Odd Training Programs and Workout Routines (That Work)

Seldom-Used Workouts for Renewed Gains in Size and Strength

     I’m often surprised by some of my articles and essays that prove rather popular here on the blog.  The opposite is true, as well.  I’ll write an article that I’m absolutely positive will be a crowd-pleaser, only to discover that it never gets many views.  Recently, for example, I was startled, but also nicely delighted, that my article Odd Training Splits and Ideas (That Work) has become one of my more popular posts written in the last couple months.  I think it’s a pretty good read—it’s also one that I enjoyed writing—so I’m glad for its reception.  Since it did have such a positive response, I thought I’d shine a light on a similar theme, but instead of odd training splits, this one will look at some unique training routines and workouts.  These programs are great for building size and strength, and are only “odd” because they’re not the kind of routines used by the majority of lifters.

     These routines go against the grain, but that’s probably a good thing.  This might seem an unusual or even eccentric statement, but most of the time lifters would probably get better results if they did the opposite of what the majority of gym-goers do.  What do most of your average trainees do in your average gyms throughout an average year?  Well, they usually train only one or two muscle groups at each session.  They believe a workout is “good” if it leaves them tired, drained, fatigued, and lying in a pool of sweat when the workout is over and done.  They rest a lot between workouts to make sure they are “recovered” between sessions.  Oh, and if they’re men, they train their chests and arms a lot more than their backs and legs.  So, based on that, yeah, you’d be better off doing the complete opposite.  Train your entire body—or most of it—at each session.  Leave the gym while you’re still refreshed and are not drained from the workout.  Train your muscles and your lifts frequently.  And, of course, do more training for your lower body and back than you do the ones you like to stare at in the mirror.  So, going against the grain is probably a good thing.  These workouts go against the grain simply because there’s a good chance that you’ve never seen a lifter do them or have even read about them before.  Which also means that you’ve probably not done them yourself.

The One and the Many

     I’m a big fan of doing a limited number of movements for multiple sets.  This is especially so when it comes to low reps.  I don’t think anything builds a combination of muscle size and strength than this approach.  I probably push 8 sets of 5 reps more than anything else.  I’m also a fan of 10 sets of 3 reps.  Basically, anything between 8 and 12 sets of 1 to 5 reps will work.  This means that, yes, I even like 10 sets of heavy singles, and not just for strength.  I think that works really well, by the way, for hypertrophy.  Heavy singles for pure muscle-building is probably another against-the-grain kind of thinking.

     More popular is to do multiple movements for less sets.  If I had to guess, I bet that the majority of your average lifters do 3 to 4 exercises per muscle group for 3 to 4 sets on each lift—perhaps even more exercises with more sets.

     So, what is better?  Obviously, I’m a fan of the first method.  But what if you combined both approaches into one?

     I call this method of training “the one and the many” because you focus on one exercise for multiple sets of low reps, but you then follow it up with multiple exercises for a low number of sets, just 1 or 2 sets per lift.

     Here’s an upper/lower training program that demonstrates the kind of workouts you might do:

Upper Body Workout A

1. Bench presses: 10 sets of 3 reps.  Select a weight that you would use if you were doing one all-out set of 6 reps to complete muscular failure.  Stick with that weight for all 10 sets of 3 reps.

2. Wide-grip lat pulldowns: 2x10

3. Military presses: 2x8

4. Barbell curls: 2x10

5. Rope pushdowns: 2x15

Lower Body Workout A

1. Squats: 10x3

2. Romanian deadlifts: 2x12

3. Walking lunges: 2x15 (each leg)

4. Dumbbell stiff-legged deadlifts: 2x10

5. Steep incline weighted situps: 2x10-12

Upper Body Workout B

1. Push presses: 10x3

2. Incline dumbbell bench presses: 2x10

3. Seated low cable rows: 2x12

4. Cable curls: 2x12

5. Skull crushers: 2x15

Lower Body Workout B

1. Sumo deficit deadlifts: 10x3

2. Front squats: 2x10

3. Lying leg curls: 2x12

4. Wall sits: 2x30-45 seconds

5. Ab wheel: 2x10

     For your schedule, train on a constant 1-on, 1-off split, taking an extra day off whenever you feel like it or train 3 days per week, such as Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, alternating back and forth between the 4 different sessions.

