[quote]Jetric9 wrote:
I found going to the gym 5 times a week is better. I used to go Mondays and do chest/back, Wednesdays was legs, and Fridays do shoulders/arms. The problem was that I was there at least an hour and a half and it didn’t fit my schedule very well.
Now my workout last at most an hour by going Mondays’ through Fridays and including doing some extra work for some lagging body parts i.e. calves. Gains are also coming along very well.[/quote]
More is better! lol. Yah I don’t think anyone ever got massive from training 3 days a week… Unless you consider Chad Waterbury huge O.o
Best consistency and results I ever had was when I trained 5 days on, 1 day off for nearly a year and a half. I fell out of the routine when I went back to finish school and am trying to work back up to that kind of volume again now that I have more free time.
This time though I intend to do more conditioning work.
I train 5 days a week, use do 6, but my days off are carelfully planned. I deadlift on thursdays so i always take friday off. I squat on sundays so I always take monday off. Those lifts hit CNS hard so i take the next day off, and make sure to get my calories in. You grow when your not training. Most pros take at least one day off.
OP seven days seems like alot brother. Rest isnt a bad thing, i see rest as part of my training cause thats where the gains come. However this is bodybuilding and its different strokes for different folks, if your happy with your results, continue and power to you
My spilt:
Monday:Rest
Tuesday:Back & Traps
Wed:Chest and Calfs
Thur:Deadlift, Hamstrings, Biceps
Friday:Rest
Sat:Shoulders, Triceps, Calfs
Sun:Quads, Grip,Biceps
I’ve done 7 days in the past, I’ve even done two-a-days with the logic that if we did them for a couple weeks for football in HS and College and got better why can’t it work with weightlifting…
Ultimately it’s an individual thing and if your body is recovering and mentally you don’t feel drained then by all means go for it. Obviously if you’re getting results then it shouldn’t matter what naysayers think/say…
[quote]pdub690 wrote:
the only problem with rest in my book is that on that off day, i always feel small haha so i’m in there 7 days a week so i always feel my size[/quote]
Ask yourself the question. Is training 7 days a week with no rest better for my bodybuilding than training 6 days a week with one day off ?(go for a walk on day off as active recovery)
I haven’t taken a day off since new years day so that’s two weeks straight. I don’t take days off unless my gym is closed because of weather, holidays, or I’m feeling really overtrained.
I lift 5-6 days a week. My body doesn’t really even need the days off but I think mentally I need the time off. I am a gym rat as well but I seem to have a tendancy of doing too much and just losing the intensity over a while. With at least one day off a week I get optimal growth and recovery of the mind!
[quote]pdub690 wrote:
I lift with a retired bodybuilder from st. louis that is now 58 and looks like he’s about 30. Whenever someone asks him when his last day off from the gym was his response is… “i think i had one back in 1983”
[quote]BUSHMASTER wrote:
I lift 5-6 days a week. My body doesn’t really even need the days off but I think mentally I need the time off. I am a gym rat as well but I seem to have a tendancy of doing too much and just losing the intensity over a while. With at least one day off a week I get optimal growth and recovery of the mind![/quote]
that’s actually a really good point. I notice sometimes when stuff just continually runs together things get muddied and you do tend to lose the “mindset” over time.
I used to train for 6 days a week
but found that i was always aching when i came round to train the next day
so i started a new training programme where i train 4 days a week
and do cardio 2 days a week
and already ive noticed a difference in terms of being able to lift more due to not being tired from the previous session etc.
although you are pretty big judging on your avatar, perhaps if you trained for a few days each week instead of everyday you may notice a bigger gain and more progress may be made in terms of size.
Just a thought
good luck with whatever you decide.
Personally think you need whole days out of the gym to make optimal progress, even Ronnie Coleman took a day off not to mention 2-3 month layoffs after big shows.
Not that I’m not damn jealous of your recovery btw
I lift 5 days a week, and do hard cardio and abs the other two days. I know that ‘burned out’ over trained feeling, and I listen to my body and take a rest day, or an extra easy cardio/active recovery day when I feel I need it. It doesn’t happen often.
