I was wondering is the body part split the way to go for hypertrophy goals?
I have always done programs that have either been full body workouts or split up into upper / lower workouts.
I’m not too familiar with how bodybuilders actually train, but is the body part split the preferred method?
In an effort to gain strength and size, I was going to have 2 heavy upper/lower body days and 2 upper/lower body accessory days. I kind of see it as a modified westside split. Instead of having ME movements on the heavy days I will simply be doing 5x5 on the squat and bench and continually trying to improve each week. These movements will followed by heavy, lower rep ranged accessory work. The other 2 days will not consist of DE/speed work, but rather a lot of repetition work. I will be doing my “bodybuilding” focused work on those days, doing higher rep ranges.
In my opinion, there’s no need to split training up any further than upper/lower or push/pull. Maybe if you’re an elite bodybuilder and you honestly do have a lagging bodypart or something that is genuinely holding you back, then it’d be OK to give it its own day, but do you really think the average gymrat needs to give his arms their own day?
Your idea sounds great, and I think several other posters have had success with a similar system.
[quote]Scott M wrote:
I prefer people to train a muscle group as often as possible while giving it the growth stimulus it needs. Upper lower split is fine for most. [/quote]
I agree, especially when they are trying to build their foundational mass. Once you have built a considerable amount of mass (high level bodybuilder), then I think that a body part split would be a good way to train. The way I see it is body part splits are designed for people who are trying to really hit a muscle from every possible angle so as to maximize symmetry, proportion, shape etc… Basically they’re great for refining and working on the details. They are not however (at least IMO) optimal for actually building the foundation.