You don't need a terribly rigid program (though, terribly rigid programs tend to work quite well). But you do need some sort of general structure to your plan. Within this general structure, you can add variety by rotating amongst various exercises if that's fun for you and, therefore, keeps you training intensely and consistently.

Without structure, you'll lack any sort of discipline, schedule, motivation, and therefore, you'll lack results.

You must follow a plan!

For most people, I find a simple, flexible upper/lower plan works best.

Here's the non-negotiables of the plan:

Train 3-5 days per week.

Do 5 exercises per session.

For upper body days, that'll be 1 exercise for each of the following muscle groups:

Chest

Back

Shoulders

Biceps

Triceps

For lower body days, you'll do 2 exercises for quad/squat pattern, 2 exercises for hamstrings/hinge pattern, and 1 exercise for calves. Here's a column for you:

Squat pattern (quad dominant – squats, split squats, etc)

Hinge pattern (hamstring and glute dominant – deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, back extensions, etc)

Secondary squat pattern or quad isolation (lunges, alternate squats, leg extensions, sissy squats, secondary split squat, etc)

Secondary hinge pattern or hamstring isolation (alternate deadlift, Romanian deadlift variation, hip thrust, glute bridges, kettlebell swings, hamstring curls variations, etc)

Calf isolation (calf raise variation)

Do 2-3 Sets per exercise.

Do some form of cardio on non-lifting days (this can be light and easy if you want, or short and intense if you prefer. To be done 2-4 days per week).

That's all.

That's 4 simple guidelines to follow. Follow those guidelines then feel free to add variability and flexibility as you desire. Or don't. Like I said, you don't need lots of variety and sometimes doing the same old exercises session in session out, week in week out, for months or years at a time (assuming you're increasing reps and weights over time) promote the best gains.

But whatever you do, make sure you're following a general plan with a few general guidelines. My upper lower plan and guidelines work great. Please, take advantage of this information and follow those guidelines.

You can literally change your life if you commit to a simple, disciplined plan.

Hey, thanks so much for reading! If you enjoy this article, please share it with a friend, foe, or family member! I don't do mainstream social media nor do I pay for marketing ads. I rely 100% on organic reach and word of mouth (digitally, virtually, or literally). I love writing and I love sharing all this content for free, so do me a favor and pass this along and help grow my readership so we can make fitness, nutrition, and building muscle easier and sustainable for more people!

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