Updated workout routine - Part 3

4-week hybrid strength / power / agility block

“Train to stimulate, not annihilate.” —Lee Haney

I’ve recently tweaked my workout schedule again.

In the previous two posts I described the updated weight-lifting block and the updated functional block. The first one was more muscle / VO2max maintenance focused. The second one was more full-body power / functional movement focused.

This post is about a different idea: combining multiple styles of training in the same schedule — strength, hypertrophy, power, agility, combat-style conditioning, grip strength, yoga / mobility and VO2max work.

The goal is not to make the week random. The goal is to make it dense, but still sequenced.

The main constraint is not just muscular fatigue. It is nervous system fatigue. Muscles can often handle more work than attention, coordination and movement quality can handle. Power, agility, plyometrics, MMA / boxing and interval work are not just “muscle” work. They require coordination, speed, braking, balance, bracing and intent. When mental fatigue sets in, form starts getting sloppy before the muscles are truly done.

Because I work out first thing in the morning, this matters a lot. The workout cannot consume the whole mental budget for the day. I still need to be useful at work at 9am, 1pm and 5pm.

So this routine is built around a simple idea: enough stimulus to keep progressing, but not so much nervous system fatigue that the rest of the day becomes a tax.

As before, I work out first thing in the morning, with a 5:30 am wake-up, quick oral/face hygiene, pre-workout supplements, and a 10-15 min meditation.

Because the schedule is dense, I’m still skipping pre-workout foam rolling during the work week. I do try to compensate on the weekend with a quick 20 min foam-rolling session once a week, or, when possible, a professional massage every few weeks. If I had unlimited time, I’d keep the full pre-workout mobility work, but this is the realistic compromise.

I still use guided workouts, mostly Beachbody / BODi historical programs, mainly for timing and pacing, and my week starts on Sundays.

The general structure: a main workout, followed by a cardio segment, with optional add-ons for abs, pull-ups, chin-ups or core depending on the day.

This is a 4-week block. Muscle building remains the primary goal, but athleticism is no longer separated into a completely different block. It is built into the same week.

Abbreviations below:

Body Beast = Body Beast / Beast Up / Deluxe family. In this block, that includes the Build, Bulk, Tempo, Beast Up, Beast: Abs and Beast: Abs Classic workouts. This is still the main hypertrophy engine of the schedule.

P90X GN = P90X Generation Next
T30 = Tough Mudder T-MINUS 30
PO4 = The Power of 4
Zone 2 and interval work are elliptical-based in this schedule.

A note on the elliptical: I am using it intentionally, not as a compromise because I cannot think of something better. I have an old tendon injury from MMA, so high-volume running is not the best risk/reward trade for me. The elliptical gives me a close enough running-like stimulus for Zone 2 and interval work, but with much lower impact and less tendon irritation. It is not identical to running — the lack of impact and fixed path are part of the point — but it gets close enough for my current goals. The other advantage is that, with variable incline, the elliptical can hit the posterior side of the legs surprisingly well. Higher incline and more deliberate drive turn it into useful work for glutes, hamstrings and calves, not just generic “cardio.”

Week 1 - accumulation and continuity week

\(\begin{array}{|c|l|l|l|c|} \hline \text{Day} & \text{Core workout} & \text{Supplemental 1} & \text{Supplemental 2} & \text{Total} \\ \hline \text{Sun} & \text{Build: Chest/Tris} & \text{Beast: Abs Classic} & \text{Short Intervals 50m} & \text{111m} \\ \hline \text{Mon} & \text{Build: Back/Bis} & \text{-} & \text{Long Intervals 50m} & \text{101m} \\ \hline \text{Tue} & \text{Beast Up: Legs} & \text{P90X3: The Challenge} & \text{Zone 2 30m} & \text{109m} \\ \hline \text{Wed} & \text{P90X GN Cardio Boxing} & \text{P90X GN Core Circuit} & \text{Short Intervals 30m} & \text{111m} \\ \hline \text{Thu} & \text{Build: Shoulders} & \text{Bulk: Arms} & \text{Long Intervals 30m} & \text{105m} \\ \hline \text{Fri} & \text{P90X GN Plyometrix} & \text{T30: Pull Up} & \text{Zone 2 50m} & \text{102m} \\ \hline \text{Sat} & \text{PO4 Don't Skip Yoga} & \text{T30: Chin Up} & \text{Zone 2 50m} & \text{130m} \\ \hline \end{array}\)

Week 1 is the classic foundation week. There is a normal Beast chest / back / shoulders structure, but the lower body and athletic work are already present.

