I recently introduced a new style of workouts into my VIGOR Strength Athlete training program. I call it Attention Deficit Training (ADT), for reasons that will be obvious once I explain it.



Attention Deficit Training takes well-proven strength training principles and modifies how those principles play out in a program.



It's an ideal training format as part of an annual, periodized program. I designed ADT to:




Maximize muscular work: Accomplished by performing many max-effort exercises, but with single sets, for each body part. When you perform multiple sets of the same movement, it becomes increasingly difficult to put forth a max effort on each subsequent set.



Minimize mental fatigue: Accomplished by using single sets instead of multiple sets. This helps you avoid the mental fatigue that comes from knowing you still have two or three sets of the same exercise after already giving your first set all you had.



Avoid boredom: Accomplish by providing various exercises for the same body part, rather than doing multiple sets of the same exercise. Even if you have to do a movement you hate, you only have to give it your all one time.



Stimulate hypertrophy while minimizing aches and pains: Accomplished by completing high volumes of work for each body part while avoiding repetitive sets on movements that could cause pain to previously injured joints.




Keep reading to learn how it works. VIGOR Training members who currently (at the time of this post) follow VIGOR Strength Athlete are in the midst of a 12-week cycle of ADT.



Though this type of training isn't for beginners, I do have an option for those who haven't been weight training. Check out Genesis, my free 24-week Beginner Gym Workout Program. It's a complete, 6-month, strength and conditioning program.









How Attention Deficit Training Works



Like all VIGOR Training programs I design, I designed Attention Deficit Training to build lean body mass. At any age, the benefits of building muscle are more far more than aesthetics.



The basic principles of muscle growth are pretty well established. To build or maintain muscle, you must consistently create mechanical tension, metabolic stress, and muscle damage.



Your workout program should include:




Max-effort sets leading to momentary muscle fatigue



Shorter rest periods



Multiple sets for each muscle group



Training for each muscle group once every 4-7 days, which allows for enough recovery time, but not enough that you lose what you've gained during that recovery period




In addition, your lifestyle should also include:




A higher-protein diet and adequate total calories 



Sufficient sleep



Optimal hormone levels, especially hormones such as testosterone, thyroid, cortisol, and growth hormone



Consumption of, or supplementation with, optimal levels of micronutrients 




While I wanted to maintain a higher volume of total sets for each muscle group, I also wanted to avoid the monotony of multiple sets of the same exercise (though I'll still use a traditional format during other parts of the year).



Instead of using a "multiple sets per exercise" program design, I implemented a "single sets, multiple exercises" format.



The program design makes for a refreshing approach to training while inducing some pretty serious delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and continuing to help you build muscle, move better, and feel better.



The Split



I set up ADT as a three-day split routine, performed over a four-day workout week.




Session 1: Lower Body



Session 2: Back & Chest



Session 3: Shoulders & Arms




I scheduled the training days for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday sessions. However, you could adjust the days to work with your schedule.



Also, my primary client base is middle-aged men and women. Younger adults eating well and getting sufficient sleep might benefit from a five-day workout week, which would allow them to cycle through the sessions with a little ...