Overview
This video provides a practical guide to designing a four-day upper/lower strength training program, including exercise selection, order, and considerations for volume, intensity, and injury management.
Program Structure and Split Selection
- Consider hiring a coach or joining a group, but self-programming is possible if needed.
- Determine training frequency (suggested: four days/week with upper/lower split).
- Full-body or five-day splits can also be effective, but four days is generally efficient and manageable.
- Typical weekly structure: upper, lower, rest, upper, lower, rest, rest.
Upper Body Session Guidelines
- Decide which muscle group to prioritize (pecs, delts, back, arms) or train all equally.
- Start with pecs for pressing movements when fresh, then alternate between push and pull exercises.
- Suggested order: pecs (flat press), row, lateral raises, lat movement, biceps, triceps.
- Avoid redundant movements (e.g., incline press then shoulder press in one session).
- Space out isolation work and avoid prioritizing arms before main compound lifts.
- Adjust order if you want to emphasize different muscles (e.g., lats or arms first).
Lower Body Session Guidelines
- Leg day A focuses on quads and adductors (hack squat, leg extension, seated hamstring curl, adductors, calves).
- Leg day B focuses on posterior chain (stiff-leg deadlift, hamstring curls, leg press or extension, glute or calf work).
- Keep exercise volume moderate (1–3 sets per movement) and avoid unnecessary redundancy.
Second Upper Body Session
- Use different pressing/pulling variations than the first session (e.g., incline press if you did flat press previously).
- Alternate lat and row variations to avoid overlap.
- Vary arm exercises by targeting either the lengthened or shortened range based on what was done earlier.
Exercise Selection Principles
- Avoid redundancy: Do not pair highly similar compound movements back-to-back.
- Use stable, simple exercises and sufficient variety without overcomplicating.
- For biceps, prioritize full range of motion and optionally use preacher/incline curls for support.
- No need to obsess over exercise science details; consistency and variety matter most.
Volume, Intensity, and Tempo
- Perform 1–3 sets per exercise, adjusting to experience and recovery.
- Start each training block with easier efforts (more reps in reserve), progressing to harder sets (0–1 reps in reserve) over time.
- Isolation movements can be pushed closer to failure as they appear later in the session.
- Tempo should be controlled but not rigidly prescribed; focus on form and consistency.
Injury Considerations and Training Adjustments
- Shoulder (AC joint) injury described as a result of ego lifting and excessive loading for social media.
- Recovery involved reducing pressing volume and intensity, temporarily limiting exercises to pain-free movements like the pec deck.
- Importance of listening to one's body, not succumbing to ego, and programming conservatively when injured.
Recommendations / Advice
- Avoid redundant exercise pairings to maximize training efficiency.
- Prioritize compound lifts when fresh and isolation work later in sessions.
- For injuries, reduce volume and intensity, favor pain-free exercises, and be patient with recovery.
- Focus on stable, full-range movements rather than trendy or excessively complicated programming.
Personal Reflections
- Recent shoulder injury served as a lesson to reduce ego lifting and unnecessary risk.
- The pressure to appear impressive on social media influenced loading decisions.
- Emphasized the importance of following one's own advice regarding safe and sensible training.