Half of success in the gym is just showing up. Repeat that. You can be the most disorganized, clueless and uneducated trainer in the world… but if you show up and work your tail off 5 days a week, you will see much better results than the kids who is a walking encyclopedia on weight training principles who only shows up for moderate weight training 2 or 3 times a week when his schedule allows for it. This isn’t to say that you should ever take it easy on yourself in the gym – but it does mean that hard work and just being there throwing around the iron is half the battle.
Any kind of weight training routine you are using is going to deliver some kind of results to you. They may not be perfect, they may not be ideal, but you will see positive muscle growth if you are consistently showing up and lifting. You can show up and train your individual body parts 6 days a week, giving each muscle group a dedicated day (or just morning session) and without a doubt, you will grow some new muscle. But you will also have to make sacrifices in other areas of you life which may not be ideal. Nobody wants to miss seeing their children grow up because they’re living in the gym, right?
If you don’t have a ton of time, but wish to see some great results, then you should consider the use of a 3-day per week training routine. You would be training your entire body on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday, or you could choose a Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday routine. Let’s examine how such a routine would look.
- Bench press: 2 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions
- Incline chest flyes: 2 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions
- Deadlift: 2 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions
- Lat pulldowns: 2 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions
- Biceps curls: 2 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions
- Triceps press downs: 2 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions
- Shoulder military press: 2 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions
- Dumbbell side raises: 2 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions
- Squats: 2 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions
- Leg extensions: 2 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions
- Leg curls: 2 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions
- Calf machine raises: 2 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions
If you work hard during the week, you might be in luck! You can train on Friday and Sunday nights, which wouldn’t interfere with your work too much, and you’d only need to schedule ONE single workout in during your busy week.