What's your workout routine?

[Glenn]

Gym 6 days a week PPL and an hour of cardio every gym day- probably too much but lots of recovery peptides. 35-mile mtb rides on the weekend, weather permitting.

Starting weight 445lbs, currently 213lbs and am in the best shape of my life at 61 years old.

 

[kobeanbry24]

56 M 288bs. Started at 279 two months ago, shot up over 300 immediately despite the calorie deficit (had to be mostly water weight and a little muscle). Now the weight is starting to come back off. My muscles are totally jacked, like crazy unexpected jacked like I was 19 again.

Stack: Reta/Tesa/Ipa/Klow

I lift every morning, then run/walk/hike on my Nordictrack for 45 minutes.

Day 1) Chest/Back:

Incline bench/dumbbell rows: 3 sets of 12/10/8 each

Flat Dumbell Flys/Nordic curls: 3 sets of 12/10/8 each

Decline cables/Lat Pull downs: 3 sets of 12/10/8 each

Cardio after

5-10 mins stretching

Day 2) Shoulders/Bi's/Tri's:

Standing front press/seated hammers/dumbbell kickbacks 3 sets of 12/10/8 shoulders - 2 sets of 12/10 bis and tris

Dumbell side raises/EZ preachers/Cable pushdowns 3 sets of 12/10/8 shoulders - 2 sets of 12/10 bis and tris

Cable rear delts/seated concentration curls 3 sets of 12/10/8 shoulders - 2 sets of 12/10 bis

Cardio after

5-10 mins stretching

Day 3) Legs:

Squats/Extensions/Curls/Lunges/Calf raises 3 sets of 12/10/8

Cardio after

5-10 mins stretching

I usually do two back to back cycles for 6 straight days and rest on day 7. I also swap out various exercises every few weeks (Flat bench/incline flys, seated military for shoulders, deadlifts for back, etc.

Excellent. Now that I'm in my 40s I take more time to stretch.

I do Muay Thai 3x a week. Which consists of a butt load of push ups, squats, and sit-ups then a painful amount of cardio.

 

[Tattoo85]

My routine for a few years has been pretty typical bodybuilding splits, chest/shoulders, back, arms, legs, or some similar version to that. Typically I've done 3 exercises per body part, for 5 working sets. Lately I've been trying to catch my legs up after a lower back disc extrusion which caused me to lose feeling and muscle in my right leg for a couple months, so I've been doing a lot more alternating upper and lower body days so I can hit legs 3+ times per week. I'm kind of enjoying the change, I've also backed off a little bit of the volume, doing 3-4 sets instead of 5.

 

[UnusualLLama]

Wall of text alert.

I rotate my schedule every 3-4 months and because I've just started with Reta I've shifted into a maintenance period (I was up until last week doing 5 strength days of Upper, Lower, Upper, Lower, Arms & Shoulders + 2 higher intensity cardio days).

Was happy with my strength gains during the last period so now it's all about stimulating the muscle enough to retain strength with a reduced overall strain (also helping reduce some lingering tendon issues I picked up during my last strength push).

Currently my schedule looks like this (each exercise in the strength sessions will have at least 1 set where I go to absolute failure with the exception of compound lifts, other sets are within 1-2 reps of failure);

Monday:

3km light Jog

Chest-Supported Machine Rows - 5 sets, 2 ramp up sets and 3 working in the 6-10 rep range.

Incline DB Press - 6 sets, 3 ramp up and 3 working 6-10 reps.

Neutral Grip Lat Pulldowns - 3 sets, 1 ramp up set and 2 working 8-12 reps.

Lying Cable Face Pulls - 3 sets, 1 ramp up set and 2 working 10-15 reps.

Tricep Cable Pressdowns (Bar) - 3 sets, 1 ramp up set and 2 working 10-15 reps.

Preacher Curls - 2 working sets 10-15 reps.

3km Light Jog.

Post-lunch 30-minute walk.

Tuesday:

3km Brisk Walk.

60-minutes Stead-state Cardio (Aiming for zone 2 effort).

3km Brisk Walk.

Post-lunch 30-minute walk.

Wednesday:

3km light jobg.

Belt Squat - 7 sets, 3 ramp up sets and 4 working 6-10 reps.

