 2.4g of fat, it will say 2g on the label. If it has 0.4g of fat, it will just say 0g.

      2. Create a deficit through any means (in this case, cardio) and you’ll lose fat. Do it long enough and you’ll lose a lot of fat, hit low levels of body fat and look “ripped.” No magic involved.

      3. The vast majority of truly science-based people are well aware of it. It’s everyone else who preaches the other nonsense, and this group greatly outnumbers the other.

      4. It’s on my to-do list.

  28. Hey man. I wanted to know, if i consume 0.8 grams of protein per body weight, will it be enough to build muscle on an optimal rate? I’m just a skinny guy with average genetics.

  29. Hi,

    On the muscle building routine where you train upper body one day and lower the next day, can you advise what I can do in terms of the lower body training as we do not have a leg press machine. I have squat racks and a leg extension machine which also allows lying leg curls. Also due to years of wear and tear and a cruciate knee ligament injury, I cannot go heavy on squats as my knees hurt. How can I use the progressive overload when I squat?

    Thanks for your time and help.

  30. Hi Jay, love your blog.
    I wanna ask, if i don’t have time for a specific week, is it ok to workout 2 days in a row in a beginner routine as an exception?

  31. Hi jay
    40 yr male started with body fat around 20% and down to 14%. Am looking pretty thin (weak is what my wife tells me I am looking) with six packs visible when I flex

    I have been trying to get it down to 11% but have been unable to do so
    My question. Is – is it useless to try and bulk up without getting to a body fat of 11% or lower? My effort will be to gain muscle at 14% then when needed I can lose some more fat. Sound ok ? (I mean will I still look good with six packs and all) or is this a pipe dream and I REally need to get to 10% bf before thinking of bulking up? Thanks

      • Jay,
        Went ahead and bought the book, w/o a moment’s hesitation. Worth every penny!

        Am down to the part where it talks of calorie maintenance level.

        Q – I am a “beginner”, 40 yr old, IT project manager. 6-8 hrs of my day is spent sitting. I do weight training (“beginner”) 3 days a week, and do cardio OR HIIT) twice a week. Other than that, v limited physical activity.

        Would my lifestyle count as ‘light active’ or ‘moderately active’?

        Thanks

        • Glad to hear it dude!

          One of these days I’m going to write an article that answers this question (I get asked this once per day at least). But basically the answer is that it doesn’t matter… just take your best guess. Remember, it’s just an estimated starting point. The key step is going to be monitoring what happens after you put this calorie intake into effect and then adjusting when/if needed to make your ideal rate of weight gain occur.

          • thanks. 2 more please.

            1. If it turns out that on rest days, calories supply needed = 2000.
            I need not add the calories burnt on these rest days (doing cardio/HIIT) to this 2000 right? (since the cardio factor has already been taken into account when deciding what category I am). Correct?

            2. I read your pre and post workout protein/carb intake suggestions.
            But Due to my circumstances, I plan to take:
            1 scoop whey before weights
            1 scoop whey after weights (within 20 minutes)
            17 gm fat, 60 gm protein and 220 gm carb during dinner (1 hr after workout)

            Anything terribly wrong with it?

          • 1. Best answer to this question and any similar question: be consistent and monitor progress. Are things doing what they should be at the rate they should be? If so, you’re good. If not, adjust until it is.

            2. As long as it fits in with your totals for the day and suits your training performance needs/preferences, it’s fine. I personally prefer having some carbs along with the protein in my pre/post meals.

          • Hey jay
            I need to lose another 4 lbs to get to 10 body fat. I can lose that in a week. I know the weight loss is lil more rapid than you recommend but it is not totally unadvisable or terrible. Right ? Then I plan to start bulking up and go to about 15 body fat
            Thx

  32. Hi,
    Thanks for your reply. In our gym we don’t have a leg press machine. Only squat racks and leg extension and leg curl machine. On leg days can I just do squats, leg extensions and curls? Also due to my cruciate ligament injury, is it okay to squat with less weight but higher reps, say in region of 15-20? Would this build size as going heavy is not good for my knees.

    Thanks

    • Instead of leg presses, you could do front squats, or some type of lunge variation, or step-ups, or even something like goblet squats could work.

      As for your injury, I really can’t answer questions like that.

