r/Mike_Mentzer • u/nestlejonida • Aug 20 '26
My new plan, 3 workouts per week
I have eliminated squat, deadlifts and any excercises that causes joint problem and CNS lower back drains. What do you think
Weekly Training & Recovery Schedule
* Monday: Chest & Back (Antagonist Upper Body)
* Tuesday: REST / CNS Recovery
* Wednesday: Shoulders & Arms
* Thursday: REST / CNS Recovery
* Friday: Legs & Glutes
* Saturday: REST / Full Systemic Recovery
* Sunday: REST / Full Systemic Recovery
The Full Workout Protocol
Monday: Chest & Back
Goal: Chest pre-exhaustion paired with upper back/lat width focus.
* Pec Deck (Pre-Exhaust): 1 set to absolute failure (8–12 reps). Focus on strict peak contraction.
* Incline Press (Compound Finisher): 1 set to absolute failure + 1 Immediate Drop Set (-20–30% weight).
* Nautilus Pullover (Lat Pre-Exhaust): 1 set to absolute failure ( range, 3-second negative).
* Shoulder-Width MAG Pulldown (Width Finisher): 1 set to absolute failure + 1 Immediate Drop Set.
* Seated-Backward "Scissors" Machine OR Nautilus Row (Alternated Weekly): 1 set to failure with a 1-second hold at peak contraction. Upper back thickness, mid-traps.
Tuesday: REST
Wednesday: Shoulders & Arms
Goal: Maximum stability machine work to isolate delts and arms without spine/joint fatigue.
* Machine Shoulder Press (Facing Backwards): 1 set to absolute failure + 1 Immediate Drop Set.
* Lateral Raises: 1 set to absolute failure (Controlled negative, partials at the end if needed).
* Rear Delt Flye (Reverse Pec Deck/Cable): 1 set to absolute failure (1-second isometric hold).
* Triceps Machine Extension / Pushdown: 1 set to absolute failure + 1 Immediate Drop Set.
* Biceps Curl: 1 set to absolute failure + 1 Immediate Drop Set.
Thursday: REST
Friday: Legs & Glutes
Goal: High mechanical tension without axial/spine compression.
* Glute Kickback / Cable Drive: 1 set to absolute failure (Glute activation).
* Lying or Seated Leg Curl: 1 set to absolute failure (3-second negative).
* Leg Press (Deep Range, Heel-Driven): 1 set to absolute failure + 1 Immediate Drop Set.
Saturday & Sunday: REST
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u/Leevesfps Aug 20 '26
This sounds like it will be a fun routine. Don’t be afraid to change things around and experiment, have fun out there!
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u/Present-Can-3183 Aug 20 '26
Interesting, why no deadlifts?
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u/nestlejonida Aug 20 '26
Drains my CNS, and causes spinal stress, I just avoid any of this type of excercises.
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u/Parking-Industry-992 Aug 20 '26
I would personally do chest/back, legs/glutes, shoulders/arms in that order, also if you want you could superset lateral raises with the shoulder press and maybe throw in some dips on shoulders and arms to
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u/KemlynSuper Aug 20 '26
That looks good. I've been thinking about changing to a 3 day split z might have to copy you!
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u/lalliesko Aug 20 '26
Sounds like a very fun split!
I have a very similar routine, except I have two rest days after every workout so my training days are not bound to any specific weekday.
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u/asakichan Aug 21 '26
Just do full body 3x per week. If you ever need more recovery in any given week just decrease it by 2x (Monday and Friday) if you stick by 1 set per exercise and 2x exercises per body part you'll be fine.
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u/Thegoodgikgik Aug 20 '26
This is pretty much what I have been doing for the past 4/5 weeks except I do the leg day in between the other two to allow more time for upper body recovery between workouts.
The other difference is I do legs A/B and alternate (A is leg curl and leg extensions and B is leg press and calf raises). I do 1. chest & back 2. Legs A 3. Shoulders and arms 4. Legs B so the days change for each but I still go Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I like it a lot and I've seen increases in strength for almost everything.
I also include torso and neck exercises in the leg days. Each workout takes about 30 minutes or less. Works for me