# Can some one glance my 5 day split?



## Gooner691466867972 (Aug 20, 2009)

Hi Guys , im new here!

Been training for a few months now around 6 in total.

I need a bit of feedback on my routine.

I tried all sorts, from Full body routines to splits.

In the last six months iv made a little bit of progress, but not really in my eyes, six months worth.

A freind of mine who has had great success and massive gains has been doing a routine, where you train each excersies twice a week, with the legs in one day, something like:

day 1 (monday) : back and shoulders

day 2 (wednesday): chest and arms

Repeat Friday, Sunday.

Sat - Legs.

Now Iv tried this too, but bit concerned about over training. However like I said my freind has made massive gains, he takes no drugs etc.... just natural.

I have put together a split, which I hope is more intelligent than his routine.

What im basically askin for, is can some one tell me if:

1. There are any excersies, that could be removed or added?

2. Are the reps/sets ok?

3. Are there enough excersies for each day of the routine?

Routine as follows:

Day 1 chest/triceps

Bench press 4x8

Incline dumbel press 4x10

Fly's 3x10

Dips 3x10

Cable Push downs 3x10

Day 2 Back/Biceps

Lat Pull down 4x10

Barbell Row 4x8

One-Arm Dumbbell Row 3x10

Barbel curls 3x10

Seated Dumbell curls 3x10

Day 3 Legs

Leg curls warm up and 4x12

Hamstring Curls 4x10

Squat 3x10

Leg press 4x10

Leg extensions 4x12

Day 4 Shoulders

Seated dumbbell press warm 4x10 working reps

Side lateral raise 4x10 reps

Reverse Flyes 4x10

# Chest/Triceps

# Back/Biceps

# Legs

# Shoulder/Arms

# Off

# Off

# Repeat

I would like to build muscle, but I also carry some fat. To shift the fat, do you think I should do the cardio post workout, ie 4-5 times a week, or only on my off days?

Thanks


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## gentlegiant (Mar 23, 2007)

The routine you've knocked together there is better than what you're doing at the mo. Hat's off. Although i would take a day off in between on the Wednesday. Do shoulder's Thursday and leg's Friday you'll feel better for it with a rest in the middle of the week trust me! Do your cardio after each weight session. Rest and feed at weekend's. Reduce your calorie intake and increase your calorie burnage to shrink that waistline.


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## crazycal1 (Sep 21, 2005)

youre not getting enuff rest thats why youre not satisfied with youre results.

get radical and train less.


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## splinter1466867924 (Aug 5, 2005)

I actually dont tend to take rests myself during the week I like to train for like 5 days straight.... giving me my weekends to rest up and to let me keep up my social life etc! Just my 2 cents!


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## Gooner691466867972 (Aug 20, 2009)

Thanks for the reply guys.

This is a question to Gazz:

Are you saying I should Train something like 2 on one off, 2 on one off?

Mon Chest/Triceps

Tue Back/Biceps

Wed Rest

Thu Shoulder/Arms

Fri Legs

Sat - Rest

Sun Repeat!


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## Gooner691466867972 (Aug 20, 2009)

What I was trying to achive is training the muscles twice in a 7 day period, but trying to avoid overtraining as much as possible.

I guess it comes down too, is training each muscle group only once a week, too little? Especially for a begineer, that needs to build some muscle mass to begin with.

My freind who trains each muscle group twice a week, has made massive gains, and im keen to try it his way, as Iv tried other ways, and basically, my muscles where being under stimulated.


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## gentlegiant (Mar 23, 2007)

Gooner69 said:


> Thanks for the reply guys.
> 
> This is a question to Gazz:
> 
> ...


2 on 1 off 2 on weekends off. As Cal has rightly pointed out,the results come after rest. Ive tried going flat out Monday to Thursday in the past but find my leg workout suffers on the Thursday so i rest Wednesday and hit legs more ferosiously on the Friday. Its how WELL you train thats important not how MUCH you train! That has to be emphasised here!


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## Gooner691466867972 (Aug 20, 2009)

Ok got it. Thanks!

What about the actually routine its self? Decent amount of individual excersies?

Couldnt really find much to fill out the shoulder day tho.

Anything obvious Iv missed?

what I was trying to achive with the routine, is rather than fill it, to the brim with excersies, have fewer, but more quality excersies, that way I dont over train the muscles.


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## webadmin1466867919 (Dec 1, 2006)

Gooner69 said:


> Mon Chest/Triceps
> 
> Tue Back/Biceps
> 
> ...


I like this and it is what I start doing with the only difference being Biceps on Thursday as you have 3 arm training days there!

Mon Chest/Triceps

Tue Back

Wed Rest

Thu Shoulder/Biceps

Fri Legs

Sat - Rest

Sun - Rest

Looks good to go!


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## SpiTFirE1466867971 (Aug 6, 2009)

you could add some traps to your shoulder day, eg upwards row's or shrug's


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## splinter1466867924 (Aug 5, 2005)

Some body parts get hit twice during the week.... e.g. chest (lot of triceps being worked out here)... you could wait a couple of days then do triceps soley so that you can lift heavier, due to pre-fatigue on chest exercises which can affect it!

