Walk into any gym in just about anywhere in the world on a Monday, and chances are you will find every flat bench taken.
Perhaps at some point in time, the gods of Olympia decreed that chest exercises were to be done on the first day of the week.
If it's not by Zeus' hand, maybe it's just because so many people's workout schedules are based on the same weekly calendar.
Whatever the case may be, the fact remains that far too much reliance is placed upon what is considered to be convention when it comes to working out.
There are seven days in a week, which is why so many workouts are based on this unassailable truth.
But, without trying to get all Plato on you, are there really seven days in a week? Or, could it be that there are no true days, weeks or even months - at least, as not as far as your body knows.
At the risk of turning the routine world that we live in into a land of confusion, try the following workout, which is based on..
...
oooh, are you ready? Eight days a week.
Caveman Workout Schedule Your body has no idea what a week is.
In fact, it doesn't even know who you are.
The collection and storage of knowledge are all functions of the brain.
And while the brain is of course part of your body, it can sometimes be your worst enemy when it comes to working out.
Cro-Magnon, Australopithecus, and Neanderthal were all men...
real men, with strong arms and small brains.
If for some odd reason you were ever in a room with any of these evolutionary rest stops and asked them what the date was, they would likely club you nearly to death and then pee on you.
But, you will have learned a valuable lesson from these troglodytes, and that is you shouldn't be focused on days or weeks, and should instead be more concerned with getting fitter and stronger.
This workout is designed to make you think with your body and not with your brain, much like your hairier ancestors.
What's more, you will find that you will almost never have to vie for a flat bench again.
The Workout Although the following is designed for a more seasoned lifter, an intermediate or even a novice can still benefit from the basic 8-day week principle.
Enough talking, Unga-Bunga..
..
time to lift heavy things: MONDAY Cardio & Abs
Then, 8 days later, the first day of the "week" will be on Wednesday, and so on.
Modifying the Workout Even though much of what has been suggested deals with the abandonment of structured time and dates, it is important to change your workout every 4-6 weeks.
One of the greatest contributors to result plateaus is your body's eventual acclimation to a workout.
Again, this is a primordial response, an innate ability of the human body to adapt to environmental pressures (even if it is you that is creating them).
This is why it is very important that this workout schedule, or any workout for that matter, be changed after you have gone through your 8 day week cycle at least 4, and at most 6, times.
Change can come in the form of an entirely new workout, or even just a change in the exercises, tempo, rest time in between sets, or number of repetitions per set.
The key is to keep it fresh and to keep your body guessing.
The rest is simply evolution.
Perhaps at some point in time, the gods of Olympia decreed that chest exercises were to be done on the first day of the week.
If it's not by Zeus' hand, maybe it's just because so many people's workout schedules are based on the same weekly calendar.
Whatever the case may be, the fact remains that far too much reliance is placed upon what is considered to be convention when it comes to working out.
There are seven days in a week, which is why so many workouts are based on this unassailable truth.
But, without trying to get all Plato on you, are there really seven days in a week? Or, could it be that there are no true days, weeks or even months - at least, as not as far as your body knows.
At the risk of turning the routine world that we live in into a land of confusion, try the following workout, which is based on..
...
oooh, are you ready? Eight days a week.
Caveman Workout Schedule Your body has no idea what a week is.
In fact, it doesn't even know who you are.
The collection and storage of knowledge are all functions of the brain.
And while the brain is of course part of your body, it can sometimes be your worst enemy when it comes to working out.
Cro-Magnon, Australopithecus, and Neanderthal were all men...
real men, with strong arms and small brains.
If for some odd reason you were ever in a room with any of these evolutionary rest stops and asked them what the date was, they would likely club you nearly to death and then pee on you.
But, you will have learned a valuable lesson from these troglodytes, and that is you shouldn't be focused on days or weeks, and should instead be more concerned with getting fitter and stronger.
This workout is designed to make you think with your body and not with your brain, much like your hairier ancestors.
What's more, you will find that you will almost never have to vie for a flat bench again.
The Workout Although the following is designed for a more seasoned lifter, an intermediate or even a novice can still benefit from the basic 8-day week principle.
Enough talking, Unga-Bunga..
..
time to lift heavy things: MONDAY Cardio & Abs
- 30 Minutes of High Intensity Cardio (choose from Treadmill, Stationary Bike, or Elliptical Machine)
- 2 sets Hanging Leg Raises
- 2 sets Hanging Knee Raises
- 2 sets Russian Twists
- 2 sets Raised-Knee Crunches
- 3 Sets Bench Press x 8-10 reps
- 3 Sets Incline Dumbbell Press x 8-10 reps
- 4 Sets Cable Crossovers x 10-12 reps
- 3 Sets Standing Dumbbell Curls x 10-12 reps
- 3 Sets Preacher Curls x 10-12 reps
- 2 Sets Reverse Grip Pull-Ups x max reps
- Follow same routine as Monday
- 4 Sets Squats x 8-10 reps
- 3 Sets Stiff Leg Deadlifts x 10-12 reps
- 3 Sets Reverse Lunges x 10-12 reps
- 3 Sets Standing Dumbbell Press x 10-12 reps
- 3 Sets Side Lateral Raises x 12-15 reps
- 3 Sets Upright Rows x 10-12 reps
- Follow same routine as Monday & Wednesday
- 3 Sets Single-Arm Rows x 10-12 reps
- 3 Sets Bent-Over Rows x 10-12 reps
- 3 Sets Wide-Grip Pull-Ups x max reps
- 3 Sets Close-Grip Bench Press x 10-12 reps
- 3 Sets Cable Pull-Downs x 12-15 reps
- 2 Sets Reverse-Grip Cable Pull-Downs x 12-15 reps
Then, 8 days later, the first day of the "week" will be on Wednesday, and so on.
Modifying the Workout Even though much of what has been suggested deals with the abandonment of structured time and dates, it is important to change your workout every 4-6 weeks.
One of the greatest contributors to result plateaus is your body's eventual acclimation to a workout.
Again, this is a primordial response, an innate ability of the human body to adapt to environmental pressures (even if it is you that is creating them).
This is why it is very important that this workout schedule, or any workout for that matter, be changed after you have gone through your 8 day week cycle at least 4, and at most 6, times.
Change can come in the form of an entirely new workout, or even just a change in the exercises, tempo, rest time in between sets, or number of repetitions per set.
The key is to keep it fresh and to keep your body guessing.
The rest is simply evolution.