How to structure a strength workout: THE FORMULA

6 min readMay 9, 2020

In this short post, you will learn exactly how to structure a killer workout. It is completely customisable so that you can alter the exercises, repetitions and sets to your specific needs. However, it follows a clear structure that I believe is optimal for both physical gains and mental stamina.

I posted a blog on my website a while back about how to structure a workout, but I didn’t quite explain how adaptable this structure can be so that is why I am here now. To share with you the ULTIMATE FORMULA for creating a great workout, every time.

I use this workout structure pretty much every time I train, whether that be at home or at the gym. It can be used to train any muscle group or all of them together.

THE FORMULA

STEP ONE: CARDIO WARM UP — 5 minutes

You want to start off your workout with some sort of cardio, just to warm up your body and elevate your heart rate. This means you will burn more calories throughout the session, and your muscles are ready to go!

STEP 2: WARM UP CIRCUIT — 15 minutes

I like to include dynamic stretching and targeted muscle activation exercises into my warm-up circuit. This reduces the risk of injury, as you are prepping the muscles that you are going to use in your workout.

You want to warm up the muscle groups that you will subsequently be loading weight on. So for example, if you were doing a heavy leg session, you could do some lunges and crab walks here. Basically, you just want to warm up and activate the muscle groups that you are about to train.

STEP 3: MAX EFFORT STRENGTH SUPERSET — 15 mins

Here is when you want to do your most intense exercise. Think heavy squats, deadlifts or chest press. You can then pair that with a complimentary, or slightly less intense exercise. For example, I might do squats, paired with kettlebell swings, or chest press paired with bent-over rows.

STEP 4: ISOLATED STRENGTH SUPERSET — 15 mins

You do not have to do an isolated exercise here (an isolated exercise is a more targeted exercise such as bicep curls, that doesn’t require multiple muscle groups to perform), however, if you want to include it, this is the time to slot it in! For example, you might do a superset of hamstring curls, and leg extensions here. Otherwise, if you are at home with little equipment, you could do some push-ups paired with bench dips.

STEP 5: ABS CIRCUIT — 10 mins

Your abs are honestly one of the most important muscle groups in your body, yet many of us forget to train them in strength workouts. So that is why I always include an ab circuit at the end of every strength session. Just 2–3 rounds of an ab circuit is enough to burn out your abs at the end of a workout! Exercises like Russian twists, planks, and leg raises are some of my favourites. Check out this 10-minute ab challenge below if you want some exercise ideas!

STEP 6: STATIC STRETCHING — 5 mins

If you don’t stretch (which I understand, sometimes you need to rush off somewhere) you are probably going to be very sore the next day. So that is why I try to spend at least 5 minutes stretching at the end of every workout. Not only will you feel better afterwards, but if you consistently stretch, you will increase your flexibility and overall mobility in the long term.

SO WHAT ABOUT THE SETS AND REPS?

SETS:

I always do 3 sets. This is the part about mental stamina. I find that after one set, I am feeling pretty fresh and keen to get stuck into the second. After the second set, however, I am usually pretty fatigued, but I know I only have one more set so I push through it. If I was doing 4 sets, I would only be halfway and that is so much more difficult mentally to push past. So that is why I now always do 3 sets. It’s quick, simple, and by the time you have done 2 sets you are almost done!

REPS:

Reps aren’t as straight forward. This is because the number of reps you do changes, based on the weights you are using, the exercise difficulty and your own ability. For example, if I was doing a heavy squat I would do between 3–5 reps, but if I was doing a jump squat (with no weight) I would do 20 reps. To generalise, the more intense and the bigger the load, the fewer reps you do.

Generally for a woman like myself, doing either bodyweight exercises or medium-weighted exercises I would stick around the 10–15 rep range. But unfortunately, I cannot tell you exactly how many reps to do because I would need to know what exercise you are doing, what weights you are using, and your personal history. I have however given an example routine below so you can get an idea of the reps I would normally use for some exercises.

OK — I THINK I GET IT, BUT SHOW ME AN EXAMPLE!

Here are 2 examples showing a workout I would typically do at the gym as well as one that I can do at home with minimal equipment (or none at all).

AT THE GYM

STEP 1: 5 minutes on the rowing machine

STEP 2: A circuit of 15 each side x Banded Crab walks, 6 each side x Lunges with 6kg dumbells and 12 x Cossack squats (repeated 3 times)

STEP 3: A superset of 4 x 60 kg Deadlifts and 10 x 14kg Kettlebell swings (repeated 3 times)

STEP 4: A superset of 12 x Leg extensions using the machine and 12 x Hamstring curls using the machine (repeated 3 times)

STEP 5: A circuit of 10 x Hanging leg raises, 10 x 6kg Russian twists and a 1 min plank (repeated 2–3 times)

STEP 6: Glute stretch, spinal stretch, quad stretch, shoulder stretch etc.

AT HOME

STEP 1: 5 minute walk up the street and back

STEP 2: A circuit of 20 each side x Crab walks, 10 each side x Bodyweight Lunges with a twist and 10 x Bench dips (repeated 3 times)

STEP 3: A superset of 20 x Jump squats and 10 each side x Step-ups (repeated 3 times)

STEP 4: A superset of 12 x Push-ups and 12 x Lateral raises (repeated 3 times)

STEP 5: A circuit of 10 x Russian twists, 10 x Leg raises and a 1 min plank (repeated 2–3 times)