     If you prefer a full-body workout, then still just focus on one big lift at each session.  Your weekly training plan might look like this:

Monday:

1. Squats: 10x3

2. Incline dumbbell bench presses: 2x10

3. Weighted chins: 2x8

4. Behind-the-neck presses: 2x10

5. Stiff-legged deficit deadlifts: 2x8

6. Barbell curls: 2x10

7. Straight-bar pushdowns: 2x12

8. Steep incline weighted situps: 2x10-12

Wednesday:

1. Bench presses: 10x3

2. Front squats: 2x10

3. One-arm dumbbell rows: 2x12 (each arm)

4. Military presses: 2x10

5. Alternated dumbbell curls: 2x10 (each arm)

6. Skull crushers: 2x10

7. Ab wheel: 2x10

Friday:

1. Sumo deficit deadlifts: 10x3

2. Walking lunges: 2x15 (each leg)

3. Parallel bar dips: 2x10

4. Wide-grip lat pulldowns: 2x15

5. Seated dumbbell overhead presses: 2x10

6. Cable curls: 2x12

7. Rope pushdowns: 2x12

8. Hanging leg raises: 2x12

     You can swap out any of the movements as long as they are same but different lifts.  The most important factor is to make sure that you are utilizing big, “bang for your buck” lifts on all of the 10 sets of 3 reps movements.  So, don’t swap out the barbell squat for sissy squats, for instance—that wouldn’t be “same but different.”  It’d just be different.

The Really Low and the Really High

     This program uses a limited number of lifts per muscle—and per session—but also uses multiple sets of really low reps with multiple sets of much higher repetitions.  If you want a completely different change of pace from the usual, this might be just what you’re looking for.

     This method is best utilized with a split program as opposed to a full-body workout.  Here is how you might use it on a push/pull/legs schedule:

Push Workout

1. Bench presses: 10x3

2. Incline dumbbell bench presses: 8x10

3. Military presses: 8x3

4. Seated dumbbell overhead presses: 8x12

5. Close-grip, weighted dips: 8x3

6. Bench dips: 6x20

Pull Workout

1. Weighted chins: 10x3

2. One-arm dumbbell rows: 8x10 (each arm)

3. Barbell curls: 10x3

4. Cable curls: 10x12

Legs Workout

1. Squats: 10x3

2. Front squats: 8x10

3. Stiff-legged deficit deadlifts: 8x3

4. Standing one-leg curls: 8x12 (each leg)

     Add in some abdominal work to one, any, or all of the sessions.  If you want to train abs in a similar manner to your other muscles, then plug them into the lower body session.

One Set, Many Sessions—The “Easy Muscle” Method

     When it comes to full-body workouts that utilize minimal sets per lift/muscle, one of the most common is the so-called “HIT” style of training, first popularized by Arthur Jones and then later by Mike Mentzer.  My problem with this kind of training is that—though it can work for lifters who had been training with highly voluminous workouts beforehand—the workload is just too low throughout the program.  When you do 1 or even 2 sets for a muscle group, but only train that muscle once every 5 days, or even as little as once per week—no matter how “intense” you train—the lack of workload eventually “catches up” with the lifter, and the gains come to a stop.

     A better approach would be to train with only 1 or 2 sets per lift, train with multiple lifts at each workout, and then train with high-frequency but not train all that hard.  A week of training using this method might look like this:

Monday:

1. Squats: 2x10

2. Bench presses: 2x10

3. Deadlifts: 2x6

4. Chins: 2x10

5. Barbell curls: 2x10

6. Skull crushers: 2x10

Tuesday:

1. Front squats: 2x10

2. Military presses: 2x10

3. Power cleans: 2x6

4. Seated cable rows: 2x10

5. Cable curls: 2x10

6. Rope pushdowns: 2x10

Wednesday:

1. Barbell hack squats: 2x10

2. Parallel bar dips: 2x10

3. One-arm dumbbell rows: 2x10 (each arm)

4. Seated dumbbell curls: 2x10

5. Cross-bench dumbbell pullovers: 2x10

Friday:

1. Squats: 2x10

2. One-arm dumbbell overhead presses: 2x10 (each arm)

3. Romanian deadlifts: 2x10

4. Wide-grip lat pulldowns: 2x12

5. Barbell curls: 2x10

6. Straight bar pushdowns: 2x10

Saturday:

1. Front squats: 2x10

2. Bench presses: 2x10

3. Close, undergrip lat pulldowns: 2x12

4. Concentration curls: 2x10 (each arm)

5. Bench dips: 2x15

     Add in some abdominal work to each session, as well, alternating back and forth between a wide range of midsection work.

