Fitness is a lifestyle.  All you need to do is give 1 of your 24 hours a day to your health.  There is no excuse, there is only health.  Without health, you will die.  Give this hour to yourself and live a better, happier life.

Throughout life, you should have different physical goals and try to accomplish things you’ve never tried.  Train for a marathon (I’ll have a post later about my 3 month 5K to Marathon training), go rock climbing, do a martial art or compete in sports.  Compete in team sports and compete in one on one sports.  It keeps you sharp and again, happy.

I’ve personally found that between times that I’m training for a specific goal, I easily fall into training lulls.  I’ll go to the gym without a purpose or plan.  That’s when workouts become cumbersome, ineffective and sometimes, pointless.  What I’ve found however, is that trying to get stronger has never served me wrong.  Below is a routine that I once spent a year doing and have found that is an incredibly easy routine to do for short or long term periods between training for goals and also, show results.

The routine is anchored in Bench Press, Barbell Squat and Dead Lift.  There are also days for your ancillary muscles, shoulder and arms.  If you are in your 20s, you should be working out 5 days a week.  I’m 42 and maintaining a 5 day a week gym schedule 80% of the time.  You could get away with doing just 3 days a week and I’d recommend simply doing Chest, Back and Legs if so.  I’d also ask you to do 2 days of cardio. My compromise when necessary is 4 days.  

It’s important to maintain your physical health.  If you do not, you are more likely to die of diseases that can be avoided.  Maintaining good physical health is a powerful kicker for your mental health as well.  Every time you exercise, endorphins are released.  An active lifestyle is guaranteed to make you happier.

Each workout below is going to take about 40 minutes if performed properly.  Properly means taking 2 minutes between reps, lifting with proper form and as heavy as you can to get up to 5 reps.  That leaves 20 minutes for cardio at the end.  Here’s how I split up my cardio days personally.  

1. Walk Backwards on the treadmill – great for knee health and explosiveness.  Start slow (3 MPH) and move up 0.1 or 0.2 MPH per week until you max out.
2. Run and keep your forefoot form.  Start slow (4 MPH) Move up 0.1 or 0.2  MPH per week until you max out.
3. Stairs – Run up and down stairs for 20 minutes, bonus if your gym has stairs set up for you to run up and down!
4. Set a treadmill for it’s max incline (most likely around 15%).  Start slow (3 MPH) Increase by 0.1 or 0.2 MPH per week until you max out
5. Sprints – Sprint for 1 minute, as fast as you can, recover walk or jog for 1 minute.  Do this until you can go 20 minutes, then increase your sprint speed by 0.1 or 0.2 MPH until you max out. I like starting at 5 MPH for rest and 7 MPH for sprint, then increase until you max out.

Below is the 5 Day routine you can always fall back on.  However, before we go into the routine, I have a few guiding principles.  

1. If you aren’t doing full movements you are cheating.  You will have to lower the weight at first, but you are going to get better and fuller workouts.
   1. Squat Ass to Grass – get as low as you can possibly go and even exaggerate further to go lower.  
   2. Touch the Bar to your Chest when you bench press.  Go all the way down and all the way up.  Count 1, 2 down and 1, 2 up.
   3. When you do pull ups or chin ups, take your arms all of the way down and lift yourself all the way up.  Do this without kipping (kicking).  
      1. This isn’t to say kipping pull ups aren’t effective, but save them for cross-fit workouts.
2. Lift as heavy as your form will allow.  For major muscles this means you can only do around 5 reps during each set, for minor muscles its maxing out around 10.  
3. Ego is not your amigo – don’t lift anything that feels like it’s going to hurt you.  You’re not impressing anyone at the gym, you are doing this for yourself.  
4. Finish with 20 minutes of cardio.

Here is my 5 day Routine:

Workout 1: Push Day Chest – 3 sets each | Warm up is not a set

• Bench Press w/ Warm Up
• Incline Bench Press
• Dumbbell Bench Press
• Triceps Pushdown
• CARDIO – Walk Backwards on a treadmill – 20 min

Workout 2: Pull and Calves (Back Day) – 3 sets each | Warm up is not a set

• Barbell Deadlift (Do Warmup)
• One Arm Dumbbell Rows
• Pull Up
• Calf Leg press – Single Leg
• CARDIO – Stairs

Workout 3: Upper Body and Core (Shoulders) – 3 sets each | Warm up is not a set

• Exercises: Seated Dumbbell Press (Warmup)
• Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise
• Dumbbell Rear Lateral Raise (Bent Over)
• Weighted Sit Ups
• CARDIO – Max incline on treadmill

Workout 4: Legs – 3 sets each | Warm up is not a set

• Barbell Squat (Ass to Grass) w/ warm up
• Dumbbell Lunge (full extend)
• Leg Curl (Lying or Seated)
• Leg Press Calf Push (Full extend)
• CARDIO – SPRINTS

Workout 5: Upper body and Core (Arm Day) – 3 sets each up to 10 reps

• Close Grip Bench Press 
• EZ Bar Curl
• Dumbbell Hammer Curl
• Planks (around the world)
• CARDIO – Proper Run form running / jogging

Now that you have a guide, you can mix and match these exercises in for your different muscles.  However, remember, there is no replacing Squats, Deadlift or Bench Press on their days.  Everything else, have fun with.

Chest

• Barbell Bench Press (incline and flat)
• Dumbbell Bench Press (incline and flat)
• Cable Flys
• Dip
• Weighted Push ups on handles

Shoulders

• Overhead press (Seated or Standing)
• Military Press (Seated or Standing)
• Dumbbell press (Seated or Standing)
• Arnold Dumbbell Press
• Dumbbell Front Raise
• Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise
• Dumbbell rear lateral Raise (Bent over or Seated)
• Barbell Rear Delt Row

Back

• Barbell Deadlift
• Barbell Row
• One-Arm Dumbbell Row
• Pull Ups (Full Extensions)
• Chin Ups (Full Extensions)
• T-Bar Row
• Lat Pull Downs (Wide Grip or Narrow)
• Seated Cable Row (Wide Grip or Narrow)

Biceps (It’s a show muscle!)

Barbell Curl

• EZ Barl Curl
• Alternating Dumbbell Curl
• Dumbbell Hammer Curl
• Chin Up

Triceps (The working muscle that does the damn thing!)

Close Grip Bench Press

• Seated Triceps Press
• Dips
• Lying Tricep Extensions (Skull Crushers) Be careful!
• Tricep Push Downs

Core (Remember – Abs are made in the kitchen, but assisted in gym!)

Captain’s chair Leg Raise

• Hanging Leg Raise
• Lying Leg Raise
• Crunch
• Cable Crunch
• Weighted Sit Ups (on floor or on decline bench)
• Plank
• Abdominal Roller

Legs (Don’t skip leg day – it’s your success creator)

Barbell Squat (Ass to Grass)

• Barbell Front Squat (Ass to Grass)
• Hack Squat on a sled
• Leg Press
• Lunges (Full Extensions, walking, in place, forward or backwards)
• Romanian Deadlift (Barbell or Dumbbell)
• Leg Curl (Lying or seated)
• Standing or Seated Calf Raise 
• Leg Press Calf Raise

There you have it.  Now get off your butt and get to the gym.  It’s on you to take care of you, don’t forget it!