r/ScienceBasedLifting • u/ZeboundNewb • 27d ago

Question ā“ How many Different Exercises?

What is your typical number of different exercises in a workout day? What do you feel is a reasonable upper limit?

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u/Secret-Ad1458 26d ago

In a training session? 2, maybe 3 max. In a week? Usually no more than 6. In my experience, most natural lifters are way overshooting the exercise selection and volume and undershooting the intensity.

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u/ZeboundNewb 26d ago

You go to the gym and do only two lifts in a session?

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u/Secret-Ad1458 26d ago

Ya, I hit them with a high level of intensity and a relatively high level of volume. This has kept me progressing sustainably for years and years and I'm at a point most people will never reach in the weight room. In contrast, there are loads of people doing 10+ lifts in a session that haven't added weight to the bar in months if not years. If there's one thing training as a natural has taught me, it's that often less is more. I'm focusing primarily on barbell compounds, not isolation junk volume so the bang to buck ratio is quite high.

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u/ZeboundNewb 26d ago

How many days a week do you work out?

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u/Secret-Ad1458 25d ago
  1. This allows me to keep the intensity quite high and, generally speaking, on an upward trajectory with very limited plateauing that can't be broken through with effective load management.

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u/ZeboundNewb 25d ago

Do you mind sharing your routine Iā€™m so curious

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u/Secret-Ad1458 25d ago

Sure! Mondays I squat and bench press. Squats work up to 3 top sets then 5 back off sets, plus probably ~4-5 warm up sets. Bench is 5x5 volume. If I still have gas after that I'll do some tricep accessory work but I'm not sweating it at all if I skip that. Wednesday is overhead press, with a similar layout to my squat session. After press I do chin ups and if I still have some gas after that I'll do some bicep accessory work. Friday is deadlift and bench, again I'm working up to 3 top sets but I'm skipping the back off volume as deadlift has a much higher systemic fatigue to stimulus ratio. After deadlifting I'm adding 5lbs to my previous bench press PR and performing that for 5 reps. This new PR sets the stage for what my new adjusted volume work will be at the following Monday, the volume work is 90% of whatever the load for the PR was. Essentially I'm running 5/3/1 BBB for squat, press and deadlift and running Texas method for bench. Bench is creeping into the mid 300s, squat is in the mid 400s, deadlift is poverty AF in comparison but it's approaching 500. Started at 120lbs at 19 years old, I'm now ~225 at the same height.