Tuesday is dense because legs are followed by P90X3: The Challenge, so Zone 2 is cut to 30 min.

Friday is the first athletic / power day. Saturday is long on the clock, but yoga plus Zone 2 is not the same type of stress as heavy lifting plus intervals.

Week 2 - athletic leg variation week

\(\begin{array}{|c|l|l|l|c|} \hline \text{Day} & \text{Core workout} & \text{Supplemental 1} & \text{Supplemental 2} & \text{Total} \\ \hline \text{Sun} & \text{Beast Up: Chest/Shoulders/Tris} & \text{Beast: Abs} & \text{Short Intervals 50m} & \text{119m} \\ \hline \text{Mon} & \text{Tempo: Back/Bis} & \text{-} & \text{Long Intervals 50m} & \text{101m} \\ \hline \text{Tue} & \text{P90X GN Lower Body} & \text{P90X3: The Challenge} & \text{Zone 2 30m} & \text{110m} \\ \hline \text{Wed} & \text{P90X3 MMX} & \text{P90X GN Core Circuit} & \text{Short Intervals 30m} & \text{101m} \\ \hline \text{Thu} & \text{Bulk: Shoulders} & \text{Bulk: Arms} & \text{Long Intervals 30m} & \text{102m} \\ \hline \text{Fri} & \text{P90X GN Speed/Agility} & \text{T30: Pull Up} & \text{Zone 2 50m} & \text{100m} \\ \hline \text{Sat} & \text{P90X2 X2 Yoga} & \text{T30: Chin Up} & \text{Zone 2 50m} & \text{130m} \\ \hline \end{array}\)

Week 2 shifts lower-body work from classic leg hypertrophy to more athletic lower-body strength.

Friday also becomes a true agility day. This is one of the reasons the block feels different from a standard bodybuilding plan — the muscle stimulus is still there, but the movement quality matters just as much.

The upper body still gets enough direct work: Beast Up push, Tempo Back/Bis, shoulders, arms, The Challenge and the pull-up / chin-up finishers.

Week 3 - peak overload week

\(\begin{array}{|c|l|l|l|c|} \hline \text{Day} & \text{Core workout} & \text{Supplemental 1} & \text{Supplemental 2} & \text{Total} \\ \hline \text{Sun} & \text{Bulk: Chest} & \text{Beast: Abs Classic} & \text{Short Intervals 50m} & \text{93m} \\ \hline \text{Mon} & \text{Build: Back/Bis} & \text{-} & \text{Long Intervals 50m} & \text{101m} \\ \hline \text{Tue} & \text{Bulk: Legs} & \text{P90X3: The Challenge} & \text{Zone 2 30m} & \text{106m} \\ \hline \text{Wed} & \text{P90X GN Cardio Boxing} & \text{P90X GN Core Circuit} & \text{Short Intervals 30m} & \text{111m} \\ \hline \text{Thu} & \text{Build: Shoulders} & \text{Bulk: Arms} & \text{Long Intervals 30m} & \text{105m} \\ \hline \text{Fri} & \text{P90X GN Full Body Power} & \text{T30: Pull Up} & \text{Zone 2 50m} & \text{109m} \\ \hline \text{Sat} & \text{PO4 Don't Skip Yoga} & \text{T30: Chin Up} & \text{Zone 2 50m} & \text{130m} \\ \hline \end{array}\)

Week 3 is the hardest week on paper.

Bulk Chest, Build Back/Bis, Bulk Legs and Full Body Power all land in the same week. This is where form quality matters more than chasing extra load.

