Let me preface myself by saying that I am a nOOb.....
I've started a program to gain muscle mass and I must admit that I've seen some pretty dramatic results even within the first 30 days. I've radically modified my diet and I hit the gym on a regular basis.
I currently work two body parts a day, once a week. Monday is arms and chest, Tuesday is back and muscle, and Wednesday is legs and abs. Thursday through Sunday is my recoup period. When I work out, I work out hard. I progressively lift more weigh (10 reps each set) until I simply can't do it anymore. By the time I leave the gym, I feel I have completely broken down the muscle group(s) I'm working on.
My question is this.....
Should I consider working each group two days in a row? In other words, Monday *and* Tuesday would be arms and chest and so on and so forth. I'm looking to maximize my routine but I don't want to cut into the most important rebuilding time.
yh good point made by Los Diablo....but also be aware not all muscles should really be worked twice a week, especially if you are working them very heavily e.g. high reps, heavy weight. Never work chest, Triceps, Biceps in the same week IMO. You can work Calves, Legs, Abs and back maybe twice a week tho....although i suggest one big heavy workout for each muscle each week
Im of the school of thought that beginners can certainly train muscles as often as every 48 hours. Thats why full body routines 3x a week work so well. As you progress and move greater poundages, you do more damage to the muscle, requiring greater rest periods to recover fully. Thats why bigger and bigger splits become the norm as you get more and more advanced.
IMO, beginners rock on the fullbody 3x a week. Then a nice push/pull routine twice weekly is a good intermediate step. Then as you get more advanced, its on to a 9 day split with all the bells and whistles.
Theres many options out there, and many many proven routines. Pick one and see how your body responds to it. Then pick another and see if it works any better.
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