Odoreater's New No-nonsense Workout

[odoreater]

Well, I'm a busy guy now so I don't have as much time anymore to bullshit with fancy workouts, so I decided to start out a simple, no-nonsense workout. There are two seperate workouts: Workout A and Workout B which I will alternate between (so if I day Workout A on say Monday, I'll do workout B on Wednesday). I will workout 2 or 3 times per week as my schedule allows.

Workout A:
Squat: 4 sets x 5 reps, starting with a light warmup set and progressing to a max effort set
Bench: 4 sets x 5 reps, starting with a light warmup set and progressing to a max effort set
Rack Pull: 3 set x 5 reps, starting with a light warmup set and progressing to a max effort set.
Pullups: 5 sets, I play around with the reps.

Workout B:
Deadlift: 3 sets x 5 reps, starting with a light warmup set and progressing to a max effort set
Military Press: 4 sets x 5 reps, starting with a light warmup set and progressing to a max effort set.
Bent BB Rows: 3 sets x 5 reps, starting with a light warmup set and progressing to a max effort set.

That's it. I'm in and out of the gym in about 30 minutes. No more 1 hour workouts, no more workouts that have to be done Monday/Wednesday/Friday, no more fancy exercises, no more nonsense.

 

[Matt]

Yup nice thread OE.

This is my equivalent as it stands at the moment.

3 days a week (sometimes 4):

Run 131 steps (basement carpark to rooftop garden)
20 situps
20 pushups

Down.

Repeat x 5.

By the end I have run 655 steps and done 100 pushups and 100 situps within about 20-25 mins.

3 days a week:

Prison workout - I start at 11...it hurts.

And on the sabbath I rest...

 

[odoreater]

When you're in the real world, I think the whole point is to just get the most intensity out of your workout in the shortest amount of time. Maybe we won't become professional bodybuilders or powerlifters, but I'm sure it'll keep us above average. Some of the workouts I did while in college/law school were ridiculous in the amount of time they took and the 'advanced techniques' that were required.

Luckily, I have a power rack, barbells, dumbells, a bench, a pullup/dip station and a punching bag at an impromptu gym in a little storage house behind my brother's house (who lives ten minutes away), so I still get to use pretty good equipment in my workouts.

 

[javyn]

Hey odor, do you find deadlifts to be more difficult to do after the squats? It takes me more than two days to recover from squatting, so if I do deadlifts too, I have to do them on the same day as the squat.

 

[odoreater]

Originally Posted by javyn

Hey odor, do you find deadlifts to be more difficult to do after the squats? It takes me more than two days to recover from squatting, so if I do deadlifts too, I have to do them on the same day as the squat.

Because of my schedule, I usually end up lifting 2 days per week, so I get plenty of rest in between. I know that doing deadlifts too often can have a damaging effect on the CNS and lead to overtraining, so if I feel that I haven't adequately recovered from my previous squat workout then I might substitute something else for the deadlifts that's less intense.

A lot of strength coaches that I've talked to have said that it's okay to squat or deadlift multiple times per week, especially if you are not actively involved in a sport or physical labor. Since I, more or less, sit on ****** all day, I get plenty of rest and have no problem with squatting twice a week and deadlifting once a week. I would not deadlift more than once a week though.

 

[javyn]

If you can squat twice a week, I'd say you are in pretty good shape. It takes me almost 5 days to recover! During those 5 days I wince in pain as I walk down stairs, and walk around like I got something crammed **********.

 

[odoreater]

Originally Posted by javyn

If you can squat twice a week, I'd say you are in pretty good shape. It takes me almost 5 days to recover! During those 5 days I wince in pain as I walk down stairs, and walk around like I got something crammed **********.

Also, I go kind of light on squats because I have 3 herniated disks in my back, so maybe my legs don't get as good a workout as they would if I went all out. I make sure to keep very strict form, go all the way down, and come all the way up with strict form and I use a weight that I can safely handle with perfect form on every single rep.

 

[imageWIS]

I bike at least 6-8 hours a week (non-stop rides), and trust me, your legs will get a really good workout after riding non-stop for 4 hours.

Jon.

