The End Of The Ultimate Weight Training Workout Routine

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

2,735 Comments

1. Why do my comments get deleted?

   • They don’t… they just don’t get approved until I manually go through comments and approve them.

2. I’m currently performing Romanian deadlifts twice a week. However, I saw in your muscle building routine you programmed it once a week. What is the optimal training frequency for RDL’s for hypertrophy?

   • I personally don’t like deadlifting more than once per week.

3. Wow sums up my thoughts on your information. This was by far hands down the best information I have ever read regarding working out regimes. I thought I knew everything, as most people do lol, but my god you just opened up a whole new level of workout knowledge to me. I appreciate it greatly. I found this site yesterday and could not stop reading for 3 hours straight it was just so informative. I used to workout like ten years ago and just recently decided my skinny fatness needs an upgrade. I was a supplement is the only way to get strong idea guy. All your information has led me to believe as my younger self I was an idiot. You make very valid points about the supplement industry being pretty much bulls hit for the most part. I just wanna say thank you so much for taking the long time to write all this down and for free! Yes I noticed your extra pay for uncle building program which I plan on investing in as soon as I hit a steady workout schedule. I’m basically a beginner again with a comprehensive understanding of everything now. I will put all your ideas into action and grind away this average body.

   The only question I have for you is about muscle milk. Now I know most think it sucks but can you give me an idea of its use fullness and if I NEED whey also for after workouts or if the whey casein blend will do for me. I currently use it post workout and before bed and sometimes as a mrp. I am kind of financially stuck for a lil so do not really want to have to buy why also if mm will have almost same effect. I know it will not have same effect but atleast close for post workout.

   Also one more do I need to do cardio for the small amount of fat on stomach and chest or will the workout take care of that with good dieting. I’m 5’10” 154 now so it’s not a lot but noticeable to me. And if I do need cardio what is best way to do it and what to do, such as should I do it on my off days always, or on days I workout. I am doing the 3 day full body workout, with few iso muscle exercises added in. I do not have much to work with but a bench and one dumbell so I am limited on what I can do. And I work out solo so hard for me to do everything as per your instructions.

   Thank you again this has changed my life.

   • One more thing sorry would doing a full body workout every other day be wrong? I like to stay in a rhythm and taking an extra day off could make me think I could do it whenever. So would doing 4 days one week 3 days the next and repeat be wrong?

     • The extra day of rest at the end is beneficial from a recovery standpoint. I’d suggest keeping it.

   • Glad to hear it dude!

     1. Honestly? As long as you can get your ideal total protein, fat and carb intake each day from normal food, you don’t need either. If you need help hitting your protein requirements, whey would be perfect.

     2. The only thing needed for fat loss is a caloric deficit, which can certainly be accomplished through diet alone in which case cardio isn’t needed at all.

4. Hi,

   Thanks for your website. I am following the beginner routine.
   As I’ve increased weight over several weeks, some exercises I find easier than others. I’m now at the point where I could increase weight on most exercises. But I’m waiting for shoulder press to catch up. It feels like I am coasting a bit on the easier exercises. e.g. squat. But the routine says to use the same weight for each exercise.

   Should I just stick it out and wait for the shoulders to catch up…?

   the exercises needing most improvement are

   1. shoulder press
   2. rows
   3. pull ups. although thats my body weight so not directly comparable

   many thanks

   • You seem to have misunderstand what I meant by “same weight.” What I say is: “For each exercise, you should now use the same weight each set.”

     Meaning, if you bench press 100lbs, use 100lbs on all 3 of your sets. If you squat 200lbs, use 200lbs on all 3 of your sets. If you dealift 300lbs, use 300lbs on all 3 sets. You should NOT be using the same weight for each exercise (e.g. 100lbs on bench, squat and dealift).

5. Thanks so much for the great information. I am a 48 year old male. After tweaking my 3-day per week full-body workout to account for your volume recommendations, I am seeing gains in muscle. An older guy at church on Wednesday night looked at my arms and said “You’re looking good, Chuck!”. I’ve also had several other guys at church comment of my biceps growth. Shoulders are also growing nicely.

