Training split/frequency

[scrossmaggard]

What is your favorite training split? I currently adopted a Upper/Lower/Cardio/Upper/Lower/Cardio/Rest split. Anyone like that split or have done similar? It’s more specifically Chest, Tris, Front and Medial shoulders upper 1, Quads lower 1, abs on cardio, Back, Bis, medial and rear shoulders upper 2, Hams lower 2. I haven’t done it long enough to say wether I like it or not.

[johndoethethird]

Currently moved from a custom 3 day split of my own (Chest-Bi/Back-Tri/Shoulders-Legs) with 3x10 on everything to a 4 day split (Chest/Back/Shoulders-Bis-Tris/Legs)with 5x5 for compounds and 3x10 going everyday to the gym. I'm cutting so it was hard linear progressing and the volume on the initial 3 day split was burning me out the more I was progressing. With my current rotating 4 day split I enjoy it more, cut the volume down a tad bit, sessions are smaller, weight is progressing nicely and my recovery is way way better.

[tblodg15]

What is your favorite training split? I currently adopted a Upper/Lower/Cardio/Upper/Lower/Cardio/Rest split. Anyone like that split or have done similar? It’s more specifically Chest, Tris, Front and Medial shoulders upper 1, Quads lower 1, abs on cardio, Back, Bis, medial and rear shoulders upper 2, Hams lower 2. I haven’t done it long enough to say wether I like it or not.

Where you described it specifically that is a push-legs-pull split. So are you only hitting each muscle group once per week?

I did a push-pull-legs split back in high school and for about a year when I started lifting again at 50 years old. Then about 6 months ago I switched to an upper-lower split and I liked it better than push-pull. In upper-lower you are usually working your entire upper body in the same day.

I am currently in my 2nd week doing full body 3 days per week and so far so good but obviously need more time to see how I really like it compared to the upper-lower split.

[adamgentile]

Been on this split for 6 months now, it's my favorite and seeing the best results on it. I've tried every split in the book and full body.

Day 1 Chest/Biceps
Day 2 Legs
Day 3 Run outside (2-3 miles)
Day 4 - Shoulders/Triceps
Day 5 - Back - Maybe biceps, forearms, or usually hit up the calves again
Day 6 - Run outside (2-3 miles)
REPEAT

[grubman]

I enjoy full body the most...I make my best progress on full body...so I do full body (every other day).

I’m a firm believer that any intelligently designed and aggressively performed split will get anyone from point A to point B. If the one you enjoy doing just happens to be your most optimal...Aces!

[Jtbny]

Full body 4 days a week with a "focus" lift (squats/deads/bench) to start the session.

[MrCarrot]

I know a lot of people like doing full body, but...

1) How do you push yourself hard on say, the bench press, after exhausting yourself with heavy squats first?

2) Don't you still feel sore 2 days later?

[Plateauplower]

I know a lot of people like doing full body, but...

1) How do you push yourself hard on say, the bench press, after exhausting yourself with heavy squats first?

2) Don't you still feel sore 2 days later?

1 You adapt to be able to handle the work after a few weeks. On full body programs per session volume is not extreme. Squats don’t work your chest and triceps and don’t impact bench much at all. After a few weeks you are just able to hit each body part well. Usually if something is going to be negatively impacted it will be another compound such as benching and OHP in the same session. Best way to deal with that is do bench first one session, OHP first the next session etc leave any smaller or isolation movements for the end.

2 after a few weeks of full body you will not get sore....pretty much ever. Frequency is the cure for DOMS. When I train on full body programs I never get sore even if I do higher volume for a body part. I’m currently running upper / lower programming and I get a little sore with 2X per week frequency. If I’m hitting muscles 3x per week never sore.

[grubman]

1) How do you push yourself hard on say, the bench press, after exhausting yourself with heavy squats first?

What PP said...and for what it’s worth, I do upper body first, then legs. I know the popular opinion is that leg compounds are more taxing so do them when you are fresh...but I’ve found I can move more weight after the benifits of being very warmed up and fully awake* AFTER upper body...AND since legs anhilate me, it’s better to be wiped out at the end of training than at the beginning. Win win for me.

