why do bodybuilders use split routines?

[First Blood]

I squat 2-3 times a week, row 2 times a week, do presses 2 times a week etc. and I've gained a lot harder than the average (serious)lifter.  

Pretty much everyone I know who trained high frequency made really decent gains with it.

But - training to failure every workout is a huge stress on your CNS, and you will overtrain quickly if you do so.

were they people who had been training a few years? and how do i work everything 2x/week without burning out?

damn i have a hard time holding back when i workout...i have to workout very hard..or i cant get motivated..even when i say i should do a light workout it turns into a hard one.

[First Blood]

just try it out for yourself, there is no one "right way" to do it.

ok but can you guarentee that both methods work? i dont mind if one works slower than the other..i just want to know if both work...?

[Permabulker]

I believe 2x a week for smaller bodyparts,
once for bigger ones.

calves 4x a week

Things like biceps, triceps, etc should only be once a week imo since they are trained by doing other indirect movements.  Calves 4 x a week??  Are you only doing 2 sets per workout or?

[First Blood]

Things like biceps, triceps, etc should only be once a week imo since they are trained by doing other indirect movements.  Calves 4 x a week??  Are you only doing 2 sets per workout or?

everybody is saying different things...lol makes you very confused!

[Mars]

like i said, theres no right way to do something, the thing i only see is that beginners train wayyy too much and eat like garbage. food=key

[Trev]

ahh i get all confused....

have you compared once a week with twice a week (on your own body)

and how would you set up such a split?

I did once a week for years. I gained BUT nothing like on twice a week - Stick to good old fashioned volume too. Work EACH bodypart for 20min to half an hour, medium weights, just enough to hit 12 reps on EVERY set with only 30 seconds rest between sets. This way you should be able to WORK UP TO 18-20 sets per bodypart. Keep movements piston like, medium speed, working in mid range not full range and feel throughout. The split is up to you really.

[First Blood]

I did once a week for years. I gained BUT nothing like on twice a week - Stick to good old fashioned volume too. Work EACH bodypart for 20min to half an hour, medium weights, just enough to hit 12 reps on EVERY set with only 30 seconds rest between sets. This way you should be able to WORK UP TO 18-20 sets per bodypart. Keep movements piston like, medium speed, working in mid range not full range and feel throughout. The split is up to you really.

cool, ill try that..but how twice a week..only method i can think of is if do half body in workout A and other half in other work (B)..but then its impossible to do 20 set per bodypart?

or maybe if i split body in 3 parts..and train like 3 days then one rest day then 3 days again? but doesnt your body get tired of you workout so many days per week?

sorry im not trying to annoy you guys i just wanna learn about this stuff.

mars says once a week and you say twice a week.

[First Blood]

I did once a week for years. I gained BUT nothing like on twice a week - Stick to good old fashioned volume too. Work EACH bodypart for 20min to half an hour, medium weights, just enough to hit 12 reps on EVERY set with only 30 seconds rest between sets. This way you should be able to WORK UP TO 18-20 sets per bodypart. Keep movements piston like, medium speed, working in mid range not full range and feel throughout. The split is up to you really.

how much muscle did you gain when you started training twice a week (per muscle)?

[dan18]

cool, ill try that..but how twice a week..only method i can think of is if do half body in workout A and other half in other work (B)..but then its impossible to do 20 set per bodypart?

or maybe if i split body in 3 parts..and train like 3 days then one rest day then 3 days again? but doesnt your body get tired of you workout so many days per week?

sorry im not trying to annoy you guys i just wanna learn about this stuff.

mars says once a week and you say twice a week.

What do you weigh, now how big are you and how heavy do you lift, and what do you eat per day this will help us help you 

[MONSTER_TRICEPS]

were they people who had been training a few years?

Yes.

and how do i work everything 2x/week without burning out?

You could start using a upperbody/lowerbody split, that means you train your upperbody twice a week, and lowerbody twice a week as well.
For example:

Monday: UB
Wednesday: LB
Friday: UB
Saturday: LB

Don't go to failure, going to failure DOES NOT promote extra muscle growth or strength gain, and your central nervous system has to recover a lot longer than when you don't lift to failure.

This basically means that if you benchpress 3 sets to failure in your upperbody workout, your CNS is still recovering on your second UB workout that week. No CNS recovery = strength loss.

If you don't go to failure, your CNS will recover a lot faster, so you can train more frequent = a more frequent growth impulse.
Also, by doing a certain movement 2 times a week, your motor patterns for that movement gets a lot more practice than when you would only be doing that movement only once a week.
Better motor patterns = more strength.

Another tip: don't stick too long with the same exercises, vary a lot in your workouts.

I've been training with a simple split too, but after I switched to high frequency and put more effort in the basic compound movements instead of useless exercises like flyes, leg extensions etc. then the real gains started.

[First Blood]

What do you weigh, now how big are you and how heavy do you lift, and what do you eat per day this will help us help you 

im 5'7 weigh 165-170lbs ....last week i squatted 315 for 3 reps, i can deadlift 405 for 5 reps (i think i can do more but i dont like deadlifts..i do straight leg deadlifts for hamstrings tho)....dont do bench press right now but can do 225x4-5
..but i prefer dbs...i use 80lbs dbs on inclinbe db press for 9-10 reps

i probably eat 2500-2800 calories per day..protein 140-180g

but mostly im interested in how many timer per week you should train a muscle group and hear about real world results with both methods (1x vs 2x)

[First Blood]

Yes.

You could start using a upperbody/lowerbody split, that means you train your upperbody twice a week, and lowerbody twice a week as well.
For example:

Monday: UB
Wednesday: LB
Friday: UB
Saturday: LB

Don't go to failure, going to failure DOES NOT promote extra muscle growth or strength gain, and your central nervous system has to recover a lot longer than when you don't lift to failure.