   I had been doing too many reps before and not getting proper rest. I now do a total workout of 7 different moves for between 2-4 sets each for 8-12 reps each set. I follow your big vs. small muscle recommendations. My only concern is that I knock out my workout in about 30 minutes max. I know you don’t worry about time spent, but it seems awfully short. BTW, I do ZERO warm-up sets and it does not seem to be hurting me. I think my total reps are warming me up enough.

   Thanks for the great advice. I’m a middle-aged guy seeing nice growth.

   • Glad to hear progress is going well!

     Regarding the 30 minutes, read this one.

     As for warmup sets, the stronger you get/the heavier you begin lifting, the more crucial warmup sets are going to be for many reasons (including injury prevention). I’d suggest doing them.

6. Good evening Jay,

   My progress on my upper body whilst using your regime is just as you predicted. However, my legs show little or no improvement despite following the same principles. Can you offer any insight as to why this is happening?
   My only thought is that I find leg training very tough and just maybe I am not working hard enough and in effect I am wimping out! If you feel I need to man up please just say so but could there be a more scientific reason?
   Thanks again for your superb body of work
   Mike

   • It can certainly be what you suggested, although it’s impossible for me to say if that’s actually true. It could also be genetics… your leg genetics might suck, your upper body genetic might be great, or a little of both.

7. I have a question, is there anything negative to have a higher fat intake than 25%?

   • Depends how much higher. 30%? 35%? Totally fine. 80%? 90% Not so much.

     • I realize that i forgot to mention what i meant with higher, I was thinking like 40% -45%

8. I am a 71 year old woman who has been working out since age 59. I am not your typical “granny” as I have a body that has responded nicely to working out and also it helps that I don’t have any wrinkles and I keep the gray hair colored! lol!! I am in excellent health, EXCEPT, I recently have been diagnosed with arthritis..waiting to hear if it is rheumatoid or one of its lesser evils. Do you have anything written, and I have missed it, on proper lifting with arthritis? I will be following the diet suggested for arthritis sufferers which is an inflammatory diet but I primarily am a Mediterrean follower. (The two are very close) Right now the arthritis is not really interfering with the weightlifting (just a little bit) but I want to especially be careful and not aggravate it. Thank you. I really find reading your article quite helpful.

   • Glad the site has been helpful! Also glad to hear from someone who first started lifting at 59 and has kept it going into their 70’s. That’s awesome.

     As for arthritis, I haven’t written anything about it at all and it’s honestly not something I know a ton about. Sorry!

   • @nancy, if you read this, i may have some recommendations; i’m a 37 year old male but i have arthritis too (my family has a history of it). what i’ve found that helps for me is a baby aspirin each day, avoiding certain foods which increase inflammation (such as potatoes, tomatoes, and other members of the so-called nightshade family — though this varies, some people get arthritis flare-ups of inflammation from something like dairy products instead, it’s individual), and supplements in magnesium, as well as turmeric and ginger as common spices in the food i eat. those may sound new-agey, but they actually do each have studies behind them in their benefit for arthritis. ask your doctor to confirm these if you like before trying them.

9. I’ve a question about failure (comments are disabled on failure article :/ )
   What if I reach failure and I still have 1 or more reps to do?

   • Then you simply try again the next time you do that exercise.

     • Ty for your answer. So should I drop that exercise and focus on the next one or should I finish all the reps?
       For ex.
       I’ve 3 exercises:
       -deadlift – 3 sets
       -shoulder press – 3 sets
       -pull ups – 3 sets

       If I reach failure on shoulder press 2nd set, should I do the 3rd or should I do pull ups?

       • You’d still do the prescribed 3 sets.

10. Hi Jay,
    Male, 40 year old, have been following the intermediate routine for about 4 months now.

    Two qs please:
    1) I feel I get a better muscle activation/form when I do lat pull downs instead of pull ups. Is it ok to substitute?
    2) I am at “bulking stage” and 14-15% body fat now, and am going on a vacation in 3 weeks. Wanted to ask you if its ok to enter a “cutting phase” for 2 weeks to get the body fat down to say 11% to make me look better. One I get back, I intend to get back to bulking till I get to 17-18% body fat, then cut.

