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Best routine for natural bodybuilding?

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barkbomes9:
Reading through heaps of articles, some say heavy low reps, others classic 8-12, 4 day body part splits or twice a week upper lower, what's your go to routine giving the best (not necessarily fastest) results, for those who don't juice? Does it even make a difference and purely time and commitment will pay off? Thanks.

IroNat:
Full body 2-3 times week.

Always include a press, a pull, a squat, and a calf exercise.

oldtimer1:
A full body routine is the way to go. The body works in any athletic endeavor as a unit. It gets fatigued systemically and not only local to a muscle trained.  It fatigues and recovers as  a unit working out.  Using a whole body routine like Nat said will work if you use it three times a week or twice. It also gives you free days for cardio or other athletic pursuits. We have been brain washed into thinking we need four different bicep exercises.  With a whole body routine pick one or two exercises a body part and after say six workouts you can change the exercises you are using. A good protocol that is based in power lifting is to not to go to failure every workout. Let's say you are lifting Monday-Wednesday and Friday.  Pick a two week peak. Predict a goal you want for those six works in weight used. Let's say it's a 100 pounds for three sets of 8 in the curl. Back off for those two weeks of work outs for 5 lbs a work out. So work out one will be 75lbs for three sets of 8 for the curl on Monday. Wednesday will be 80lbs for the same reps and sets. Friday will be 85lbs again with no increase in reps or sets. Take your weekend off and begin Monday at 90lbs. After Wednesday, Friday should bring you to your goal of 100lbs.  Make sure planing your cycle that you don't make your goal impossible if you are a seasoned lifter. After that six workout peak change your exercises around to keep things interesting. Change every single exercise. Using a whole routine you can't go wrong with using Arthur Jones protocol of training the largest body parts first going down to the smallest. Steve Reeves disagreed with this saying it's best to warm up with smaller body parts to get into the flow of the routine.


A method that has worked for me is to use a split but train body parts directly once a week. Doing something like Monday doing Back and chest. Wednesday doing legs and Friday delt and arms. Of course days of the week are meaningless and you can get your three workouts in however they fit during the week. The reason why this workout works is over lap. It's impossible to truly isolate different areas of your body. For example on monday I either included power cleans or deadlifts. They work legs hard. So legs are being trained hard twice a week. One day directly and the other day with over lap. Monday being back and chest day both the triceps and biceps are getting hit hard with the pulling and pushing.  On Friday they get hit again directly with the Delt/ arms day. I can go through each body part and show some over lap as to why body parts are getting hit twice a week through what appears to be a once a week routine. On days off do some cardio.

So many ways to do it. If you want to train like the natural champs of the 50's, 40's and even 30's go with the full body routine. Guys who use a split are fond of saying it's a beginner routine. The truth is it's the hardest way you can train. It's exhausting to train the whole body in one shot.  Splits are no doubt easier.

IroNat:
Good ideas, OT.

Many ways to arrange a routine that hits the entire body.

Great point about the overlap of muscle groups when you train using bro-splits.

Using drugs allows you to recover from this but as a natty it's not as easy.

oldtimer1:

--- Quote from: IroNat on May 08, 2020, 06:10:31 AM ---Good ideas, OT.

Many ways to arrange a routine that hits the entire body.

Great point about the overlap of muscle groups when you train using bro-splits.

Using drugs allows you to recover from this but as a natty it's not as easy.

--- End quote ---

People have jobs and family obligations that are exhausting. Very few guys can drive an hour to work then work for 8-10 hours to drive home to a six day a week workout. So many drug users might have part time jobs but few have a careers. In the real world we need effective realistic workouts. I once heard someone say one set to exhaustion with your exercises gets you 90% of what you can get our of your workout. Another set gets you another 5%. Each extra set is a fraction in additional benefit. I don't agree with his percentages but he was making a valid point. we need to train with the most pay to value costs.  I look at the world of running trying to increase endurance.  Running 25 miles a week will get you 90% of your potential. To get to 100% might involve 50 mile weeks. Important for an elite athlete but not us mere mortals.

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