n=1

This post is part of my n=1 series where I outline all the self-experimentation I've done over the decades. What worked and what didn't. These posts are special because they're more like continually updated articles. It's unlikely I will make new posts to notify you of when I've updated these articles, so keep in mind that they might change in the future.

Intro

I don't lift weights to get strong. I don't lift weights to look good. I don't even lift weights for the health benefits. I lift weights to alleviate my insomnia. Do I want to get stronger, look better and reap the health benefits of resistance training? Of course! Of course I do, but I do it for the drastic reduction in sleep onset latency it yields. The reason I'm putting this in the intro is to make it very clear that my workout routine is not (according to fitness science) optimal for body building nor strength training. But it's optimal for inducing the maximum amount of stress in the least amount of time, enabling me to do it 5 times a week. It's also segmented in a way where if I ever overtrain I can easily scale down each exercise as needed. Overtraining is a meme in the fitness field since everyone and their cat think they're overtraining while in reality they're not even close. However hitting failure for 30+ sets every single day will get you there.

Exercises

As you can see I do three main lifts every day. I very rarely change the exercises but if I do this post will be updated. Each exercise is divided into four phases.

Phase 1

One set with five reps. Hitting five reps means the weight for this phase will be raised by 2.5kg for next week. Rest for two minutes after this phase, you do not rest between the rest of the phases.

Phase 2

The weight in this set is not related to the weight in phase 1. One set with ten reps. Hitting ten reps means the weight will be raised by 1kg for next week. Then three additional rest-pause sets with 20 seconds of rest in-between. If I managed to hit a multiple of ten reps with these three sets (as in 10-5-5) I would raise the weight for next week by an additional 1kg for each multiple of ten.

Phase 3

Four rest pause sets with 20 seconds of rest in-between for as many reps as possible. The weight will not be raised no matter how many reps you perform because this phase is a 0.75 multiple of whatever weight you have in phase 2.

Phase 4

A single set for as many reps as possible. The weight will not be raised no matter how many reps you perform because this phase is a 0.5 multiple of whatever weight you have in Phase 2.

Monday

Wide grip reverse bench press Dumbbell chest push to eccentric fly Heavy partial squat

Tuesday

Seated barbell bicep curl Seated fatgrip dumbbell hammer curl Barbell good morning

Wednesday

Wide grip Klokov press Close grip barbell upright row Barbell facepull on bench

Thursday

Swiz bar pullover on floor Straight bar cable pushdown Barbell hack squat

Friday

Barbell row Close grip cable row laying on bench (feet against rack) Behind back barbell calf raise After the workout I generally give myself a ten minute break then I perform a rather grim cycle of accessory exercises with 20 seconds rest between exercise. These vary depending on what I feel is needed at the moment but generally include exercises like: Pull-ups Push-ups Lu raises Leg raises Wrist curls Dumbbell split squats (from a bench) Dumbbell side bends Barbell crunches (lie on the floor, hold a barbell with outstretched arms, do a crunch) Etc

Cardio

Yes. I do some. But the workouts are so intense with only 20 seconds rest that I generally don't need any in addition to them. But I play beatsaber until I can't catch my breath anymore and the sweat is pouring. During the summer I jog, sometimes in marathons, mostly by myself. That's pretty much it. If I had access to it I would use an electric jogging machine since it'd be easier on my knees.

Overtraining

Yes, this type of training will get you there. Especially if you add more than three exercises each day. But the segmented phases make the workouts eminently suited for being split up. Let's try some examples. If I've got an actual pain, as in I've pulled something or I feel damaged. Then I will most likely skip the heaviest phase 1. I might also skip phase 2. If I'm burned out, ie I feel I'm approaching overtraining then I'll only do phase 1, then the first set of phase 2 and if I'm up to it the first set of phase 3. If I'm tight on time I'll only do phase 2. Although I generally always do phase 1 and then phase 2. Since both phase 1 and 2 have their weights increase if the first set on each phase is completed then you can still raise the weight in a week where you reduce the overall intensity.