    Thanks much

    • 1. Yes.
      2. Just responded to your email for that answer. Please only ask your questions in one location in the future.

11. Hello Jay,

    1) I went on a vacation for about 9 days … I had no access to a gym, and also the available protein was not much …
    When I came back, my workout for the lower body was still the same level, I could lift the same weights.
    But my upper body level dropped (such as shoulders and bench press). For example, bench press dropped from 17.3 kg (on each side) to 15 kg (and not complete sets).
    Is it normal to lose power that fast after a short vacation?

    2) My shoulder press progress is awful, the main reason is that the gym I go to has no shoulder rack; so I have to lift the bar from the ground; which is difficult, despite the weight being easy to press.
    I ask for assistance, but this is not always available … I think the dumbells will have the same problem. too.
    Do you think the machine is okay for shoulders instead? Do you have any other suggestions?

    3) You mentioned before in the beginner workout that deadlifts are better if you are confident to perform them with lower reps. What other exercises are better with lower reps?

    • 1. Yup, very normal. I would have recommended coming back to lifting only 80% of your usual weights. 90% the next week. 100% the week after.

      2. As long as the machine feels okay and suits your body, it’s fine.

      3. In that routine? Probably only deadlifts.

      • 2) And do I have to add other shoulder exercises to compensate for muscles that were activated only by free weights ?

        4) I have added shrugs to work out A (and sometimes to both A and B) … Is that okay for the beginner routine?

        5) I have being doing goblet squats as a beginner exercise till I’m more flexible for normal squats. Now, my problem in normal squats is not my legs. It’s the shoulders. I feel my shoulders locked and I hurry to leave the weight after a few reps. And I tried different grip widths.
        I know you regard other squats okay, but I it’s tempting to do the original squat 🙁
        Any suggestions or tips?

        6) Do you recommend other certain activities beside weight lifting ? (and other than cardio)

        (Too many questions, I know)

        Thank you

        • 2. Nope.

          4. Not really the end of the world, but I don’t really see a need for shrugs in the beginner routine.

          5. Work on shoulder mobility and/or experiment more with bar position (or just improve your form in terms of how you’re holding it).

          6. Depends on the person, their needs, their goals, their preferences, etc. etc. etc.

12. Hello Jay!

    Thanks a lot for this amazing guide. I have been following your beginner’s routine (version 1) for 6 weeks now and am really enjoying it. I have been progressing steadily on most of the exercises and feel stronger than ever. Also, doing only three exercises per workout has made my life a lot easier and has forced me to really give my best on those instead of sparing my efforts a bit because of all the exercises ahead.
    I just have two questions and hope you won’t mind answering them:
    1) I just noticed that you specify that the overhead shoulder press should be a seated one, while I’ve been doing a standing one all along. I felt it would be more of a compound movement as it also works my core and back.
    Is there a reason you advise using the seated one instead or can I just keep doing what I’ve been doing?
    2) Although I am doing good progress on the deadlift and squats and seeing a lot more definition to my quads, I am not seeing any changes as far as my glutes are concerned and I’d really like to develop them more. I am already trying to activate them more by using a sumo squat and focusing on them during the exercise, but it doesn’t seem to change much. Would it be ok to add one glute exercise per workout (glute bridges or hip raises)? And if I do that, should I do them before or after the squat/deadlift? Should I give my all to glute exercises as well or just use them as part of my warm up to help with activation?

    Thanks again for your help,

    Cheers,
    Capucine

    • 1. Standing version is perfectly fine if you prefer it. I prefer seated to eliminate lower back fatigue (which can be an issue for some after deadlifting earlier in the workout).

      2. Activation work is okay if needed. Adding exercises into the program itself… I’d save that for the intermediate level which is when more individual muscular focus becomes ideal.

13. I’ve been taking 5g of creatine everyday for 3 months now. Yesterday I forgot to take my 5g. Will I still get the benefits of it for my workout? And should I take 10g to make up for it?

    • No, you don’t have to take 10g to make up for it. Get back on the 5g schedule and there will be no difference whatsoever. Creatine levels take a lot longer than 1 missed day to return back to baseline after full saturation has occurred.