Full Body Power is exactly the kind of workout where the nervous system gets tired faster than the muscles. You may still be able to move the weight, but the movement is no longer crisp. That is usually the signal to reduce weight or stop increasing intensity.

The goal here is not to survive the workout. The goal is to create a strong enough training stimulus without borrowing too much from the rest of the day.

Week 4 - consolidation without going soft

\(\begin{array}{|c|l|l|l|c|} \hline \text{Day} & \text{Core workout} & \text{Supplemental 1} & \text{Supplemental 2} & \text{Total} \\ \hline \text{Sun} & \text{Tempo: Chest/Tris} & \text{-} & \text{Short Intervals 50m} & \text{103m} \\ \hline \text{Mon} & \text{Tempo: Back/Bis} & \text{-} & \text{Long Intervals 50m} & \text{101m} \\ \hline \text{Tue} & \text{Build: Legs} & \text{P90X3: The Challenge} & \text{Zone 2 30m} & \text{103m} \\ \hline \text{Wed} & \text{P90X3 MMX} & \text{P90X GN Core Circuit} & \text{Short Intervals 30m} & \text{101m} \\ \hline \text{Thu} & \text{Bulk: Shoulders} & \text{Bulk: Arms} & \text{Long Intervals 30m} & \text{102m} \\ \hline \text{Fri} & \text{P90X GN Accel/Decel} & \text{T30: Pull Up} & \text{Zone 2 50m} & \text{102m} \\ \hline \text{Sat} & \text{P90X2 X2 Yoga} & \text{T30: Chin Up} & \text{Zone 2 50m} & \text{130m} \\ \hline \end{array}\)

Week 4 is not a deload. It is more of a consolidation week.

Tempo Chest/Tris and Tempo Back/Bis reduce the need to chase maximum weight, but still create a strong muscle stimulus through time under tension.

Acceleration / Deceleration on Friday is also a good fit here. It is not just about moving quickly. It is about braking, redirection and movement precision. That makes it very useful, but also very form-dependent.

The week is somewhat easier neurologically than Week 3, but it is not soft.

Why this structure

There are four hypertrophy-led days per week: push, pull, legs, shoulders / arms.

There is one combat / core bridge day per week: Cardio Boxing or MMX, followed by Core Circuit.

Note: That slot is somewhat flexible. Sometimes I follow the prescribed P90X GN Cardio Boxing or P90X3 MMX routine exactly, especially when I feel unimaginative and just want a guided cardio workout. Other times, I use the same slot to practice specific Krav Maga techniques and combinations from prior training: footwork, strikes, kicks, defensive movements, and transitions. The point is not the exact brand-name workout. The point is combat-style conditioning, coordination, rotation, trunk control and movement under fatigue.

There is one athletic / power day per week: Plyometrix, Speed and Agility, Full Body Power, or Acceleration / Deceleration.

There is one full yoga anchor per week.

This may be the opposite for most people, but yoga is one of the hardest routines for me mentally. Not because it is the most metabolically demanding, but because it requires patience, stillness, balance and sustained attention. That is exactly why I put it on Saturday. I do not want to start a dense workday by forcing myself through the routine that costs me the most mentally. Saturday gives me more room to do it properly.

That is the key difference between “hard” and “expensive.” Some workouts are hard muscularly. Some workouts are expensive neurologically. I am trying to avoid too many expensive sessions stacked together.

Tuesday is intentionally controlled. Leg day plus P90X3: The Challenge is already enough. That is why Zone 2 is only 30 min.

Wednesday uses short intervals, but the base workout is combat / MMA, not heavy lifting.

Friday is the main athletic day, but it is followed by Zone 2 and a short pull-up routine, not another heavy strength block.

Saturday is the recovery anchor, even though it is not a rest day.

P90X3: The Challenge

P90X3: The Challenge consists of four blocks. Each block has two sets of pull-ups followed by push-ups, with different variations.

My current numbers are 15 pull-ups and 40 push-ups per set. That’s 120 pull-ups and 320 push-ups per workout.

