# Incorporating sprints into an upper/lower split programme...overtraining?



## billfredericks (Jan 29, 2009)

I often people shout about overtraining and while I am sure it is a very real thing, people seem to throw it about randomly and unnecessarily. Usually i tend to ignore people telling me I am overtraining this that or the other and I still make progress. However I wanted to attempt a harder programme than i have done before in terms of sessions per week and volume as well.

I currently train an upper/lower split, each one twice a week:

Day 1: Heavy Lower 4-6 rep range, 4-5 sets per exercise

Day 2: Heavy Upper 4-6 rep range, 4-5 sets per exercise

Day 3: Rest

Day 4: Light Lower 12-15 rep range, 3-4 sets per exercise

Day 5: Light Upper 10-12 rep range, 3-4 sets per exercise

Day 6: Rest

Day 7: Rest

Repeat

To my point, i want to start doing some sprints probably on days 3 and 6, nothing to mad volume wise it would be just to give the metabolism a kick on days i would be otherwise not doing much physically. Say 4x200m sprints. My wonder is will this along with two fairly intense lower body days be too much to ask of the noodles i call legs? My reasoning for doing it is I am pretty sedentary most of the time and i find it a little more of an effort to keep BF in check due to sitting on my batty so much of the time.


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## gb666 (Mar 14, 2006)

Sprint early morning or b4 your main weight workout


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## billfredericks (Jan 29, 2009)

Sorry should have mentioned this, but I tried sprinting before workouts previously. All it did was drain my leg strength and my workouts are long enough already, probably too long without adding sprints.

When you said early mornings, did you mean on workout days or on the days that are currently rest days? Whichever one, what is your reasoning for suggesting that?


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## gb666 (Mar 14, 2006)

billfredericks said:


> Sorry should have mentioned this, but I tried sprinting before workouts previously. All it did was drain my leg strength and my workouts are long enough already, probably too long without adding sprints.


they will tire legs buit when done 1st but most people jump strainght into a weights session immediatly afterwards without easing off nd doing some active recovery or easy stretching to allow the cns to settle back down whilst taking in some bcaas and carbs to help with replenishing from sprints nd loading up for next phase to come.



billfredericks said:


> When you said early mornings, did you mean on workout days or on the days that are currently rest days? Whichever one, what is your reasoning for suggesting that?


i do mine of training days; (1) because doing with weights can mean too long a workout (2) training twice a day gives 2 anabolic windows for growth


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## MRSTRONG (Apr 18, 2009)

day 3 light sprints ... more of a fat burn rate .

day 6 , 2-3 hours of hard sprint work .


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## billfredericks (Jan 29, 2009)

gb666 said:


> they will tire legs buit when done 1st but most people jump strainght into a weights session immediatly afterwards without easing off nd doing some active recovery or easy stretching to allow the cns to settle back down whilst taking in some bcaas and carbs to help with replenishing from sprints nd loading up for next phase to come.


Ok, that figures. I had read plenty of research to say that maximum intensity sprints prior to squats improved 1rm but it never seemed to work like that for me!



gb666 said:


> i do mine *of* training days; (1) because doing with weights can mean too long a workout (2) training twice a day gives 2 anabolic windows for growth


I assume you meant on not of? If so, that suits me fine. Since i train early in the day I can do some sprints in the evening on lower days.


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## gb666 (Mar 14, 2006)

billfredericks said:


> I assume you meant on not of? If so, that suits me fine. Since i train early in the day I can do some sprints in the evening on lower days.


yep ON days:lol:


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## superdazzler (Feb 13, 2012)

Day 6 would be ideal. I've found sprints have helped fill out my quads a lot.


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## dtlv (Jul 24, 2009)

billfredericks said:


> I often people shout about overtraining and while I am sure it is a very real thing, people seem to throw it about randomly and unnecessarily. Usually i tend to ignore people telling me I am overtraining this that or the other and I still make progress. However I wanted to attempt a harder programme than i have done before in terms of sessions per week and volume as well.
> 
> I currently train an upper/lower split, each one twice a week:
> 
> ...


If you like training that way you might like one of my fav all-round splits for size, strength and conditioning:

Day 1 - Lower Heavy

Day 2 -

Day 3 - Upper Light

Day 4 - Light Plyometrics, Stretching & Steady-state cardio

Day 5 -

Day 6 - Lower Light

Day 7 - Upper Heavy

Day 8 -

Day 9 - Explosive Plyometrics, Stretching & HIIT cardio

Day 10 -

Repeat

Is not strictly a pure bodybuilding routine, but it does build muscle well over time, strength goes up nicely and gets you crazy all-round fit.

On the heavy and light days use reps similar to what you are doing already; for exercise selection go with compound exercises and olympic style lifts on the heavy days to build all-over strength, and more isolations on the lighter days focusing mainly on the bodyparts you specifically want to increase the size of.


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## Wardy211436114751 (Jan 24, 2011)

I would love to incorporate some sprints into my training just really hard to find the time. If I wasn't lazy early morning sprints twice a week on workout days is how I would do it.


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## Oliverduke (Nov 7, 2011)

Wardy21 said:


> I would love to incorporate some sprints into my training just really hard to find the time. If I wasn't lazy early morning sprints twice a week on workout days is how I would do it.


I do this on my leg days in the evening, this way doms have not set in yet so you can still sprint fairly well and it really f*** them up for a few days!


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