Create An Effective, Efficient Routine That Maximize Time & Results
Tell me if this sounds familiar.
You go to the gym. You do 15-20 minutes on the treadmill or elliptical, then bounce around the other machines like a pinball for another 20 to 30 minutes. You do a little arms, a little legs, maybe some chest fly or leg press, maybe you even look over the cable rack or free weights. Then you check your watch, tell yourself that you’ve been there for an hour and that’s probably enough for a day. You do this a few times a week. A month goes by and, surprise surprise, you haven’t gotten any results. You’re not any stronger, you haven’t lost any weight, you haven’t increased your endurance and then you say that fatal sentence:
Maybe exercise doesn’t work for me.
This is, unfortunately, very common. The average person goes into the gym without a clear plan or intent. They generally want to ‘lose weight’ or ‘tone up’ but don’t know how to actually achieve their goal. That’s why I want to share my favorite workout routine, the routine I use week in and week out to maintain and improve my health and fitness.
But wait. Isn’t that the point of a personal trainer? Why would I gave that away for free?
The answer is, I don’t believe that the number one job of a personal trainer is designing workouts. It’s an important part, of course, but anybody can find a workout with a quick google search.
In my opinion, the job of a personal trainer is to keep you accountable, to make sure you’re motivated to show up and consistently working out with the proper form and intensity to achieve your goals, to check in and make sure your nutrition is in line with your goals, to listen and learn about you as a person and to help you along the way.
So, with that said, here is my personal favorite workout routine from a Chicago In Home Personal Trainer.
First, the format.
PULL. PUSH. LEGS.
Most people actually invert this order an go PUSH, PULL, LEGS. The reason I don’t use that order is because I include legs on my pull day. Which brings us to …
PULL DAY.
Also known as the posterior chain. Also known as back, biceps, and hamstrings. I love starting my routine with pull because it uses some of the largest muscles in your body, therefore creating the most caloric burn and starting the week with an amazing metabolic response.
I also enjoy the feeling I get of adjust/improving my posture early in the week, which is crucial to living a healthy, pain-free life. My pull day consists of 3 supersets, listed below.
SUPER SET 1
Straight Arm Pull Downs
Banded Pull Apart
SUPER SET 2
V Handle Cable Pull
Reverse Hyperextensions
SUPER SET 3
3 Grip Row, Cable Rack or TRX
Deadlifts into Trap Shrugs
PUSH DAY.
Next, I focus on my chest, shoulders, and triceps. I’ve already spent a day improving my posture and now I’m working on my anterior chain, giving the muscles I used on pull day a well deserved break. Again, I use 3 supersets to conquer Push Day:
SUPER SET 1
Decline Chest Press
Overhand Tricep Push Down
SUPER SET 2
Incline Chest Press
Dumbbell Shoulder Fly
SUPER SET 3
Cable Rack Chest Fly
Corkscrew Shoulder Press
LEGS DAY.
We’ve reached day 3. My upper body is toast at this point, so it’s time to focus on the lower half. Unlike most men, I LOVE legs day. Your legs are massive muscles so working them leads to a huge calorie burn that helps shed weight throughout your entire frame. Thinking about it this way, legs day actually helps shred your core and show off your abs. My 3 super sets are:
SUPER SET 1
Banded Lateral March and Kick Backs
Bulgarian Split Squat
SUPER SET 2
Kettlebell Swings
Cable Rack Glute Driver
SUPER SET 3
Barbell Deadlift
Curtsy Lunges
And here’s the real secret to this routine. After completing Push, Pull, Legs, I take a day off then start right back at the top. I don’t have to hit Pull every Monday or Legs every Wednesday. I complete the routine on my schedule and can sometimes even complete two cycles in a week. I’m free of the rigid structure of most routines and able to maximize volume and results.
If you want to try this routine with a Fitness Professional and Master Trainer, Book A Free Trial Session Today!
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