My Current Workout Routine

My routine has iterated continuously for the last 1.5 years. I’ve fine-tuned for time-efficiency, equipment availability, and muscle areas of focus.

Let’s go over a high-level summary of how it’s structured and the rationale. This can help you to customize it for your own goals.

Base Program

I started on GZCL’s Jacked and Tan 2.0 program. It uses the concepts of tiers (T1, T2, T3), periodization, and AMRAP sets.

Tier

Tier 1 is the primary compound exercise. The weights are chosen to be low rep, high intensity. The focus of this tier is to build specificity on the movements under heavy load conditions. This helps build the skill needed for competition.

The first set is a rep max for a target rep range. The difficulty and how well you do on this will be an indicator for how you will perform that day. Use this information to adjust your workout: going harder to take advantage of good days; going lighter on bad days, to switch the focus from volume to technique.

The last set is an AMRAP set. This serves to auto-regulate volume. If the weight is programmed too low, then use the AMRAP to drive volume. IF the weight is programmed too high, then AMRAP serves to limit overtraining. These can also be used to approximate rep max vs. training max.

The second and third tiers are used to build volume, which contributes to hypertrophy. More muscles makes it easier to lift heavy things, even if you don’t know how to recruit all the muscles.

Periodization

The program is split into 6-week blocks, although I only use the first 6 weeks, on repeat.

Each week (microcycle) changes the weight and rep range, decreasing as the weeks go on. This results in a lower volume and higher intensities used. This balance works to manage fatigue and to gradually acclimate to handling heavy singles and doubles.

Split

My current routine is high-volume, 4-day split. Each day is focused on a different lift:

• Squat
• Bench
• Deadlift
• OHP

These are the primary competition lifts. Even though I don’t compete, I feel like focusing around these lifts gives me measurable goals and progress in the form of 1 RM.

Days Per Week

I’ve found that 4 days/week is a good compromise. At 70 minutes per gym session, this is a weekly commitment of 280 minutes (4:40). While I enjoy the time in the gym, I have limited free time and cannot afford to spend 6 days/week at the gym, for 2 hours at a time.

By hitting each gym session with high volume and to the limit of work-capacity, we can certainly get close to the limit of weekly recoverable volume. Towards the end of my cycle, the fatigue has noticeable built up and I’m limited by recovery capacity. Of course, this is because I have shitty recovery and personally need to work on that.

This does require 100% focus at the gym: no dilly-dallying between sets, no aimlessly moving between exercises. It’s almost non-stop for 70 minutes, not more than a minute spent sitting around.

Weights

This program is high-volume so there are going to be a lot of sets. The key to success is choosing lighter weights. You need to be able to complete the sets with minimal rest time, maybe even while super-setting. On programs like n-suns, it’s easy to fall into the trap of waiting 5 minutes between sets.

Aim for RPE of 7-8 for each set. These should allow for completing the next set within 2 minutes, within hesitation.

Reps

I use the first 6 weeks from Jacked and Tan 2.0, which starts and 10 rep-max and works down to 2 rep-maxes. Similarly, tier 3 starts at 20 rep-max and works down to 10 rep-max.

In addition to this, I’ve also benefited from having some straight-set exercises programmed in. I find that straight-sets can help reduce mental fatigue. Sometime it’s nice to just hit some weight at low RPE of 6 and let the RPE rise slowly.

Supersetting

I’ve found a good combination of exercises that superset well together. Pairing superset exercises is tricky.

You need to choose antagonistic muscles, so as to be non-detrimental to the main exercise. I’ve found the following pairings work well:

Deadlift with pullups, face pulls, or OHP. Because deadlifts don’t need much equipment, it’s not super bad form to hog other equipment. These exercises also don’t overly fatigue the same muscles.

Squats with OHP, pullups, dumbell row, anything with cable machine. I tend to stick with whatever is closest and available, to be courteous to others. Pullups on the same cage is always an option.

Bench with pendlay row, hack squat, and cable machines. There tend to be excess bars and it’s easy to setup rows or hack squat directly in front of the bench. These do not use the same muscles as bench (pecs, delts, and triceps).

OHP with front squat, dumbbell exercises and cables. With OHP, it’s easy to setup anywhere. I superset with higher rep range front squats, changing the weight between sets.

In general, it’s good to have in your pocket a bunch of substitutable exercises so you can adapt to, in a busy gym. Pendlay rows and dumbbell rows can be substituted. Many cable exercises can be substituted for the dumbbell equivalent.

Remember, the goal is time efficiency. Doing a sub-optimal exercise for supersetting is better than not supersetting at all.

My Actual Routine

Bench

1. T1 bench with T2 pendlay rows.
2. T2 incline bench with T2 hack squats.
3. Dumbbell shoulder press with cable crunch
4. Facepull with cable pushdown
5. Dumbbell shrugs with calf raise

In an empty gym, I try to triple super set light exercises such as face pulls, shrugs, and calf raise.

Squat

1. T1 squat with pullups
2. T2 deadlifts with db rows
3. Leg press with hammer curls
4. Leg extension and dumbbell shrugs

I find that legs are much more taxing. You’ll see the supersetted exercises are smaller and less fatiguing.

OHP

1. T1 OHP with pin front squats
2. T2 OHP with pendlay rows
3. Arnold press and rocking lat pulldowns
4. Rear delt fly and front fly

This workout is a bit more variable for me. OHP is lighter on fatigue so I try to take on hack squats or leg press or something to take advantage of equipment. Otherwise, I hammer out a few more exercises like bicep curls, tricep extensions, lat raises. Anything to get extra volume if I still have a lot of capacity towards the end of the workout.

Deadlift

1. T1 deadlift with OHP
2. T2 front squat with dumbbell row.
3. T2 romanian deadlift with face pull
4. Cable crunch, incline fly, and bicep curl

Deadlifts are really taxing. The OHP takes advantage of the unused rack that’s nearby when I’m lifting on a platform. The front squat gives some rest time between hamstring exercises. The T3 exercise are hammered out to build some easy volume to counter the hard-earned deadlift ones.

Tips

1. Set training max appropriately. Lower is better. You can always get volume with AMRAP but programming too high will make gym sessions miserable. You’ll spend too much time on T1 at the detriment to T2 and T3.
2. Be adaptable when supersetting. Don’t be choosy, you’re trying to get volume fast as possible in limited gym session.
3. Limit rest times. If you feel you need 5 whole minutes, it might mean you lack work capacity. Lower the weight, and push to keep the rest times low. The improved work capacity will benefit you long-term.
4. Cut a set out, if it means you can move on to other exercises. One less, hard deadlift set can free up enough time to complete 2 or 3 T3 sets, which will benefit more in the long term. We’re aiming for gym efficiency, which can be approximated as hitting a goal fatigue in as short of time as possible.