*early AM lifter

[Mark1T]

Full body 4 days a week with a "focus" lift (squats/deads/bench) to start the session.

Going to check that split out, homy.

[scrossmaggard]

Where you described it specifically that is a push-legs-pull split. So are you only hitting each muscle group once per week?

For the most part aside of legs, calves, and medial shoulders. I will give this a few weeks and see what happens. I was used to training a bro split 6 days a week. So this compressed volume at say 4 days is a major change for me. The full body split seems interesting. Would it be beneficial if someone was to compete on stage?

[grubman]

Would it be beneficial if someone was to compete on stage?

Well, ask just about every bodybuilder before the 70s...they were all doing full body routines.

[Jtbny]

I know a lot of people like doing full body, but...

1) How do you push yourself hard on say, the bench press, after exhausting yourself with heavy squats first?

2) Don't you still feel sore 2 days later?

Limit volume per session and spread it out over the week. I'm rarely sore and I lift pretty decent amounts.

[Jtbny]

Going to check that split out, homy.

It helps I have tons of "toys" to play with so I'm never bored. For example if I don't feel like hitting my upper back via rows I do farmers walks with the proper implements that allow me to load up 200+ per handle and do 60 feet runs. I look to do two movements per bodypart (legs,chest,back,shoulders) each session with smaller body part exercises supersetted in (curls,tris, side/rear delts ect), but will do a bit more on Sat/Sun because I have more time. All in all I feel 100% better than I ever did doing any powerlifting split and I'm equally as strong and am still relatively lean (for me).

[TAWS6]

I enjoy upper/lower the most. Hammer chest/back/shoulders/arms ect with 1-2 exercises per muscle group. Hit legs hard the next day, rest and repeat. Weekends off too is nice.

[Natty1980]

This is what I'm following currently:

Day 1: Shoulders and back
Day 2: Rest
Day 3: Legs and abs
Day 4: Cardio or rest
Day 5: Chest, biceps and triceps
Day 6: Cardio
Day 7: Rest

What I like: muscle groups have plenty of time to recover (I use a lot of volume and intensity).
What I dislike: Training each group every 6 days I have a lot of energy and I destroy my muscles, feeling sore for many days after the training.
Most probably I will switch to a P/P/L/cardio or rest in March and try it for a couple of months.

[gazmorton2000]

Good thread as I have been trying to figure out a way to train since going back to a more bodybuilding style of exercise after circa 4 years of Crossfit.

Steroid free since my complete pec tear around 10 years ago. I would like to build a little muscle but also lose some of the fat I am carrying at the moment. Last few weeks have looked like...

Mon : Legs (hit it hard this week and the exhaustion after and DOMS were high!)
Tues : Chest/Tri
Wed : REST or 30 mins steady state cardio.
Thur : Back/Bi
Fri : Shoulders
Sat : Rest
Sun :Cardio interval session (HIIT)

This week I swapped WED & THUR but that's largely where I'm at. Any advice/pointers? Tempted to try hitting everything x2 each week but that would mean a lot longer in the gym.

[Natty1980]

Good thread as I have been trying to figure out a way to train since going back to a more bodybuilding style of exercise after circa 4 years of Crossfit.

Steroid free since my complete pec tear around 10 years ago. I would like to build a little muscle but also lose some of the fat I am carrying at the moment. Last few weeks have looked like...

Mon : Legs (hit it hard this week and the exhaustion after and DOMS were high!)
Tues : Chest/Tri
Wed : REST or 30 mins steady state cardio.
Thur : Back/Bi
Fri : Shoulders
Sat : Rest
Sun :Cardio interval session (HIIT)

This week I swapped WED & THUR but that's largely where I'm at. Any advice/pointers? Tempted to try hitting everything x2 each week but that would mean a lot longer in the gym.

Why not to invert arms workouts? Chest + bi and back + tri?
Second, I don't think a shoulders day is needed... unless it's your weak point but in this case you should hit them twice a week.

[tblodg15]

advice/pointers? Tempted to try hitting everything x2 each week but that would mean a lot longer in the gym.

