Favorite training split thread

[Sacario]

How many of you have tried training 4 times per week?

I know @b-boy really believes in this and the results show lol. For me 4 times always feels a bit on the low side because I enjoy training so much. On the other hand, if it gives you the best gains...

For me 5 is too much. 3 is to little. 4 is perfect. Granted the days I'm off I wish I was training but it's a mental thing

 

[dimethyl11]

For me 5 is too much. 3 is to little. 4 is perfect. Granted the days I'm off I wish I was training but it's a mental thing

How do you structure a 4 day split

 

[qbkilla]

How do you structure a 4 day split

I like 2 on 1 off. It doesn't fit into a m-sunday weekly template but if you can get past thinking in terms of a 7 day week, I'm liking it. Similar to 4 days ...I guess 2/3 x 7 = 4.6...works out to close to 5 days a week but I'm feeling much less beat up than 5 days.

 

[Mufasa123]

Number of days really depends on what you are doing. 5 can be too little 3 can be too much. Heavy sets across in big compound lifts are a world away from single joint machine isolations done to pump.

There are 3 factors in program design as defined in science. Volume, intensity (%1RM), and frequency. While they are independent, successful programing over a period makes sure they logically work together for a given trainee. It need not be crazy complicated but you can't define some perfect frequency for even a single trainee without paying attention to the other factors.

 

[Jerryp]

I tried the 5 on 2 off recently realized my body didn't recover well from 5 straight. Had to switch to 2 on 2 off. I think it was Chris aceto who once reccomend no more than 2 days in a row

I'm used to it, I've been 5 on / 2 off for the last few years already, and I absolutely love it !

 

[Blueballs]

back
Chest/calves
OFF
Quads/hams
Shoulders
Arms/calves
OFF

 

[Blueballs]

How many of you have tried training 4 times per week?

I know @b-boy really believes in this and the results show lol. For me 4 times always feels a bit on the low side because I enjoy training so much. On the other hand, if it gives you the best gains...

As I got closer to 50 I found placing an emphasis on recovery to be the way forward.
These days I train 3/4 days a week on cruise and increase to 5 when blasting.

 

[Sacario]

How do you structure a 4 day split

Hit everything twice but back, chest , and quads. I've done it before where I've hit everything twice by doing push with quads and pull with hams alternating days.

 

[svenrpb]

I have been loving the following lately(EOD or 4 times per week).

Day 1: Quads/Hams
Day 2: Chest/arms
Day 3: Back/shoulders
Day 4: Start over

Abs and calves rotated every workout. Primarely I love this because I think a seperate shoulderday is overrated.

 

[cesarpaiva]

i need to bring up my legs so i'm doing something like
1:Legs - quads / hams / calves
2: Chest, delt, triceps
3:OFF
4:Legs - quads / glutes / calves
5:Back, biceps / Hamstrings
6:OFF
7:Legs - quads / glutes / calves
8: Delts, triceps, biceps
9:OFF
repeat

 

[Cerberus777]

PPL

2 days on, 1 day off.

Cardio days off when bulking, cardio every day when cutting.

This is what I do, I'll take an extra day off sometimes if needed.

 

[KayAitch]

I do DC training 2 on 1 off, I only workout during the week and don’t go on weekends. There’s too many people and I hate waiting for machines.

I’m having fun with it. I know I’m not doing it perfectly but I keep getting closer and I’m smoked afterwards. Plus it’s nice having weekends off. Lol.

 

[Dynamo87]

I have been doing a PPLPP doing 4 sets AMRP and 3 movements per muscle group. Try to do M-f with weekends as rest days.
push- chest focus/ shoulder/tri's
pull-back/bi's
leg/Abs- hamstring/quad/calf/Abs
push-shoulder focus/chest/ tri's
pull- back/bi's

 

[qbkilla]

Been doing a push, pull, legs, abs x2 Ed then this for smaller muscles (arms, delts). A nice change of pace but not too impressed with the density training, seems like it lacks intensity compared to regular straight sets to failure

Escalating Density Training: More Muscle in Less Time

Charles Staley's Escalating Density Training (EDT) is a weight training approach focused on hypertrophy, which groups exercises based on time-limited periods.

oldschooltrainer.com

 

[badguy]

Favorite was when I was training more OLs. Squat 3x a week and tons of dynamic pulling. Sprint work as well (not 100% but 80-90ish usually).