RDL - 5 sets, 2 ramp up sets and 3 working 6-10 reps.

Prone Leg Curls - 1 ramp up set and 3 working 10-15 reps.

Smith machine reverse lunges - 2 working sets 8-12 reps each leg.

Seated leg extensions - 2 working sets 12-20 reps.

Standing calf raises - 1 ramp up set and 2 working 10-15 reps.

Glute Abductor machine - 2 working sets 12-15 reps.

Post-lunch 30-minute walk.

Thursday:

3km brisk walk

60-minutes Steady-state Cardio (Aiming for zone 2 effort).

3km Brisk Walk.

Post-lunch 30-minute walk.

Friday:

3km light jog.

T-bar rows - 2 ramp up sets and 3 working 6-10 reps.

Seated overhead DB press - 2 ramp up sets and 3 working 8-12 reps.

Wide-neutral grip Lat Pulldowns - 2 working sets 8-12 reps.

Machine lateral raises - 2 working sets 10-15 reps.

Reverse Pec-dec - 3 working sets 12-20 reps.

Cable-curls - 2 working sets 8-12 reps.

Tricep cable pressdowns (bar) - 2 working sets 8-12 reps.

Post-lunch 30-minute walk.

Saturday:

3km brisk walk.

30-40 minutes high intensity cardio (aiming at working in zones 4-5), typically something like 5x4-minute speed efforts (4 minutes near max speed effort, 3 minute recovery repeated 5 times).

3km Brisk walk.

Sunday:

3km brisk walk.

60-minutes steady-state cardio (zone 2 target).

3km brisk walk.

 

[fatjacked]

Male in my early 40's. I started lifting heavy around fall 2024 after being more cardio / sports focused for many years. Found I got super hungry and way too bulky, but also got a lot stronger. Decided to go on tirz in January 2026 and have tried to develop a more balanced split since then. It's unscientific and I'm not perfect about it but I have been able to mostly stick to it without getting hurt, which is probably the biggest thing.

I don't have a standalone leg day but try to mix in a bit of legs and core on all my lifting days instead. I also try to run a mile on the treadmill after lifting but don't always have time. I know I should train legs more consistently but it tends to interfere with basketball when I have a standalone leg day.

We mix all these up sometimes but here's what it's been looking like recently.

Monday - Back

Pulldowns (wide grip, neutral grip, close grip)

Seated rows

Single arm pulldowns

Single arm kneeling cable rows

Row machine to warm up and sometimes to get HR up between sets. Usually superset most of these with triceps and some kind of core movement. I don't usually deadlift due to a previous injury, and I'm even a bit hesitant to do heavy dumbbell rows, but have been thinking about trying again now that I'm more experienced.

Tuesday - Chest

Flat Bench (alternate between going close to max vs. volume on a week to week basis)

Incline (barbell or dumbbells, depends on what's available lol)

Decline bench

Cable flys

usually finish with a bicep burnout or pyramid of some sort

Superset everything but flat bench with curls or cables of some sort and mix in some core.

Wednesday - basketball

Thursday - Rest. I find I do much better taking my rest day during the week, helps keep me moving more on the weekend and not just crash. If I'm having a great week I might sneak in some extra cardio here but I generally take a full rest day.

Friday - Shoulders / Legs

Warm up with dumbbell raises (lateral / front / rear)

Plate loaded shoulder press

Hack squat into overhead press (this is one of my favorite combo exercises and it absolutely wrecks me)

Arnold press

Usually hit some leg extensions and hamstring curls

Saturday - cardio (run 3-4 miles) or will mix in an all-around lift day if I'm dealing with any kind of leg / foot problems, which I sometimes am.

Sunday - basketball

I pretty much always exercise in the morning. Saturdays I might run in the early afternoon depending on other demands, but otherwise it's always first thing in the AM.

 

[Smiter]

The secret weapons of Obesos, God of Var... Sidewinder

 

[jason370]

Started a new workout split when I started pinning Reta.

M - Leg day(quad focus)

T - Push Day(Chest & Tri)

W - Pull Day(Back & Bi)

Th - Rest(still walking 5mi)

F - Leg day(hamstring focus)

S - Push/Pull split

Su - Rest(still walking 5mi)

Aiming for 10-12 sets per muscle group per week. 8-10 reps per set. Pushing most sets to failure.

