Blog #3: Structuring an Individual Workout

The Structure of a Solid Workout: Sets, Reps, and Strategy

No more random filler sets. A structured workout lets you train with purpose and effectiveness with every set. Here’s how to build a session that’s effective and repeatable, regardless of your training split.

1. Warm-Up: Dynamic stretches

2. Main Lifts (Compound Movements): Big movements such as bench press, squats, deadlifts, presses (3–4 sets, 6–10 reps). These exercises work MULTIPLE muscle groups

3. Accessory Work: Isolation movements or weaker muscle groups (3–4 sets, 10–15 reps). These movements are done in order to further tire out the muscle, so that it can recover and return back and better

4. Optional Finishers: Core, cardio bursts, or burnout sets. These are up for you to decide, depending on your goals.

Jan's Advice:

Usually a good range for structuring a variety of exercises within a particular workout is roughly around 5-7 exercises for a day dedicated towards a certain muscle group. Note that it doesn’t necessarily NEED to be within that range. A good workout can consist of as little as 4 exercises or as much as 8, it really comes down to execution.

• The order in which to do these exercises is to start off with compound movements. For example, if someone were to do a Push-Pull-Legs split, for their Push Day, it would be vital to do the one exercise that is the most physically demanding, and which targets ALL muscles within the muscle group. In this case, it can be an exercise such as a barbell bench press. All muscles that would be put into the “Push” category, being chest, shoulders, and triceps, would be worked thoroughly within this one exercise. The remaining exercises will tend to be more isolated and further work singular muscle groups to ensure that they are being worked until or near failure.

In terms of sets and reps per exercise, a good universal range is typically within 3-4 sets per exercise. Also, in the case of reps, the lower the rep range, the more that strength will be targeted, and the higher the rep range, the more that muscular endurance will be targeted. If muscle hypertrophy was the ultimate goal, then it typically falls within a universal rep range of 6-12 reps per set.

• Again, this all depends on individual goals. If strength were to be the main goal, your set could be as low as 1-4 reps per set with a higher weight. Or if someone were to focus on muscular endurance, their repetitions performed in each set could easily exceed past 12 using a lower weight for their movement performed.