A Minimal Training Routine
Today I tweaked my training routine.
It's not that different from what I've been doing over the past few months, but I wanted to get back to a 50-50 running/lifting split with more minimal lifts focused on a few key compound lifts.
Here's the new plan:
Day 1 — Lift
- Deadlift, 4x5-8
- Overhead Press, 4x8-10
- Pull-Up, 4xMax
- DB Lateral Raise, 3x10
Day 2 — Run
Day 3 — Lift
- Squat, 4x5-8
- Bench, 4x5-8
- Seated Row, 4x8-10
- DB Bicep Curl, 3x10
Day 4 — Run
And then repeat that four-day cycle. Here's my brief rationale:
- I like lifting more than running, so I'd like to get back to more of a balanced split between them.
- This time of year is the busiest work season for me, so keeping the workouts simple and short is the best way for me to maintain consistency and actually go. These lift days should only take ~30 minutes.
- I increasingly believe focusing on a few of the most important compound movements (squat, deadlift, bench, pullup, overhead press, row) is the best bang for your buck. Plus those are the most fun for me.
- I'm switching from a push/pull split to a mixed routine, which will hopefully keep some muscle groups more fresh within each individual workout. For instance, doing deadlifts, pull-ups and rows in one workout on my previous split meant I was pretty gassed for whichever exercise came last.
- I'll get 48 hours between each lift.
- The back-and-forth nature of the routine will make it a lot easier to keep running consistently.