I also do 20 minutes of cardio after weightlifting days. It’s been working well and I can see a big difference from the “bro” split I was doing before.

no shoulders?

 

[RJ760]

no shoulders?

Shoulders get worked on push days.

 

[lastresort]

Two days upper body, two days lower, and 2 days cardio.

 

[Habibibi]

I've been lifting for 15+ years, and for me at this point, it's about variety. Currently, I'm enjoying unilateral lifts, and movements that emphasize balance. I work out 3x/week, and do cardio on the same day. I typically do 3 leg exercises, and 2 upper body exercises. Because I change my lifting routine up at least once a year, I now track volume of weights lifted to keep track of progress across training styles.

A pet peeve of mine is that men put way too much emphasis on upper body exercises. Most of our muscles mass is below the waist, and it makes little sense to me to not work these out more, if looking to add or retain muscle.

 

[Smiter]

A pet peeve of mine is that men put way too much emphasis on upper body exercises. Most of our muscles mass is below the waist, and it makes little sense to me to not work these out more, if looking to add or retain muscle.

Interesting hypothesis, but with a clear and so blatantly obvious response that it would be the definition of 'Duh' in the dictionary.

if looking to add or retain muscle.

That's the means, not the end.

Most muscle mass below the waist? I'm not so sure. Stronger? Mayhaps. Though, I totally agree we should train our legs. Only, I think lower body training should be done differently than upper body parts. You know, since the knee, hip, and ankles are some of the most affected by senescence.

 

[Habibibi]

Most muscle mass below the waist? I'm not so sure. Stronger? Mayhaps. Though, I totally agree we should train our legs. Only, I think lower body training should be done differently than upper body parts. You know, since the knee, hip, and ankles are some of the most affected by senescence.

I thought that was obvious: largest muscle is gluteus maximus, second largest is quadriceps, fourth largest is hamstrings.

 

[Smiter]

I thought that was obvious: largest muscle is gluteus maximus, second largest is quadriceps, fourth largest is hamstrings.

Yes, that is so. So, dont you think it makes it more important to train upper body more? Because the leg muscles are inherently stronger and also one more thing. In many upper body exercises, the legs get trained anyway, right? I always think of Roberto Carlos.

 

[modoodom]

38M, 185 lbs.

I run a Mon/Wed/Fri full-body lifting setup and do runs Tue/Thu/Sat (mostly zone 2). Usually around 20 miles running weekly plus another ~20 miles walking. Sunday is full rest or sometimes just an easy walk.

I organize lifting into blocks so the workouts flow quickly and recovery stays manageable with all the cardio:

Block 1 (4 sets) = heavy compounds

Squat

Bench press

Lat pulldown

Block 2 (3 sets) = posterior chain + secondary strength

Romanian deadlift

Overhead press

Single arm row

Block 3 (3 sets) = chest hypertrophy/accessories

Incline chest press

Lateral raises

Chest flys

Block 4 (3 sets) = finishers/core

Biceps curls

Skull crushers

Calf raises

Hollow body rocking

Usually around ~44k lifted volume per workout (~130k+ weekly total). Full body has worked way better for me than body-part splits when combining lifting with this much running/walking. Biggest thing I’ve learned is consistency and progressive overload matter more than constantly changing exercises.

Just started taking reta too.

 

[Whiynot20026]

I hit 4 workouts a week. 2 upper and 2 lower. Upper Monday and Friday. Lower Tuesday and Saturday.

Upper

Side Lateral arm raise 3 sets

Military dumbell press slightly declined 3 sets

Preacher Curl 3 Sets

Cable tricep pull downs 3 Sets

Declined Bench Press 3 Sets

Chin-ups 3 Sets

Dips on dip bar 3 Sets

This takes me 45 to 50 minutes. 2 Minute rest between sets. Same for lower.

Lower

Leg lifts 3 sets

Hamstring curls 3 Sets

Seated Calf raise 3 Sets

Glute bridge machine 3 Sets

Lunges 3 Sets of 20

 

[Habibibi]

Yes, that is so. So, dont you think it makes it more important to train upper body more? Because the leg muscles are inherently stronger and also one more thing. In many upper body exercises, the legs get trained anyway, right? I always think of Roberto Carlos.

