[quote]angus_beef wrote:
Obviously training once a week is not ideal but it’s better than not going at all.
It is also very possible to make minimal gains by going to the gym once a week. It depends on how much time you have and your diet.
I mean guys work out 1 body part a week all the time and make gains from it, why wouldn’t the same principle apply?[/quote]
That’s exactly the logic I’m following. It doesn’t have to be Mr. Olympia gains, I don’t mind slow and steady.
[quote]I would recommend about 2 hours in the gym. You do a compound and an isolation on the big muscle groups and you do one isolation on biceps and triceps.
It has been done before with success. I would also recommend you do a little something at the house.
Chest - Flies and incline DB press
Triceps - Push downs
Back - Seated rows lat pulldowns
Biceps - Preacher curls
Legs - leg press, leg extensions and leg curls
If time permits do shoulder presses after incline DB press.
Go to failure on all exercises with the exception of leg press and flies…Done !.. you’ll be home in time to see your wife breast feed.[/quote]
lol, with twins, she feels like a vending machine, almost 24/7 feeding.
[quote]Gym Savvy wrote:
Exactly, maintain as much as possible until you can get back to a more normal schedule. OP, trust me, that does happen, the harder you work with setting routines, and stuff early on the easier it is later; I’ve seen people with kids who didn’t invest in this early on and they’re learning the error of their ways the hard way. When I could only train once or twice a week I did something like this:
a1) snatch variation
a2) b/w pull ups
3-5 x 3-5, ramping weight and starting b1) with heaviest weight used for a1)
b1) power clean [/quote]
bit got cut off:
b2) weighted pull ups
same loading protocol as a1
c1) front squats
c2) dips
d1) squats or box squats
d2) cable face pulls
e1) deadlifts
e2) press ups
sounds like a lot but i keep the sets low and rest short for fitness/ work capacity
[quote]Gym Savvy wrote:
Exactly, maintain as much as possible until you can get back to a more normal schedule. OP, trust me, that does happen, the harder you work with setting routines, and stuff early on the easier it is later; I’ve seen people with kids who didn’t invest in this early on and they’re learning the error of their ways the hard way. When I could only train once or twice a week I did something like this:
a1) snatch variation
a2) b/w pull ups
3-5 x 3-5, ramping weight and starting b1) with heaviest weight used for a1)
b1) power clean [/quote]
Thanks for the encouragement Gym Savvy. It’s really good to hear it. If one thing will totally wipe out a life’s routine, it’s having children. [/quote]
Hope it’s useful, it is difficult but so is anything worth doing, and at least they’re rewarding, more than anything else I’ve ever struggled for.
Training once a week is better than not training at all. At least you are not giving up!
I don’t think you’ll be able to do much more than maintenance, so do not expect much in the way of gains. If you cannot get to the gym I would recommend buying a kettlebell to keep at home so you can do swings, presses and snatches.
The 20 rep squat program is good to do if you can only train once a week, prepare to be SORE!
[quote]Pjnolen wrote:
I guess what I mean to say is that many regimens from various trainers, bodybuilders and enthusiasts are centered around a few core principles that if followed to the letter, would still produce results, albeit seemingly marginal.
I just learned about T-Nation and am I no expert on the subject but one of the core principles is using the Explosive Rep(as apposed to partials, or static holds, or negative reps, etc). Another is using enough weight to still allow the explosive movement WITHOUT going to failure. Mixing rep types and going to failure are just some examples that some bodybuilders and trainers would say are necessary for growth but i’m not attempting to bring up what is right and what is wrong, or what’s good and what’s bad.
I just wanted to know that if there were some fundamental principles that I absolutely had to adhere to from the T-Nation team, what would they be, and how would I apply them in a single workout per week.
edit. thanks sufiandy for that link, good info there, i’ll try to apply that.[/quote]
You would have to ask Thibs but I think a lot of those principles require high frequency which you will not be getting.
I think trying to lift explosively is always a positive.
One of the few things you may be able to improve somewhat is your strength on a couple of exercises so that is why I suggested some heavy low rep sets. You are not going to be able to improve or even maintain all aspects of your training (stregth, size, conditioning, work capacity) so you need to pick something to focus on in my opinion.
For god’s sake, take a few weeks off and care for your wife and newborn children. Once you are all well-adjusted and begin to form a daily routine, then you can find an hour a day to squeeze in some gym time.
Trying to bodybuild while deprived of sleep and food is a poor idea anyway… and no you will not see results “training” 1 day a week. Most people need a minimum of 4 days of training each week to get somewhere.
By the second week of having my child, I was making time to train about every other day. Now it’s typically 2 days on, 1 day off, depending also on work schedule. As others have said, if it’s important to you then you will find a way to get it in and still keep a happy home, but there is no harm in setting the first couple weeks aside until everything settles down.
That said I don’t know your specific situation or what your responsibilities as breadwinner/dad are on a daily basis, which would allow me to give more specific advice.
TS don’t mind fat x losers with an empty life, no wife, no kids, nothing. Having no one to go home to turns people into sour bitches.
Now, 1 day a week is not good but better than nothing. Maybe try 5/3/1, Wendler has a template for that situation. Could also buy a chin-up bar and some plate loaded dumbbells for whenever you can fit in the time.
I firstly advice not listening to the “if you can’t put in the time, don’t bother” people. I suspect they don’t have lives filled up with work, children and family.
For your one day, if it was me (and I’ve been there, got 2 kids myself), I’d squat, bench and deadlift. That’s it. Do it 5/3/1 style, and while you might not become The Strongest And Most Badass MF in the Universe, you’ll do just fine.
In addition, I advice doing 50-100 bodyweight squats, 50 push ups and any other body weight exercises you can fit in throughout the day. Fit in 20 BW squats between diapers, drop down for 10 pushups while the potatoes are cooking, anything goes. It won’t make you the strongest dude in the world, but it’ll keep you conditioned and ready for when things calm down. As soon as the twins get to 6 months or so life will be so much easier
I agree with the above poster, squat, bench and deadlift every session. And maybe check out Waterbury’s PLP challenge. Again not optimal, but better than nothing.
