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My Split - Too Much Frequency?

Beginners
#1

Hello all,

I’ve been working with the split I’m about to describe for close to a year now. I’ve been getting great results with my diet plan (which has been very consistent regarding my macros).

That said, I just looked at my split and noticed I’m getting to the gym every day this week. . . that can’t be good, can it?

Day 1 Back
Day 2 Shoulders
Day 3 Chest
Day 4 Legs
Day 5 Back
Day 6 Shoulders
Day 7 Arms
Day 8 Rest

After the summer I started doing Back and Shoulders twice a week, or every four days. For the summer I did this with Shoulders and Legs. Is this too much frequency? Keep in mind, my workouts are never longer than an hour, and I usually try to hit a 45 minute mark. They’re quick, intense, and heavy. As such, I don’t too crazy volume in each workout. I train for performance and then leave.

My main question, however, is if I should combine my second Back and Shoulder workout as its own day. This would be sure to hit these body parts again a second time, but they can be abbreviated to fit both into one day. That might lesson some of the frequency and volume, if that’s an issue.

Thoughts?

#2

It just looks like a bad four day split with no thoughts put behind the schedule.

There is no mention of reps and sets.

You work out legs once a week. Why? Everything else is twice a week. Why?

What do you mean “Training for performance?” Are you putting on a show at the gym?

What is “crazy volume” to you?

You see, your work out has more questions then answer. When that happens it usually means that it is a bad work out and/or you are not sure what you are doing.

#3

Okay, I didn’t realize I needed to specify everything related to my workout. My apologies.

I keep my reps in the 6-8 range, and depending on body part I do between 10-15 sets. Included in this set range, 5 sets are dedicated to strength regarding the mass builders. Overhead press, Bench, Rows, for example. For these exercises they go like this:

2 warm up sets, followed by 5 sets:
1 rep Heavy
3 reps moderately heavy
1 rep Heavier than set 1
3 reps bit heavier than set 2
1 rep Heaviest (at least 2.5-5 lbs heavier than week before)

Depending on the day, I then move into 2-3 movements with the 6-8 rep range and then call it a day (around 3-4 sets per movement).

That’s how they look. As for legs, I train them once a week because they’re overdeveloped since I focused on them for roughly 2 years. I had been doing them twice a week for the last year or so, and only recently brought them to once a week. It works for me, and I don’t know why that question is relative to my own. Shoulders and Back are done twice a week, that’s it, since they are my focus areas for 6 months.

My routine has done wonders for me and I don’t know why you’re questioning it based off of the little information you had (which I realize was my fault, but still. . . ).

Anyway, so that’s it! Does it look like too much volume or am I okay? As stated earlier, nutrition is better than it has ever been, and I get adequate sleep with the schedule I currently have. Plus, I am never sore at all, unless I did legs the day before. it doesn’t seem like much to me, but for some reason seeing that I was scheduled for 7 days this week threw me off a bit.

And when I said “training for performance” I meant as opposed to training until utterly fatigued and exhausted. I might be misunderstanding words by CT, but that’s how I took it when I heard them. Since then I’ve adopted the approach that I train for performance, not for fatigue.

#4

How much do you lift?

#5

[quote]MikeMezz wrote:
Okay, I didn’t realize I needed to specify everything related to my workout. My apologies.
[/quote]
Don’t apologize. Its just: Vague question, vague answer.

Is this based off the “Ratchet Loading” from CT?

To understand a work out, we must know the basic behind. You asked a question on frequency.

Also, why 6 months? Are you training for something specific?

Because their was little info. Question with little info = broad answer. Or "The quality of the answer is in direct correlation to the quality of your question’.

No, its not too much frequency, as long as you are recuperating. Depending on your chest and back work out, watch the shoulders.

[quote]
And when I said “training for performance” I meant as opposed to training until utterly fatigued and exhausted. I might be misunderstanding words by CT, but that’s how I took it when I heard them. Since then I’ve adopted the approach that I train for performance, not for fatigue. [/quote]

Positive failure. I train the same way and recommend it to anyone.

Unless you are Tom Platz or your squat is 5x your bench or you are competing BB or you are an athlete in season, don’t worry too much about “imbalances”. Work your limbs “equally”.

#6

what I’m calling my “strength” movement is based off something I’ve seen CT do in a video with clients. I know I’m using it out of context, but I have to say my incline bench has certainly increased following this approach.

6 months because that’s just what I thought would be a good time frame to develop lacking areas. Nothing specific–this is still just a hobby for me! Well, it’s more than that, but you get what I mean. I don’t do this professionally by any means.

I do have to watch my shoulders, as they’ve been hurting a bit lately and I’ve accommodated–no benching max weight for a bit, until I get my form and posture corrected.

Don’t know what you mean by positive failure, but thanks for all the input. I do believe I’m recuperating well, and my body is never sore (minus legs for two days after leg day). What I might do is add a rest day in the middle just so I’m not at the gym everyday. don’t want to overreach.

#7

If the big lifts are steadily increasing then keep doing it. The occasional extra rest day/ going a fortnight 3 on 1off not a bad idea either.

#8

^ yes, that makes good sense. Thanks!

#9

Personally, my day 3 in your schedule would be awful after any kind of intensity on presses/raises on day 2

#10

^ yes, and ya know what, I had thought about that before making this new split but more in terms of strain on the shoulders. It’s valid and important to consider yet it’s worked for me thus far. My singles for incline bench are steadily increasing in weight, and my upper chest in general has been filling out a bit more.

