why do bodybuilders use split routines?

[First Blood]

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.

na i understand  
 but that doesnt answer the main question...once a week vs twice a week. i know you have to change your routine now and then...

[First Blood]

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

wow 6days a week? doesnt that make you tired? do you know alot of other people who workout 6 days a week? like in your gym etc? so you train a muscle like 1.5 times per week?

[Trev]

Go read and absorb this thread - http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?topic=109977.0

I've made the best gains of my life following the advice on this thread and I'm nearly 39!!

[First Blood]

guys what do you think of this compromise?

mon:legs
tue:chest/back
wed:rest
thur:shoulders/arms
fri:rest
sat:legs
sun:chest/back
mon:rest
tue:shoulders/arms
wed:rest
etc..

9-12 sets per body part....6-12 reps

[Ursus]

Muscle gets hit 3x in 2 weeks.

If i feel tired (rare) i wont train. I NEVER train to failure. I cycle weights and dont go mad on the volume.

A few others in my gym train 5/6 times a week. Maybe 6-8 that i know of.

[First Blood]

Go read and absorb this thread - http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?topic=109977.0

I've made the best gains of my life following the advice on this thread and I'm nearly 39!!

damn i seen pics of him he is awesome...i will read it..thanks

just one question...lots of pros today train muscles once a week and they are bigger than him eventhough he trained the muscles twice a week...?

[First Blood]

Muscle gets hit 3x in 2 weeks.

If i feel tired (rare) i wont train. I NEVER train to failure. I cycle weights and dont go mad on the volume.

A few others in my gym train 5/6 times a week. Maybe 6-8 that i know of.

thanks man i think ill start avoiding failure.....

im impressed you can workout 6 days a week..you must have great recovery....do the other guys who train 5-6days a week get good results? 

[Ursus]

yes. Though bear in mind nearly all of these people (bar 1) are under 23.

They are getting very very strong and quickly too. I have good recovery i think plus i eat a shit lot of food. I enjoy trianing and keep it fun. Focusing on the main compound movements as they are more important.

Your split looks fine to me mate. But avoid failure at all costs

[Trev]

damn i seen pics of him he is awesome...i will read it..thanks

just one question...lots of pros today train muscles once a week and they are bigger than him eventhough he trained the muscles twice a week...?

DRUGS DRUGS DRUGS ..... They all end up at 11 stone when they stop training, Serge is 70 yrs old, 220 pounds and still has 20 inch arms. Here he was training last week http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=cIPZgmxgg_s
 

[First Blood]

yes. Though bear in mind nearly all of these people (bar 1) are under 23.

They are getting very very strong and quickly too. I have good recovery i think plus i eat a shit lot of food. I enjoy trianing and keep it fun. Focusing on the main compound movements as they are more important.

Your split looks fine to me mate. But avoid failure at all costs

cool i think ill use the split i wrote or this one:

do you think you can get good gains using this kind of split:
back
chest
legs
rest
shoulders
arms
rest
back etc...

(5day split)

[First Blood]

DRUGS DRUGS DRUGS ..... They all end up at 11 stone when they stop training, Serge is 70 yrs old, 220 pounds and still has 20 inch arms. Here he was training last week http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=cIPZgmxgg_s
 

yeah i was thinking that......damn that video is sick. do you think todays guys would be even bigger if they trained like nubret?

did serge use drugs?

[Option D]

i just read an article on training theory that says every body part should be trained twice a week because protein synthesis drops after 24 hours or some such...if that is so..why do most bodybuilders use routines such as: legs,chest,back,shoulders,arms rest weekends etc. (like one body part per day)

wow

[First Blood]

wow

ill try to find the link if you dont believe me..

[Trev]

yeah i was thinking that......damn that video is sick. do you think todays guys would be even bigger if they trained like nubret?

Probably, but they don't need to. Its all about drugs and money now. Avoid the pro side like the plague....

