The RLD Strength Training Routine

As a hardgainer I’ve tested almost every kind of bullsh*t strength training routine available starting with my first routine straight out of Flex Magazine that had me in the gym 10 hours a week. Almost every routine I tried led to nagging injuries and stiff joints.

As a natural trainee and hardgainer my biggest problem was overtraining. Despite all the broscience on the internet, gaining muscle is simple, all you need is progressive resistance, a caloric surplus, adequate protein and adequate recovery.

It wasn’t until I adopted the routine below that I started to see progress and stopped getting injured. The method I’ve outlined will have you in the gym for no more than 20 minutes a week giving you plenty of time for the important things in life, like meeting girls who want to take your shirt off and admire your progress.

What You Should Expect From This Routine:

Gain Muscle
Prevent Injuries
Minimize time in gym
Minimize muscle and joint stiffness throughout the week
Consistently break personal lifting records

What You Need To Know About The Workout

Workouts are twice a week with each workout lasting about 10 minutes including setup time and stretching
You’ll need a journal to measure your results each week
Despite all the bullsh*t broscience out there, the only way to get bigger is muscular hypertrophy through progressive resistance, in layman’s terms: getting stronger
This is why you need to push every set to muscular fatigue
If you’re not getting stronger you’re not gaining muscle (in almost all cases)
Each workout will have one compound upper body and one compound lower body exercise for one set of 8 pushed to failure
Your goal in each workout is to complete 1 more rep than you did the week before
You’ll need to measure your results in a logbook so you can keep track of your progress or use an online notebook like Google Keep
Make sure to do upper body exercises first because after the lower body exercises you will be too tired to break records on your upper body
Two exercises might seem too easy for some of you guys but if you try this and feel that way, that means you are not truly pushing to fatigue
1 good set of squats or deadlifts to fatigue requires 100% concentration and every ounce of effort in your body
The workout utilizes compound movements targeting all muscle groups
These lifts are the most efficient movements available
Specialization exercises aren’t necessary unless until you start hitting advanced levels on your lifts

Plateaus

Novice trainees should be breaking plateaus every week
Intermediate trainees should be breaking plateaus every 2-3 weeks
Experienced trainees should be breaking plateaus once a month
If you’re not breaking plateaus accordingly you need to either push yourself harder, eat more food, or rest more often

Rep Range

When it comes to rep range, 80-85% max load is the ideal combination of recruitment and metabolic fatigue, this will put you in the 5-8 rep range

New Trainees

If you’re new to training I would suggest not pushing yourself to fatigue right away, but practice correct form and slowly raising your weight limit for two months until you’ve mastered the technique
This is doubly important on squats and deadlifts because bad form on these lifts can seriously damage your spine
You’ll need a consistent spotter for the bench press and maybe the squat
I’ve listed some substitutions you can use below if a personal trainer is out of your budget, you have injuries, or you won’t have a consistent spotter for your workouts.

The Workout

Day 1

Barbell Bench Press – 1 set x 8 reps
Barbell Squat – 1 set x 8 reps

Day 2

Weighted Chin Ups – 1 set x 8 reps
Barbell Deadlift – 1 set x 8 reps

Substitutions

Barbell Bench Press – substitute with bench press machine if you don’t have a consistent spotter (I prefer the seated incline press because its easier on the shoulders)
Barbell Squat – substitute with Hammer Strength V Squat Machine if you have problems with your upper cervical spine
Weighted Chin Up – Substitute With standard grip pulldowns
Barbell Deadlift – substitute with Trap Bar Deadlifts if you have lower back problems

Cool Down

After your workout you should do about 5 minutes of stretching to prevent stiffness
Hit the sauna for about 15 minutes and a hot shower for another 15 minutes, intense heat immediately after a workout will do the most for loosening muscles and preventing stiffness the next day

Goals

Every year you should set goals for the 4 key lifts and write them down in the back of your log book or online notebook
Your entire time in the gym should be devoted to achieving those goals

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