14. Usually after I workout in the gym, I’m not hungry, and it’s hard for me to eat to build muscle. Only on lower body days I get hungry after working out. Any recommendations on how to get hungry? I’m a male btw. xD

    • My first suggestion would actually be to just design your diet in a way that has you eating at the times you ARE hungry.

15. Hello again, and thanks for the great website.

    I’ve been doing the beginner A/B split routine for about 6 weeks, and I’ve been
    tracking weight and calories daily. I am a 37 yr old male, very slim build, 5′ 8″ tall, 145 pounds. I’ve noticed I’m gaining weight at about double your recommended optimum per week. When I look in the mirror though I’m not really seeing lots of fat put on etc and I’m still increasing the weight what I’m lifting although much slower than at the beginning.

    Based on the above Would you recommend reducing on staying with my current calorie intake or reducing it? I’m tempted to stick with what I’m doing.

    Secondly, I would like to know how many calories the beginner weight routine burns per session. Do you have any idea on that so I can add it to my calorie surplus?

    thanks
    James

    • How are you tracking your body weight? Weighing yourself once per week? Weighing daily and taking the average? Something else?

      • Weighing daily, always at the same time, after getting up. I then average that across the 7 days of the week. Those weekly average figures are what are roughly double your recommended gain

        • Are you taking measurements? If so, what has your stomach measurement done over this period of time?

          • I don’t have that data. But stomach has increased in size. I had to buy one size bigger trousers for work!

            It doesnt feel like fat at all though, just solid. I can feel all the muscles just below the surface. Im suffering from constipation though because of the high protein diet so that prob hasn’t helped.

          • I recommend reducing calories until you’re gaining at the suggested ideal rate. Chances are some extra amount of fat is being gained that could be avoided.

16. Hi, I’ve been doing your sample beginner workout routine for about 3 weeks now. I usually workout in the workout room at my school, however the workout room does not have a barbell, and so I can’t do deadlifts.

    I do however have a barbell at home. Should I do lateral pull downs (can’t do full chin up yet), overhead shoulder press, and seperate back and leg exercises in school? Or, should I do lat pull downs and overhead in school and then come home and do deadlifts? Or, should I do the full day at home with a chin up bar (that I’ll just lower myself on)?

    What are the advantages and disadvantages of each option? How will the second option affect my pre and post workout meals? What are some back and leg exercises to make up for the deadlifts (if I need to do them)?

    Also, at 15 years old and not a “healthy adult”, is my protein intake good at roughly 1 gram per pound of body weight?

    Thanks

    • If you have everything you need to do that whole deadlift workout at home, that would probably be the option I’d go with instead of turning it into a 2-part workout.

17. How long does it take for my comment to be moderated and answered?

    • It varies. Sometimes minutes. Sometimes days.

18. What about circuit training? Is it best to do all the sets for each exercise in a row?

    Also you mention that you should weigh yourself regularly…my goal is to lose fat but also gain some muscle so isn’t it possible that I could be reaching my goal without it showing on the scale since muscle weighs more than fat? (Im an 18yr old girl, 5’3″, 140lb, 23% body fat)

    • 1. For muscle and strength gains, I prefer doing all of the sets of each exercise before moving on to the next one. If needed, alternating sets (details here) can be used.

      2. Read this one.

19. 1. If my caloric maintenance level is 2000 and I have a diet of 2250 calories per day of all protein, would I build muscle? This way I dont have to worry about carbs & fats.

    2. If I had a maintenance of 2000 calories and consumed 2000 of all protein, would I build muscle? I’m guessing not because the calories would be used to maintain my weight, right?

    Thanks Jay!

    • 1. You would die (literally) with a diet comprised entirely of protein.

      2. Remove the idea of a diet of nothing but protein from your brain. It’s a terrible idea.

20. Can you recommend me a good dip belt for weight pull/chin ups?

    • I’ve used a leather one from Grizzly for years now.

21. Hi Jay,

    I am about to start your beginner routine, just a few questions.

    – Could I perform a reverse pyramid scheme for my sets instead of the 3x 8-10 stated on the guide? and would there be any additional benefits in it?

