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After all, many people are interested in getting started with strength training and
want to know what workout routine to follow. CCLLAASSSSIICC PPOOSSTTSS
Considering that a program should be developed around a person’s biology, age, goals,
diet, free time, etc, there’s a lot of factors I can’t get in through email that would allow
me to tailor a program specific to that person.
It’s really easy to overcomplicate this process as there are an infinite number of
exercises, sets, reps, and programs to choose from.
And yes, we have a solution for people that JUST want to be told what exactly to
do: Our uber popular 1-on-1 coaching program (https://www.nerdfitness.com
/coaching-overview-page/?ccta-origin=https%3A%2F
%2Fwww.nerdfitness.com%2Fblog%2Fhow-to-build-your-own-workout-
routine%2F) pairs you with your own Nerd Fitness Coach who will get to know you,
your goals, and your lifestyle, and develop a workout plan that’s specific to not only
your body, but also to your schedule and life.
We take the guesswork and uncertainty out of this process for hundreds of people – and
we’d love to be able to pair you with a coach who can do the same: click the image below
and speak with our team to learn more:
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/coaching-overview-page/?ccta-origin=https%3A%2F
%2Fwww.nerdfitness.com%2Fblog%2Fhow-to-build-your-own-workout-
routine%2F)
Now, if you’re more of a “get my hands dirty and figure this stuff out on my own,”
kind of person, – we’re going to dig into how to build your own workout plan
today!
Developing a workout routine for yourself can be intimidating, but it’s really not too
difficult and kind of fun once you understand the basics.
If you are ready to start building your own routine and want to know how its
done, great, let’s do this!
We’ve also created a free resource for folks who want to build their own workout but
would love some more specific direction and instruction.
You can download our free guide, Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to
Know, which will help you build a workout with bodyweight exercises all the way
up through your first few weeks in a gym with weight training.
Grab the guide free when you sign up in the box below and join the Rebellion!
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STRENGTH TRAINING 101!
Everything you need to know about getting strong.
Workout routines for bodyweight AND weight training.
How to find the right gym and train properly in one.
Your Email
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If you have a wife or husband, three kids, a dog, two jobs, and no robot butler, then
maybe you only have thirty minutes, twice a week.
Whatever your time commitment is, developing the most efficient workout is crucial.
Why spend two hours in a gym when you can get just as much accomplished in 30
minutes, right?
After all, we know that weight training is the fat-burning prize fight victor
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/2010/02/01/what-burns-more-calories-cardio-
intervals-or-weight-training/), and efficiency rules all.
Once you determine where you want to train, and how much time you have, we can
start to use the equipment you have to build your routine and more.
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I like to follow the motto of “Keep it simple, stupid.”
(Note: I am not calling you stupid. You’re reading Nerd Fitness, which means you’re
intelligent, good looking, really funny, but most of all, modest.)
The best workout is the one that you actually stick with (https://www.nerdfitness.com
/blog/how-to-determine-your-perfect-workout-plan/), and people make things FAR
too complicated and try to target a bazillion different individual muscles with six
types of exercises for each body part.
So keep it simple! We’re going to pick 5 exercises, and get really strong with those
movements.
Unless you’ve been strength training for years and know what you’re doing, we
recommend that you pick a full body routine that you can do 2-3 times a week.
You want a routine that has at least one exercise for your:
Yup, by targeting compound movements that recruit multiple muscles at the same
time, you can build a full body routine that uses only four or five exercises.
Pick one exercise from each category above for a workout, and you’ll work almost
every single muscle in your body. Get stronger with each movement each week, and
you have yourself a recipe for a great physique (https://www.nerdfitness.com
/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-building-any-physique-or-skill-set/).
If you’re not sure how to do any of the movements above, click on their links for
thorough write-ups. Want high-definition multi-camera demonstrations of each
exercise?
Here’s a sample video from the 100+ in our online course, the NF Academy
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/academy-overview-page/), with Team NF’s Jim and
Staci demonstrating a proper bodyweight push-up:
0:49
Pick one exercise from EACH category above, specifically ones that scare you the
least, and that will be your workout every other day for the next week.
Once you get confident in those movements, feel free to add some variety.
Why? If you do the same exact routine, three days a week, for months and months,
you and your muscles might get bored, and you’ll stop getting gains.
So feel free to stick with the above ‘formula,’ but change the ingredients:
Pick a different exercise to improve and your muscles will stay challenged, you’ll stay
challenge, and you’ll actually DO the workout!
Lastly, your muscles don’t get built in the gym, they actually get broken down in
the gym, and then get rebuilt stronger when you’re resting.
Give your muscles 48 hours to recover between workouts, especially when training
heavy.
I stuck with a Monday-Wednesday-Friday full day routine for nearly 10 years and just
focused on getting stronger with each movement.
I realize all of this can be overwhelming, especially if you’re trying to learn Strength
Training AND build your own workout too.
So we created a free resource that gives you some starter workouts (both bodyweight
and weight training) that gives you the confidence to start today.
You can grab our Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know when you join the
Rebellion and sign up in the box below:
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STRENGTH TRAINING 101!
Everything you need to know about getting strong.