This basically means that if you benchpress 3 sets to failure in your upperbody workout, your CNS is still recovering on your second UB workout that week. No CNS recovery = strength loss.

If you don't go to failure, your CNS will recover a lot faster, so you can train more frequent = a more frequent growth impulse.
Also, by doing a certain movement 2 times a week, your motor patterns for that movement gets a lot more practice than when you would only be doing that movement only once a week.
Better motor patterns = more strength.

Another tip: don't stick too long with the same exercises, vary a lot in your workouts.

thanks man good tips..only problem is i hate A/B workouts...too many muscle groups per session.. (for me....even if its good in theory)

[MONSTER_TRICEPS]

thanks man good tips..only problem is i hate A/B workouts...too many muscle groups per session.. (for me....even if its good in theory)

Use mostly compound movements, who the fuck cares about flyes, machine curls or tricep kickbacks.

Presses, rows, chins, all squat variants, gm's, all forms of deadlifts (not too often though, as this is a lift you easily overtrain on), and basic curls, or frenchpresses are the exercises you should be doing, and you will be rewarded doing them.

[dan18]

im 5'7 weigh 165-170lbs ....last week i squatted 315 for 3 reps, i can deadlift 405 for 5 reps (i think i can do more but i dont like deadlifts..i do straight leg deadlifts for hamstrings tho)....dont do bench press right now but can do 225x4-5
..but i prefer dbs...i use 80lbs dbs on inclinbe db press for 9-10 reps

i probably eat 2500-2800 calories per day..protein 140-180g

but mostly im interested in how many timer per week you should train a muscle group and hear about real world results with both methods (1x vs 2x)

I do

TUE - SHOULDERS AND BACK THEN ABS

THUR -LEGGS ABS  CALFS

FRI -CHEST BIS TRIS  ABBS CALFS   THATS IT .. IM 225 AT 5'11 MY PICS ARE ON THE PICS BOARD

[First Blood]

I do

TUE - SHOULDERS AND BACK THEN ABS

THUR -LEGGS ABS  CALFS

FRI -CHEST BIS TRIS  ABBS CALFS   THATS IT .. IM 225 AT 5'11 MY PICS ARE ON THE PICS BOARD

thanks man...how much have you gained using that routine in the last year?

[First Blood]

fuck..cant decide what to do...this is seriously messing with my head.

so many different routines...

[First Blood]

bump...would like to hear more opinions?

[JasonBourne22]

like i said, theres no right way to do something, the thing i only see is that beginners train wayyy too much and eat like garbage. food=key

Exactly, fact is you should try the 2x per week, then 6 weeks later change it up again. Food is the most important factor, however, consistently being inconsistent (if that makes sense) is what has worked the most for me. I never do the same workout twice, be it exercises, rep scheme, rest periods, tempo etc.....

[First Blood]

Exactly, fact is you should try the 2x per week, then 6 weeks later change it up again. Food is the most important factor, however, consistently being inconsistent (if that makes sense) is what has worked the most for me. I never do the same workout twice, be it exercises, rep scheme, rest periods, tempo etc.....

thanks man..but that made me even more confused lol

[JasonBourne22]

thanks man..but that made me even more confused lol

The thing is, always change the stimulus. One week do 4 x 12, then the next do 2 x 50 or something like that. Your muscles should never know whats about to hit them 

[Trev]

how much muscle did you gain when you started training twice a week (per muscle)?

I was adding 3-4 quality pounds of muscle a year on once a week. Have been training like that for Approx 20 years so as a natural I thought I had done great. Went twice a week about a year ago and I am have transformed my physique! I am 5 pounds heavier but A LOT leaner (waist down from 37 inches to 32 inches) and have a lot more more muscle (arms up from 15.75 inches to 17.25 inches COLD).

OLD SCHOOL IS THE WAY TO GO.

[mitchyboy]

Not trying to be mean, but if come back in 2-4 years and read this post, after years of working out, you'll see how dumb of a ? this is. If you found the perfect and I mean absolute perfect routine, it would still only work for 2 months or so before you have to try something else. So to answer your ?, by all means try everything and see for yourself. I know you think your wasting time not working out the most efficiently, but remember, adaptation is key to bigger better muscles. You have to keep them constantly adapting, and you accomplish by change in routines.

[First Blood]

I was adding 3-4 quality pounds of muscle a year on once a week. Have been training like that for Approx 20 years so as a natural I thought I had done great. Went twice a week about a year ago and I am have transformed my physique! I am 5 pounds heavier but A LOT leaner (waist down from 37 inches to 32 inches) and have a lot more more muscle (arms up from 15.75 inches to 17.25 inches COLD).

OLD SCHOOL IS THE WAY TO GO.

wow thats impressive....would love to hear more about how your workout?

everything is hit twice a week? 18-20 sets per bodypart...30 sec rest between sets? do you go to failure? how do you split it up`?

[Ursus]

I use a 4 day split and train 6x a week

i have also used a 3 day split (chest/back legs shoulders/arms)

Making great gains size and strength

[Trev]

wow thats impressive....would love to hear more about how your workout?

everything is hit twice a week? 18-20 sets per bodypart...30 sec rest between sets? do you go to failure?

To failure once a week then a little lighter and not quite on the second workouts (working for the pump there) - Was splitting body into 3 workouts for 3 months but work and family were neglected so now - Quads, Chest, Delts on day one (for both Saturday and Tuesday) and Hamstrings, Back and arms on Days Two (for both Sunday and Wednesday) - Thursday and Friday = REST and EAT.