Best advice is to bodybuild for the pleasure of it - work on building quality muscle ONLY in all the right balance. Get rid of any excess fat (sensibly) and ENJOY.

[Option D]

ill try to find the link if you dont believe me..

The reason we do split routines becaue to effectivley stress every muscle (entire body) every day, it would take 3 hours to train. I mean to stress the muscle enough for drastic growth.

also attention span and intensity only lasts about 1hour and 15 min for weight training.

[First Blood]

Probably, but they don't need to. Its all about drugs and money now. Avoid the pro side like the plague....

Best advice is to bodybuild for the pleasure of it - work on building quality muscle ONLY in all the right balance. Get rid of any excess fat (sensibly) and ENJOY.

yeah i love working out in the morning..45-60min...always a great start to the day..i dont like working out in the evening after your tired from work etc...

i think 5 days per week would be perfect...but im worrying about that if i work a muscle once a week i wont get any results...but i worry that if i try working a muscle twice a week i will get too tired. what do you think of using serge style on the split i wrote earlier(where you train everything 1.5 times per week) ?

[First Blood]

The reason we do split routines becaue to effectivley stress every muscle (entire body) every day, it would take 3 hours to train. I mean to stress the muscle enough for drastic growth.

also attention span and intensity only lasts about 1hour and 15 min for weight training.

yeah..true..but i wasnt suggesting fullbody routines....those are mostly for newbies i think.

i have noticed for me the limit is about 45-60min..then i start loosing focus

[tbombz]

wow 6days a week? doesnt that make you tired? do you know alot of other people who workout 6 days a week? like in your gym etc? so you train a muscle like 1.5 times per week?

ive always gotten best results with a 5 day repeating split. no days off. every couple weeks, or whenever i feel tired, ill take a break for however long i need to ffeel motivated again. normally about once every 20 daysd or so i take one day off. sometimes 2 or 3.

[tbombz]

did serge use drugs?

lol.

yes, of course. look at him. you dont look like a pro bodybuilder without them.

[First Blood]

ive always gotten best results with a 5 day repeating split. no days off. every couple weeks, or whenever i feel tired, ill take a break for however long i need to ffeel motivated again. normally about once every 20 daysd or so i take one day off. sometimes 2 or 3.

thats impressive..but i dont think i could do that, i think i need 2 rest days per week...

how would you set up my training program?

[First Blood]

lol.

yes, of course. look at him. you dont look like a pro bodybuilder without them.

but he wasnt as big as the pros today... if he used drugs too..how do we know that the workout actually matters? maybe drugs let you train in anyway you want...grr..frustrating lol

[First Blood]

lol.

yes, of course. look at him. you dont look like a pro bodybuilder without them.

and if he used drugs too and todays pros use drugs...it must be the training that is making todays pros bigger than him?

[tbombz]

and if he used drugs too and todays pros use drugs...it must be the training that is making todays pros bigger than him?

different drugs, better knowledge of how to use the drugs, and better supplements also.

thats impressive..but i dont think i could do that, i think i need 2 rest days per week...

how would you set up my training program?

the advice youve gotten so far is good. i cant tell you what will be best for you. but i know what works best for me... this is my split

chest calves
quads hams
back calves
shoulders calves
bi's tri's
repeat

[First Blood]

different drugs, better knowledge of how to use the drugs, and better supplements also.
 the advice youve gotten so far is good. i cant tell you what will be best for you. but i know what works best for me... this is my split

chest calves
quads hams
back calves
shoulders calves
bi's tri's
repeat

ok i think ill just have to choose one routine...

what do you think off the chest/back, legs, shoulders/arms routine...where i hit everything every fifth day?

maybe ill do that for 6 weeks then do a 5 day split with 2 rest days per week

[tbombz]

i would rather see you do

frontdelts/sidedelts/chest/triceps
back/biceps/rear delts/traps
quads/hams/calves/
rest
repeat