What Is The Best Workout Routine & Weight Training Program?

No matter what your specific fitness goal is (building muscle, losing fat, etc.), there’s one thing EVERYONE has in common: we all want to know what the best workout routine is to reach that goal.

It makes sense, of course. We all want to get the best results as fast as possible, so if we used to best workout routine, we’d obviously get the best results. Right?

Yeah, no argument there. I agree completely.

The thing is, even though this is a question everyone keeps on asking, it’s a question no one has been able to definitively answer. Just spend some time on any fitness related forum/message board and ask for yourself.

One person will always say Workout A is the best. Another will explain why Workout B is way better. A third person will call them both idiots and claim Workout C is the greatest workout in the history of the planet. Within minutes 100 other people will join the conversation and tell you 100 different workouts are better than them all.

So, who’s right? Just what is the best workout routine?

Honestly? They’re all wrong, and here’s why…

There is no single workout routine that is best for EVERYONE.

It’s true. Anyone who claims their workout routine is the absolute best is an idiot… or they’re just trying to sell you something based around that workout routine. (So yeah, they’re an idiot either way.)

But again, they’re wrong.

The truth is, there is no single workout routine that is the best for every single person. There are so many individual factors (goals, preferences, capabilities, schedules, etc.) that go into it that it’s just completely impossible for 1 single weight training program to take them all into account. It just can’t happen.

However… it DOES exist.

I do have good news though. While there definitely is NOT a single weight training program that is perfectly ideal and maximally effective for everyone, there is likely a program out there that is perfectly ideal and maximally effective for you and you alone.

You just need to know how to find it.

How To Find The Best Workout Routine For YOU

Well, it goes like this. The weight training program that is going to be best for you will always meet the following requirements:

  • The best workout routine is geared specifically towards reaching your exact goal.
    So, for example, if you want to build muscle, you’re routine should be aimed primarily at building muscle. That’s it. You shouldn’t be using a strength oriented program, or a fat loss program, or an endurance program, or a program aimed getting better at a specific sport or activity. Whatever your goal is, your program should be tailor made for reaching THAT exact goal.
  • The best workout routine is for someone with your level of weight training experience.
    Meaning, beginners should use beginner programs. Intermediates should use intermediate programs. The advanced should used advanced programs. For some idiotic reason, many people like to think they are above the level they are truly at. All that does is cause you to use a weight training program that is not ideal for you. People think “advanced” programs lead to “advanced” results. They might, but only if you actually are advanced. If you’re not, you’ll just end up wasting your time and missing out on using a program that is made to work best for someone of your exact training status.
  • The best workout routine uses a frequency, volume and intensity level that is ideal for you.
    In all honesty, various amounts and combinations of weight training frequency, volume and intensity can work. The thing is, there are certain amounts/combinations that will work BETTER for certain goals than others, and work BETTER for certain levels of training than others. The routine you use should be tailored to doing what’s most ideal for you, your goal, and your experience level.
  • The best workout routine contains exercises that are ideal for you.
    Meaning, ones that are geared towards your goal, and ones that you can do safely, properly, and progress at consistently. If an exercise is awkward/uncomfortable for you, or isn’t doing what you need it to be doing, or isn’t truly required for reaching your goal (for example, if you only care about building nice looking legs, leg presses can do the job just as well as squats… maybe even better for some people), then you don’t need to do it. The ones that are though… those are the exercises your program should consist of.
  • The best workout routine fits perfectly into your schedule and life.
    Meaning, if you can really only make it to the gym 3 times per week but you use a weight training program that requires 4 weekly training days, you’re a dumbass. The same goes for people who train on certain days of the week that they would rather not train on. All these types of scheduling conflicts will lead to is annoyance, frustration, and eventually missed workouts. There’s a million ways to schedule your program. You should choose the way that is most convenient for you.
  • The best workout routine is focused on progression.
    Tell you what. The sets, reps, exercises, splits, schedules, and every other aspect of your program is just a minor detail when compared to the concept of progression. Without striving to improve in some way and at some realistic rate, even the absolute best routine will be completely ineffective. Progression is the key to making any program actually work. It should be the #1 focus always.
  • The best workout routine is supported by the best diet plan.
    Speaking of things that can completely void the effectiveness of the greatest workout routines in existence… your diet plan must meet the needs of your weight training program and overall fitness goal. If it doesn’t, you’re just wasting your time.
  • The best workout routine is changed and/or adjusted when it stops working.
    Even if you did create/find the absolute best weight training program in the world, it will eventually become less effective as your body gets more used to it, you progress more on it, you become more bored with it, and it just generally stops working as well as it once did. It happens with every workout routine there is no matter how well it once worked. It eventually stops and needs to be adjusted somehow so it works again.

The Moral Of This Story

So, basically, in order for a weight training program to truly be the “best” for you, it needs to meet all of the individual requirements and factors that are specific to you and only you.

Not just some generic idea of what “best” is or should be… but rather what actually is “best” based on you. When you’ve found that, you’ve found your best workout routine.

Use it until it stops working, then start the process all over again.

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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.