The Best Workout Routine

Yesterday, two of my gym buddies were arguing about the merits of high volume vs. high intensity training. As the argument evolved, it got fairly technical, branching into questions of rep speed, time under tension, and year-long periodization.
After about 30 minutes of this back and forth (neither one of these guys was getting any work done while this was going on mind you), they turned and asked my opinion.

I thought about it for a minute then responded that, "... some routines are likely better for some people than others. Furthermore, it may vary over the course of their life. Questions of fiber type, body chemistry, muscle enervation, stress levels, etc., come into play ..." I continued in this vein for a couple of minutes and could see the disappointment on their faces. They wanted a definitive answer.

I stopped for a moment to reconsider, thinking back on my own years in the gym and on the playing fields, reflecting on what worked best for me. I considered the results obtained by the many folks I had helped and worked with over the years.

And then it hit me, the best workout routine is not necessarily an optimal routine. An optimal routine is one that produces the most results in the least time. Optimal may change depending on your specific short term goals, a specific sport or event you're preparing for. Best is different and has a different time frame.

As I examined the question from this different perspective, I was able to change the equation, and the answer became clear. The best routine does not equal the most results in the least time. Best equals the most results over the course of a life time. And the reason for that is simple.

The best workout routine is one that you will do, consistently, without fail. Because at the end of the day, it's consistency that trumps all other factors. And when I say consistency, I'm talking, day after day, week after week, year after year.

You may love high intensity training. If so, do it. Likewise with higher volume. You may like long or short rests between sets or different body part groupings. You may like running for aerobic fitness and fat reduction. You may prefer gym work 3 time a week instead of 5. Do it. Do it. Do it.

For me, I know that high rep squats, with a couple of assisted reps at the end of a set, are optimal for my overall leg development and for eliciting a maximum growth hormone response, an extra result that produces overall body muscularity like nothing else. Yet I know that if I include those squats in my routine, as the weight climbs, I'll start thinking about those sets throughout the day.

Soon I'll be dreading them and sooner or later I'll start avoiding them with missed workouts. And missed workouts mean no improvements at all. If I miss enough, I'll soon start to regress. At my age, I simply cannot afford regression. So, even though I know squats are optimal, I chose heavy leg presses, as best. Because I know I'll do them, consistently, without fail. My leg press based routine, then, is not optimal, but it is best.

I turned to my buddies then and said very authoritatively, "Guys, your both right. You're both advocating routines that you know you can stick with. When all is said and done, the best routine is one that you'll do. No ifs, ands, or buts about it."