    – Would doing the exercises in the rep range of 6-8 be more recommended for a beginner who has a few months of inconsistent experience in the gym, who is confident with performing correct form?… or is the 8-10 rep range still advised until I reach perhaps intermediate level?

    Many thanks for your advise, the website is great.

    • 1. Yup. My book covers RPT… it’s one of the recommended progression options given.

      2. If 6-8 is preferred over 8-10 AND the person has enough previous experience for form to be correct, it’s fine.

22. The information on this plan was really helpful answering my questions on how to build muscle. I used to inconsistently workout and added much more exercises than needed. I’m gonna get on this plan real quick thanks for saving me useful time.

    • Glad to hear it.

23. The best guide iv ever read .PERIOD.

    • Niiiice.

24. On a upper lower 4 day split can i do the same lifts on Monday and Thursday? And also how often should I change the lifts or modify the workout to keep making progress? I dont remember reading that in your pages. Also what about Joint pain? As lift heavier my joints start to hurt… Thoughts?

    Blessings!

    Eddie

    • 1. If preferred, yes.
      2. This one.
      3. Joint pain will need a full article to properly cover.

25. Im trying to purchase your best workout routines and it wont accept my credit card. Would you happen to know why?

    • Are you still having an issue now?

26. On volume, how does upper and lower back get considered. What about forearms, neck, traps?

    • Needed a full article to answer this one. Future updates to this guide will cover it, though. Stay tuned.

27. I am currently doing the 4-day upper/lower split.. is it okay to add shrugs? and if so, what day do you recommend adding it onto?

    • Read the FAQ. #3.

28. Workout 2.0, In your book are you suggesting to use 2.0 over workout 1.0. I was going to do the upper lower 4 day split then bought your book and it reccomends to do Push,Legs Pull instead of…. am i reading that correctly? Also, im still confused on what you do when you reach a max amount of weight. i still want to gain muscle but my joints cant take all of the super heavy weights to failure.

    • I recommend both of those splits equally… I never suggest one over the other. They are equally effective in my opinion/experience. Basically just pick your favorite.

      Training with/around joint pain will again need a full article to properly explain. Consider it added to my to-do list.

      • Awesome! Im using the upper lower split with your exercises from The BEST workout routine. Question… In upper body A traps get hit only once and as a secondary muscle…Is it lacking volume. And fore arms are only getting hit twice as a secondary. Can I add another exercise for forearms without ill affects. Also the neck….?

        Thanks for all the info your publications are very helpful and awesome!

        Blessings

        Eddie

        • See #3 here for traps.

          As for forearms, unless you have some kind of specific forearm related goal in mind, I wouldn’t add anything for them. It’s an overused/easily injured body part in my opinion.

29. Good evening Jay,

    Firstly a very big thank you for your superb body of work. I believe it to be unequalled anywhere on the internet. Furthermore a merry Christmas to you and your family.

    Secondly, I reside in England. Your programme is priced at 47 US dollars. Is there anything I need to adjust / fine tune in order to purchase it?

    Yours sincerely
    Mike

    • Thanks Mike, same to you!

      As for the price, I’m pretty sure PayPal will automatically make all of the adjustments for you based on where you live.

30. What is your take on having no spotter? I have friends who I am able lift with but I GUARANTEE that once they start this 3 day split they are gonna start being like “let’s do some bicep curls” and things in that nature. so for that reason id rather do it alone. The bench is my only concern when it comes to having no spotter btw.

    • Read this one.

      • Thank you!! And also sorry one more thing I have to know…. In the beginners routine I’ve noticed you are doing the same exercise in the same week…. So for example the bench press, should you do 1 heavier day and one lighter day? Or should you continue and try beating your previous workout doing heavier workloads. Thanks

        • And I also thought about using barbells for the flat bench one day and the other I would use Dumbbells and continue with that pattern

          • Nope, keep the exercise/equipment consistent.

        • The second one.

31. How do you start off counting the calories you eat? There must be a way to measure it esp. when you go out. Any help would be nice!

    • Get an app on your phone. MyFitnessPal is one of the most popular.

32. Yo I bought your book and saw there are no chin ups in the exercises. I currently do weighted chin ups for my biceps. My ego is so big, I don’t want to look like a weakling not doing it anymore. Is there a way to include it in your routine or should I just follow it exactly as you said?