 

[Matt]

yeah i dont doubt it Jon, but where the hell am I gonna find four hours? I wish I was a student again

 

[Matt]

Originally Posted by odoreater

Well, I'm a busy guy now so I don't have as much time anymore to bullshit with fancy workouts, so I decided to start out a simple, no-nonsense workout. There are two seperate workouts: Workout A and Workout B which I will alternate between (so if I day Workout A on say Monday, I'll do workout B on Wednesday). I will workout 2 or 3 times per week as my schedule allows. Workout A: Squat: 4 sets x 5 reps, starting with a light warmup set and progressing to a max effort set Bench: 4 sets x 5 reps, starting with a light warmup set and progressing to a max effort set Rack Pull: 3 set x 5 reps, starting with a light warmup set and progressing to a max effort set. Pullups: 5 sets, I play around with the reps. Workout B: Deadlift: 3 sets x 5 reps, starting with a light warmup set and progressing to a max effort set Military Press: 4 sets x 5 reps, starting with a light warmup set and progressing to a max effort set. Bent BB Rows: 3 sets x 5 reps, starting with a light warmup set and progressing to a max effort set. That's it. I'm in and out of the gym in about 30 minutes. No more 1 hour workouts, no more workouts that have to be done Monday/Wednesday/Friday, no more fancy exercises, no more nonsense.
so hows this working out for you OE? You keeping it up? Im thinking I may start lifting. I hate lifting so Im after maximum broadbrush results with minimum time spent at the gym...

 

[Charley]

m&t,
This is a writeup for much the same workout. And there are results posted for the method by lots of people - just search for "Rippetoe".

The general idea seems to try to keep adding weight. Pretty extensive thread describing how to do it. This only uses the dead lift once a week - although they seem to be serious about doing them "heavy".

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...94#post8930794

There are too many weight lifting programs and sites on the internet to possibly track. Pretty amazing what people are doing. And the conflicting advice in some situations.

 

[GQgeek]

It's not necessarily conflicting advice. Different people have different goals and you have to be aware of that when you're reading about work-outs. For instance, OE's workout isn't really optimal for someone trying to gain size. For size gains the optimal amount of reps for a given weight is 8-10, more than that and you're training more for endurance. 4-6 will make you stronger without as much gain in muscle size.

Most people would agree however that there's not much point for most of the population to work-out any particular muscle group more than once a week, especially if you're in the 4-10 rep. range. Muscles need time to recover and if you're constantly working them you won't grow as quickly.

So mat, for instance, asking if OE is getting results is a bit meaningless because he doesn't really know what OE's goals are.

 

[odoreater]

Originally Posted by GQgeek

So mat, for instance, asking if OE is getting results is a bit meaningless because he doesn't really know what OE's goals are.

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for I am the meanest motherfucker in the entire valley."

I don't need big muscles (I'm actually quite big to begin with at 6'2" 200 lbs), I need muscles that I can use to pick up heavy things, carry them some distance, and then throw them back down.

The program I set up is pretty easy to stick with, but I've been off it for the past two weeks or so because of vacation. I will be restarting on Monday. I plan on sticking with this program though.

Also, I'd just like to point out that the point of my program is not to build muscle. As GQgeek said, if you want hypertrophy, you're better off sticking to the 8-10 rep range; however, if you want strength gains, you're better off at lower rep ranges. Also, there's a thing called "periodization" - the way it works is that you build strength in the low rep ranges and then, once you get your strength up to a pretty good level, you switch to high rep ranges and your muscles should basically explode in size. I'm a firm believer in doing one thing at a time. If you're interested in gaining size, then don't try making huge gains in strength at the same time; if you're interested in strength, don't try to go for size at the same time; if you're interested in losing fat, don't try gaining muscle at the same time; if you're interested in gaining muscle, don't try losing fat at the same time. Stick to one goal, accomplish it, then move on to the next goal. That's the OE way. Now, back to being a mean mother...

 

[Matt]

Originally Posted by odoreater

if you're interested in losing fat, don't try gaining muscle at the same time;

i thought gaining muscle helped to faster metabolise fat

 

[Saucemaster]

Originally Posted by m@T

i thought gaining muscle helped to faster metabolise fat

Gaining muscle ups your metabolism, increasing your daily energy needs, which means that you can drop fat faster once you start cutting those calories. However, to gain muscle, you need to have a surplus of calories in your diet--which means, despite your best efforts, you're basically going to end up gaining both muscle and fat, though if you eat right and train well, it will be more of the former than the latter. The only way you're really going to lose fat is to cut calories, and that's when the extra muscle will make a difference. Generally speaking, though, serious muscle gain and significant fat loss are almost mutually exclusive.