You have one hour

[Never1AShow]

One hour a day to train 3 days a week.  What would you recommend to get the person looking the best (lose fat, burn most calories, and lean and muscular appearance)?

Assume caloric deficit of 500 per day.

20 mins high intensity cardio stairmaster/elliptical, 10 mins abs, 30 min of push/pull/legs rotating each training day?

Skip legs altogether because you get that from cardio?

Remember this is for looks only.  Not strength or fitness or "core" or health.

One hour.

[_aj_]

Find 3 more hours.

[SF1900]

I am just going to wait until Shizzo chimes in with his 3 day workout split.

[Never1AShow]

I am just going to wait until Shizzo chimes in with his 3 day workout split.

Tremendous neck strength from hour long sessions 3x a week.

[Sokolsky]

One hour a day to train 3 days a week.  What would you recommend to get the person looking the best (lose fat, burn most calories, and lean and muscular appearance)?

Assume caloric deficit of 500 per day.

20 mins high intensity cardio stairmaster/elliptical, 10 mins abs, 30 min of push/pull/legs rotating each training day?

Skip legs altogether because you get that from cardio?

Remember this is for looks only.  Not strength or fitness or "core" or health.

One hour.

Considering legs are one of the larger muscle groups, and the amount of calories burned not just throughout working the legs, but also 'passively', I wouldn't skip legs.

Cardio can be done in another format outside of the gym.

[Thong Maniac]

One hour a day to train 3 days a week.  What would you recommend to get the person looking the best (lose fat, burn most calories, and lean and muscular appearance)?

Assume caloric deficit of 500 per day.

20 mins high intensity cardio stairmaster/elliptical, 10 mins abs, 30 min of push/pull/legs rotating each training day?

Skip legs altogether because you get that from cardio?

Remember this is for looks only.  Not strength or fitness or "core" or health.

One hour.

kinobody on youtube. he talks all about this. IF, defecit, and 3 day a week training

[ritch]

No time for cardio, nothing brings out the best body wise like weights. He just needs to keep the rests short. But he will need an hour total gym time after warmp up. 1hr is very short to warm up and train 3 bodyparts.

chest,shoulders,triceps
legs
back, biceps

Split that over the week any way you like but not 3 days in a a row if possible.

[Grape Ape]

Full body 40 min workout / 20 min HIIT.

Just change intensity and limit rest.

One day legs would be squats, next time, might just be lunges, next time plyo/goblet squats...etc....

Or combine lifting with conditioning like a prowler sled, lifting for time instead of reps, etc.

3, 1 hour workouts a week can lead to good increases in strength, speed, conditioning, etc.

[ritch]

Full body 40 min workout / 20 min HIIT.

Just change intensity and limit rest.

One day legs would be squats, next time, might just be lunges, next time plyo/goblet squats...etc....

Or combine lifting with conditioning like a prowler sled, lifting for time instead of reps, etc.

3, 1 hour workouts a week can lead to good increases in strength, speed, conditioning, etc.

Enjoy doing everything while getting good at nothing...

[Grape Ape]

Enjoy doing everything while getting good at nothing...

My man, this is simple minded thinking.

You can get very strong and very in shape with this type of training.

[LurkerNoMore]

The routine that Phil Hernon sells for $300.   Works great.  I do a variation of it Jan-March of each year.   Can't beat it in terms of time vs results.

[Tedim]

Find 3 more hours.

This

[ritch]

My man, this is simple minded thinking.

You can get very strong and very in shape with this type of training.

How are you supposed to train intense and short rest periods? I've never understood that one. I do a heavy set to failure, forget about the next for at least 3 min. Dunno, I go for quality rather quantity. You can't get a quality training in 40 min, I need to warm up, got injuries, this would be a disaster if I tried it.

I can't even do a full back training in less than an hour, lol!

[Grape Ape]

How are you supposed to train intense and short rest periods? I've never understood that one. I do a heavy set to failure, forget about the next for at least 3 min. Dunno, I go for quality rather quantity. You can't get a quality training in 40 min, I need to warm up, got injuries, this would be a disaster if I tried it.

I can't even do a full back training in less than an hour, lol!

It's because you do bodybuilding stuff and only view it through that lens.  Shit, take your leg workout, lower the weight, double the reps and the shorten the rest in between.   You'll gas quickly.  But, if you stick with it, your conditioning will improve, as will your strength, compared to the first time you did it.  And you'll spend less time.

And I'm not knocking your workout.  But if you train intensely, and limit rest, you will improve.  It's not always about moving the heaviest weight possible.

I like doing the big three - press, deadlift, squat.  Tried a workout that had you do them consecutively in a giant set  5 x 5.....was fucking brutal..had to drop the weight a lot....but stuck with it, and got back to just about the same weights, in about 1/3 the workout time.  Did I not improve?  Of course I did.

[jpm101]

Would consider the 5X5 system, one form of Bill Star's result producing training. Football players and other athletes are put on similar programs to improve muscle mass and strength. Results can come in a somewhat short period of time.

