How to create the best gym schedule for your goals?

Mar 20, 2025

By Nutrition Monsters

Hoe maak je het beste gym-schema voor jouw doelen?

The internet is full of 'ultimate' training programs promising golden results. But the physiological reality is harsh: the best gym program is the one you can consistently maintain and that is perfectly tailored to your specific physiology and lifestyle. A program that doesn't fit your recovery capacity or weekly schedule inevitably leads to a cortisol spike, stagnation, or injuries. Building an effective routine is not guesswork but pure biomechanical science.

The 24-time Olympia-winning coach Hany Rambod always emphasizes that training frequency and volume must be flexible. "Your muscles don’t grow when you break them down in the gym; they grow when you recover. You need to perfectly balance your training stimulus with your nutrition and rest," says the Pro Creator. To design your ideal gym program, you first need to understand the physiological laws of training frequency:

1. The Full-Body Split (Ideal for `2 to 3\times per week`)

If you can train a maximum of 3\times per week, a full-body program is physiologically superior. You stimulate all major muscle groups each session with lower intensity per muscle, maintaining a high weekly frequency. This is the perfect foundation for beginners and athletes with a busy schedule.

2. The Upper/Lower Split (Ideal for `4\times per week`)

With 4 days of training, the Upper/Lower split offers the ultimate physiological balance. You alternate upper-body and lower-body sessions. This allows each muscle group exactly the required 48 to 72 hours of rest before loading it again, while enabling more specific volume per session.

3. The Push/Pull/Legs Split (Ideal for `5 to 6\times per week`)

For the advanced athlete training 5 to 6\times per week, the Push/Pull/Legs (PPL) split is the gold standard. You divide your muscles based on their biomechanical function: push muscles (chest, shoulders, triceps), pull muscles (back, biceps), and legs. This allows you to hit a muscle group with brutal intensity while the other systems can fully recover physiologically.

The Pillars of an Effective Routine

Focus on compound exercises: Compound exercises, such as squats, deadlifts, and bench presses, activate multiple muscle groups simultaneously. They generate the heaviest mechanical tension and help you get stronger faster physiologically. Combine these foundational movements with isolation exercises for a complete workout.
Progressive overload: To get stronger and more muscular, you must continuously challenge your muscles. Do this by increasing the weight step-by-step by 5% to 10%, performing more repetitions or sets, or increasing the Time Under Tension with flawless technique.
Proteins and hydration: A balanced diet with a protein guideline of 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilogram of body weight is essential for muscle growth and recovery.

Pro tip from the Pro Creator: Whatever split you choose, your training volume and the intensity of your sets depend entirely on how quickly you can let your body recover during and after the session. Hany Rambod uses the high-end supplementation from Evogen Nutrition to maximize every program’s effectiveness:

Brutal focus beforehand: Take 30 minutes before your planned session Evogen EVP Xtreme/3D for mental drive and neural activation. Stack this with the stimulant-free, liquid Evogen EVP AQ for an extreme 3D muscle pump and cell hydration through hyperhydration.
Anabolic protection during your program: Drink Evogen Amino KEM during your sets. This intra-workout supplement delivers all 9 essential amino acids (EAAs) and electrolytes to immediately block acute muscle breakdown (catabolism) during intensive volumes.
Lightning-fast recovery afterward: Feed the damaged muscle fibers immediately after your last set with Evogen IsoJect. This ultra-pure whey isolate activates protein synthesis instantly thanks to the patented IGNITOR™ enzyme technology.

Related reading

Hypertrophy vs. Strength Training: Which method suits your goal?
FST-7 Off-Season Tip: Mass vs. Proportion (The #1 Mistake)
The buildup of muscle growth: How it works and how to optimize it?

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FAQ

What is the most important factor for muscle growth within a training program?

The absolute number one factor in every gym routine is progressive overload combined with consistency. Your muscle fibers only adapt physiologically if they have a compelling reason to grow. This means you need to achieve structural progress in your training log: performing one more repetition each week, slightly increasing the weight, or increasing the Time Under Tension with flawless technique.

Why is a classic 'Bro Split' (1 muscle group per week) often suboptimal?

The 'Bro Split,' where you train a muscle group only once a week with a huge volume, is physiologically suboptimal for most natural athletes. After an intense workout, muscle protein synthesis (the recovery and growth process) remains elevated for an average of 48 to 72 hours. After that, the curve returns to baseline. By stimulating a muscle group twice a week (as in an Upper/Lower or PPL split), you trigger the growth process twice as often per year.

How many sets per muscle group should I include in my weekly workout plan?

Clinical research in hypertrophy shows that a weekly volume of 10 to 20 challenging work sets per muscle group is the physiological sweet spot for maximum muscle growth. As a beginner, you start at the lower end (10 to 12 sets) to avoid overloading your recovery capacity. Advanced athletes increase this volume step by step, provided their nutrition and rest allow it.

How do I know if my current gym routine is causing overtraining?

Overtraining is a physiological exhaustion of your central nervous system and muscle structures. The main signs are: a structural stagnation or decline in your strength performance, persistent lethargy and fatigue, prolonged muscle soreness lasting more than 72 hours, sleep problems, and reduced immunity. If you recognize these symptoms, it’s time for a strategic deload week.

Why does the supplement EVP AQ help me to increase volume in my routine?

As your training volume increases, the physiological demand for hydration and muscle retention rises. The liquid glycerol in Evogen EVP AQ increases the osmotic pressure in the cells through hyperhydration. This forces extra fluid and minerals deep into the working muscles, improving biomechanical leverage and buffering premature muscle fatigue, allowing you to complete more quality sets.

How to create the best gym schedule for your goals?

1. The Full-Body Split (Ideal for 2 to 3\times per week)

2. The Upper/Lower Split (Ideal for 4\times per week)

3. The Push/Pull/Legs Split (Ideal for 5 to 6\times per week)

The Pillars of an Effective Routine

Reading next

FAQ

1. The Full-Body Split (Ideal for `2 to 3\times per week`)

2. The Upper/Lower Split (Ideal for `4\times per week`)

3. The Push/Pull/Legs Split (Ideal for `5 to 6\times per week`)