[quote]boatnerj wrote:
Out of these type poliquin splits has anyone had any success with them, and which would be a better split/organiztion of the body parts?
He recommends
Chest/back
legs/shoulders
off
arms
off
repeat
or
chest/bis
legs/shoulders
off
back/tris
off
repeat
or
Also, is the first off day necessary (once every five days), or would doing something like this work
chest/back or chest/bis
legs/shoulders
arms or back/tris
rest
repeat
[/quote]
The organization of muscle groups has more to do with what you are trying to accomplish and what your individual strengths and weaknesses are. There are going to be advantages and disadvantages to about any combination you could think of. You just need to figure out which one will best meet your needs.
I was a coach at the Poliquin Center in Chicago for a while and I can tell you first hand that we use those as well as other splits. The “magic” so to speak is in the individual assesments. When we begin working with anyone the first thing we do is a full structural assesment (upper body and lower body) When we know what the athlete needs to work on we design a program accordingly. Most of the time athletes start on a GBC whole body type of split with an emphasis on common weaknesses such as Rotator Cuff, VMO, hamstrings to name a few, it is not uncommon for even top level athletes to abstain from pressing movements (bench, incline etc.) for the first phase of their program.
I also trained at Westside Barbell where a completely different approach was taken and I have trained with Dennis James and Mike Francois who both use still another approach. The best split is the one that is best for you and effective training will be in a constant state of evolution.
My suggestion to you would be to first determine your goals:
1.) Are you training for size, strength, speed, endurance etc.
2.) What movements are you using? (Unilateral, Compound, Machines)
3.) What is the state of your nutrition (e.g. on a carb rotation diet you may want to pair up your weakest muscle groups with higher carb days)
In terms of days of rest this will be highly individual too. I do think that (and from my experience training people I can attest) most people will need 2 days per 7 of rest although this most often has to do with nervous system versus muscle recovery. Personally, I do best limiting my days to 4 per week (although I may go 2x daily on my training days).
Hope this helps and good luck with your goals!