    • Not sure what you mean? Some form of pull-ups and/or chin-ups are in every single workout.

33. It is a great guideline. I could not stop reading till I finished it all. What I liked most about it is that it was well written stuff. It is easy to understand and it is flawless. But I have one thing that I am still confused about. You said beginners should train larger group muscle from 60 to 120 reps per week, and in your recommended workout routine for beginners you told us to train chest muscle 30 reps only (3 sets * 10 reps for bench press), assuming BAB week. How come?

    • Don’t look at BAB as chest only being trained once per week. Look at how many days are between each chest workout. At most it’s every 5th day… not every 7th. It’s more frequent than it seems.

34. Jay,

    I have been reading your posts for the past two days, and I think that they are great, I have been to several web sites that shower you with so much training exercises that at the end leave you clueless, but I have learned so much reading your guide, which we all thank you for.

    I will be following your beginner training schedule, but I have one question, BTW, I am a 46 years old male, I used to train a lot in the past, but due to travelling, I stopped a few years ago, now just started training back, including jogging on a treadmill, and I would like to incorporate using the treadmill with weight lifting if possible, for at least a couple of days a week, to make my program a total of 5 days training per week, would that be possible, or would it ultimately affect my weight lifting goals.

    • Read this and this.

35. Hello!

    I am doing an ABA beginner program that, with your guides, I have created. It actually is the sample ABA program that you have, but that was the exact workout I designed and decided to double check to make sure I followed correctly. Neither here nor there.

    Anyways, as I am currently in the Team “Looks” category, I was wondering how to go about adding cardio into my week.

    I know to add it on my off days, which I would prefer anyways. I have done both HIIT and LISS (incline walking/stair master 30 mins. tops) in the past, but I would like to know your suggestions on: how many days, how long, and what type.

    Your opinion and response is greatly appreciated!

    Also, as if I needed to say this, you did a wonderful job creating this guide. My favorite thing about this guide is it answers questions that most wouldn’t even think to ask. Also, you supply a “why” for everything, which calms the skeptic in me. Great job, and thank you for making this free for my broke college bum.

    • This would require more of an answer than a quick comment can provide. There is a whole cardio chapter in my book (SMG) that covers this when the goal is muscle growth, though. For fat loss, this one.

36. If Im reverse pyramid training and need to deload, do I deload reverse pyramid style also? Or should I keep all the deloaded sets at 160lbs?

    ex: Regular Bench 200lbs -> 180lbs -> 165lbs
    deload 80% 160lbs -> 144lbs -> 132 lbs

    • Do 80% of each individual set, thus maintaining the same reverse pyramid structure.

37. Thanks for all the great sharing of knowledge.

    I’m so interested in how You look – do you have a great looking body that gets compliments from chicks? 😉

    Please, can you recommend any good podcasts and-/or some books that you love? Regarding life, training, nutrition, whatever interesting.

    Man, you WRITE so fuckin interesting texts! Love reading it! Best author EVER!!! Keep it coming, thanks for replying.

    • Ha, thanks dude.

      1. “Chicks” have indeed said nice things about my body at various points. 😉
      2. I’d need to think about that one.

38. Even though there’s a lot of information , the way it is structured makes it easier to read and get a better understanding of weight training. I’m female and about 240 lbs. I’ve decided how many times per week I’m going to exercise, how many reps and sets to do these days. When I go to the gym I’ll see and figure out how much I’m going to lift. The tricky thing for me to understand is push / pull and all of the movement patterns. If I’m doing compound exercises for my chest 10 reps and 3 sets, where the smaller muscles are activated, how much should I substract from the 7 reps 2 sets for small muscle group I’ve planned to do ? If I’m doing barbell bench press, how many tricep extensions should I do ?

    Thank you for making planning my workout easier for me ! 🙂

    • Nope, the smaller muscle groups already have lower volume recommendations because this is already taken into account. No need to adjust for it.

39. Would it hurt if I added incline to the beginner routine? I always hear people saying that it’s important to do both.

    • Or at least what if I just added dips at end of the “a” workouts?

      • Nope.