5x5's usually have the basic  big boy exercises like squats, benches or BB rows.  Some will replace the bench with dips (weighted). BB rows with Chins (weighted) and squats with DL. Most any compound (use of more than one muscle joint) exercise seems to work well, but keep them down to 3 each a workout. . Many will throw in 3 sets of BB curls and/or tricep presses at the end of a training session.

With any productive BB'ing workout, you want to keep a good pace and have the  rest period between sets to 90 seconds. Between exercises, 3 to 4 minutes. In true BB'ing you are using moderate to semi heavy weight, keeping that faster pace (a form of TUT) and never going to a point of failure. Failure on just about every set will put more unneeded stress on the joints/tendons/ligaments. And in return open the door to injury. Also affecting recovery time between workouts.....can slow or even hault progress in some cases.

Should finish this style program under 45 minutes (warmup's included..which most guys spend too much time on and to heavy to boot). This faster pace will improve cardio quite well for most. Can do these workouts 3 times or even 2 times a week.

Might also consider interval short burst of cardio training. Example might be Tabata training, where there is a very intense 20 second effort, followed by a 10 second rest, than back to a 20  effort, 10 rest pause, 20 second effort, etc, etc,. Any where from 6 to as high as 9  intense/rest cycle. Probably in the range of 5 to 9 minutes for a result producing Worthy of a search for more details. Many other forms of interval training also. Can do this, or any other type of cardio...lots of options out there.

Do cardio on the same day as the lifting workout, but never do any form of cardio right after that lifting session. Have at least 3 to 4 hour distance between each training session; lifting/cardio.

Good Luck.

[Never1AShow]

My man, this is simple minded thinking.

You can get very strong and very in shape with this type of training.

I tend to agree that this will not give you anything but a "fit" body, a little lean but no real muscle development.  I don't care about very strong or very in shape.  I care about looking good, i.e. decent abs, arms, upper body, not toothpick legs and calves.

[HTexan]

circuit training and running.

[Mike]

Would consider the 5X5 system, one form of Bill Star's result producing training. Football players and other athletes are put on similar programs to improve muscle mass and strength. Results can come in a somewhat short period of time.

5x5's usually have the basic  big boy exercises like squats, benches or BB rows.  Some will replace the bench with dips (weighted). BB rows with Chins (weighted) and squats with DL. Most any compound (use of more than one muscle joint) exercise seems to work well, but keep them down to 3 each a workout. . Many will throw in 3 sets of BB curls and/or tricep presses at the end of a training session.

With any productive BB'ing workout, you want to keep a good pace and have the  rest period between sets to 90 seconds. Between exercises, 3 to 4 minutes. In true BB'ing you are using moderate to semi heavy weight, keeping that faster pace (a form of TUT) and never going to a point of failure. Failure on just about every set will put more unneeded stress on the joints/tendons/ligaments. And in return open the door to injury. Also affecting recovery time between workouts.....can slow or even hault progress in some cases.

Should finish this style program under 45 minutes (warmup's included..which most guys spend too much time on and to heavy to boot). This faster pace will improve cardio quite well for most. Can do these workouts 3 times or even 2 times a week.

Might also consider interval short burst of cardio training. Example might be Tabata training, where there is a very intense 20 second effort, followed by a 10 second rest, than back to a 20  effort, 10 rest pause, 20 second effort, etc, etc,. Any where from 6 to as high as 9  intense/rest cycle. Probably in the range of 5 to 9 minutes for a result producing Worthy of a search for more details. Many other forms of interval training also. Can do this, or any other type of cardio...lots of options out there.

Do cardio on the same day as the lifting workout, but never do any form of cardio right after that lifting session. Have at least 3 to 4 hour distance between each training session; lifting/cardio.

Good Luck.

Second

[Henda]

If only had one hour to train I'd focus exclusively on weights.
I do something simililar at the minute due to working full time + spending off days renovating a house and not having the training time or energy I normally have although the day I do legs generally takes an hour and a half

[Never1AShow]

If only had one hour to train I'd focus exclusively on weights.
I do something simililar at the minute due to working full time + spending off days renovating a house and not having the training time or energy I normally have although the day I do legs generally takes an hour and a half

I think you need the cardio to help with the fat burning/leanness aspect.  Only my personal experience, but just weights for that 20 mins doesn't give me what the high intensity cardio does.

[cephissus]

3 hours will only get you "lean, with a little muscle" but give it just 5 hours and you'll be a bodybuilder

[OB1]

15 min cardio (bike) before training.
45 min of breaking previous records,  no rest(s).
Same muscle group once or better twice a week (3 is too much) when natural.
8 hrs sleep.
Good diet.
Additionally:
Jump on a real bike on "off training"-days.

[Henda]

I think you need the cardio to help with the fat burning/leanness aspect.  Only my personal experience, but just weights for that 20 mins doesn't give me what the high intensity cardio does.

Cardio ideally yes, but personally for me in that time restricted training I'd use the calorie defecit to take off the fat and use my training time for weights, otherwise due to lack of time you'd end up on one of those garbage "hard gainer/mentzer " routines with 5 sets a week or so for the whole body

[Radical Plato]

DNP

[Mitch]

squat, squat, squat. When you don't have that much time, it is what will bring you the best results.