Your thoughts on twice a week training?

[SemiIntense]

Not taking sides, just want to get insight from some of you who've been at this longer than me

I know that hitting every body part twice/multiple times a week has really taken off in the last 3 years or so, whether Layne Norton's PHAT or DC theories etc.

I'm just not understanding, from a purely muscle building perspective, what the benefit is over the standard once a week. The thought in my head is, you have a genetic limit (even if it's elevated artificially, there's a limit) and once you reach that limit, you can train legs 7x a week but they just can't grow to any noticeable level anymore.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong or if I'm just reading into it wrong? And your views on the subject

 

[biglizard225]

Not taking sides, just want to get insight from some of you who've been at this longer than me

I know that hitting every body part twice/multiple times a week has really taken off in the last 3 years or so, whether Layne Norton's PHAT or DC theories etc.

I'm just not understanding, from a purely muscle building perspective, what the benefit is over the standard once a week. The thought in my head is, you have a genetic limit (even if it's elevated artificially, there's a limit) and once you reach that limit, you can train legs 7x a week but they just can't grow to any noticeable level anymore.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong or if I'm just reading into it wrong? And your views on the subject

Your thinking too much about it. Try something for a while and see if it works. When I think about some of you guys in here "no offense" I see Ben Pakulski doing his workout at that lab in the university but when it boils down to it I think more people would be better off doing branch warrens training.

My point is Train hard. Employ drop sets and supersets etc. Try different routines until you find what works and stick with it until you plateau, then do something else. Dont try to reinvent the wheel just work hard

 

[eatliftsleep]

If you can hit each bodypart twice a week and progress then more power to you, the muscle is just getting more stimulus, some people can handle it, some cant. It can depend on the certain muscle as well.

 

[chapss]

My concern with 2 day per week routines is your ability to endure longer workouts. If you are well trained, after an hour of heavy lifting you will not be able to push yourself like you could at the start of a workout. If your on cycle, maybe an hour and a half. Tough to hit everything in that much time.

 

[NEMSZ]

Your thinking too much about it. Try something for a while and see if it works. When I think about some of you guys in here "no offense" I see Ben Pakulski doing his workout at that lab in the university but when it boils down to it I think more people would be better off doing branch warrens training.

My point is Train hard. Employ drop sets and supersets etc. Try different routines until you find what works and stick with it until you plateau, then do something else. Dont try to reinvent the wheel just work hard

Sometimes I think of this exact point...

I'm by no means a veteran nor do I even compete but I look at those 2 examples and really, with all the complications and technology in the world that Ben uses its really not that big of a difference, as a matter of fact at that level I think it's just a matter of opinion on who you are a fan of more.

But I'll take Branch and simplicity over any of that crap any day. With a little more regard to injury but you guys get the point.

Some of the biggest guys I've talked to don't even have a routine, they just train by feel. If I recall correctly I believe Frank McGrath said this as well.

 

[MonkeyBoy]

2 days is better than nothing but me personally I couldn't do it. I would feel like I am not getting enough. Mentally it would be to hard for me I think

 

[Whey2Heavy]

For me, twice is the minimum, and I bump it up to 3 for lagging bodyparts. My training style is inspired by Phil Hernon, and ever since I found his methods I have never looked back.

 

[Gaintrain]

here is mine love it

Monday- Chest, front delts, side delts, triceps. Chest press dominant
Tuesday- Back, traps, rear delts, biceps.
Wednesday- quads, hams, calfs
Thursday- off rest
Friday- Chest, front delts, side delts, triceps. Shoulder press dominant
Saturday- Back, traps, rear delts, biceps.
Sunday- quads, hams, calf

 

[biglizard225]

Sometimes I think of this exact point...

I'm by no means a veteran nor do I even compete but I look at those 2 examples and really, with all the complications and technology in the world that Ben uses its really not that big of a difference, as a matter of fact at that level I think it's just a matter of opinion on who you are a fan of more.

But I'll take Branch and simplicity over any of that crap any day. With a little more regard to injury but you guys get the point.

Some of the biggest guys I've talked to don't even have a routine, they just train by feel. If I recall correctly I believe Frank McGrath said this as well.

But I guarentee those bigger guys started out with a day to day routine. They know what works for there body because they've been doing it so long.

It's funny because you get all these guys with all these special training routines and I honestly think it's because they just want to do something different but no matter how you train it's been proven over and over again. Stimulate, eat, rest. It's so simple but yet everybody wants the secret. It kills me sometimes.

To get back to original post if your body will let you train twice weekly then do it but in all honesty most cannot and shouldn't do it. If you go in there and really kill your workouts with a basic routine your body will be begging for more time off. I've tried everything and I'm to the point now where I want to be efficient with my time so I do what I KNOW works for my body because it's how I put the most size on the quickest.

