Priority Training

[abhi_teen]

I have a question... how about a workout in which we prioritise only 2 body parts in a week, train it thrice a week (2 body part combo), and allow it to rest for the rest of the month. for example,

week1- chest and back, week2- biceps and triceps, week three- shoulders and traps, week4- legs.

i need to reduce some body fat too, so i am planning to work out the required muscles and do cardio seperately on alternate days.
what do you guys have to say about this?? will working out a muscle thrice a week and leaving it for the rest of the month result in stunted growth?? A person who normally works out one body part a week ends up working it out 4 times a month, but i am gonna do it 3 times a month but in a shorter time span and then leave it to rest and grow.Is this the right way to go about stuff??

[abhi_teen]

can no one help me out on this?????????

[AxlTurwalt]

The issue is, by annihilating the targeted muscles in a single week then resting up for the next 3.5 weeks is hindering your gains. You see, the muscle will have recovered well before the end of the 3.5 weeks. Which, in theory, would mean that it may need 7 days recovery but you will experience 14 days of muscle breakdown. The only exception would be if you decided to toss in a very light workout in between the 'recovery period'.

Your also likely to overtrain in that week. I will rep you though for thinking outside the square. I like that.

Maybe stick around and have a read and see what others have to say about this theory of yours. Maybe I am misguided on what I stated, although I find there would be an element or two of truth behind what I said.

[shreddedx10]

Originally Posted by AxlTurwalt

The issue is, by annihilating the targeted muscles in a single week then resting up for the next 3.5 weeks is hindering your gains. You see, the muscle will have recovered well before the end of the 3.5 weeks. Which, in theory, would mean that it may need 7 days recovery but you will experience 14 days of muscle breakdown. The only exception would be if you decided to toss in a very light workout in between the 'recovery period'.

Your also likely to overtrain in that week. I will rep you though for thinking outside the square. I like that.

Maybe stick around and have a read and see what others have to say about this theory of yours. Maybe I am misguided on what I stated, although I find there would be an element or two of truth behind what I said.

i think the whole point is to overtrain the muscle and give it a long time to heal.....im assuming uve never heard of peaking?

[AxlTurwalt]

Originally Posted by shreddedx10

i think the whole point is to overtrain the muscle and give it a long time to heal.....im assuming uve never heard of peaking?

I was referring to overtraining the muscle to the point where the marginal benefits from lifting deficit the marginal costs. I.e. your muscles are so over worked that they don't grow at all, or very little.

[shreddedx10]

i dont think doing it 3 times a week will do too much

[abhi_teen]

Originally Posted by AxlTurwalt

The issue is, by annihilating the targeted muscles in a single week then resting up for the next 3.5 weeks is hindering your gains. You see, the muscle will have recovered well before the end of the 3.5 weeks. Which, in theory, would mean that it may need 7 days recovery but you will experience 14 days of muscle breakdown. The only exception would be if you decided to toss in a very light workout in between the 'recovery period'.

Your also likely to overtrain in that week. I will rep you though for thinking outside the square. I like that.

Maybe stick around and have a read and see what others have to say about this theory of yours. Maybe I am misguided on what I stated, although I find there would be an element or two of truth behind what I said.

hmm... tossing in a light workout.. well.. if thats really effective, i do not mind doing a light workout with the same body parts every alternate week...you are right though.. need to look into it a bit more.. but i also require help and insights from guys like you and others experienced fellas, cos' i don wanna work on something i am not sure of and confident about. thanks a lot

[abhi_teen]

what if i tweak it a bit... goes like this
week1: chest+back(2times), bi+tri(2times), 2 days abs and cardio
week2: sholdr+traps(twice), legs(twice), abs and cardio
week3: same as week1
week4: same as week 2

how about this guys?????

[abhi_teen]

??????????????

[AxlTurwalt]

That would be more effective. Your first theory would work also, you would just need to incorporate some light workouts of previously targeted muscles atleast once a week in your stated recovery period.

@ shreddedx10: Yeah 3 times a week won't do much, but that is only proportional to the intensity of each workout. Muscles can take up to 96 hours to heal properly from an intense workout. I myself train each muscle group 3 times a week, however I ensure that each workout is moderate, not overly intense. I do get rather sore, but not excessively.

@ abhi_teen: The only way your going to know if it works, is to try it out yourself. Give it a go for a month and see how you feel. If you feel good about the routine, keep it going. If not, change it up

[Maxum]

Remember when doing this that doing chest and shoulder exercises generally will use your triceps, and back work will use you biceps. Your break might not really function as a break if the muscles have to go under strain again.