    • In place of flat bench? Okay. In addition to it? Nope.

40. Thank you for the fantastic guide. I have devoured all the information on this site and acaloriecounter.com over the past few days.

    I was wondering if you have any recommendations for the ideal warm-up prior to the workouts.

    • Glad to hear it! As for your question, Lyle McDonald has a good series of article on warming up right here.

41. Thanks for the great info. For background, I am 20yo standing at 6’0 and 220lbs so I am kind of on the overweight side and definitely looking to cut out fat. I have good amount of muscle on me despite the fat and have also been doing your workout routine for the past year (since I’m always on and off). I was talking with a nutritionist/PT at my gym for a bit and I want to get your opinion on his advice to me:

    1) I told him about the beginner program and the ABA workout that you posted. He said he had no problem with it, however, it won’t be very effective unless I change my reps every time I workout. Basically, since I would workout 3 days a week, the first day would be low reps and high intensity, second would be medium reps, medium intensity and third would be high reps low intensity. I wanted to know your thoughts on this. He gave a scientific reasoning behind this which sorta flew over my head but I want to know whether I should do the beginner program his way or keep it consistent like you’ve said before and do 8-10 reps. (when i say ‘intensity’ i pretty much mean weight)

    2) Secondly, since he is a nutritionist I wanted to ask him about what I should be eating to cut fat so I want your opinion on his advice. He told me he hates when his clients “count” their calories and/or have a weight goal to reach. He is all about his clients having a healthy diet for life. This is the sort of regimen he advised me to follow: Keep protein, carbs and fats not equal but portioned out correctly. Eat proteins with EVERY meal. And if you have to heat a high carb meal(rice/bread) do it right after you workout. He even told me eating a high protein and carb meal (chicken and rice) after a workout is miles better than a protein shake. So what I want to know if you agree with his advice on not counting calories and just living this lenient sort of diet plan to REDUCE fat.

    Thanks and sorry for writing a lot.

    • 1. That’s one of many good ways to set up a full body program for people past the beginner stage. For beginners? Counterproductive.

      2. Eating protein at every meal is normal sane advice, as is the concept of a “healthy diet for life.” But not counting calories? That’s the one guaranteed method of making sure you’re eating the amount you need to eat for a deficit to exist. Not doing that makes fat loss a function of luck rather than intention.

42. Thanks for all the great info.

    I’m planning on following the 4 day Upper / Lower intermediate routine.

    But I wanted your thoughts on incorporating a couple of spin classes (1hr in duration) into the program. Currently I do a spin class on a Wednesday, Friday and Saturday (occasionally on a Sunday or Monday too – but not every week). I have been doing full body weights about 3 – 4 times per week, but after reading your article I plan to change this to the 4 day upper/lower split.

    Do you think it’s too much to continue with spin classes on say Wednesday and Saturday? Or Wednesday and Friday, or to continue all three?

    My aims are to loose weight, gain muscle and tone up. I have been at the gym for about a year now since having my 2nd baby and want to see faster results. I’ve already starting to challenge my muscles more this week..

    I did an ‘InBody570’ scan and here are some of the results. I currently weigh 66kg, height 161cm, Percentage Body Fat is 29.6, BMI 25.6, Metabolic rate 1378, skeletal Muscle mass 25.9 and body fat mass 19.6. My legs are quite toned and within normal ranges, but my trunk is just over the normal range. So I have fat to loose and muscle building to do.

    I’am 3 days into a 6 week challenge, so I’m really trying to improve my diet 100% and make my workouts more effective.

    Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

    Thank you, Michelle

    • Read this one and this one.

43. I’m still confused about what I do when I reach my maximum weight on an exercise. I keep trying to progress and cannot. Cannot go up in weight and i’m at the lowest number of reps in my sets. How can I continue to grow? Do I change the amount of rest time between sets? Do I switch to a different exercise?

    • Read this one.

44. Hi.
    Thanks for great site! Are you the owner of ACalorieCounter as well? Sounds very similar in the texts. That does not update any longer?

    It looks like the Lower Body A/B days looks so little work for the legs – will they really grow from so little stimulance?

    Have a great week Jay!