One more thing bro you should have a really good idea of what your going to do when you get in the gym. Have a few different routines but stick to basics and don't just do different shit every time you go in. I again go back to branch warren and johnnie Jackson. Even Ronnie Coleman they all did pretty much the same thing every week and are the some of the thickest guys to ever step foot on a BB stage. So take it for what it's worth I'm no "expert" but I know enough about training and it doesn't take some secret formula

 

[JJR48]

here is mine love it

Monday- Chest, front delts, side delts, triceps. Chest press dominant
Tuesday- Back, traps, rear delts, biceps.
Wednesday- quads, hams, calfs
Thursday- off rest
Friday- Chest, front delts, side delts, triceps. Shoulder press dominant
Saturday- Back, traps, rear delts, biceps.
Sunday- quads, hams, calf

so after Thursday your off day are you going 6 days in a row til being off Thursday again? I ask Ive never seen it laid out that way. how many movements for each muscle trained.

 

[Equalizer]

If you look at a routine like Big Beyond Belief where the volume of sets per bodypart ramps up from 3 to 4 to 5 and then drops back down to 3 over a few weeks, which lets the growth that was stimulated take place.

My question is why not do this with bodypart frequency? Reading an old mag article on Phil Hernons training, he would do this at certain times. That is, train each bodypart twice per week, then switch from a 3-way split to a 2-way split for a few weeks to ramp weekly volume and stimulate growth and then switch back to a 3-way split to allow the new growth take place.

Could probably ramp frequency from once per week, then twice, and finally three times weekly before dropping back down to once per week the whole time keeping the number of sets the same per bodypart each workout.

 

[oldDIRTYbastard]

2 days is better than nothing but me personally I couldn't do it. I would feel like I am not getting enough. Mentally it would be to hard for me I think

I assume you're not alone on this line of thought.

 

[ALLEX]

Hernon also recommends full body every day.

I usually do A/B/A/B mon-fri and take a day off during the week whenever I feel tired, usually Wedsnedays.

My A day is:

- Incline Press
- Dips
- Pull-ups
- Biceps Curls

My B day is:

- Squats
- Leg Curl
- Standing calf raises

I don't know if it's the best method out there. Probably not. But I like it...

 

[Gaintrain]

so after Thursday your off day are you going 6 days in a row til being off Thursday again? I ask Ive never seen it laid out that way. how many movements for each muscle trained.

4-5 exercise for major muscle groups 3-4 for small, also depends how I feel, some days I might do 5-6 for all...depends on what my body is telling me..

 

[Atexus]

Like just about every other training question on here, things work differently for different people. I work from home, I sleep 8-9 hours a night, my stress level is pretty low...my body does great working parts twice weekly. Over the last 15 years, I've tried a few systems, and what seems to work best FOR ME is a modified DC training style mixed with MTUT, 4 days weekly, with and A and B day repeated twice weekly.

 

[JJR48]

4-5 exercise for major muscle groups 3-4 for small, also depends how I feel, some days I might do 5-6 for all...depends on what my body is telling me..

got it thanks , that's a solid workout even if you were hitting each muscle once per week when I see the 2 day splits mostly like the one AALEX mentioned above and that really isn't going to do much for the upper body it mite be a beginners routine tho

 

[Equalizer]

Hernon also recommends full body every day.

I usually do A/B/A/B mon-fri and take a day off during the week whenever I feel tired, usually Wedsnedays.

My A day is:

- Incline Press
- Dips
- Pull-ups
- Biceps Curls

My B day is:

- Squats
- Leg Curl
- Standing calf raises

I don't know if it's the best method out there. Probably not. But I like it...

That looks like a 2-way split. I no Phil was recommending full body workouts almost everyday with 1 set per exercise but from what I understand it was only meant for short periods of time like a couple months.

There was actually some guys on bodybuilding.com called the muscle mafia who were posting phil's routines recently and basically claiming then as there own.

 

[flex22]

I honestly didnt read eeveryones post. Jus seen the thread title and wanted to ggive my own feedback.
i myself have done both methods for long periods of time referring to thenonce a wk and twice a week. It jus boils down to wut works for u and u honestly asking urself whicch has produced the best results.
I like once a wk cuz i can devote a while session to 1 part and hit it from multiple angles and usenmore various movements.
now i also really like twice a wk and thats wut im doin now. Twice every 8days. With this method u jus gotta be careful and find wut bodyparts to combine on certain days and know urnown bodys recovery ability agter each workout. Cuz obv some wworkouts will be harder than others.
Find wut works for u brother and stick with it till u plateau. Once that happens start slowly altering thongs till u start seeing progress/gains again

 

[ALLEX]

That looks like a 2-way split. I no Phil was recommending full body workouts almost everyday with 1 set per exercise but from what I understand it was only meant for short periods of time like a couple months.

There was actually some guys on bodybuilding.com called the muscle mafia who were posting phil's routines recently and basically claiming then as there own.

Yeah. After trying more elaborate workouts I find the 2-way split to work well for me, but I often do mon-wed-fri with some cardio on tue-thu.

Full body workouts with 1 set per exercise isn't really something new. I don't think Phil owns any of these ideas really...

Most plans work and work well, providing food and rest (and drugs if you take them) are there. Even no plan at all works. Go to the gym and train hard, that's the plan.