Calves do need alot of stimulation, so if I was to recommend a body party to be done 2-3 times a week that would be it!

Nothing wrong with isolating the 1 body party once a week. However, if you would like to do a body part twice in a week there isn't anything wrong with that providing they have been well rested. But you may want to take into account muscle repair and oedema... peak swelling on a muscle is typically 6-7 days after the workout of the muscle so that is when it will take its peak size. You want the muscle to recover and have all the muscle cells being repaired by keeping your protein intake high! So doing the body part just once a week is fine!

I personally have opted to do a body part on each day so each body part gets hit properley, and you dont slack somewhat on the second body part! And im also doing fst-7 which invokes doing 7 sets for the last set on an isolation exercise!

I dont see any problem with training many days in a week, as long as your careful with what body part you do on each day, quite a few bb'ers do train 5-6 days a week!


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## Gooner691466867972 (Aug 20, 2009)

Thanks for the replies guys. Upwards rows is a good idea for shoulders!


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## SpiTFirE1466867971 (Aug 6, 2009)

i find my body responds well to high a volume of training.

iv dont 5 to 6 days in the past hitting most muscle groups twice a week and larger gain's then when iv had a smaller split.

you basically need to work out what works for you, as i said before its trail and error, every thing from how many day's you train, to what exercise's you use to what bar you use to do that exercise differs from person to person based n the personal preference.

if for example you don't get much simulation from doing say... cable row's don't do them,

and try an alternative row

so take a routine, go in the gym try it out then tweak it to you liking :decision: :thumb


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## SpiTFirE1466867971 (Aug 6, 2009)

Gooner69 said:


> Thanks for the replies guys. Upwards rows is a good idea for shoulders!


i personal think so

i don't believe in leaving your traps out, some people say they will grow from secondary simulation via other shoulder exercise's but my traps are one of my strong points (upwards row what some of my mates bench :becky::lie: well the smaller guys:tongue1 if i didn't insisted on adding them to every routine i don't think they would be the same


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## Gooner691466867972 (Aug 20, 2009)

Hmm, well the waters have just got a bit more murky.

The reason why I say this is because, you guys and the word wide Web say that you got to rest and basically traininig each muscle once a week is sufficient.

But on the other hand, I can see in front of my eyes proof, that training each muscle group twice a week, does not lead to overtraining, but rather to growth. (Like iv said, freind has made fantastic gains like this)

I understand about the ,muscle needing to repair etc..... but regarding DOMS, my freind explained to me that this eventually gets better and shorter.

For instance. when I was squatting, I used to get DOMS for days even up to a week, but as you start getting in to the routine of doing em, the DOM period gets shorter, and this is what he sais happens with the other muscle groups.

As I said in the first post, my aim was to train each muscle twice in 6 days...... but it has now turned in to training the muscle once a week.

Not sure what to think!

Go with the living proof..... or words on a computer screen?


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## crazycal1 (Sep 21, 2005)

anyone who`s training 5 x a week and making good progress natty bung some pics up.

no offence to anyone intended but i`d say you might be deluding yourselves.

i`m happy to be proved wrong...



> Go with the living proof..... or words on a computer screen/QUOTE]
> 
> go with proof i`m the biggest picture whore on here bud..just have a root thru my journal.
> 
> ...


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## SpiTFirE1466867971 (Aug 6, 2009)

the choice is yours to make but not based on the reason's you stated.

like iv said iv made good gains with high volume training and you say your friend has...

*but that doesn't mean you will*

we are all individual's so our body's respond and act different to different things,

what works for me is not guaranteed to work for you and vise versa.

know ones telling you "*you have to* train each muscle group once a week"

merely advising that in order to avoid the risk of over training its recommended.

so if training each muscle group two times a week works for you then by all means train them two times a week.

then the other thing that you need to look at is how hard your friend trains, what his diet is like, if he take's any supplements and all the other variables that could help account for his growths you speak off.

very little in weight training is black and white so (starting to feel like a broken record) do what works best for *you*


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## andyboro1466867929 (Oct 31, 2006)

all I would say is that what is being suggested on here is tried and tested by many people and works... thats not to say that other ways wont because there are a lot of variables here.

but really - you have 2 choices, try what your mate does and maybe overtrain, injur yourself, just get p!g sick of training or maybe grow nicely.... or go with what many many people know to work year on year.

be careful not to become one of those people who asks advice, doesnt like the answers so does it the wrong way anyway man - it happens all too often.

**edit** so pretty much what spitfire mustve posted at the same time as me lol **


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## gentlegiant (Mar 23, 2007)

Gooner69 said:


> Hmm, well the waters have just got a bit more murky.
> 
> The reason why I say this is because, you guys and the word wide Web say that you got to rest and basically traininig each muscle once a week is sufficient.
> 
> ...