Workout routines for bodyweight AND weight training.
How to find the right gym and train properly in one.
Your Email
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SIMPLE ANSWER: Not including a warm-up set or two, I recommend doing between 3-5
sets per exercise.
A “set” is a series of repetitions that you complete without stopping. For example, if
you drop down and do 10 push-ups right now, you just did 1 SET of 10 REPETITIONS
(or REPS) of push-ups.
Again, do not overthink this. Do not freak yourself out by worrying if you should do 4
sets or 5 sets. Pick one, record how you do with it, and get stronger the next time you
do that movement.
So, try to keep your TOTAL (all exercises combined) workout number of sets for all
exercises is in the 15-25 set range (5 exercises total, each with 4 “work sets” is a good
start).
Remember, the most important part is to get started – you’ll learn how your body
responds and you can adapt as you go.
What you DON’T need to do: multiple exercises for each body part with 10 sets.
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If you are new to exercising or strength training, you’ll want to aim for higher reps per
set with lighter weights as you’re learning the movements (if you’re training with
weight).
As you get stronger and start to learn about how you like to train, you might switch to
a lower rep range, even up to a single rep of maximum effort (on a movement like a
Squat or Deadlift).
If you’re looking to burn fat while building muscle, keep your number of repetitions
per set in the 8-15 range per set.
If you can do more than 15 reps without much of a challenge, increase the weight or
the difficulty of the movement. This is true for things like lunges, bodyweight squats,
push-ups, pull-ups, etc.
There are some generally accepted ‘rules’ about how to determine how many
reps you should target per set, based on your goals:
Reps in the 1-5 range build super dense muscle and strength (called myofibrillar
hypertrophy).
Reps in the 6-12 range build a somewhat equal amounts of muscular strength
and muscular size (this is called sarcoplasmic hypertrophy).
Reps in the 12+ range build muscular endurance.
Remember that how you eat will determine if you get bigger or stronger
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/a-skinny-guys-guide-to-building-muscle-and-bulking-
up/)
If you’re looking for a simple answer: do 4 sets of 8-10 reps for each movement
you’ve chosen, and see how your body responds. But don’t neglect your diet! That’s
90% of the battle!
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Below is a basic formula for you to determine how long you should wait between sets,
but this can be adjusted based on your level of health. The goal is to wait the least
amount of time you need, but still rest enough that you can perform all reps of the
next set safely and properly!
If you need more or less rest than the above recommendations, that’s more than okay.
Do the best you can, record how long it takes you to rest between sets, and try to rest
for shorter periods in the future. Your body will adjust as you get stronger and
healthier!
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We have a FULL resource on how to determine your starting weight for lifting
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/strength-training-101-how-much-weight-
should-i-be-lifting/), but I’ll give you the gist here.
The simple to learn but tough to implement answer: lift enough so that you can get
through the set, but not too much that you have NO fuel left in the tank at the end.
But ALWAYS err on the side of “too light” versus “too heavy” when starting out. It’s
better to say “I bet I could have done more!” instead of “that was too much, and now I
need to go to the hospital!”
If you’re doing exercises with just your body weight, you need to find a way to make
each exercise more difficult as you get in shape – once you get past 20 reps for a
particular exercise and you’re not gassed, it’s time to mix things up.
Can you do 20 push ups no problem? It’s time to start mixing them up to be more
challenging. Pick a variation from this article (https://www.nerdfitness.com
/blog/my-7-favorite-push-up-variations-and-the-nf-push-up-challenge/) and
make yourself work for it!
20 bodyweight squats too easy? Hold some weights high above your head as you
do the next set. Try one-squats. Always be challenging yourself.
If you want more information on how much you should lift, and when to scale
certain movements or adjust your workout, check out our Strength 101: Everything
You Need to Know. It’s free when you join the Rebellion with your email in the box
below:
D
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doou
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STRENGTH TRAINING 101!
Everything you need to know about getting strong.
Workout routines for bodyweight AND weight training.
How to find the right gym and train properly in one.
Your Email
H
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If you’re doing 15-25 sets of total exercise, you should be able to get everything done
within that 45 minute block. Now, factor in a five or ten minute warm-up, and then
stretching afterwards, and the workout can go a little bit longer.
If you can go for over an hour and you’re not completely worn out, you’re simply not
pushing yourself hard enough.
Less time, more intensity, better results.
What if you don’t have 45 minutes? Maybe you want to build some cardio into your
weight training. That’s where these next two sections come in.
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Let’s say you’re doing four sets of squats and you plan on doing four sets of
dumbbell bench presses after that.
If you wait two minutes between each set, this will take you around twenty minutes
or so (factoring in the time to get set and actually do the set).
Try this instead: Do a set of squats, wait one minute, then do a set of dumbbell
presses, wait one minute, then do your next set of squats, and so on.
Because you’re exercising two completely different muscle groups, you can exercise
one while the other is “resting.” You’re now getting the same workout done in half the
time.
Also, because you’re resting less, your body has to work harder so your heart is getting
a workout too. Jackpot.
Lunges alternating with incline dumbbell presses, four sets each, one minute
between sets.