There’s also a burnout at the end — 2 pull-ups and 4 push-ups, no rest, for 6 sets — so add another 12 pull-ups and 24 push-ups to the total.

In this block, The Challenge shows up every Tuesday after leg work. This is intentionally aggressive. It keeps upper-body endurance and grip strength in the schedule without making the whole block a pure bodybuilding program.

It is also one more reason why Tuesday Zone 2 is shorter.

T-MINUS 30 pull-up and chin-up routines

The T30 Pull Up and Chin Up routines are short, roughly 11-12 min.

They are not meant to replace the main strength work. They are there as grip-strength and pulling-practice finishers.

My ladders are usually 2-4-8-16. That gives enough volume to matter, but the routines are short enough that I can still treat them as add-ons.

Friday gets the Pull Up routine. Saturday gets the Chin Up routine.

If I am short on time or if grip is already too fatigued, these are optional and can be dropped.

Intervals

Long intervals: warm-up, 3 × 5-min hard efforts with 2-min easy segments in between, then cool-down.

Short intervals: warm-up, 9 × 1-min hard efforts with 1-min easy segments in between, then cool-down.

All interval and Zone 2 work in this block is done on the elliptical. For intervals, I adjust resistance / pace to create the hard segments. For Zone 2, I mostly use incline and resistance to keep the effort steady while biasing the posterior chain.

In this schedule, Sunday has a longer short-interval block, Wednesday has a shorter short-interval block, Monday has the longer long-interval block, and Thursday has a shorter long-interval block.

All other cardio is Zone 2.

When time is short, abs get dropped first. Then the optional pull-up / chin-up routines. If Zone 2 is 50 min, I cut it to 30. If something still has to go, I would rather preserve the main workout and drop the supplemental cardio than rush the main movement work.

Notes on fatigue

This block averages a little under 2 hours per day. The shortest day is around 93 min and the longest day is around 130 min.

That is a lot. The only reason this works is that not every minute has the same recovery cost.

Heavy lifting, power moves, agility work, boxing / MMA, intervals and high-rep pull-up work all hit differently. The schedule is designed so that the hard work is spread out, and the most coordination-heavy work does not sit on top of maximal lifting every day.

For me, the nervous system fatigue is the main constraint. If I train too hard in the morning, the problem is not just soreness. The problem is reduced focus later in the day.

That is a bad trade.

The point of morning training is to improve the body and improve the day, not to win the workout and lose the workday.

Form

The form is critical in this block, especially once mental fatigue sets in.

This is true for heavy lifting, but it is even more true for power and agility work. Bad curls are usually not a great idea. Bad acceleration / deceleration or sloppy plyometrics are much worse.

Seemingly lower weights can be deceptive. Do not raise the weights unless you can complete the exercise with nearly perfect form. The risk of injury with complex power moves goes up considerably.

Note: doing exercises with a perfect form is an easy way to enhance effectiveness with lower weights and much reduced risk of injury.

For tempo workouts, I am not chasing weight. I am chasing tension and control.

For power workouts, I am not chasing fatigue. I am chasing crisp movement.

For intervals, I am not trying to turn every segment into a max-effort suffer fest. The goal is repeatable quality.

As always — if the last set is too easy, add a few extra reps; next time, increase the weight. The key to performance is sufficient stimulus.

When traveling

When traveling and the hotel gym with weights is available, the strength portions can mostly continue, depending on space and how crowded the place is.

If no gym is available, I normally switch to bodyweight conditioning for the duration of travel. Insanity Max 30 Month Two workouts are still a decent fallback. They are not the same stimulus, but they are good enough for maintenance.

If there is a pull-up bar, I can keep some version of The Challenge or the T30 pull-up / chin-up work. If not, I don’t overthink it.

Travel workouts are for maintenance, not perfect replication.

Again - this is what I do. This is not a recommendation that everyone should train 7 days per week or spend roughly 2 hours per day working out.

Consistency and a purposeful plan are keys and there are many other ways to stay in shape.