The human body is very plastic and will adapt to its environment and to whatever you put it through. Thats what training is all about. It's up to you how you train. Your goal's are your's alone. Your body is unique and will respond in it's own way in it's own time. You can't compare your result's with anyone else's. What make's your friend buff in the time it's taken won't do the same for you. That's why i train alone. All my mate's are alot bigger and stronger than me. Trying to keep up with them has only damaged me in the past. They're not on gear,they don't bl00dy well need it. 3 brother's who have inherited there huge,hard as nuts father's gene's. I go for quality rather than quantity. And leave them to chuck about the big weights. You've got to look at yourself as a blank canvas. An experiment if you like. Start from scratch and study the way you grow and build. Pick a system. Makes notes. Stick to whatever you do. Learn all you can along the way about training in general and yourself then when you're more experienced and in a position to tweak things here and there,do what ever you think needs amending!


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## Gooner691466867972 (Aug 20, 2009)

All good advice.

Didnt mean to kick up a fuss!

Yea, I agree we are all individuals amd what works for one, may not neccesarrily work for another.

Il stick to the weekly work outs then.

Just out of curiosity, how long after initial traininig does the muscle continue growth for?


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## gentlegiant (Mar 23, 2007)

Gooner69 said:


> Just out of curiosity, how long after initial traininig does the muscle continue growth for?


Do you mean how long its takes a muscle to repair from training or how much muscle is gained from a workout?


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## Gooner691466867972 (Aug 20, 2009)

How long its takes a muscle to repair from training?

I.e whats the soonest you can hit the muslce again.


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## gentlegiant (Mar 23, 2007)

Gooner69 said:


> How long its takes a muscle to repair from training?
> 
> I.e whats the soonest you can hit the muslce again.


This will obviously vary from person to person but 48-72 hours is the general consensus. The CNS takes far longer than muscle to recover from a stressful bout of training so only you will truely know if you're over training or under training.


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## splinter1466867924 (Aug 5, 2005)

SpiTFirE said:


> i personal think so
> 
> i don't believe in leaving your traps out, some people say they will grow from secondary simulation via other shoulder exercise's but my traps are one of my strong points (upwards row what some of my mates bench :becky::lie: well the smaller guys:tongue1 if i didn't insisted on adding them to every routine i don't think they would be the same


One of my lecturer's in my science of strength training unit... mentioned that the traps are one of the overly used muscles funnily enough!

However, I dont believe in leaving them out... gotta love having mount everest's on your shoulders.... or at least a hill in cornwall


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## SpiTFirE1466867971 (Aug 6, 2009)

well you have trained with me in the past and know how much i like traps,

i always find it odd when i read work outs and the shoulder section doesn't include any trap work at all.

but back on topic.

i think gazz summed it up as good as can be.

its all about learning your body in the gym,

no one goes in the gym and comes out like the hulk over night it takes years of getting to know what works for you, perfecting form, developing focus etc.

just take the basic knowledge, training and eat well and you should start seeing results


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## crazycal1 (Sep 21, 2005)

> just take the basic knowledge, training and eat well and you should start seeing results/QUOTE]
> 
> but training 5x a week is an advanced technique.


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## splinter1466867924 (Aug 5, 2005)

SpiTFirE said:


> well you have trained with me in the past and know how much i like traps,
> 
> no one goes in the gym and comes out like the hulk over night it takes years of getting to know what works for you, perfecting form, developing focus etc.


Less we forget BAM?

Or some of the other monsters in that underground gym lol...

haha just kidding... seriously though... fire BAM! =D


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## SpiTFirE1466867971 (Aug 6, 2009)

crazycal1 said:


> > just take the basic knowledge, training and eat well and you should start seeing results
> 
> 
> but training 5x a week is an advanced technique.


im meant, knowing rep range, how long you should rest to recover, what to eat pre and post work out etc

not training programs,

plus if some one goes in a gym 7 days a week and trains badly putting in little effort,

i wouldn't really regard that as an advance technique.

i think its what you *do* in the gym not how *often you go*


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## gentlegiant (Mar 23, 2007)

SpiTFirE said:


> i think its what you *do* in the gym not how *often you go*


Now were getting somewhere. It does'nt take a quantum physicist to rotate the muscle groups in your workouts Monday right through to Friday. Some will benefit from Wednesday off. Others will use all the days of the week in their regime. As long as everything is worked out well and the weekend is spent sitting on the sofa infront of the box, chewing steak. Then you're on the right track.


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## Gooner691466867972 (Aug 20, 2009)

Ok two observations thus far.

The mid week break is a good idea, as you do need some time off, even tho your hitting different muscle groups on different days.

This is what im currently doing:

Mon Chest/Triceps

Tue Back/Biceps

Wed Rest

Thu Legs

Fri Shoulder

Sat - Rest

Sun Rest!

Someone suggested I should do the biceps on shoulder days. But the biceps get worked out on back days anyway, so thats why I put them there.

On the topic of legs being done last, the reason why they are 3rd in the routine is to give the triceps more rest before the shoulders day.

All makes sense? Or can I jigg things about any better?


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## OpethDisciple (May 9, 2009)

I think what crazy cal was saying about 5 days a week being advanced, is that its really only a routine that a trained and conditioned expericend body builder can really do and benefit from.

Begineers and those with less experience will simply over train.


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## SpiTFirE1466867971 (Aug 6, 2009)

looks very similar to what im doing but....

where's the abs and cardio?


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