The “I’m Too Busy” Strength Program

You’re busy, which is why you are reading this post, so I’ll keep it short and sweet.  I’m just going to cut to the chase on this one and get right down to the brass tacks. 

When it comes to general strength training, there are only a few key movements you need to perform.  The idea is to strengthen the major muscle groups using compound movements.  By focusing on the following basic, compound movements, you will get the most bang for your buck and the highest return on your time investment at the gym.  

Compound Movements:
1. Any type of squat (Low bar, High Bar, Front Squat, Leg Press, Hack Squat, Split Squats, Box Squats, etc.)
2. Any type of deadlift (Conventional, Sumo, RDL, Deficit, Rack Pull, etc.)
3. Vertical Press (anything where you are pressing overhead)
4. Chest Press (Bench, Incline, Pushup, etc)
5. Vertical Pull – (Any exercise where you are pulling from overhead; pull ups, lat pulldown, etc)
6. Row – (Any exercise where you are pulling from a horizontal or low-to-high position; bent over rows, seated rows, etc.)
I also recommend performing at least one of the core movements shown here link ….


Here is the template for the basic program:
Workout A:
Exercise
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Squat (Variation)
5 x 5
5 x 3
1 x 5, 1 x 3, 2 x 1
Chest Press (Variation)
5 x 5
5 x 3
1 x 5, 1 x 3, 2 x 1
Lower Pull
5 x 10
5 x 10
5 x 10
Vertical Pull
5 x 10
5 x 10
5 x 10
Core




Workout B:
Exercise
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Deadlift (Variation)
3 x 8
3 x 5
5 x 3
Overhead Press (Variation)
3 x 8
3 x 5
5 x 3
Lower Push
5 x 10
5 x 10
5 x 10
Row
5 x 10
5 x 10
5 x 10
Core



Simply alternate each workout every time you go to the gym.  So it might look like this:

Monday – Workout A
Wednesday – Workout B
Friday – Workout A …

Here is a detailed example with some exercises:

Workout A:
Box Squats
Incline Barbell Press
Dumbbell RDL
Lat Pulldowns
Core Rollouts

Workout B:
Sumo Deadlifts
Seated Military Press
Dips
1-Arm Dumbbell Rows
Hanging Leg Raise

As you can see, there are limitless variations of exercises that you can plug into the template.  Don’t get caught up in making it fancy . . . keep this very simple!! The point of this type of program is to allow you to get the most bang for your buck in the gym.  If you stick with basic, fundamental, compound moves and follow the template outlined above, you will get a very well-rounded strength training program.  LESS IS MORE!   

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