Thursday, February 3, 2022

An Abbreviated Strength and Muscle Workout

"If the enemy opens the door you must race in." –Sun Tzu, The Art of War

This one is for those souls that program hop and switch to the next big thing when they don't put an inch on their arms per workout. In bodybuilding and strength training, slow and steady wins the race. A workout like what I'm going to give is not flashy in terms of what some propose today. You won't find swiss balls, side planks, face pulls, or any of the other "modern" and "woke" training methodologies.

Why leave all those movements out? Because they are not necessary. Not necessary to gain size, strength, etc. They can be supplemental, occasional exercises to do, but should not be a part of the regular workout. Actually, throw the swiss ball away completely. If you keep it you are likely to get sucked into some silly "balance" strength training.

Imagine if someone were to do the following routine for 3 years without changing:

Monday

  • Squat 1x6 & 1x12
  • Bench 1x6 & 1x12
  • Chin 2x6
  • Curl 1x8 1x12
  • Lateral Raise 1x15 & 1x12

Thursday

  • Deadlift 1x8
  • Dumbbell Press 2x6
  • Row 1x8 1x10
  • Dip 1x8 1x12
  • Calves 1x20 & 1x15
  • (Or similar exercises suited to them.)

Imagine if they added only 0.5kg a week to everything, except presses, curls, calves and lateral raises, to which they should add only 0.25kg a week.

If you want you can get yourself some micro plates to do these small weight additions. They are available online. They are convenient, but over priced for what they are. You can make some simple ones using paracord or rope tied to light objects you can hang on either end of the bar. You could even used a small sandbag and add a bit of sand each workout.


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