Flexible 6-Day Workout Split with Recovery and Neck Training

The speaker outlines his current workout split, emphasizing flexibility and the importance of proper recovery. His routine is structured around six workouts per week, with resistance training sessions typically lasting about an hour.

Workout Split

Monday or Tuesday: Legs

This session focuses on calves, hamstrings, and quads, with minimal direct glute training. - Warm-up: 2-3 sets. - Working Sets: 2 hard sets to failure for each exercise. Assisted reps may be included if a training partner is present. - Exercises: - Leg extensions (quads): 2 working sets. - Lying hamstring curls: To failure. - Belt squat: A favorite movement, chosen for its ability to load the legs without stressing the shoulders. The speaker uses a Pitch Shark belt squat machine. He notes that the belt squat can also be used for marching with plates for an intense cardio and stabilizing muscle workout. - Hack squat: May include a couple of working sets.

Day After Legs: Rest Day

A proper leg workout necessitates a rest day immediately afterward. - Ideal Activities: Sauna and cold therapy, though time constraints sometimes prevent this. - Assessment: Evaluate systemic exhaustion. If the leg workout was extremely intense, a second rest day might be needed.

Two Days After Legs: Cardio and Push/Pull (Chest & Back)

• Cardio: If a second rest day isn't needed, a 20-30 minute cardio session is performed. This is typically a run, not an all-out sprint or a slow jog, but somewhere in Zone 3-4.
• Push/Pull (Chest & Back) and Neck:
  • Neck Training: Uses a 4-way neck machine (Hammer Strength brand). Emphasizes slow, controlled movements, especially for beginners, and nasal breathing with the tongue on the roof of the mouth to avoid jaw clicking and potential disc issues. Neck training is crucial for upper spine stability and can prevent shoulder problems. Aesthetically, a well-developed neck contributes to a balanced appearance. For those without a machine, a plate wrapped in a towel can be used while lying on a bench, as demonstrated by Jeff Cavalier from Athlean-X.
  • Torso Workout (Chest & Back): Viewed as a torso workout rather than a bodybuilding session, focusing on posture and strength.
    • Pushing Movement: Low incline press (2-3 warm-ups, 2-3 working sets to failure, 5-12 reps).
    • Fly-type Movement: Sometimes included, but often just low incline bench press.
    • Weighted Dips: Considered an "upper body squat," typically done with a weight vest or chains.
    • Rowing Movement: Low row or one-arm dumbbell row.
    • Chin-up Movement: Often performed first in the workout.
    • Nautilus Pullover Machine: The speaker recently acquired a vintage 1976 model, inspired by Dorian Yates and Arthur Jones.
  • Forearm Training: Heavy rowing and chin-ups naturally engage the forearms.

High-Intensity Cardio Day

This day focuses on maximizing heart rate. - Equipment: Aerodyne bike (or Assault bike). The speaker notes the Assault bike's popularity compared to the older Aerodyne, attributing it partly to effective naming. - Approach: The speaker finds his upper body fatigues faster than his lower body on the Assault bike. He typically does 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off, as longer intervals like a Norwegian 4x4 are too taxing on the upper body. - Alternatives: Outdoor sprints, rowing machine sprints. - Key Principle: Max effort without injury. Examples include 30 seconds on/off, or alternating running 400m with walking a lap.

Shoulders & Arms

• Shoulders: Some form of pressing movement. The speaker is not a big proponent of lateral raises, though he does include rear delt flies on either chest/back day or shoulders/arms day for postural and aesthetic reasons.
• Arms:
  • Bicep curls (couple of working sets).
  • Incline curls.
  • Hammer curls.
  • Overhead tricep extension (for the long head, couple of working sets).
  • Bench dips (engages other muscles beyond triceps).

Core & Lower Back

This session typically follows the shoulders and arms workout. - Core (with Forearm Work): - Hanging L-sits. - Pikes (if L-sits are well-practiced): 5 sets of 5, bringing ankles to hands, slow descent, then into an L-sit. 3-5 sets total. - Lower Back: - 45-degree hyperextension machine. Not taken to failure. - Importance: Strengthening spinal erectors improves posture and injury resistance. - Duration: This entire core and lower back workout takes an hour tops.

Sunday: Long Slow Movement

• Purpose: Mental stimulation and outdoor activity to prepare for the week.
• Activities:
  • Walk or hike with a partner.
  • Rucking while listening to a podcast.
  • Jogging in the sand (slow pace).
  • Long bike ride.
• Key: The challenge is to maintain a slow pace, not to go faster.

General Principles

• Flexibility: The schedule allows for adjustments (e.g., Monday or Tuesday for legs).
• Compound Movements: Essential for strength and overall development. The speaker criticizes those who focus solely on isolation movements, emphasizing that even high-intensity training styles like Dorian Yates's incorporated many compound exercises.
• Progressive Overload: At 50, the speaker continues to get stronger, demonstrating the effectiveness of the routine.
• Injury Prevention: Emphasis on proper form, slow movements for neck training, and choosing activities that allow max effort without injury.