  33. Thank you × 1000 for a no bullshit breakdown. Seriously. I’ve struggled in the past and wasn’t buying the “starvation mode” or other nonsensical excuses. I knew l was doing something(s) wrong. Now I completely get it. I am so glad I found this site and can not wait to utilize everything I’ve learned here.

  34. Jay,
    just finished reading your ‘superior muscle growth’, awesome work, kudos!

    but where is the section about the ‘Upper Body Focused Training’?, you know the ones that your intro said talks of ‘Do you care a lot more about improving your upper body than improving your lower body? ‘ etc?

    thanks

  35. Hey man, thanks for this super informative write up!
    I really want to start the 3-Day workout routine, but is there a way for me to not use workout machines, only body weight/free weights? I’m very petite (barely even 5’1″) and most machines aren’t suited for me.
    Thanks again! 🙂

  36. Hey Jay, i’ve reread your diet plan article, and i’ve got two questions about it.
    1. Can i eat a lot more carb and a lot less fat than required, or the opposite (in other words, a lot different amount of carb and fat) if i hit my required calorie and protein intake?
    2. Do i have to keep around the same ratio of macro every day, or can i change it day by day? (again, if i hit my required calorie and protein intake)
    Thanks for the article by the way. 🙂

    • It would mainly depend on how significant these changes would be… primarily how low your fat intake is going to get as there are plenty of negative physiological effects that occur when fat intake is too low.

      • My fat intake is around 20 grams a day (sometimes even less), but majority of it comes from junk food (junk food doesn’t exceed 20% of my total calorie intake). I’m on this low fat diet for around 4 months, but to be honest i feel really comfortable with this diet (also i’m on a progressive overload on my weight training, which shows that i’m not losing strength) and there has been no problems with my health. I just wanted to know, despite having all these positive sides, maybe it’s still not recommended. What would be your advice on it?

        • Actually, i just remembered. I eat 4 hard boiled eggs every single day, which has 20 grams of fat from egg yolk. I always forget to take it into account. So it would be about 30-40 grams of fat a day.

          • So my final question would be, is 30-40 grams of fat (20 g of it coming from egg yolk and the rest from junk food) is ok for a 1800 calorie diet, or is it too low?
            P.S. I’m really sorry for not being able put my thoughts in one comment, i’m not trying to trash your thread, i’m just confused 🙂

  37. Hi Jay, hope you’re doing fine. I was reading your “The Muscle Building Workout Routine”, and i have a question about a detail on FAQ section of it. You wrote that if it’s too much, we can remove accessory isolation exercises. Can we do it on a day by day basis? For example, if we don’t have enough energy or time for particular days, can we remove them for only those days and keep them on others? Or is it not the right way to go, and if we’re removing them, we have to remove them period?
    Love the blog, keep up the great work!

  38. Jay,
    qq – while using the calipers for the bodyfat measurement at the supraciliac, some videos say to flex so that only fat gets measured (and not measured). would you agree?

    thx

    • About 12 years ago I got myself some calipers and tried to figure out how to use them accurately. After about a month I gave up and threw them in the back of a closet somewhere.

      So yeah, probably not the best person to be asking. 😉

  40. Suppose I just want to build muscle in my shoulders, what would be the best way to go about doing that? I don’t really want to build any muscle anywhere else, but as you said, isolation exercises tend to be much less effective. Would doing only shoulder isolation exercies get me any significant results?

    • You’d basically need a shoulder specialization program that would allow everything else to be trained at the bare minimum needed for maintenance while shoulders are still trained for progress.

  41. I am in a fat loss phase currently and in your best diet plan guide you advise us to eat 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight to maintain muscle while losing fat. I weight 190 pounds and that means that I’ll be eating around 200 grams of protein a day which seems a lot, especially if I’m trying to cram it into 1900 calories a day. Also, I live in the UK and our national health service advises us not to overdo it on the protein as the think it is unnecessary and could be harmful. Here is a direct quote from their website: “There is also evidence that, in the long term, consuming too much protein can lead to an increased risk of osteoporosis and can also worsen existing kidney problems. The Department of Health advises adults to avoid consuming more than twice the recommended daily intake of protein (55.5g for men and 45g for women).” Assuming those figures are for an average sized man (180 pounds), that means I shouldn’t be eating more than 120 grams of protein a day according to them. Are they talking bullshit and can I still maintain a lot of muscle muscle while losing fat on just 120 grams of protein a day or do you recommend that I shoot for the 200 mark?

