Help with weekly workout plan?

CeeBeeSlim

I’ve done research and think I am getting confused by semantics. I like “exercising” every day with a goal of losing some fat and gaining some muscle - I’m about 10 pounds from a goal weight of 120 and I’m 57.

I am trying to find the best way to do this re: exercise, as I have my nutrition strategy set.

Currently, my menu of activities are two days strength training (5 main lifts, accessory lifts); boxing with some core work; step aerobics; trx full body; kettlebells full body; lower body resistance band work. Everyday I reach 10k steps (combo of NEAT and 20-30 min treadmill).

My only consistent work is the two days of strength training and the daily step goal. The other days I do what I feel like from those activities above.

Any better way to structure a weekly workout plan to make sure I’m maximizing the chances of reaching my goals? Should I add another third day of “strength training” or is “strength training” also my trx and kb work although it’s not the structured 5 lifts with dumbbells.

michael6186

Consistency first. Structure second.

I would start by prioritizing what you want to achieve. Don't chase multiple goals, splitting yourself down the middle.

Put most of your training time towards your priorities. Gaining muscle and dropping fat at the same time is possible but happen at different rates using different methods for different people depending on various factors. Focus on dropping the fat with nutrition as much as possible but still using exercise to aid your goals.

It sounds like a third day of weight lifting could be helpful depending how long you've been lifting and if you're managing the overall load so that you're doing enough to activate the response you're looking for without breaking down your body too much, taking away from recovery.

There's endless ways to go about these things but you could do something like:

A)
Day 1-Full body
Day 2-Cardio
Day 3-Accessories
Day 4-Cardio
Day 5-Full body
Day 6-Cardio
Day 7-Accessories (or rest)


Day 1-Full body/Accessories
Day 2-Cardio
Day 3-Rest
Day 4-Full body/Accessories
Day 5-Cardio
Day 6-Rest
Day 7-Accessories (or rest)

Retroguy2000

You're certainly getting plenty of exercise. Unless you're over-eating, I'm sure you'll reach your goal. Are you also:

a) In a small deficit. Up to 10% say, less (if any) on your weights days. The deficit being based on your actual TDEE of regular daily activity plus net calories from workouts, and bearing in mind cardio trackers tend to inflate their estimates.

b) Getting enough protein, about 100g-120g per day, towards the higher end around your weights days.

TBH, your exercise program seems a bit unstructured. I'm not sure why you need the trx, kettlebells or bands days, when you could just add a third day of weights instead, and still do one or two of those other activities for accessories or cardio. You could potentially do ABA, BAB every two weeks, since fully body three times a week may hinder recovery over time, where A and B are upper and lower. Also I wouldn't do 20-30 mins cardio in the same session as full body weights.

CeeBeeSlim

@michael6186 @Retroguy2000

Thank you both for the helpful guidance. Sounds like I could improve this by adding a third day of weight training. I hadn’t added a third day because tbh I found it boring (3 sets of 8-10 reps of squats, d lifts, oh press, rows, bench press, two sets of biceps and triceps work, 2 sets of front and lateral raises, and some core work. Maybe 1.5 hours start to finish - warm up to stretching).

Psychologically, I could handle two days of “boring” but couldn’t get into three so I was supplementing it with other activities I actually like to do. Having said that, because I’m lifting a little more weight with each workout, a third day of lifting is intriguing as I’d like to see if I could lift even more.

I’m am decreasing calories but haven’t focused on protein intake. Will look into that.

I still consider myself a beginner (too much program hopping and start/stopping) but I’m ready to be consistent and structured. Would a four day split be any better than a three day full body?

Thanks!

Retroguy2000

Generally, more volume is better, yes. But, you've already said you find weights boring so maybe you don't need to do four times a week. It's important to do what you enjoy, that's what you can sustain in the long term.

You could shorten the amount of time per workout by 15-30 minutes. For example, with three full body workouts:

• Do squats on 1 and 3, deadlift on 2. Maybe add an RDL after the DL for the hammies.
• Core work can mostly be done at home whenever, in front of the TV, etc.
• Arms don't need three times a week. I know a hardcore lifter who never does them, and he lifts six times a week, almost exclusively doing the big five and he's in great shape.
• Lose the front raise. The front delts get a lot of work already from BP and OH. Instead, do face pulls for the rear delts, rotator cuff and upper middle back.

10-20 working sets per muscle group per week is the sweet spot, i.e. not including warmups.

If you were to go to four times then don't do full body. Upper/Lower is an option, or Push/Pull.

Definitely get on that protein. It's the easiest part of the challenge of building/retaining muscle.

AnnPT77

I think part of the issue with your current schedule - or your current schedule plus another day of lifting - is that some of those other activities you enjoy may also be strength-challenging (kettlebell, TRX, resistance bands). I'm wondering if you're getting in enough recovery time for each muscle group to get the maximum benefits from your work?

