Working out 6 days a week...

[JMax87]

I have a little conflict here. I am a very energetic person (also a hardgainer) and for the past 3 1/2 months or so I have been doing a split routine 4 days a week. I started seeing some nice gains and have become very interested in bodybuilding.

The most recent book I purchased (I also believe it is the best out there) was Arnold Schwarzenegger's The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding. After reading this book, I started to question the overall intensity of my weekly routine.

Arnold suggests that ectomorphs (hardgainers) include less sets in their workouts and more power moves. Okay, that was all fine and dandy, but then I checked out his Exercise Programs. Even the Level 1 program consists of working out 6 days a week.

I have heard from many people that a 4-day split is the best, with 3 rest days. I am very confused from all of this. Would working out 6 days a week be more or less beneficial than a 4-day routine? All help is appreciated.

[Lats McGee]

6 days a week is just plain too much for most people, unless they have a protein/GH IV.

[Overload]

Working out 6 days a week is not a good idea IMO. As much as I love Arnold, I wouldn't go by what he says. If you really want to read some good books, get Brawn and/or Beyond Brawn from hardgainer.com

Also have a look at this. It's changed the way I workout. My routines are very low volume now and I'm making better gains. People like us that don't gain easily need short, intense workouts with lots of rest. I've gained 20lbs over that the last few months without too much fat by switching to lower volume.

http://www.allnaturalalternatives.co...IronAddict.zip

[scott_donald]

i would stick with what you are doing now...

[dnbwise]

i workout 5 days a week

split your workouts into muscles groups and devote your time on a specific day to the given group. since i have been doing this, i havent been getting sick (i used to puke everytime for over 2 yrs)and have been making much better gains.

[Zensuji]

Originally posted by scott_donald
i would stick with what you are doing now...

bump

[Falcon01]

i go 6 days a week... but i use a westside type thing but instead of doin an upper/lower split... I do a chest/back/legs split. Been workin for me so far, hopefully itll keep working.

[the iron addict]

Overload has a great handle on things. Get "Brawn" or "Beyond Brawn" by Staurt McRobert and you will have Better start than almost anyone in your gym if you will apply what this book says. If you have the genetics to make 6 day a week training productive for you, you will find out soon enough.

The catch is, with 6 day a week training, you are likely to end up totally stuck in the slow, and no gain zone. But for some reason, most people talk themselves into believing they are making progress when they see themselves in the gym mirror all pumped up.

Until you have a REAL strength base underneath you, as in benching 275-300, squatting 375-450, and deadlifting, 425-500, you should be concerned with little else. And until you have this base underneath you, worrying about "complete development" is a bunch of BS!

If you can go to the gym while training 6 days a week and add weight on almost every lift, every week, KEEP DOING IT!

If that is not the case, train less often, with less volume until to find the spot that allows this to occur. At your stage in the game, gains should not be few and far between, they should be like clock-work....train, eat, sleep, grow. For most new trainees, that happens for a short while and then they are caught in the trap of doing more than their body can recover from and rarely grow. Arnold says 6 days a week. Do you REALLY think you are as good as him?

Iron Addict

www.ironaddicts.com

[THe WeapoN]

6 days awk i been there i my beginning days