Warmups, Rep Ranges, and Routine Design

In this article, when I use the term "workout", I intend to mean weightlifting routine.

Warm-ups

There is some debate as to whether a short cardio warmup is neccessary before weights. If you choose to do a cardio warmup, keep it to 10 minutes or less (just enough to get the blood flowing, and not enough to cause fatigue).

Preworkout, do not do any static (stationary) stretches. Static stretching preworkout increases the risk of injury. You may do nonstationary stretches preworkout (for example: arm circles, bodyweight lunges).

The MOST important warmup, is the direct warmup of the working muscle. For the first exercise of each muscle group in your workout, you should add in warmup sets before your working sets. I recommend starting with ~60% of the weight you intend to use for the exercise, and increasing by about 20% each time until you reach your target weight. Here are a few examples:

Target weight 30# dumbbells (note that 66% of 30 is 20)
- do 1 warmup set with 20# dumbbells, then move on to your working sets
Target weight 80# barbell (note that 60% of 80 is ~50)
- do warmup sets at 50#, and 65#, before moving on to your working sets
Target weight 110# barbell (60% of 110 is ~65)
- do warmup sets with 65#, 80#, 95#, then working sets.

Note that warmup sets are intended to warmup the muscles in addition to preparing them for the load by increasing it slowly. They reduce risk of injury, and can even help you lift more when done correctly. The warmup sets should NOT fatigue the muscles. I recommend keeping just 6 reps per warmup set to ensure this.

If a program says "do 3 sets", any warmup sets will be in addition to those 3 sets.

Reps, Sets, and Rep Ranges

A repetition (rep) is one complete movement. A set is a series of these movements without rest. Between sets there is a rest period. You have progressed when either your reps or weight have increased. You have plateaued if you can't increase in reps or weights (see plateau fixes).

The effect of different rep ranges on strength and muscle mass is explained here. If you are a complete beginner, I recommend starting at either the 12-15 or 8-12 rep range and concentrating on form, for the first 2 months. Then, increase your intensity by decreasing your rep range to either 6-10 or 4-8 (if your primary goal is bodybuilding). If your primary goal is strength, spend at least 2 months at a moderate rep range (6-10 or 4-8), and then decrease to using below 6 reps a set (the 5x5 system is an example of a strength protocol). If you have to increment by more than 6% when raising your weight on an exercise, you may have to use a larger rep range in order to progress on that exercise (eg. 6-12, or 8-15).

Rep Schemes and Rest Periods

Here, I would like to explain different rep schemes. There are two basic ways to go about progressing on reps. The first way is to use a rep range (eg. 6-10 reps, for 3 sets). In this scheme, you will up the weight on the next set, if you could do 10 reps on the last set. I suggest upping the weights by 2.5 to 5% each time. An example progression would be:

Week 1: 90# 6,6,6
Week 2: 90# 8,8,7
Week 3: 90# 10 95# 6,6

The second way, is to aim to get all of your sets at a specific rep level (eg. 3 sets of 10, or 5 sets of 5). An example of this would be:

Week 1: 90# 6,6,6
Week 2: 90# 8,8,7
Week 3: 90# 10,9,8
Week 4: 90# 10,10,10
Week 5: 95# 6,6,6

I prefer the first way, as I am able to progress faster on the weights, but either way is fine.

Your rest period should be lengthened as your reps go down (ie. the more intense a set, the more rest you will need between sets). I suggest you keep track of rest periods with a watch.

Rest between sets by intensity:

8-12 reps - 1.5 minutes rest
6-10 reps - 2 minutes rest
below 6 reps - 2.5 to 3 minutes rest

Too short of a rest period will result in subpar strength. Too long of a rest period allows the muscle to recover too much, and reduces the effect of the exercise.

Routine Design

Here I explain some basic issues with routine design. First, I would like to give a few definitions:

Pull Muscles - those muscles that involved in pulling. Specifically, the back (both upper and lower) and biceps.
Push Muscles - those muscles that are involved in pushing. Specifically, the chest, shoulders, and triceps.
Horizontal Plane Exercises - denotes the exercises that work muscles in the horizontal plane - pushing and pulling forward and back. For example - cable rows, bent-over rows, push-ups, bench press.
Vertical Plane Exercises - denotes those exercises that work the muscles in the vertical plane - pushing and pulling up or down. For example - pullups, lat pulldowns, shoulder press, shrugs.

Rest Between Workouts

Two muscles that belong to one of the push, pull, or leg groups should not be placed on consecutive days (eg. don't do shoulder press one day, and bench press the next day). In fact, I would put 2 days between working another muscle in the same group, with the exception of the calves, abs, and arms, which heal quickly, and can be done with just 1 day inbetween them.

Another exception, is when doing a high rep scheme (eg. 8-12), it is ok to exercise the same muscle after only 1 day inbetween since the muscles heal quickly at this rep range.

You should try to work in at least 2 days per week where you are not weight training, with 1 day having no weight training or cardio. This will reduce the chances of overtraining, and burnout.

Length of Workouts

It is best if the length of your workout (including any cardio tacked on) is at most 1 hour 30 minutes.

Placement of Cardio Sessions

High intensity cardio should not be done on leg day, or the day after leg day. Moderate intensity cardio may be done on, or the day after, leg day provided it is at least 6 hours away from the workout.

Cardio should not be done before weights (except for the short warmup I described above), as this will prefatigue the muscles, and the workout will be less effective. Cardio may be done after weights on upper body days. It may also be done 6 or more hours separated from weights (which is the better option for those who are not time-poor).

Choice Of Exercises

Your routine should be focused on compound movements (those movements which work more than one muscle at a time), as these will induce the most growth. Have at least 2 compound moves for each isolation move. Free weights are favored over machines since they work your body as a unit (not parts) and work your stabilizer muscles. As well, the average woman has too small of a frame for the average machine - which seem to be built to fit men best.

For larger muscles you will want 2-3 exercises per session, and for smaller muscles 1-2 (there may be overlap here). Want some help picking exercises? Go to the exercise demonstration page.

Limit yourself to 6 exercises a session. Doing too much in one session will result in a suboptimal training session, as you will be very fatigued before the end of your workout. Intensity is more important than quantity.

Also, you should read through the Top 10 Boneheaded Workout Mistakes.

Changing Your Routine

To maintain steady progress, I recommend taking a week off every 2-3 months, as this will allow your body to rest from any overtraining. Also, consider changing an aspect of your routine every 2-3 months (however, if it is working well, don't change it) - a good time for this is right after a rest week. This change could involve your rep range, number of sets, rep scheme, exercises, and/or split.