I mentioned my gym/weightlifting circuit in the recent video about Zone 2 training, a few people reached out asking for more detail around what I do. This is my workout. Before getting to that, it’s important for me to say that I am not a physical trainer. There are a lot of ways to approach gym work. The best approach for you will depend on what your goals are. If you want to build large muscle mass, or focus on building strength over other priorities, this is not the right approach for you. My goals are to build fatigue resistance and lean muscle mass. I do not want to gain weight in the gym.
So with that out of the way. The idea is to use compound exercises to target multiple muscles and force muscles that are not the primary target to also work as they provide stability, and go from station-to-station with minimal downtime. The recovery between stations is just as long as it take for me to walk from one place to the next. No breaks between lifts. No breaks during the set. The only “recovery” is between sets and there it’s just a minute or two as I take a quick lap around the room.
There are three sets. Each set takes ~20 minutes, with ~60 minutes of total time from start to finish. For the most part, the order doesn’t matter. I focus on continuing to drive fatigue up. There is one place where I think order matters, but that’s pretty easy because I’m not going to be waiting for a machine or station. I will mention that when we get there.
- Row:
10x both arms at the same time, or 10x each arm for a total of 20 reps. I prefer both arms at the same time. I find it easier to work the lower back and core that way. - Rear Deltoid/Pectoral Fly:
10x Pectoral Fly then flip around and do 10x Rear Deltoid. Yes, I am aware that these are opposing muscle groups. Remember my goals :). - Chest Press:
10x, this should be easy for everyone. We all love the bench press :). - Shoulder Press:
10x, boring, but gotta do it. - Kick Back:
10x each leg for a total of 20x. Heavy, fast, I want to be out of breath. I want my core to work. I want this to hurt more anything else I do. - External Hip Adduction:
15x. Heavy, fast. I want to feel it, but not as much as the kick backs. - Internal Hip Adduction:
15x. Heavy, fast. I want to feel it, but not as much as the kick backs. - Hamstring Curls:
10x each leg for a total of 20x. Interestingly, adding this helped with my sciatic pain. Guessing because it works the hamstring and lower back that it has a strength/stability and mobility benefit. Could also be placebo, but I don’t care why it worked. It’s a good exercise even if it hadn’t made a difference with that. - Weighted Back Extension:
20x. Hug the plate just below the shoulders. Don’t cheat on the up or the down. Work the whole motion smoothly, don’t surge up or down. Be careful, especially if you have back issues. I discussed adding this one to my routine with my physical therapist during rehab from a microdiscectomy. That was her guidance. She thought it was a great idea. - Heavy Carry:
Grab two barbells, the thicker the part you hold in your hand the better. 5x laps around the gym. The first two should be easy, my arms and shoulders are screaming at the end. If I have it, I do some shoulder presses before putting the weights back on the rack. I don’t have it every time. - Pull-up Negatives:
20x. Everyone knows the pull-up. It’s crazy how many people own the positive (the going up part) and cheat the negative (letting yourself back down) by dropping. The negative matters. Go slow. Control it. If you’re swinging, you’re not in control. When you get to the bottom use the stool to push yourself back up to the top. Repeat. This is the one where placement matters. Do it after the heavy carry. Your forearms and shoulders are going to be cooked. This layers in the fatigue to build resistance and grip strength. I do full pull-ups on alternate days at home, so I am getting that in as well. Just not at the gym. If you can’t do pull-ups (which are great compound exercises) on non-lifting days. You might try subbing them in here instead. But at least for me, I’m not able to do quality pull-ups given the fatigue load at this point. - Quick walk around the gym. Let the HR get down a little. No more than a minute or two, then repeat.