Wait a few minutes to catch your breath and get set for your next two exercises.
Straight leg deadlifts alternating with wide-grip pull ups, four sets each, one
minute between sets.
3 Sets of planks, stretch, and get the hell out of there!
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Like alternating exercises above, this is the most effective way to burn fat
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/what-burns-more-calories-cardio-intervals-or-
weight-training/) when exercising:
This is also the most effective way to make you involuntarily swear at inanimate
objects.
A circuit requires you to do one set for EVERY exercise, one after the other, without
stopping. After you’ve done one set of each exercise in succession, you then repeat
the process two, or three, or four more times.
We have 15 other FREE circuits you can follow to get your feet wet with building your
own routine.
You can get them over on our big Circuit Training roundup guide
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/circuit-training-build-some-muscles-burn-some-
fat/)!
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You should be getting stronger, faster, or more fit with each day of exercise.
Maybe you can lift more weight, lift the same amount of weight more times than
before, or you can finish the same routine faster than before.
I track all of my workouts in Evernote: I note the sets, reps, weight, and date. I have
over 1,000 workouts in my folder, which makes it super simple to see what I did last
month, last year, and to make sure I’m improving!
You can use an actual notebook, a bullet journal, an excel spreadsheet, a workout app,
or a word document.
1. Write down the date and your sets, reps, and weight for each exercise.
2. Compare yourself to your previous workout with those exercises.
3. Focus on getting stronger (more reps, heavier weight, an additional set, etc.)
4. Repeat.
Do this with a workout you’ve built, and you WILL get results. I promise.
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If you’re looking for sample workouts to build off of, I’d probably take the basic
workouts in our “Gym 101” article (https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/a-
beginners-guide-to-the-gym-everything-you-need-to-know/).
If you want to build from scratch, great! Let’s break it down into easy chunks with
this recap:
More often than not, when I email people back and tell them how to build their
own workout, they generally respond with:
“Steve, can’t you just TELL me what to do? I’m afraid of building a crappy workout.”
I certainly encourage you to try and build your own workout routine though, it can
really help you develop a sense of excitement and pride when you start to get in shape
based on your workout!
If you have more questions, or a workout program you’re really proud of, share it in
the comments below!
PS: If you’re somebody that wants an expert to guide them through the training
process, I hear ya (I have a fitness coach myself who programs my workouts!).
1) If you are somebody that wants to know they are following a program that is
tailor made for their life and situation and goals, check out our popular 1-on-1
coaching program (https://www.nerdfitness.com/coaching-overview-
page/?ccta-origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nerdfitness.com%2Fblog%2Fhow-
to-build-your-own-workout-routine%2F). You’ll work with our certified NF
instructors who will get to know you better than you know yourself and program your
workouts and nutrition for you.
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/coaching-overview-page/)
2) Good at following instructions and want a blueprint to follow? Check out our
self-paced online course, the Nerd Fitness Academy.
(https://www.nerdfitness.com/academy-overview-page/)
The Academy has 20+ workouts for both bodyweight or weight training, a benchmark
test to determine your starting workout, HD demonstrations of every movement,
boss battles so you know when you to level up your routine, meal plans, a questing
system, and supportive community.
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Name
Jose
⚑
4 years ago
I fucking love you Steve. You just saved me like a hundred bucks in personal trainers.
56 △ ▽ Reply
Sherryl Keith
⚑
a year ago
This time I'll use Unflexal workouts guide to learn about it more.
44 △ ▽ Reply
Svetlana Kapoustianskaia
⚑
6 years ago
Steve, you did an amazing job! Your article is so well organized and you explained everything so well and
in such detail, i really feel like i can actually write my own plan now! And you also shared some
information that i never knew before. I now have a much better understanding of the process and the
reasons behind it. So all in all your article was very informative and useful! :) Thank you so much for
posting! :)
15 △ ▽ Reply
Brenton
⚑
9 years ago
Steve - I just started reading your blog last night and I'm completely new to the whole workout thing.
After I started my engineering job six months ago, I have realized that my active college lifestyle had
disappeared and I was gaining weight. I love the site, but some of these exercises I have never heard of
before like "goodmornings" "box jumps" and "deadlifts".
Maybe you could have pictures or a 10 second video showing what those are? Thanks for all of the help,
I'm looking forward to getting into shape!
31 △ ▽ Reply
http://www.nerdfitness.com/...
4△ ▽ Reply
Brandon
⚑
9 years ago
Good Stuff! It's important to know that there really isn't any "paint by numbers" solution for fitness,
despite what you may hear on TV.
Funny thing is I have a very similar article planned for my blog this week. Thanks for the great info.
15 △ ▽ Reply
-Steve
40 △ ▽ Reply
www.fitnit-workout-generato...
33 △ ▽ Reply
My only question is, what about the diet side of things? I've been doing a lot of reading and it's clear
that your diet plays a huge part in progress. But I find there's more conflicting advice when it comes
to what you eat. I read an article that said low carb, high fat is the way to go. Then literally minutes
after I read an article that said avoid low carb diets mess up your metabolism in the long term. What
gives?
△ ▽ Reply