And vice versa. With compound movements, both eventually get trained. Core, back, and grip strength are all part of keeping great form for squats and deadlifts. So as long as my core is strong enough to support the weight on my shoulders, I see no need to dedicate separate time for core work.

From a purely efficient point of view : Muscle growth is localized, so stimulating growth in a large muscle will yield more raw muscle mass. So to me, this puts lower body ahead.

Now, if taking into account aesthetics, that will change, and also there's genetic limit to how much a muscle can grow anyway. So eventually, you'll have to look for gains in other places. But to me, it makes little sense to not to start with the place with the biggest/easiest gains first.

 

[octopusthorpe]

56 M 288bs. Started at 279 two months ago, shot up over 300 immediately despite the calorie deficit (had to be mostly water weight and a little muscle). Now the weight is starting to come back off. My muscles are totally jacked, like crazy unexpected jacked like I was 19 again.

Stack: Reta/Tesa/Ipa/Klow

I lift every morning, then run/walk/hike on my Nordictrack for 45 minutes.

Day 1) Chest/Back:

Incline bench/dumbbell rows: 3 sets of 12/10/8 each

Flat Dumbell Flys/Nordic curls: 3 sets of 12/10/8 each

Decline cables/Lat Pull downs: 3 sets of 12/10/8 each

Cardio after

5-10 mins stretching

Day 2) Shoulders/Bi's/Tri's:

Standing front press/seated hammers/dumbbell kickbacks 3 sets of 12/10/8 shoulders - 2 sets of 12/10 bis and tris

Dumbell side raises/EZ preachers/Cable pushdowns 3 sets of 12/10/8 shoulders - 2 sets of 12/10 bis and tris

Cable rear delts/seated concentration curls 3 sets of 12/10/8 shoulders - 2 sets of 12/10 bis

Cardio after

5-10 mins stretching

Day 3) Legs:

Squats/Extensions/Curls/Lunges/Calf raises 3 sets of 12/10/8

Cardio after

5-10 mins stretching

I usually do two back to back cycles for 6 straight days and rest on day 7. I also swap out various exercises every few weeks (Flat bench/incline flys, seated military for shoulders, deadlifts for back, etc.

I've been following a traditional powerlifting split (plus accessories) for almost 10 years. My current schedule is:

Monday : Barbell squats (main lift - current 1RM: 225lb), one-arm rows, sled push/pulls, KB back ext, kb decline situps

Tuesday : Cardio/mobility work

Wednesday : Bench press (main lift - current 1RM: 125lb), lat pulls, triceps, lat raises, sled push/pull, kb back ext, kb decl situps

Thursday : Home workout: curls (hammer, incline, concentration) DB OHP, upright rows, russian twists, KB calf raises

Friday : Deadlifts (main lift - current 1RM: 320lb), standing barbell OHP, sled push/pull (I really like sled obv), TRX rows, KB back ext, kb decline situps

Saturday : Hiking (usually 20-30 miles)

Sunday : Rest day

Female, 50 yo,

I'm on 1mg/week reta, and 15mg/week test-c (for perimenopause but dosing a bit extra for the lifting gains - no virilization after 2 years)

 

[JimGainz]

Shoulders get worked on push days.

True. Few people realize that shoulders and triceps get worked during Push and biceps get worked during Pull and don't need more than one (maybe two) exercises. Your shoulders work fine, until they don't ... so play it safe and focus on Side Lateral Raises.

 

[frostycobbler]

Was tired of doing bro split for over 10 years and also takes long (2-2.5 hours for me)

Now I limit my gym sessions to 60-90mins doing PPL every 6 days with Sundays set for rest day.

 

[jmon1977]

Soon to be 49 year old male here. I run a rolling split so I'm not always doing the same muscles on the same days every week. I do Upper, Lower, Push, Pull, Legs, Rest, repeat. Upper and Lower days are almost exclusively big compound moves (aside from some arm or calf work). PPL days typically start with compounds, but also include isolation/accessories. My body loves volume, so I do ~30 sets per day. Sets are taken to 1-2 RIR or sometimes failure. I like to incorporate things like drop sets, rest/pause, etc. Typically hover in the 8-15 rep range for most sets.