Current Bodybuilding Training Thread 2.0

Bigger Stronger Leaner
504

Yup. I often say this in response to those who are constantly pushing the protein-synthesis-frequency obsession, who disparagingly speak as if when training multiple times per week on a “bro split” one supposedly just directly trains a particular bodypart on a given day and then that muscle part just takes a complete rest until the next week.

This sort of flies in the face of their compound lift obsession considering many of these people speak of pull-ups, rows, and all sorts of presses, and dips as great arm builders. So I respond by saying, if they’re such great arm builders and I perform them on specified days of the week, and then on other days of the week I am training my arms and shoulders, aren’t I hitting my arms and delts twice per week by performing tricep extensions and various curls?

And aren’t I hitting shoulders twice per week when I train chest and biceps on one day and then two to three days later train shoulders directly on my deli-and-tricep day, and so on for other groups?

505

I consider myself to be built like a clunky, arm-dominant barrel. :slight_smile: Hence why I likely admire some famous bodybuilders of the clunkier variety. Though everyone who knows me, knows that if only I could be built like the great underdog Hamdullah Aykutlu who practically no one even knows of or speaks about in this day!

506

I put Biceps with Chest, and Shoulders go with Triceps, any other formulation seems like they already got their load for the day, and having an arms day by itself seems like a waste of a day at the gym, it is quick and does not really create a large growth response from the body.

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507

Almost 2am and can’t sleep, so I decide to scroll through this and see what you guy are up to.
I’m nutty that way, good stuff fellas.

508

My favorite is a tri set for biceps

x8 spider curl
x8 drag curl
x8 hammer curl

in the easy hard gainer routine it has heavy supersets, for example incline press for 4 reps followed by incline fly for 4 reps, I enjoyed that routine and will most certainly run it again as it challenged me to do exercise like flys with a much heavier weight, strength and size gains were good and I felt a lot more solid.

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509

Yeah arm day always seemed like another day off from the gym to me in reality, there isn’t really a systemic effect to arms so I kinda feel like programs that have them are really 3 day/week programs. Whenever I had it in it turned into arms/abs/calves/cardio to make it more productive

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510

I did an arm day once. It was the most boring session I ever had.

511

Lol - I’ll agree but only in terms of being disciplined, and analytical. I freely admit to the top WNBF pros that I would never beat on my best day :slight_smile:

S

512

What do you guys think about this split for size and progressive overload ?
Im doing this, i like better than the classic once a week split but i dont know if is the best option for natural lifters
A - Legs (Focusing on quads)
B- Chest and calves
C - Back and biceps
D- Shoulder and triceps
A- Legs ( Focus on hams)
B- Chest and calves
OFF
Continue\repeat the next muscle group

This way i train each muscle group directly every 4 or 3 days
My weak point is legs for sure
I was on a long time cutting diet and i kept most of my lean mass while lost about 7 kilos thats why i wanna keep this routine and keep focusing on basic lifts like front squat, deadlift and bench…Im raising my lifts slowly , dont know if the split is the main reason because im slowly raising my calories
what do you guys think ?

4 exercises for bigger muscle groups
2 to 3 exercises for minor groups
lots of warm up sets (2~3) and 1 to 2 working sets

513

I think you should have more off days myself. But I do not know how hard you train either.

514

Thanks man, sometimes i think that too, what i like to do is 2 diferent trainings for each muscle
for example one day is heavy back day where i do deadlifts, rows and little pull exercises, next back day i do more pulls and less rowing…One chest day with more isolation the other day i do with more compound movements, one leg day focusing on quads and the next training session i do focusing on hams
and once a month i rest the whole weekend cause i have my postgraduation course (once a month the whole weekend)

516

Did anybody read this article that was put out recently? I disagree with it almost entirely, but I was hoping to hear everybody else’s opinions.