Hitting each muscle group twice per week would not mean a lot longer in the gym. Theoretically you are basically splitting up your current volume in one session into two sessions - so the number of sets is the same. Now to me having an entire gym session for just shoulders - that sounds inefficient.

[grubman]

Good thread as I have been trying to figure out a way to train since going back to a more bodybuilding style of exercise after circa 4 years of Crossfit.

Steroid free since my complete pec tear around 10 years ago. I would like to build a little muscle but also lose some of the fat I am carrying at the moment. Last few weeks have looked like...

Mon : Legs (hit it hard this week and the exhaustion after and DOMS were high!)
Tues : Chest/Tri
Wed : REST or 30 mins steady state cardio.
Thur : Back/Bi
Fri : Shoulders
Sat : Rest
Sun :Cardio interval session (HIIT)

This week I swapped WED & THUR but that's largely where I'm at. Any advice/pointers? Tempted to try hitting everything x2 each week but that would mean a lot longer in the gym.

On occasion I switch my full body lifting to a more “athletic” type focus. When I do this I’ll do only one set of each excercise, focusing on mobility and multiple angles. For example, chest would include 3 sets on a given day. I might do a set of 6-8 heavy flat benches, a set of 12-15 incline bumbell press, and finish with a set of gymnastic ring pushups to failure (usually around 20-25). Follow the same idea on all body parts.

Just mentioning this because that style of full body might be of interest to a guy who enjoys CrossFit type training. Just showing that full body doesn’t always have to be just bench, deadlift, and squats.

[gazmorton2000]

Why not to invert arms workouts? Chest + bi and back + tri?
Second, I don't think a shoulders day is needed... unless it's your weak point but in this case you should hit them twice a week.

Yeah, I could invert arms as you say. Either is good for me. The way I currently do it, I figure they are already warm from either the push/pull and I can go straight in.

Interesting point about shoulders, thanks.

Hitting each muscle group twice per week would not mean a lot longer in the gym. Theoretically you are basically splitting up your current volume in one session into two sessions - so the number of sets is the same. Now to me having an entire gym session for just shoulders - that sounds inefficient.

Well, longer on each session I guess, not total. I will often throw in abs at the end of shoulders, but I hear what you are saying and happy to listen/adjust.

On occasion I switch my full body lifting to a more “athletic” type focus. When I do this I’ll do only one set of each excercise, focusing on mobility and multiple angles. For example, chest would include 3 sets on a given day. I might do a set of 6-8 heavy flat benches, a set of 12-15 incline bumbell press, and finish with a set of gymnastic ring pushups to failure (usually around 20-25). Follow the same idea on all body parts.

Just mentioning this because that style of full body might be of interest to a guy who enjoys CrossFit type training. Just showing that full body doesn’t always have to be just bench, deadlift, and squats.

Wouldn't say I enjoyed Crossfit style as such. My background was originally bodybuilding for most of my 20's. Just ended up doing Crossfit for the last few years. I was in very good shape and of course, fit but for some reasons, needed a change so it's back to bodybuilding for now.

Thanks for taking the time.

[scrossmaggard]

Why not to invert arms workouts? Chest + bi and back + tri?
Second, I don't think a shoulders day is needed... unless it's your weak point but in this case you should hit them twice a week.

Inverted arms? That's something I've never tried before. I'm sure you'd see some good arm results from that.

[scrossmaggard]

Yeah, I could invert arms as you say. Either is good for me. The way I currently do it, I figure they are already warm from either the push/pull and I can go straight in.

Interesting point about shoulders, thanks.



Well, longer on each session I guess, not total. I will often throw in abs at the end of shoulders, but I hear what you are saying and happy to listen/adjust.



Wouldn't say I enjoyed Crossfit style as such. My background was originally bodybuilding for most of my 20's. Just ended up doing Crossfit for the last few years. I was in very good shape and of course, fit but for some reasons, needed a change so it's back to bodybuilding for now.

Thanks for taking the time.

Dang dude. Join date 2004, 7 total post. 2 in this thread? Thanks for joining in man.

[hmmmm16417]

this is what i've found works for me......


