The Rule of 3

     It’s important to program your workouts.  For many lifters, this can seem daunting—though it shouldn’t be—because they’re accustomed to just “working out.”  Programming your workouts, however, doesn’t have to be complicated.  In fact, it can be quite simple.

     I like to recommend easy-to-follow routines where the title of the program pretty much explains the workouts contained within.  My 30-Rep Program is an example.  With it, you do 30 reps total for the entire session.  Sure, you must still understand the program’s parameters—as you ought to with all good routines—but once you do, it’s easy to follow and easy to program.

     Another good example is the 3-to-5 workout.  The title of program basically gives away the whole thing.  You train 3 to 5 days each week.  You utilize 3 to 5 exercises at each session.  You do 3 to 5 sets of 3 to 5 reps on each exercise.  You rest 3 to 5 minutes between sets.  That’s pretty much it.  Don’t get me wrong, that’s not everything.  You need to train with big, compound movements such as squats, deadlifts, cleans, overhead presses.  You need to train heavy and hard—all the “typical” get-big advice.  Simple to program.  Simple to use.  But effective.

     Another effective, easy-to-program approach is what I call the rule of 3.  This one has a little more flexibility built into it than the 3 to 5 system, but the approach is still similar.  It’s as simple as this: Lift on 3 non-consecutive days each week, such as Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, for example.  Use 3 exercises at each session.  For each exercise, do 3 sets.

     As with the 3 to 5 workout—or any good training program, for that matter—use primarily big, “basic” compound lifts utilizing free weights, be they barbells, dumbbells, or even kettlebells.  I like a handful of movements, but ones that can be swapped out for “same but different” lifts.  The barbell back squat should be the squatting movement of choice, for instance, but you can also throw in some front squats, bottom-position squats, pause squats, double kettlebell front squats, or barbell hack squats.  Same.  But different.  In place of barbell bench presses you can do incline presses, dumbbell benches (flat or incline), bottom-position bench presses, and/or board presses (using boards of various heights).  And, yes, the same goes for different deadlift, curl, or overhead pressing movements.

     You can change movements at each session or stick with the same movement for a few workouts in a row before making a change.  The more advanced you are, the more change is needed.  But even some highly advanced lifters do well by sticking with the same lifts for a couple of weeks.

     Rep selection is up to you, and it will largely depend on the goal(s) of your training.  If you’re after primarily strength and power, then stick with the 3 to 5 range with some doubles or even singles thrown in on occasion.  If hypertrophy is your main goal, then sets in the 8-12 range work well.  It’s standard, perhaps a little boring, and “classic,” but you still can’t go wrong with 3 sets of 10 reps if muscle growth is the focus.  And if it’s a combination of hypertrophy and strength that you’re chasing, then 5 to 8 reps is a good norm.

     Here are a few example programs so you can get a better understanding of what a workout regimen might look like using the rule of 3.  All sets listed in the programs below are work sets.  Make sure you warm up with 2 to 3 light sets before commencing with the work sets.

Program #1: Basic Muscle Building

Monday:

·         Squats: 3 sets of 8-10 reps

·         Bench presses: 3 sets of 8-10 reps

·         Barbell curls: 3 sets of 8-10 reps

Wednesday:

·         Deadlifts: 3 sets of 6 reps

·         Military presses: 3 sets of 8-10 reps

·         Chins: 3 sets of near max reps.

Friday:

·         Squats: 3 sets of 8-10 reps

·         Bench presses: 3 sets of 8-10 reps

·         Barbell curls: 3 sets of 8-10 reps

On the following week, you will do the Wednesday workout above on Monday and Friday and do the M/F workout on Wednesday, swapping back and forth in this manner from week to week.

Program #2: Pure Strength and Power

Monday:

·         Squats: 3 sets of 5 reps

·         Bench presses: 3 sets of 5 reps

·         Deadlifts: 3 sets of 5 reps

Wednesday:

·         Front squats: 3 sets of 5 reps

·         Military presses: 3 sets of 5 reps

·         Barbell curls: 3 sets of 5 reps

Friday:

·         Bottom-position squats: 3 sets of 5, 3, and 2 reps

·         Bottom-position bench presses: 3 sets of 5, 3, and 2 reps

·         Power cleans: 3 sets of 5, 3, and 2 reps

You may notice that this is essentially a heavy, light, medium program.  You don’t have to TRY to make each day heavy or light or medium.  Exercise selection alone dictates that.

Program #3: Hypertrophy + Strength

Monday:

·         Squats: 3 sets of 3, 6, and 10 reps.  Start with your heaviest weight.  Decrease the weight and increase the reps on subsequent sets.

·         Incline bench presses: 3 sets of 3, 6, and 10 reps

·         Weighted chins: 3 sets of 3, 6, and max reps

Wednesday:

·         Deficit sumo deadlifts: 3 sets of 3, 6, and 10 reps

·         Weighted dips: 3 sets of 3, 6, and 10 reps

·         Power cleans: 3 sets of 3, 6, and 10 reps

Friday:

·         Front squats: 3 sets of 3, 6, and 10 reps

·         One-arm dumbbell overhead presses: 3 sets of 3, 6, and 10 reps (each arm)

·         Barbell curls: 3 sets of 3, 6, and 10 reps

     Keep in mind that those are just example programs, though they are effective if you decide to use them as written.  Experiment with some different rep ranges.  You can try some even lower reps than in the strength and power program—3 sets of 3, 2, 1 or 3 sets of 5, 4, 3, as examples.  You can also try some higher reps, such as 3 sets of 20 reps if nothing than for a change of pace.

     As with any good programs, they need to be accompanied with solid nutrition and plenty of sound, growth-producing rest and sleep.