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517

Yeah, I disagree with it. It’s just another of the current trend of anyone with an MS or who got their CSCS cert explaining how bodybuilders have been doing it wrong despite all physical evidence to the contrary…

The argument of “because it works for Mr Olympia doesn’t mean it’ll work for you” is just ridiculous because if you look at every successful (top?) NATURAL bodybuilder, you’ll see that they’ve been doing, and improving from bodypart splits for the majority of, if not all of, their training careers.

And at risk of ruffling feathers (which I really don’t care about to be honest -lol), aside from the “you don’t need to be a great basketball player to be a great basketball coach”, this is also another very common example of an author who, while looking athletic (I teach high school, so I see this look in my 17 year old students), isn’t going to have anyone mistake him for a Wnbf Pro anytime soon. Perhaps he should rethink his training.

@BrickHead and I talk about this a lot -lol

S

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518

Overall, I think the author is on point for his demographic, but that the article would sit better if it was geared towards the “everyman” or those who have trouble with a consistent schedule, rather than just saying “if you’re not a newbie or roid head, you shouldn’t do splits.”

I concur with @The_Mighty_Stu and @IronAndMetal 100%. The reasons behind the thinking are also a little whacky IMO, mainly assuming that the “average lifter” has a family, kids, can’t push through feeling sore or achy, isn’t disciplined enough to get in the gym regularly and should program all this into their training schedule. I don’t necessarily disagree there, I think if you have a family, kids, and can’t get to the gym on a consistent schedule, then you probably shouldn’t be doing splits! But to say natural bodybuilders shouldn’t do splits is an entirely different subject, because natural competitive bodybuilders can do all of these things.

The part about “the body adapts and stagnates” will happen with ANYTHING, whether it’s full body, push/pull or whatever. This is why we change exercises, sets/reps, sequencing, splits and amount of days you train per week.

“The optimal training splits for the everyman and woman are full body, push/pull, and upper/lower. These splits allow you to scale your goals to be more realistic and easier to conquer. Instead of trying to tack on long workouts on top of an already busy workweek, all you’ll need are 3-4 sessions per week of 30-60 minutes.” Yeah, that’s the first thing I think about going into the gym, how can I scale back my goals and make them easier to conquer. But again, he’s talking about “the everyman” here, and the “everyman” is not a bodybuilder.

Looking at the author’s website, he’s no doubt an accomplished trainer and coach, and seems like he primarily coaches “average Joe’s and Jane’s” as he says on his site to get fit, and doesn’t coach competitors (I’m assuming) because if he did I have a hunch he wouldn’t be so adamantly against splits. So, I’m sure that in his experience for his clientele, a consistent split routine probably isn’t best.

The idea of 3-4 30-60 minute sessions to me, I can’t imagine how a serious natural bodybuilder would progress on a split like that. As Stu mentioned, look at what the vast majority of naturals are doing, including the competitors on this site, SPLITS! Not saying that other programs won’t work, but it’s ridiculous all of these articles and thoughts that natural bodybuilders shouldn’t be doing split routines. Of course, all those who think that are not competitive natural bodybuilders.

There’s nothing wrong with going to a push/pull or other program, and varying things up, but I agree with Stu that: [quote=“The_Mighty_Stu, post:517, topic:221850”]
if you look at every successful (top?) NATURAL bodybuilder, you’ll see that they’ve been doing, and improving from bodypart splits for the majority of, if not all of, their training careers.
[/quote]

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519

haha, I literally just had a rant about that in the flame free confession thread 2 seconds ago

520

it’s swings and roundabouts. Bodybuilding training isn’t fashionable just now. It will be again soon - mark my words.

Remember a few years ago when that Zyzz guy started the “aesthetics” revolution? "Yeah bro I train for aesthetics, you mirin’?

We’ll be back to that again soon, then the pendulum’ll swing the other way, and so on until infinity

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521

It keeps getting said that every successful bodybuilder trains with a bodypart split. You also see hundreds and hundreds of unsuccessful gym rats training this way also. If that way of training was magic then they would all be pros, but they are not

this again reminds us of the point that there is much more at play than the training routine.