How intense the exercises are matters, though - and in this case, by intensity, I mean a combination of resistance, repetitions, duration, and maybe pace. The strength-y-er the cardio (or other exercise) modalities, the more likely to create interference with strength training recovery. Even with more "pure" cardio, high intensity can interfere with recovery from strength training.

Just my opinion, though.

michael6186

CeeBeeSlim wrote: »

@michael6186 @Retroguy2000

Thank you both for the helpful guidance. Sounds like I could improve this by adding a third day of weight training. I hadn’t added a third day because tbh I found it boring (3 sets of 8-10 reps of squats, d lifts, oh press, rows, bench press, two sets of biceps and triceps work, 2 sets of front and lateral raises, and some core work. Maybe 1.5 hours start to finish - warm up to stretching).

Psychologically, I could handle two days of “boring” but couldn’t get into three so I was supplementing it with other activities I actually like to do. Having said that, because I’m lifting a little more weight with each workout, a third day of lifting is intriguing as I’d like to see if I could lift even more.

I’m am decreasing calories but haven’t focused on protein intake. Will look into that.

I still consider myself a beginner (too much program hopping and start/stopping) but I’m ready to be consistent and structured. Would a four day split be any better than a three day full body?

Thanks!

Now that I understand what you're doing a little more and how long it's taking you to get through it all, I would make a few changes to that.

Adding a fourth day of lifting weights can be beneficial but is it better really depends. Sorry not a straightforward answer but the question isn't either because I would ask in return, "is it better for what?"

I don't think it's necessary based on my understanding of your goals and training history/age. However, there's lots of ways to attack your goals so as always, as long as you are managing your load properly you can do anything within reason.

A good way to switch things up to keep seeing progress while not getting too bored is to follow a daily undulating periodization model (DUP). That could look something like (many ways to do it):

Day 1=5 to 8 rep range
Day 3=12 to 15 rep range
Day 5=10 to 12 rep range

Another consideration is moving some of the pieces around. Unless you're training specifically for the current lifts you're doing now then you could also do something like this:

Day 1=BB squats, BB d lifts, BB oh press, BB rows, BB bench press
Day 3=DB squats, DB d lifts, DB oh press, DB rows, DB bench press
Day 5=KB squats, KB d lifts, KB oh press, KB rows, KB bench press

These are only suggestions to help you with creativity and boredom. There's pros and cons to everything so don't over think it. Pick what you like, stick to the basic training principles (such as progressive overload), and manage your overall load balanced with a focus on recovery and you'll be good.

Another consideration for you, move your accessories work to other days so you're not there so long. Just a suggestion, you could do your core, cardio, and accessories on the same day. Then you're not working out so long.

CeeBeeSlim

@Retroguy @michael6816 Great suggestions! I already feel I can shorten my workout time by moving core, accessories, cardio and the front raises. I also love the idea of changing up the equipment so it’s not as boring and the rep ranges. After this post will research “face pull”. 😀

@AnnPT77 I think you hit on something I hadn’t fully realized. I like the trx, kb work, and bands and because I do, I tend to go a little more intense - for example, I can curtsy lunge and pistol squat all day on a trx, and love kb swings and kb halos - but as you note, some of those moves are indeed “strengthy”. Part of my only two day a week training is due to boredom and part is also because the thought of a third day wipes me out mentally. Food for thought.

Thanks for all the great feedback.

Retroguy2000

You're welcome.

For the face pull, ideally you would have access to cables, so you can use a tricep rope attachment. If not, you can do them at home e.g., by wrapping some weight in the middle of a large towel, twist the ends, and lean over.

Regarding rep ranges, the 5-rep range, at higher weights than your 10-rep sets, is for power which will help build strength, which should lead to more volume and therefore profit. You may be happy with the hypertrophy range you're doing now, which will target muscle growth and some strength too. It really depends what your goals are.

michael6186

CeeBeeSlim wrote: »

@Retroguy @michael6816 Great suggestions! I already feel I can shorten my workout time by moving core, accessories, cardio and the front raises. I also love the idea of changing up the equipment so it’s not as boring and the rep ranges. After this post will research “face pull”. 😀

@AnnPT77 I think you hit on something I hadn’t fully realized. I like the trx, kb work, and bands and because I do, I tend to go a little more intense - for example, I can curtsy lunge and pistol squat all day on a trx, and love kb swings and kb halos - but as you note, some of those moves are indeed “strengthy”. Part of my only two day a week training is due to boredom and part is also because the thought of a third day wipes me out mentally. Food for thought.

Thanks for all the great feedback.

Something else you can do is find other things to focus on. Put the majority of your efforts towards your primary goals and then spend some time throughout the week working on other things besides your primary goals.

So if your primary goal is muscle and your secondary is dropping some fat then you can sprinkle in some other stuff just to keep things interesting.