These days just basic body part split to keep sessions short and so I can increase frequency. Base is all Barbell compounds and I'll use dumbells/cables/machines around them:

Chest/shoulders/tri
Back/bi
Legs

Off days I do core, shoulder pehab, cardio, sled, etc. I stretch (nothing crazy) and loosen up daily. Cardio is sled, rower, treadmill or whatever - winter narrows that.

I may change it up for periods or throw in an OL day (hasn't happened in a while) but that's been my base for a few years. Weekly schedule is usually 5am home gym. I travel some for work and have kids so I need to be flexible.

Mufasa-
How did you like training legs 3x a week?

 

[KTT]

Day 1 full body, lower body lower reps, upper body high rep pump sets
Off
Day 3 full body, upper body lower reps, lower body high rep pump sets
Off
Day 5 Lower body Muscle rounds
Day 6 Upper body Muscle rounds
Day 7 off.........
Look familiar????

Titan Training aka Serious growth IV , later marketed by others under a different name, example Fortitude training.

 

[Oldwhitedude]

I've done lots of training splits over the years. Recently finished a 4 way split training 6 days a week. Did that for a year or so.

Moved to an upper lower last week.

The way I approach training is that the split actually doesn't matter in the slightest. I'm not concerned with volume or overall workout structure.

My goal is to pick a handful of exercises for every bodypart. Keeping that pretty slim, maybe 3 in total but only 1 main marker of progression.

The goal is for that main marker of progression to push up 20 to 40kg over the next 6 months. The other exercises for that area are tracked of course but to keep things simple I see them as part of a trio of lifts to support the main star.

If I can shift 20 to 40kg heavier on those main markers of progression I'm gonna grow.

When I was a powerlifter this was easy because it was the big 3. These days I pick exercises from a range of great machines i have access to. Just ones which I really connect with.

The other main difference these days is that the reps are higher. 15 to 20 for most main sets. Then added to that are partials, forced reps, dropsets and whatever else I can use to get even more stimulus. Mostly I'll do 1 to 3 sets per exercise, with 1 and 2 being very common.

This means I might only do 4 sets per bodypart per week but as I say getting that optimal volume is just not my focus. If I'm improving in that 15 to 30 rep range so things equal then I'm getting bigger.

 

[juggy38]

Number of days really depends on what you are doing. 5 can be too little 3 can be too much. Heavy sets across in big compound lifts are a world away from single joint machine isolations done to pump.

There are 3 factors in program design as defined in science. Volume, intensity (%1RM), and frequency. While they are independent, successful programing over a period makes sure they logically work together for a given trainee. It need not be crazy complicated but you can't define some perfect frequency for even a single trainee without paying attention to the other factors.

Hell yea. Sets across for BB squat, deadlift, OHP, and bent row….theres not much left for sets and sets of accessories

 

[Ruhlfreak55]

I've done the following split wise for prolly 15 years:

Legs
Arms
Shoulders
Back
Chest

Calves and Abs alternated every day. Rest days on a 1 on 1 off pattern.

HOWEVER, I have always felt that we don't get enough leg work doing this. And I want even more of a dumptruck lol. Not the only reason but anyway.

My question to those doing push/pull/legs, How do you modulate workout to workout? Especially the push and pull days. Coming from a split like I've done i just have a lot of trouble seeing how you can do enough work for a given bodypart in a single workout with 2 or 3 parts in that workout.

So do you do like shoulder emphasis push and a chest emphasis push and alternate? Something similar for pull? Or does everyone doing these splits just do such short small workouts to begin with that it's not a big deal to stuff them all together. Most of my work outs are 90 minutes, sometimes 2 hours, and while freeing up time is always nice...training is also something I love to do.