3 days/week still worth it? 3 days split any good?

[Datboileg]

been lifting weights since i was 16 ish, I'm now 22, made much progress, slowly but surely.

i went from 68kg 185cm to a max of 102kg, now I'm cutting and fairly lean at 88kg...

I've been doing the same program for all these years it's a modified version of the "fierce 5" program

3 days a week, alternating between workouts, about 2.5hours per workout, pushing to failure or very close on every set

workout A:

ab roll 3 set

vaccums 3 set

squat or leg press 3 set

bench press barbell/dumbbell 4 set

rows ( either with machine or barbell) 3 set

face pulls/reverse flies 3 sets

4 sets of biceps

6 sets of triceps

3 sets a chest isolation exercise if I'm not exhausted (my chest sucks)

workout B

3 sets of abs, usually cable crunches

2 sets of leg curls

2 sets of leg extensions

3 sets of deadlifts

4 sets of barbell/dumbell press or machine

3 sets of lat pulldowns/pull ups

4 sets of biceps

4 sets of calf raises on the machine

3 sets of deltoid isolation if I'm not exhausted

3 sets of trap shrugs if I'm not exhausted

I've been progressing with this workout even after all this years, I don't wanna go to the gym more than 3 times week, so I think a split is gonna be inferior to a full body workout.

my gym buddy told me that what I'm doing is wrong and I should do a 3 day/week split and it will be superior

what do you guys think? i personally don't agree with him, plus he's way smaller than me is kinda fat and did roids in the past (lol) not that it matters, just thought it would be funny to mention it. I don't see how a 3day/week split would benefit me and I wouldn't know how to set it all up... 4 days a week I could definitely see that working, but I don't wanna go to the gym more than 3 times week so that's a no go. what do you guys think?

[air2fakie]

You give no objective measure of “progress” or what your lifts are, so there’s not much advice to give other than that if you still feel you’re making “progress”, then there’s no point making a change.

I don’t get what your small yet fat friend has to do with your decision making.

[Datboileg]

You give no objective measure of “progress” or what your lifts are, so there’s not much advice to give other than that if you still feel you’re making “progress”, then there’s no point making a change.

I don’t get what your small yet fat friend has to do with your decision making.

well I measure progress by looking at body composition, if I after a winter bulk and summer cut I end up at the same weight as last year, but have visibly less fat and more muscle for me that's progress...

i used to look at lifts as a way to measure progress but I stopped, I now focus more on very good form and avoiding injuries, I still try to push more weight, but without ****ing up form...

while I'm still making progress, slowly, I'm just wondering if changing things up could make me progress faster....

my lifts haven't gotten stronger in a while, some got even worse, but perhaps that's because I now focus much more on strict form to avoid getting hurt and before I wasn't lifting with exactly perfect form (not terrible either)
I also change the exercises more now, I used to only do bench for chest for example, or only military press for shoulders, now I switch between barbells, dumbells, machines, so perhaps the fact that I'm not focusing on a single exercise every workout also contributed to not getting stronger on lifts


what I'm wondering is, would a 3 day/week split potentially help me push more weight and gain more muscle since I would be able to focus more on each muscle group? then again, a 3 day split seems very little to me, that's why I was doing full body in the first place, as far as my knowledge goes splits should be done if you're doing 4-5-6 times/week

[air2fakie]

well I measure progress by looking at body composition, if I after a winter bulk and summer cut I end up at the same weight as last year, but have visibly less fat and more muscle for me that's progress...

i used to look at lifts as a way to measure progress but I stopped, I now focus more on very good form and avoiding injuries, I still try to push more weight, but without ****ing up form...

while I'm still making progress, slowly, I'm just wondering if changing things up could make me progress faster....

my lifts haven't gotten stronger in a while, some got even worse, but perhaps that's because I now focus much more on strict form to avoid getting hurt and before I wasn't lifting with exactly perfect form (not terrible either)
I also change the exercises more now, I used to only do bench for chest for example, or only military press for shoulders, now I switch between barbells, dumbells, machines, so perhaps the fact that I'm not focusing on a single exercise every workout also contributed to not getting stronger on lifts


what I'm wondering is, would a 3 day/week split potentially help me push more weight and gain more muscle since I would be able to focus more on each muscle group? then again, a 3 day split seems very little to me, that's why I was doing full body in the first place, as far as my knowledge goes splits should be done if you're doing 4-5-6 times/week

Dude not every 3 day split or full body is the same, nor is the person doing the lifting for each. Details matter for both the program, your effort level, and your progress.

People will tell you one is more “optimal” than the other, but if you’re not concerned with how much you’re lifting and some lifts are even going backwards, it probably won’t make a difference which one you choose especially if you’re not programming for progression. Again, no idea what you look like or what your lifts are since you’ve given no objective details on either.

Do whichever you prefer, it’s your body and time.

[paulinkansas]

Maybe get some shirts with fake muscles built into the fabric.

[TAWS6]

As long as you’re adding weight to the bar overtime, in the 5-12 rep range, everything else is secondary.