1-chest
2-arms
3-back & shoulders
4-legs
5- repeat

I throw 1-2 rest days in between according what my body tells me (typically around day 6-7)

I work in a couple ab exercises here and there on chest day - core gets some work w dead lifts and squats

moving forward, I try to change it up with some deload days

[gcoulson]

I know a lot of people like doing full body, but...

1) How do you push yourself hard on say, the bench press, after exhausting yourself with heavy squats first?

2) Don't you still feel sore 2 days later?

1) I do Greyskull LP, which prescribes your upper body lifts BEFORE squats and deadlifts, for this very reason.

2) not after you've been working out for a while.

[blue9steel]

I like push / pull since it means I don't have to deadlift and squat on the same day.

[gazmorton2000]

Dang dude. Join date 2004, 7 total post. 2 in this thread? Thanks for joining in man.

Oh, you're welcome.

this is what i've found works for me......


1-chest
2-arms
3-back & shoulders
4-legs
5- repeat

I throw 1-2 rest days in between according what my body tells me (typically around day 6-7)

I work in a couple ab exercises here and there on chest day - core gets some work w dead lifts and squats

moving forward, I try to change it up with some deload days

Similar to my approach but gonna try changing it up starting Monday I think and perhaps try hitting a couple things twice and see how I react.

[DirkLift]

Hey all, my first post on here.

I started gym 2 weeks ago after a 25 year break and have been doing full body 3 times per week for these 2 weeks. Really beginner level, but I'm enjoying it and want to train more often, so thinking about changing to a push/pull split 4-5 days per week.
My biggest driver for changing to a 2-day split is so that I can push chest a bit harder. I'm not inclined to ask a stranger to spot for me, so end up not pushing myself to complete failure on bench. I'm aiming for 12 reps and stop somewhere by the 10-12th rep because I struggle to get the bar up (so close to failure), but feel I'd probably push a bit harder with a second exercise of dumpbell presses where I'd have a way out if I can't finish the rep.
I signed a 12 month contract at a gym right opposite my house, but they don't have the option of benching inside a cage, for example.

What PP said...and for what it’s worth, I do upper body first, then legs. I know the popular opinion is that leg compounds are more taxing so do them when you are fresh...but I’ve found I can move more weight after the benifits of being very warmed up and fully awake* AFTER upper body...AND since legs anhilate me, it’s better to be wiped out at the end of training than at the beginning. Win win for me.

*early AM lifter

I like that idea grubman. I'm extremely unfit and struggle with overall energy levels rather than individual muscles, so think it might be best leaving squats to the end. Haven't been doing deadlifts yet, but hey'll be coming soon and will be the same.

[scrossmaggard]

Hey all, my first post on here.

I started gym 2 weeks ago after a 25 year break and have been doing full body 3 times per week for these 2 weeks. Really beginner level, but I'm enjoying it and want to train more often, so thinking about changing to a push/pull split 4-5 days per week.
My biggest driver for changing to a 2-day split is so that I can push chest a bit harder. I'm not inclined to ask a stranger to spot for me, so end up not pushing myself to complete failure on bench. I'm aiming for 12 reps and stop somewhere by the 10-12th rep because I struggle to get the bar up (so close to failure), but feel I'd probably push a bit harder with a second exercise of dumpbell presses where I'd have a way out if I can't finish the rep.
I signed a 12 month contract at a gym right opposite my house, but they don't have the option of benching inside a cage, for example.



I like that idea grubman. I'm extremely unfit and struggle with overall energy levels rather than individual muscles, so think it might be best leaving squats to the end. Haven't been doing deadlifts yet, but hey'll be coming soon and will be the same.

Thanks for posting sir. I have the same thing going on about asking for a spotter and don't like workout partners. I busted out a 315 6x3 and hadn't had a spotter in years. I was very aware of my limitations and quit just shy of failure almost on every exercise. Just saying you can make gains and progress without complete failure. Me personally if I hit BB press, then I will do DB flyes in the same workout. Many might have other advice.

[tblodg15]

Dirklift, no need to go all the way to failure. I have been lifting for over 2 years now and have never one time had a spotter for bench press. I even do my AMRAP testing (as many reps as possible) without a spotter. With practice you should have a pretty good idea when you won’t be able to get another rep because it is going up real slow so you just stop then.