And I can say without a doubt that some people would see much better progress switching to a push pull style split. And I can also say without a doubt that some people would do better giving up there push pull for a body part split. Results from the current training routine should give clues as to if it’s working or not, if it’s not and you continue to carry on because it’s what the pros do, or what some expert in an article says, your screwing yourself.

It’s not what you do its the way that you do it, that’s what gets results. (They should put that in a song)

522

it’s not that there’s anything wrong with training in a different way to a split. Far from it - I don’t even use a bodypart split myself.

It’s when people say stupid shit like splits don’t work for natural trainees that it gets annoying. All training methods work for all people.

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523

Yeah that’s exactly my point buddy, I stopped reading the articles a while back because most claim a right and wrong way. That then sticks in people’s heads and transfers over to the forums. Both sides are just as bad as each other!

I’m currently using a body part split, some weeks I only manage to get 3 sessions in, which makes it pretty tough going doing 2 body parts a day with high volume. I know if I had more days it would work better.

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524

I think some things in the article are useful for some situations, but the author did not put bodybuilding training in an appropriate context. Of course it would not be advisable for highly booked and time-challenged parents who work full time jobs, or anyone else involved in matters that take up a great deal of resources or simply want general fitness and health and do not even care to look like a bodybuilder or compete in bodybuilding. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

However, people that have chosen to compete understand that they will be sacrificing or ignoring or not prioritizing some things in life to do so. That’s what I did when I prepared for my show. It’s also the exact same reason why I will not be competing again. As I said in my personal thread, I should have competed in my 20’s because I could have done so without sacrificing much or neglecting or ignoring other priorities and people.

I also believe there’s a common misunderstanding of bodybuilders generally, that they can do a great deal of training because they are not full-time employed. Pardon my exasperation, but I ask, WHERE THE HELL did people get this notion that there are thousands of natural bodybuilders treating bodybuilding as a job or profession?! Do people think that these thousands of adults are living in their parents basements, being subsidized by their parents or other loved ones so that they can fulfill their dreams in natural bodybuilding?! Or do they think that the average natural bodybuilder is sitting on stacks of money or retired in one’s 20’s or 30’s so they can indulge in around-the-clock eating and training and napping? Or that perhaps they are homeless? Wow, if all of us were so lucky and privileged to life such a life.

The fact is that nearly all serious natural bodybuilders work full-time jobs while at the same time spending a great deal of time in the gym all year long, with the activity being ramped up around contest time.

And this is one of the exact reasons why I will now be going back to upper-lower splits or full body routines with only three days of weight training per week: because I will not be competing again and I will have other things to tend to.

So the author gave some great pointers but he didn’t put them in the correct context. I believe he should’ve said something like, “If you have a great deal of time on your hands and not many interferences or other responsibilities and want enter shows, then body part splits are the way to go. If you have an unpredictable schedule, full-time work, children, etc., then go with routines that allow more flexibility and less gym time.”

I don’t like to keep talking about myself, but the article hit home with me because as you know some have suggested, I could compete again in the future with kids, a wife, and a full-time job. There are some people who do this, but I seriously have no damn clue how they do it! Seriously, no clue! I cant even picture doing a full blown split routine with such a life!

I also, as said before, I am growing tired of people looking at volume for bodybuilders as simply being so simple that getting the same volume per week split up over more sessions per week being better than getting all that volume in one session. We’ve heard it all before: 3 days x 3 sets = 9 sets per week versus 9 sets once per week. This viewpoint fails to take into account all the other factors or issues that come up with a program design AS A WHOLE: exercise sequence, other muscles to be trained in sessions, and so on. And as I’ve said ad nauseam, simply spiking protein synthesis more frequently does not mean there is more frequent growth absolutely.

And it’s not as if someone trains a muscle on a body part split that this muscle gets absolutely no stimulation on other days of the week.

I will stop here because I’ve said this all before.

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