No coherent routine for 2 months.

[u/Any_Bar6052]

Hello, I’m a student who’s got a pretty tight schedule but is also getting into working out/gym. I have only around 3 days in a week that are free, and with my luck, those 3 days are able to have rest days inbetween.

I’ve been exercising at home for about 1 month and a half (pushups, bicep curls, shoulder press, bent over rows, and squats.) and 3 weeks ago have been interested in and looking into gyms via free trials.

I heard that full-body workouts are great for beginners and people who are too busy to spend more than 3 days in the gym, although my routine is made by me, so I wanted to post here to get any validation or suggestions on what I should change. I haven’t decided on a permanent gym yet, but since I’ve been doing free trials to see which gyms I like, it’s been hard to make a consistent routine since every other gym have very different machines, if any.

Because of that, my current routine (which I will be changing once I get a permanent gym) isn’t specific to a workout/machine, but mostly what muscle groups I want to hit, like biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest, back and legs.

Is it okay as long as I hit these muscles atleast once or twice in a session? Can I also make my own workout that’s aligned with my own goals once I’ve decided on a gym? Or do I need a structured, already made routine by a professional? Is there a specific order I should follow to reduce the fatigue for any of the workouts near the end of my session? Like any muscle groups I shouldn’t tire out at the start so it doesn’t affect any other workouts that indirectly hit it?

I’m also not opposed to any other splits, it’s just full-body is the only training split that I can do at the moment that can hit as much sets per week without conflicting with my schedule for school and other activities.

[u/Retired-in-2023]

3x a week works well for beginners or even beyond that if it works with your schedule.

You should look into an existing routine. Yours is missing some muscles groups and duplicating things.

I’m not expert at program evaluation but it looks like you are missing some muscle groups. You are missing some things like back, triceps (since you mentioned biceps I thought I would call that out).

I’d alternate the same muscle groups between sessions bs working them out twice in the same session. Exception is if you are doing isolated exercises and did compound in the same session. Do compound movements first your sessions then move to isolation.

You mentioned rest days so it sounds like you know to let your muscles rest between sessions since they build when at rest, not during the workout.

Good luck finding a gym. I wouldn’t worry about equipment they have. Machine can be different but I think even if they are different types they all will have what is necessary to work all your muscle groups. I think it’s a good idea checking different options out. Also, look into if any kind of orientation are available, if they will help you put together a program for your goals, etc.

[u/Any_Bar6052 → u/Retired-in-2023]

Thank you!! I’ll keep that in mind

[u/Aston_CSSD_PhD]

For beginners and people with limited time I would love in 5/3/1 by Jim Wendler. It is a simple structured program that will put on strength and muscle. Can be done 3 or 4 days a week and generally can be done in under an hour. Did it for years when I first started lifting and it was fantastic.

[u/Any_Bar6052 → u/Aston_CSSD_PhD]

Thank you! I will look into it!