But since you brought it up (and as it’s been something I had been weary about prior) I’ll think about putting legs as day 3!

#11

May we see of pic of said “overly developed legs”? No trying to be a dick but I just wanna see.

#12

eng_web.jpg720×400 78.6 KB

#13

[quote]MikeMezz wrote:
Hello all,

I’ve been working with the split I’m about to describe for close to a year now. I’ve been getting great results with my diet plan (which has been very consistent regarding my macros).

That said, I just looked at my split and noticed I’m getting to the gym every day this week. . . that can’t be good, can it?

Day 1 Back
Day 2 Shoulders
Day 3 Chest
Day 4 Legs
Day 5 Back
Day 6 Shoulders
Day 7 Arms
Day 8 Rest

After the summer I started doing Back and Shoulders twice a week, or every four days. For the summer I did this with Shoulders and Legs. Is this too much frequency? Keep in mind, my workouts are never longer than an hour, and I usually try to hit a 45 minute mark. They’re quick, intense, and heavy. As such, I don’t too crazy volume in each workout. I train for performance and then leave.

My main question, however, is if I should combine my second Back and Shoulder workout as its own day. This would be sure to hit these body parts again a second time, but they can be abbreviated to fit both into one day. That might lesson some of the frequency and volume, if that’s an issue.

Thoughts?[/quote]

There’s this quote from my previous coach that working out is simply a part of our life. In my opinion, I think you’re doing it too much. Here’s what I recommend.

Day 1 Back
Day 2 Shoulders
Day 3 Rest / Cardio / Stretching
Day 4 Chest
Day 5 Legs
Day 6 Rest / Cardio / Stretching
Day 7 Rest / Cardio / Stretching

Your body grows once you are not working out or simply at rest. If you really crave to sweat just like me, just do some cardio or stretching in your rest days. That way, it helps with your recovery. One of the reasons why I recommend you this way is for you try and have fun in life and spend time to other stuff you enjoy. Play some balls, video games, party, hang-out with your loved ones and etc.

#14

[quote]vorsillion wrote:

[quote]MikeMezz wrote:
Hello all,

I’ve been working with the split I’m about to describe for close to a year now. I’ve been getting great results with my diet plan (which has been very consistent regarding my macros).

That said, I just looked at my split and noticed I’m getting to the gym every day this week. . . that can’t be good, can it?

Day 1 Back
Day 2 Shoulders
Day 3 Chest
Day 4 Legs
Day 5 Back
Day 6 Shoulders
Day 7 Arms
Day 8 Rest

After the summer I started doing Back and Shoulders twice a week, or every four days. For the summer I did this with Shoulders and Legs. Is this too much frequency? Keep in mind, my workouts are never longer than an hour, and I usually try to hit a 45 minute mark. They’re quick, intense, and heavy. As such, I don’t too crazy volume in each workout. I train for performance and then leave.

My main question, however, is if I should combine my second Back and Shoulder workout as its own day. This would be sure to hit these body parts again a second time, but they can be abbreviated to fit both into one day. That might lesson some of the frequency and volume, if that’s an issue.

Thoughts?[/quote]

There’s this quote from my previous coach that working out is simply a part of our life. In my opinion, I think you’re doing it too much. Here’s what I recommend.

Day 1 Back
Day 2 Shoulders
Day 3 Rest / Cardio / Stretching
Day 4 Chest
Day 5 Legs
Day 6 Rest / Cardio / Stretching
Day 7 Rest / Cardio / Stretching

Your body grows once you are not working out or simply at rest. If you really crave to sweat just like me, just do some cardio or stretching in your rest days. That way, it helps with your recovery. One of the reasons why I recommend you this way is for you try and have fun in life and spend time to other stuff you enjoy. Play some balls, video games, party, hang-out with your loved ones and etc.
[/quote]

You bring up an interesting point that maybe I’m doing too much and spending too much mental and physical energy on training. . I’ll have to think about that a little more. thanks everyone for your advice!

#15

MikeMezz, I posted this info for you in the conditioning section you left a post in but don’t think you received the info. Nevertheless, it applies to conditioning and frequency of training.

I highly recommend the works of Thomas Kurz for this. He states that for instance if you perform a high volume strength workout for the lower body(for example) it may take 72 hrs to recover. Now obviously you cant train only 2-3 times(if your an athlete) a week so what you can do is come back to the gym later in the day and do a smaller workout(no more than 60% of the earlier workouts volume - but maybe even 20-30%).

If your early session was 60 mins non stop you want to keep your later session to 35 mins maximum, or maybe even 10-15 mins. The reason is smaller workouts are faster to recover from. A brief anaerobic effort may take only a few hours to fully recover from. That is why volume has to be properly distributed and you cannot have too many extreme volume sessions in a week (Verkhoshansky used 3 major sessions a week with recovery workouts on the consecutive days). It has to be of a different type though(i.e not another heavy strength session). He states that this actually speeds up recovery as a bonus.

#16

^ I appreciate the information. I certainly don’t think I’d have time for two sessions a day, however, but what I think this is suggesting is that the second workout for Back and Shoulders should not be another heavy session? So, in week 1, for instance, my first shoulders workout will have that heavy component where I adapt the Ratchet Loading CT advocates. 4 days later, on my next Shoulders day, I wouldn’t do that and instead focus on something else?

#17

It could be heavy, but you must control the volume. Or you could have 2 sessions that focus on different rep ranges

#18

I meant the session later in the week

#19

One other thing, a lot of guys stick to only one rep range. If you want optimal muscle growth, the best way is to use more than one rep range.