This is Exactly How I Structure My Workouts Every Week

This is the way I structure my workouts to give me the best results even with a busy schedule.

Why Structure Matters More Than Any Single Workout

I've found that structure is the real differentiator between who makes progress and who doesn't. When a good structure is there, there is less thinking and more doing. A well-structured training week means every session has a purpose, recovery is built in and you show up consistently knowing what you will be doing that day.

Here's exactly how I do it:

My Weekly Training Split at a Glance

Right now I am doing a 6 day per week split, this gives me one full day per week of rest. This day can vary but I like to use Sunday as the rest day as it allows me to prepare for the week by winding down and recovering.

In these 6 days I have:

• 2 push workouts (vertical and horizontal push)

• 2 pull workouts (vertical and horizontal pull)

• 2 leg days (knee and hip focused)

I sequence the workouts in the following way:

Day 1 - Horizontal Push

Day 2 - Knee Dominant Leg Day

Day 3 - Horizontal Pull

Day 4 - Vertical Push

Day 5 - Hip Dominant Leg Day

Day 6 - Vertical Pull

With this structure I get a balanced routine that covers all of the bases for full body development.

For me, I do my best when I can start the day with exercise. The 6 days per week split allows me to be in the gym most mornings while also keeping my workouts short for my busy schedule.

Every session I do follows a similar basic architecture. This keeps the cognitive load low and ensures I'm structuring my workouts logically.

After a Horizontal Push Day.

How I Structure Upper Body Sessions

Primary Strength Lift

Each day has a primary focus, lets take the Horizontal Push workout for example:

I begin this day with the primary lift which in my case is a barbell bench press. Since its the first exercise in the workout I am at my most energized. For this lift I am aiming for high intensity and relatively heavy sets. Think 3 sets of around 4-6 reps. If you can do more than 6 reps with the weight, consider increasing the weight.

This lift is the core of your workout day, so approach it with focus and intensity.

Supplementary Hypertrophy Lift

The next workout in the day is the supplementary hypertrophy focused lift. After completing my heavy sets of barbell bench press, I will then move on to a different exercise to target my chest. For the supplementary hypertrophy lift, I like to do 2-3 sets with a higher rep range (around 8-12, but sometimes up to 15+).

Taking the Horizontal Push workout for example again:

Once I complete the sets of barbell bench press, I will then move to the machine pec dec fly to target my chest but this time with lower weight and more reps. The focus for the supplementary hypertrophy lift is mind muscle connection, and slow eccentric work. We want to really feel the muscle here.

Accessory Hypertrophy Work

With the Primary Strength Lift and the Supplementary Hypertrophy Lift done, we now move on to accessory hypertrophy work. This usually involves smaller muscles and isolated work.

On Horizontal Push day I'll do:

• 3-6 sets of tricep work (usually on cables or machines)

• 3-6 sets of side deltoid work (usually on cables or machines)

Depending on your recovery capability you can play around with the number of sets that you will do. I like to keep the rep range in the 8-12 range but sometimes I will go for 15+ (15+ usually on side deltoid work).

This accessory work is not meant to be overly taxing, and you can use this slot to add exercises for muscles that you want to target preferentially or muscles that are lagging behind.

How I Structure Lower Body Sessions

For leg days, my structure changes. I want to focus on strength and functionality for lower body, so my routine reflects that. Most of all my leg work is single leg/unilateral work.

I like the way Mike Boyle thinks about structuring leg days. His core logic is that single leg/unilateral exercises load legs directly without the lumbar spine becoming the weak link (such is the case in a traditional back squat).

These unilateral exercises are separated into two categories: knee dominant and hip dominant, and I have a specific day for each in my weekly routine.

Let's take my Knee Dominant Leg Day as an example:

Static Supported Exercise

The first exercise in my knee dominant leg day is a barbell split stance squat. The idea here is that the movement is static (i.e my feet are planted and I am doing a squat) and supported (i.e both my feet are on the ground).

This exercise does not challenge my balance but rather allows me to focus on maximal strength and higher weights. For this I like to aim for 3 sets of 4-6 reps and will increase the weight as I get stronger and progress beyond 6 reps.

Static Unsupported Exercise

The next exercise I do is the skater squat. In this execise I am still static, but now I am unsupported (i.e my planted leg is on the ground but my other leg is not).

Here I aim for 6-12 reps and I want to really focus on my form and balance.

Dynamic Exercise

For the dynamic exercise I like to do step ups. The dynamic exercises on leg days are usually the most functional and train movement patterns that sometimes are missed in traditional workouts. If you are interested in maximizing functionality, these are the exercises that you don't want to skip.

For these, I go for 2 sets of 8-12 reps.

Accessory Work

For the Accessory exercise I like to do calf work on the machine. These accessory exercises are used to target lagging muscles or address weaknesses and imbalances that the other movements can't fully cover.

For these I like to do 2 sets of 8-12 reps.

Core Work

At the end of the leg days, I also do functional core training. My philsophy around core training is an entire article on its own so I won't cover it here. The movements I do for core work are dynamic and train the core in various movement patterns.

Conditioning or Cardio

When I have time to, I like to finish the workout with a 20 minute cardio workout (usually on the stationary bike) or a 20 minute session in the sauna for the mental health benefits.

Depending on the day, you may want to go longer for this session or skip it entirely (try not to skip cardio too often!)

How I Manage Recovery Between Sessions

With a 6 day per week workout routine, recovery needs to be prioritized. Since I workout in the morning, I need to ensure that I eat a filling high protein meal when I come back from the gym.

I spend the rest of the day recovering and not taxing my body physically for the remainder of the day. Of course sleep plays into the equation as well. Ensuring that your sleep is sufficient in both quality and quantity is of paramount importance.

How I Adjust the Structure Over Time

A training structure isn't static. What worked six months ago may not be what you need today. I use a few principles in assessing when it's time to switch up my routine.

Here's how I can tell when it's time to adjust the structure:

• If I have missed more than 2 workouts within a 2 week period

• If I consistently find I need to deload before my planned deload week

• If I notice a reduced ability to handle daily stressors (this could be a sign of overtraining)

I continue to follow my routine for mesocycle blocks. These blocks are 7 weeks of workouts where I progressively overload followed by a 1 week deload. At the end of the 8 week block I will often begin a new block (sometimes with a few tweaks and changes to exercises to keep it fresh). Another article will cover my deload philosophy and how I apply it in practice.

The Mindset Behind the Structure

I used to switch programs all the time, chasing the most optimal or best program. The truth is that it doesn't exist. The best program is the program that you can actually follow.

Depending on my lifestyle and scheduling factors, I will change the workout structure. This is espeically true when I know I won't be able to get in the gym 6 days in the week. In these cases, I will lower my weekly training frequency from 6 days down to 5 days or 4 days per week.

It is important that you stick with a program structure/workout routine once you land on one. Even if the program isn't the most optimal, getting in the gym and executing will always beat spinning your tires on the best routine.

Final Thoughts

I hope that learning about my routine has inspired you to create your own. If you want help building a science informed, personalized and optimized routine just like this book a call with me to chat about your goals:

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