While the internet is a great resource to help you figure out almost anything, the sheer amount of information can make choosing a workout routine overwhelming. So which routine is best for you, we don’t know, but how can you figure out which one is best for you; well we have some ideas.
We here at Driven Sports love research, you can see it in all of our products and it is one of the reasons that we have some of the most effective products on the market (and are regularly copied from). In researching what the best ways to build strength and muscle, we believe that Time Under Tension is king (plenty of research out there if you want to draw your own conclusions). Essentially, to build muscle you need to maximize the time that your muscles are “under tension” (being worked). There are many ways you can do this, from volume training, to using specific tempos in your lifts, etc. You hear about attaining the Pump or working until failure, we believe TUT is more important than everything else and eventually leads to everything else. So when considering a workout, consider which ones will maximize TUT.
One factor that people often forget about is which workout you will actually want to do. Forget any macho stuff, if going to the gym becomes a chore not only will your workout suffer, but the chances of you just abandoning them increases. You need to be honest with yourself and figure out what do you want to do. If you are overwhelmed by everything the gym offers, a simple workout like a 5×5 would do. If you like competitive workouts where you are pushed every time, a Cross-fit style routine may be for you. Figure out what will drive you and then look for a program that syncs with that.
Another factor to consider is resources. Obviously you can’t do a workout if half of the equipment needed isn’t available to you. Another issue to consider is which equipment is heavily used in your gym. If you can’t complete your workout because all of the benches are regularly in use, then as much as you might really love that routine, it is not the right one for you. In one of my past gyms, cable machines were always in use, which made completing my workout very difficult and frustrating. Working out should not be frustrating, so remember that when you see what movements are needed.
The final and perhaps the most important thing to consider is time. How much time do you have to work out? Again, be realistic with yourself, if an hour every day is good for you, then go for it, but if you know that your schedule would never allow for that, then don’t even bother. Most of us are not doing this professionally and life gets in the way, so plan ahead to ensure that working out doesn’t get in the way. If you only have 30-45 minutes three times a week to exercise, then look for a routine that will work in that timeframe (they are out there).
When looking for a routine, you must consider yourself before committing to anything. What resources do you have, how much time can you devote to training, which routines seem to motivate you? You really need to know what will get in your way, even if it is yourself. Exercising should be an escape to work on you, not a pain in the ass. If you will get annoyed spending most of your workout time setting up weights and zigzagging the gym searching for the right equipment, then that is not the routine for you. Once you considered all of that, then look at the structure of the routine to ensure that you will get the workout that maximizes TUT. The search for the right routine becomes much simpler when you know what you want and what you can do.