    • Most of the general “official” recommendations for protein intake are aimed at being the bare minimum needed for the average sedentary adult to sustain life and proper function. Someone training hard/losing fat/building muscle,etc. needs and benefits from more.

      Also, any research looking a high protein diet’s effects on healthy kidneys shows nothing but safety. Preexisting kidney issues is another story.

  42. Hi Jay,

    I’m about to switch to your 4 days U/L spilt after 9 months of your beginner full body routine…

    I would like to ask if it is possible to make few changes (not trying to mess up this perfect routine)

    1) I cannot go to gym on every Wed and Friday, so Monday (Upper A), Tuesday(Lower A), Thursday (Upper B), Saturday(Lower B) ok to do?

    2) My arms are lacking, possible to do 3 sets of tricep/bicep instead of 2?

    Thank you!

  43. Hi Jay, i’m ending my fat losing phase by the end of this week. I’ve got to say, results are awesome, i lost tons of fat without single day of cardio. And kudos to you for that 🙂
    I would like to know, can i directly start muscle building phase (meaning, going from 1800 to 2500 cal), or is some sort of transitional phase recommended? For example, increasing calorie by 200 each week, until reaching aimed calorie.

  44. Hi mate, great website!

    By following the UWTW, do you have a calculation for number of calories burned for each of the sessions? (Assuming that the routine is followed to the letter)

    Also, as I think you are saying, if you are still burning calories for a number of hours (post workout), is there a rule of thumb for the number that you burn?

    • 1. Nope, I don’t. But search around for “calories burned during weight lifting” or something similar and you’ll find some okay-enough estimated starting points (there will be no way to know the EXACT amount).
      2. What you’re referring to is called EPOC, and research has shown that it’s not quite as significant as many people make it out to be. Here’s a good article about it.

  45. Dear Jay,

    I want to try your P/P/L spilt but I cannot go to gym on every Wednesday and Friday, can this be done like this?

    Mon: Push
    Tue: Pull
    Wed: –
    Thur: Legs
    Fri: –
    Sat: Push
    Sun: Pull

    Repeat?

  46. In regards to reps per week, should I count compound exercises for biceps and triceps? If I count bench press reps for chest, do they also count toward the 30-60 reps for triceps? Or would I not count it with triceps and add another excercise like skull crushers or push downs?
    My game plan is-
    3 times a week
    Military press- 3 sets x10 reps
    Bench press-3×10
    That gives 90 reps per week for shoulders and 90 for chest. Would it give 180 reps for triceps, or should I count them as half? Would I count them at all?

    • The volume recommendations for biceps and triceps are already purposely half that of the bigger muscle groups because it ALREADY takes into account the volume from compound lifts. So you’re looking for 30-60 reps per week of direct biceps/triceps isolation work.

  47. Hi Jay,
    qq – is it possible to have an idea of when say 100 calories are burnt on an elliptical (‘fat burning zone’), how many of those come from burning protein, carb and fat ?

    i ask since trying to replenish those burnt calories, we should replenish it with the same ingredients, right? (In other words, if all i burnt was protein, i want to eat 100 cal worth of protein to even that out)

    thanks

  48. I purchased your online guide and it answers my questions. $27 bucks is a good deal for the info you put in it. It saved me a lot of money I would’ve spent one personal training

  49. Dear Jay,

    I’m on your Upper Lower 4 Day spilt, is it possible to change the reps of big compound movement such as bench press, squat, RDL to 3-5 reps? I really enjoy low reps on these exercise cause I can lift very heavy and progress faster but my main goal is still hypertrophy + little strength.

    Thanks!

  50. Hello,

    After finishing my cutting phase and starting to bulk I am having a hard time gaining strength. I have been in the bulking phase for a month and in only a couple lifts have I gained a rep or moved up in weight. In fact I have lost reps/weight in most of the lifts. I have gained 2 pounds during this month. Is it possible I’m just gaining fat? My protein intake is 1 gram per 1 pound of bodyweight. What could I be doing wrong? Also I consider myself an intermediate lifter if that’s of importance.

      • I am using “The Muscle Building Workout Routine: Version 1” from your book. I am pushing it at the gym. Maybe I am not gaining weight fast enough? Maybe I should up my calories even more? I don’t care too much about strength, I just want to look good. But I have no other indicator that I am gaining muscle besides going up in reps/weight. I think it is weird though that a couple of my lifts are going up though.

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