     The key to make this kind of “easy muscle” routine work is to not take each set close to muscular failure.  You should have at least a couple of reps “in the tank” at the end of each set.  This program works by letting the weekly volume and the total workload build muscle as opposed to the typical approach of “hard” workouts coupled with “rest and recovery.”  This might also be the best kind of HFT for “hardgainers” who are solely interested in building an aesthetic physique over a strong one.  If you’re looking for more of a strength-centric program, then try out an “easy strength” routine such as my 30-Rep Program.

     Some lifters might even get good results by dropping the number of sets per lift down to just one.  Others who thrive off more volume can do as many as 3 per lift.  If you don’t know your body well enough, then start with 2 sets as written.

A Different Kind of Heavy/Light, High-Frequency Program

     This might just be a routine that you’ve never seen before.  With this method, you train using a full-body workout, and you train two days in a row with the same workout.  At the first workout, you train fairly hard, but leave a rep or two “in the tank” at the end of each set.  You return to the gym the next day and do the exact same workout but you reduce your workload on each lift to no more than 60% of what you did the day before.  50% might be even better.

     To demonstrate what this would look like, I’ll show the weights a hypothetical lifter might use at each session:

Day 1:

1. Squats: 3 sets of 5 reps with 315 pounds

2. Bench presses: 3 sets of 5 reps with 225 pounds

3. Power cleans: 5 sets of 3 reps with 225

4. Barbell curls: 3 sets of 3 reps with 135 pounds

5. One-arm dumbbell overhead presses: 3 sets of 3 reps (each arm) with 80 pound dumbbells

Day 2:

1. Squats: 3x5 with 185 pounds

2. Bench presses: 3x5 with 135 pounds

3. Power cleans: 5x3 with 135

4. Barbell curls: 3x3 with 80 pounds

5. One-arm dumbbell overhead presses: 3x3 with 45 pound dumbbells

     After your 2nd session, rest a day and then repeat the 1st workout.  Don’t force adding more weight to your heavy sessions.  Just stick with the same weight at each workout until the weights start to feel relatively easy and then, and only then, add weight to your lifts.  This is the “moderate strength” approach to HFT.

     Train on a perpetual 2-on, 1-off rotation or simply train the same days each week, such as Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, on a 2-on, 1-off, 2-on, 2-off schedule.

     If you aren’t accustomed to such frequent training, you may need a “break-in” period where you train on a 1-on, 1-off schedule until your body adapts to not being very sore after each heavy workout.  At the point, however, where you can train on a 2-on, 1-off schedule, your gains will start to take off.  The light day allows your body to adapt to frequent training and you will, eventually, not be that sore at all after your heavy workouts.

     Some lifters might want to take more of a heavy-light-medium approach by throwing in a 3rd session that is “medium,” using weights that are in between the heavy day and the light day.  If you want to try this route, then train on a 2-on, 1-off, 1-on, 1-off schedule.  Your schedule would look like this in other words:

Day one: heavy workout

Day two: light workout

Day three: off

Day four: medium workout

Day five: off

Day six: start training cycle over

     Stick with the same lifts for 8 to 12 weeks.  At that point, you can either switch to a different program or you can stick with this HF, H/L workout by simply utilizing some same but different lifts.  Swap out back squats for front squats, bench presses for incline presses, power cleans for power snatches, and so on.

     If these workout programs seem at all “odd,” it’s only because they’re unconventional and definitely not the standard workouts you see in the standard gyms.  Odd though they may be, they’re also quite effective.  Try one or all of them and discover the power of the odd workout (that works).

     Have comments or questions about any of these workouts?  Leave them in the “comments” section below.  You can also send me an email if you would prefer a private correspondence.  I’m a little behind in answering some of my emails, so if you’ve sent me an email and have yet to hear from me, just give me a few days, but I typically answer my emails every couple days or so.

     If you want even more workout routines and training programs for building size, strength, or both, then search throughout the blog and the plethora of workouts I have on offer or, even better, purchase one of my books.  Click on the link for details on all of my books that are currently available.  Buying a book helps to both support me and ensure that this blog can continue going.