    • Yup, ACC is the sister site of AWR. I’ve done the vast majority of the writing there, and 100% of the writing here.

      And think of it this way, if something in that workout was too little to work, don’t you think I would have adjusted it years ago? 😉

45. What are some good weight exercises for the upper chest? Incline presses seem to activate the shoulders more than the chest.

    • Read this one.

46. Hello Jay,

    I have been following the beginner workout for about 7 months; and I have two problems:

    1) I experience repeated plateaus in bench press and assisted pull ups. I attempted to fix this several times by following your article on plateau; by deloading the weights. However, after I reload, I always plateau again at the same original weight. Do you have any advice on this?

    2) My other problem is squats. I have been using goblet squats. That was okay until it became inconvenient for heavier weights. So, I switched to back squats, but I have balancing problems (tend to fall back) , because I got used to the goblet squat balancing me forwards.
    Do you have suggestions for taking the back squat step by step?

    • 1. What were your answers to the other questions in that article? Specifically the diet ones?

      2. That’s something that would need a full article to properly breakdown. Short answer: practice.

      • 1)
        The plateau has lasted for more than 4 months

        Honestly, I have been following my calorie and protein intake closely before (by calculating everything I eat), but recently I do not accurately do that. I depend on my educated guesses
        Maybe I should go back to calculating to give you an honest answer :/

        I have also had a problem with my knees for the last month. I used this time away from the gym to lose weight so that I am confident about eating more when I am back to workout.

        • Assuming your calorie and protein intake are what they need to be, you might be ready to move on to the intermediate routine.

47. I have reached my max in weight and hit the lowest reps on my sets what can I do to keep moving forward?Can I do ladders or something to push through?
    Do I now change up my exercises or the way they are done?

    Deadlifts are killing my back at higher weights, Is there a different exercise that I can do ?

    Can I do low heart rate cardio, 140 BPM, on off days to help burn fat and not mess up muscle mass or gaining muscle?

    Can I do the same low heart rate cardio on my workout days and not affect my lifting?

    I still like to be active when Im not in the gym. I like to roller blade, Mountain bike, Martial arts when Im not in the gym. Is using your system mean I have to stop these things because I am trying to work out? I work out so I can do these things….

    I want to do more and I feel like I can. Do I have to stop?

    Thanks for all your work!!

    • Also, I just read an article about Dwayne Johnson, He lifts every morning and does 50 minutes of cardio 5 times a week to maintain low body fat. He huge and still doing cardio. Is he a genetic freak or can we all do it this way?

      • A genetic freak, and not natural.

    • Read this one.

      And this one.

      And this one.

48. In regards to the muscle building workout, do you think it would be ok to substitute deadlifts for the RDL? I’ve been doing 531 for the past 2 years and I would still like to push my DL along. My plan would be to do your workout as you have written it but do DL as a 531 progression as the first movement in Lower body A ? It looks ok to me but am I missing something?

    • See #2 here.

49. For someone trying to lose weight, is eating high protein foods recommended? Since protein has the largest thermic effect, does that mean OTHER sources of fuel would be burned first or is it the just consumed protein that is burned? There is never the case where the thermic effect of protein is greater than total calories consumed right…?

    • Sufficiently high protein intake is recommended during weight loss for many reasons including preserving muscle, controlling hunger, and adding to the thermic effect of food. And while that thermic effect is highest with protein than any other macronutrient, it will never actually come close to being more than the total calories consumed.

50. This is a great guide. I’m the type of person that likes to understand on an intellectual level the mechanism of why something works a certain way (I’m an engineer). This guide explained the methodology for creating a workout routine, and why one would make particular choices. I especially liked the sections on exercise order, movement patterns, and progressive overload. Some additional subject matter I would like to learn about includes plyometrics vs isometrics, fast-twitch vs slow-twitch muscle fibers, eccentric vs concentric vs isometric contractions, cardio vs strength training for weight loss.

    • Glad to hear it Danette! As for your suggestions, some of that stuff has indeed be covered here. Try this and this.

    • Must be an engineer thing! I felt the same way. I felt like this entire guide was so much more useful than most because it went into the “whys” and “whens” instead of just, “do this then”.

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