Your plan has you doing that ~50x a week. That’s simply not doable for pretty much anyone who isn’t a rank novice. When you’re strong enough to handle heavier weights, doing this will burn you out. Whenever someone’s “program” is just a list of exercises, rest times, and rep ranges with everything taken to failure, it’s a very clear sign they have no idea what they’re doing.
Listen to the advice everyone here is giving you and choose an established program.
As an aside, “optimal” doesn’t exist. There are no “best” exercises. Everything has its purpose.
I enjoy working out 5 times a week as it gives me structure on the weekdays and provides a lot of mental health benefits. Great advice about not getting too carried with being too optimal. I will take that into consideration.
Good point. I should’ve rephrased my wording to most of what he recommends is on the workout plan. I would love to use a converging chest press but my gym doesn’t provide such. Realistically, I should be start off with a incline smith machine press and move onto a flat dumbbell bench press.
If you are doing this and able to keep going, either your weights are extremely light, your exercises are easy or you are lying to yourself and it is not failure. Find a proven program with a good progression scheme and follow it for 6 months. Your current plan will have you spinning your wheels and going no where.
Of course happy to be proven wrong, start a training log, update it daily and let see how you go.
My weights may be light, but it is all that I could handle at the moment. I surely go to failure on all exercises. There are plenty of people doing 5 times per week, and even 6 times per week.
That is a good idea, but also:
“If I decreased the amount of times I go to the gym per week, then I would have to increase the duration of my workout sessions to meet the necessary volume. That would leave me less time to do productive things throughout the day and burn me out more afterwards. It makes sense to disperse it into more days.”
With 5 days a week, I am able to do 7 sets of chest, 6 sets of back, 4 sets of quads, 4 sets of hamstrings, 2 sets of adductors, 2 sets of calves, 7 sets of shoulders, 5 sets of biceps, and 5 sets of triceps.
Why is not that doable? I used to do ridiculous amounts of volume but not getting close to failure. Now, I began a high intensity and low volume workout routine. It has way more benefits and makes sense. Doing this 5 times a week is doable. I see many strong and muscular people in the gym doing 5 times a week with incredible results. I understand what you’re saying about having to become more advanced to increase the workout days every week, but it’s been working just fine for me. If I decreased the amount of times I go to the gym per week, then I would have to increase the duration of my workout sessions to meet the necessary volume. That would leave me less time to do productive things throughout the day and burn me out more afterwards. It makes sense to disperse it into more days.
I think you’ve decided what you’re going to do, which is great; just go crush it at this point. You’re not really looking for any feedback (again, no problem), so just go knock it out of the park until you do want/ need some help
I have asked two of the most strongest and muscular people for their workout plan and combined the two to make this. They both looked it over and approved of it. However, I was looking to see if there are any slight modifications I could make. Appreciate your advice.
I was more so looking for advice on minor modifications or a change in few exercises. I really appreciate your advice. For RDL’s, I have been working on just doing the movement without any weights or extremely light weights to get the form down. For some reason, I have immense trouble getting down the form on this particular exercise. Are there any other exercises that work the hamstrings and glutes similarly to RDL’s?
Not exactly. Glute-Ham Raises do a pretty good job, but they’re tough to execute.
For folks that have trouble feeling RDLs, I’ve tried two things that seem to help:
Put your toes on small plates (like the 2.5s); this puts you in a better position to hinge
Put a light band around your waist attached to a rack behind you, so it’s kind of pulling your hips back. This helps cue your hips to hinge.
Whenever you do then, initiate with a hip hinge, think about pushing your butt back to a wall on the opposite side of the gym; only descend until your butt stops moving back, any further is all your lower back giving you more range.
I end up going down way too slowly because my hamstrings are tight. To go down faster, I end up compensating with my lower back, and not hinging the hips as much.