I am thinking about going from lifting 5 days per week to 4. Currently do M, Tues, off Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, off Sunday.
Thinking of doing M, W, Fri, Sat.
Thoughts? Experiences? Advice?
Should be fine.
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I am kicking around the four day, but having the fifth day be accessory work on lagging muscles. Calves, traps, etc. A little more of a rest day, but still active.
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That’s the way to do it.
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Here is what I think I’m going to do:
Currently-
M-Arms
Tues-Legs
Wed-off
Thursday-Chest & Back
Friday-Arms
Saturday-Legs, Chest & Back (full body)
Change to:
Week 1
Monday-Arms
Tuesday-Legs
Wed-Off
Thursday-Chest & Back
Friday-Accessory/lagging work
Saturday-Legs & Arms
Week 2
Monday-Chest & Back
Tuesday-Legs
Wed-Off
Thursday-Arms
Friday-Accessory/lagging work
Saturday-Legs, chest & back (full body)
Repeat back at week one.
This above keeps body parts with 3-4 days off between them and cycles exercises a bit.
Do you consider your shoulders as part of your arms, or as part of your chest and back?
Arms.
Thoughts on the layout?
You’re an absolute maniac to train your shoulders the day before your legs. The LAST thing I wanna do when my shoulders are sore is hold the bar in a squat position for a long time while I drill my legs.
Oh yeah I do chest, back, arms, shoulders, legs.
Hmmm. Never really been an issue. Other than this, any other thoughts on the layout?
I am of the firm opinion that it’s genuinely hard to lift weights wrong. As long as effort, consistency and time (patience) are present, it will work. We’ve seen SO many different approaches to training to prove just that.
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Have definitely experienced this. One way around it for me was holding out further on the bar as opposed to closer to shoulder width. So when doing squats i would extend my arms, almost to the plates, seemed to help with the tight/sore shoulder being activated by holding closer to the shoulder width.
I like using a buffalo bar myself, or a safety squat bar, but my other option was to just structure the training better, haha.
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Interestingly, I started doing chest and shoulders after legs for this reason. It worked well for awhile, but then I started finding my elbows hurt on push day after squatting with a straight bar, to the point where that day just wrecked me for the week. I switched to SSB and belt squats, and the whole week improved.
I’m sure I could just be smarter about things, but my legs grew better with those moves anyway, so it worked out.
Totally unrelated, but in the vain of learning things, leg presses irritate my IT band in a way that belt squat doesn’t. Go figure.
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I’ve been staring at this for about 5 min and can’t make sense of the structure. You’re not even keeping the same order of body parts. Why move things around so much week 2? And how are you expecting to have a productive leg day on Saturday if you’re already sore from all the accessory work the day before? It’s seemingly random and needlessly complicated. Keep it simple, and give yourself a rest day after your accessory day.
Monday-Chest & Back
Tuesday-Legs
Wed-Shoulders & Arms
Thursday-Off
Friday-Full body
Saturday-Accessory work
Sunday-Off
Just keeping it so I have 3-4 days between the main muscle groups.
But you’re not. Both Saturdays you have legs and then you hit legs again on Tuesday, so that’s only 2 days between consecutive leg days.