The Secret to Maintaining Long Term Training Consistency and Gains

Low (daily) training volume + high frequency makes exercise adherence Easy (and fun).

It is such a simple formula, I don't understand why more people aren't embracing it. 

The fitness industry thrives on extremes. 

High Volume.

Maximum intensity.

Minimalist training.

Lift every day.

Lift only 1 day per week. 

One Lift per Day.

One set per exercise.

Powerlifting.

Competitive bodybuilding.

CrossFit.

Optimal Exercise Tier Lists

And that's just a handful of examples on the tip of the iceberg.

It's nauseating. No wonder so few people maintain a weight lifting habit for their entire life time. 

However, there is a sensible, moderate approach. It's not sexy and it doesn't market well, but it does work very well. 

That approach is the formula I shared at the beginning of this article.

Don't try to get all the volume and work done in one single session. But also, don't do the absolute bare minimum – so minimum that you don't break a sweat or fail to create any sort of stress for the body to adapt to. 

Stress + adaptation = growth in the exercise world. 

Get a little bit of work/volume done (but enough to create a stimulus). Then leave. Come back the next day, and do a little more volume/work, ideally for a different body part. Continue to add a couple reps or a little weight over time. 

Do 4-5 exercises per session and just 2-3 sets per exercise. Okay, sometimes as many as 4-5 sets can be done, especially for bodyweight exercises, like pushups, inverted rows, bodyweight lunges, and even pullups. But 2-3 sets will usually be ideal for most exercises, most of the time, long term. And yes, 2-3 sets works great for those bodyweight exercises I mentioned above, especially when each set is taken within 1-3 reps of failure.

You don't have to train every day, but training every other day, or as frequently as 4-5 days per week works swell for most people. Even 3 days per week works well for most people. But for these purposes, I'm going to discuss higher frequency training, and therefore, we shall assume a training frequency of 4-5 days per week.

If you do 4-5 exercises per session and 2-3 sets per exercise, you will complete 8-15 sets per session. If your exercise selection involves primarily bodyweight or free weight exercises with dumbbells and/or kettlebells, you can easily complete 8-15 sets in 30-45 minutes per session.

Better yet, if you train close to failure – but not all the way to failure – leaving 1-3 reps in reserve each set, combined with this low-moderate daily training volume, you'll be able to train the same muscle groups again within 2 days.

Most people struggle to maintain a training habit because of extremes. But following these reasonable guidelines, maintaining adherence to training becomes easy!

Here's a Sample Routine using an upper/lower split (the split that I find to be most simple, sustainable, successful, and practical for most individuals looking to train around 3-5 days per week).

Warm up: do 3-4 exercises in a quick circuit. One exercise for the glutes, one for the abs, one for the shoulders, and optionally one for the calves. Ideally, one of those 3-4 exercises will be explosive or "bouncy" (if you don't use it, you'll lose it, which is why so few people maintain the ability to jump or move explosively after the age of 30).

Here's a sample warm up I like:

Warm up circuit for 1-3 rounds

1. Glute bridges or clam shells x 10 reps

2. Club swings, haloes, or face pulls x 10 reps

3. Leg raises or dead bugs x 10-15 reps 

4. Jump rope x 50 reps

(This is also a great 5-10 minute movement practice to do on "rest" days from lifting).

Upper Body Session A

Ex 1: incline dumbbell bench press-2-3x6-12

Ex 2: single arm rows-2-3x6-12

Ex 3: lateral raise variation-2-3x10-15

Ex 4: incline dumbbell curls-2-3x6-12

Ex 5: cable pushdowns or skull crushers-2-3x10-15

Lower Body Session A

Ex 1: Bulgarian split squats-2-3x8-12

Ex 2: single leg RDL-2-3x10-15

Ex 3: box step ups-2-3x10-15

Ex 4: calf raise or hamstring curls or kettlebell swings-2-3x10-15

Upper Body Session B

Ex 1: overhead press variation-2-3x5-10

Ex 2: pullups-2-3x5-8

Ex 3: pushups-2-3 x as many reps as possible

Ex 4: concentration curls-2-3x6-12

Ex 5: cable overhead extensions or dumbbell/kettlebell overhead extensions-2-3x10-15

Lower Body Session B

Ex 1: standard split squats-2-3x8-12

Ex 2: glute bridges-2-3x10-15

Ex 3: alternating reverse lunges-2-3x10-15 per leg

Ex 4: calf raise or hamstring curls or kettlebell swings-2-3x10-15

I recommend initially doing 2 sets per exercise on everything. Over time, you can experiment with adding a 3rd set. But, I think most of the time 2 sets per exercise will work really well.

Here's a second program option I like, using a PPL structure. Alternate between each session in succession, 3-5 days per week. Since it's a 3 day split, you might not hit every session exactly 2 times every week. That's okay! Just pick up where you left off.

For example, you may hit pull, push, legs, and pull during this week’s training. Next week, pick up with a push session, then legs, then pull again. If you do a 4th session, you'll do a second session of Push during that second week. Don't overthink it.

Do the same warm up as the program above.

Pull

Ex 1: pullups or lat pulldowns-2-3x5-10

Ex 2: single arm rows-2-3x8-15

Ex 3: bicep curl (incline dumbbell or concentration curls)-2-3x6-12

Ex 4: hammer curls-2-3x6-12

Push

Ex 1: overhead press variation or pike pushups-2-3x5-10

Ex 2: pushups or single arm dumbbell bench press-2-3 x amrap (if pushups) or 2-3x8-15

Ex 3: skull crushers or tricep pushdown-2-3x10-15

Ex 4: lateral raise variation-2-3x10-15

Legs

Ex 1: standard split squats or Bulgarian split squats-2-3x8-15

Ex 2: glute bridges or single leg RDL-2-3x10-15

Ex 3: alternating reverse lunges or box step ups-2-3x10-15 per leg

Ex 4: calf raise or hamstring curls or kettlebell swings-2-3x10-15

There's 2 programs you can play around with and continue doing whichever one you enjoy most. All sessions should take around 30 minutes (or even less, maybe a little longer if you take your time on the warm up).

Now go train!

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