A 
great composer can take a small musical motif and turn it into complete composition. In much the same way, workouts can be designed by taking a small number of foundational movement patterns (ex. Lower Body/Upper Body Push/Upper Body Pull) and organizing them into different structural formats. Between the vast array of possible exercises and many structural formats available the possible variations are almost endless.
Straight Sets: though the most basic structure, ‘Straight Sets’ are the “Bread and Butter” of physique training (to quote Vince Andrich). They really hammer the targeted area with great intensity, creating significant metabolic stress on the muscles being worked. This metabolic stress is significantly enhanced if you limit the rest between sets to 60-90 seconds! You can arrange the order of exercises according to your goals and preferences.
Circuit Training: Circuits are useful for a variety of reasons. They allow you to move very quickly from exercise to exercise with minimal rest. This is especially helpful if you have limited time or if you just feel like mixing things up to avoid staleness. They are also a great alternative if you are having a lower energy day and trying to push through straight sets would be less than optimal! By cycling through Lower Body/Upper Push/Upper Pull (or any order you prefer), each body part gets significantly more recovery allowing for greater intensity per set.
PHAT Training: PHAT (Peripheral heart Action Training) is a system that was developed by Dr. Arthur Steinhaus and was made popular by Mr. America/Mr. Universe Bob Gajda back in the 1960s. It is a method that alternates lower body exercises with upper body exercises (and vice versa). You can also create a full body PHAT Circuit workout such as Lower Body/Upper Push/Lower Body/Upper Pull.
This PHAT
Circuit structure allows you to really focus on the lower body since it is being worked every other set. At the same time you are allowing for maximum recovery for the Pushing and Pulling movements making this format ideal for intensity techniques like drop sets or Pre-exaust supersets among others!
Combinations: Below are some various ways you can combine the above concepts into a single workout. I’m going to list specific exercise examples, but you can substitute any Lower Body/Upper Body Push/Upper Body Pull in their place.
PHAT/Straight Sets COMBO:
• PHAT Superset: Squat/Lat Pull-down
• Straight Sets: D.B. Incline Press
• Complete all of the reps for each exercise of the PHAT Superset for the first half of the workout and then move to Straight Sets for the second half.
Note: Alternatively you can do the straight sets followed by the PHAT sets and/or exchange which upper body exercise is used for the PHAT and straight sets.
Straight Sets/Circuit COMBO:
• Straight Sets: Squats/Incline Bench Press/Lat Pull-downs
• Circuit: Leg Press, Flat D.B. Press, Low Pulley Rows.
• Complete all of the Straight Sets for the first half of the workout and then move on to the Circuit for the second half.
PHAT Superset/Antagonistic Supersets COMBO:
• PHAT Superset: Leg Press/Lat Pull-downs
• Antagonistic Superset: Bench Press/Low Pulley Row
• Complete all of the reps for the PHAT superset for the first half of the workout and then move onto the Antagonistic Superset for the second half.
Note: The above example emphasizes the back musculature but you can use this approach to emphasize pushing movements instead.
PHAT Circuit/Circuit COMBO:
• PHAT Circuit: Squat/Incline Bench Press/Lunge/Lat Pull-down
• Circuit: Leg Press/Flat DB Press/Low Pulley Row
• Complete all of the reps for the PHAT Circuit for the first half of the workout and then move on to the Circuit for the second half.
Of course there are other structural combinations available as well as ways they may be incorporated into a periodization scheme (linear or undulating). For the sake of simplicity I limited the above exercise examples to compound lower and upper body push/pull movements. However you can certainly use the above concepts with an endless variety of exercises including isolation type exercises for the legs, abs, arms, chest, back, and shoulders etc. Additionally you can incorporate the above workout structures into a variety of training splits that can best help you reach your individual physique goals.
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