If one does a program such as Day 1-Chest/Triceps/Shoulders Day 2-Legs/Abs Day 3-Rest Day 4-Back/Biceps Day 5-Rest, would it be considered overtraining to work the rotator cuffs and forearms for 10-15 minutes or so on the rest days? Is this small amount of work enough to lead to overtraining, or will my body still be capable of recovering well? I want to work in more forearm/calves/rotator cuff and deltoid work, but it seems to not be able to fit in anywhere without giving enough work to the primary movers. Any suggestions?
If your forearms/rotators/delts are your weak points, train them first…do a three week prioritization where you focus on these weak points…back off your workouts for your prime movers a little…you may find that they will actually grow a little due to the increased recovery time…things to watch: forearms are worked in practically every exercise (namely back & arm exercises) and your front delts get worked in a chest session while the rear delts get hit during back routines…try to take these overlaps into account and you shouldnt overtrain…good luck.
As k said, if you have a weak link then you should put them first, in the workout and in the training week, and cut back a little on the muscle groups you usually focus on. As for your split, when I was doing it I thought there wasn’t enought rest. If you don’t get enought sleep and are occasionally stressed you might fall into overtraing. Record you waking pulse for a few weeks, if it’s 8 beats high one day then you’re overtraining. And remember, you should be 1-2% stronger every time you come back to the gym. Lastly, think about another split for two reasons: 1)It would allow more rest and more time for f-arms, rotators, calves, etc and 2)switching to a different split will give your body stimulus that it will adapt to. Try something different because, as Ian King says, “it’s not how much you can do but instead, what is OPTIMAL for you.”
Rest days are just that-=–rest! Not only does your muscles need to recover, but your immune system also.