HOW TO BUILD THE PERFECT WORKOUT SESSION
Building a solid, efficient and fun workout session requires some key elements and steps. In this article, we tell you what to include to your sessions, and in which order to place those components.
Step 1 : Building a workout split
Before anything, you need to build your workout split. This means you will decide which muscles you will be working on which day, and which muscles you will group together in one single session (if that applies to you). Your workout split will differ depending on what your goals, schedule, weaknesses, fitness level, and priorities are. If you need help on building your workout split, consult our article on How to Build Your Workout Split.
Step 2 : Selecting your exercises
In order to build a complete workout, you need 3 key elements : compound, isolation, and unilateral exercises. Unilateral movements are included in both compounds and isolation exercises, meaning you can schedule them anywhere into your session.
An ideal session is composed of 4-7 exercises. Start your workout with 2-3 compounds, and follow with 2-4 isolation movements (possibility to include unilateral moves anywhere). View the table below for a range of exercises for each muscle group.
| Muscle | Compounds | Isolation |
| CHEST |
Flat/inclined/declined press variations (bench press, dumbbell press, inclined bench press, smith machine bench press, etc.) Push-ups Unilateral exercises : single arm push-ups (advanced) |
Chest fly variations (machine, dumbbell or cable) Flat/inclined/declined chest press machine Unilateral exercises : single arm chest press (on a machine) |
| BACK |
Pull-ups Bent over row variations (smith machine, barbell, dumbbell) Conventional deadlifts Lat pulldowns Unilateral exercises : single arm dumbbell rows, single arm cable rows |
Cable pullovers (or straight arm pulldowns) Inclined back extensions Seated row variations (cable, machine) Back fly variations (machine, dumbbell or cable) |
| QUADS |
Squat variations (barbell, goblet, dumbbell, machine) Leg press Unilateral exercises : quad focused lunge variations, quad focused bulgarian split squats, single leg press |
Leg extensions Wall sits Sissy squats Unilateral exercises : single leg extensions |
| HAMSTRINGS |
Romanian deadlifts Stiffed leg deadlifts |
Leg curl variations (seated, laying, with a ball) Glute and ham raises Nordic hamstring curl Unilateral exercises : b-stance romanian deadlifts, single leg romanian deadlifts |
| GLUTES |
Hip thrust variations (barbell, dumbell or machine) KAS glute bridges Glute focused romanian deadlifts Unilateral exercises : glute focused lunge variations, glute focused bulgarian split squats |
Abductor machine Reverse hyperextensions Unilateral exercises : cable kickbacks, step-up variations (dumbbell or cable), |
| OTHER |
Tricep dip variations (bench, bodyweight or machine) Chin-ups |
Bicep curl variations Tricep push-downs variations Calf raise variations (seated, standing, with dumbbells or a machine) Unilateral exercises : single arm or alternated bicep curl variations, single arm or alternated tricep push-down variations |
Step 3 : Adjusting rep range and final additions
Once you've chosen your exercises and the order in which you will be doing them, it is time to make adjustments and to clear the final details according to your goals.
The following is the basic rule concerning rep range and additions depending on the goal. However, this may vary from person to person, and with the fitness level.
If your goal is to build strength : focus on a lower rep range, with longer rest periods. i.e. 6-8 reps with 2-2.5 minutes rest.
If your goal is to gain muscle / body recomp : the standard rep range would be 8-12, with 1-2 minutes rest. If you want to build muscle and lose fat stimultaneously, add some cardio at the end of your workout session.
If your goal is fat loss : you can up your reps to the 12-15 range, but 8-12 applies really well too. You might want to add super sets (two exercises back to back with no rest). Take 1-2 minutes rest, and add some cardio at the end of your workout session.
Make sure you include a warm up at the beginning of every session, consisted of dynamic stretches and warm up exercises, or even some light cardio.
Overview
Building an efficient workout session is definitely something to learn if you're willing to create better plans for yourself. Learning some of the basics is a great tool for your own knowledge and experience, and will allow you to upgrade your performance to a new level!