I was going to come in and just bash the total thoght of training seven days a week but after reading everything I re-evaluated. I think another thing that put a stigma on this kind of training wwere my friends.
We were all little dorks and shit and growin up we all found the iron and went different paths. I went powerlifting drug free competing USAPL, and they went “bodybuilding” with whatever prohormones they get their hands on.
When on that shit they would strain biceps and pull pecs and just INJKURE themselves lifting everyday. So i guess just being a stupid meathead tainted my view. Nice work BTW OP looking hhyooggeee bbrraahhh!!
Yes, but does anyone here train EIGHT days a week?
That’s the future: EIGHT DAYS A WEEK.
And also, 8 minute abs. Not 10 minute abs! who’d do 10 minute abs when you can do 8 minute abs?
Nothing wrong with 7 days a week. Nothing wrong with 6 days. 3 days a week also good, and people have gotten huge on it.
Mind you, you would not take a 3 day a week program and do it 7 days a week. They are obviously different.
DOMS … it always hits me 2 days after. Workout chest monday, chest is sore weds morning. Not tuesday. Weds. why? I have no idea. But it goes away when I workout the next time. Even if not chest. … so when I was working out monday, tues, rest weds, then thurs would start hurting. So it seems one day off means the next day, pain. SO my point now is I am planning to do a light day inbetween, therefore, I will be working out 7 days a week (currently doing doggcrapp every 2nd day and it is working great)
do other people find DOMS similar? on the 2nd day? or the next day?
whacky DOMS … gimme a supplement to get rid of that.
DOMS … it always hits me 2 days after. Workout chest monday, chest is sore weds morning. Not tuesday. Weds. why? I have no idea. But it goes away when I workout the next time. Even if not chest. … so when I was working out monday, tues, rest weds, then thurs would start hurting. So it seems one day off means the next day, pain. SO my point now is I am planning to do a light day inbetween, therefore, I will be working out 7 days a week (currently doing doggcrapp every 2nd day and it is working great)
do other people find DOMS similar? on the 2nd day? or the next day?
whacky DOMS … gimme a supplement to get rid of that.
[/quote]
Thats the point of DOMS, They always hit ppl worst on the second day post-workout. Its all to do with the amount of time it take the muscle to break down fully and then start rebuilding, similar to how they say a body part needs 72hours or so to fully recover after training! As for getting rid of it having a light day inbetween can help a little, as long as its very light, in order to flush some fresh blood into the muscle. Also things like ice baths or contrast showers (going hot/cold/hot/cold) can also help if done post-workout.
As for my training i tend to do 4/5 days training a week, always lifting but at least one of those days will consist more of conditioning circuits with kettlebells or weighted sleds, with some prehab stuff (i have shoulder impingement issues from tearing my teres major a few yrs ago so loads of external rotation at the shoulder joint) and usually some sort of added cardio, like boxing, hill sprints or rowing intervals!
I’ve tried lifting more often than that but since switching from body part splits, bodybuilder style workouts to more movement focused strength and power workouts i’ve found 3/4 days heavy lifting is optimal for me, any more and i just don’t have the energy/strength available to consistently lift heavy weights!
Fair shout for being able to do 7 days a week though, seems to be working judging from your avatar!
I think everything works, just not forever. Guys that are training 3 or 4 times a week would probably get some results if they did a 7 day rotation for 4-8 weeks, but than return to their normal spilt. Personally, high frequency works the best. Day1: Legs, Day2: Back&Biceps Day3: Chest/shoulders/Triceps Day 4: start cycle again. After 5 weeks Ill go back to a 4 or 5 day split working a muscle more exclusively. It all depends on what works for you. Time training, age,rest, nutrition and genes and play a role.You gotta find the “sweet spot”
[quote]stockyandcocky wrote:
I think everything works, just not forever. Guys that are training 3 or 4 times a week would probably get some results if they did a 7 day rotation for 4-8 weeks, but than return to their normal spilt. Personally, high frequency works the best. Day1: Legs, Day2: Back&Biceps Day3: Chest/shoulders/Triceps Day 4: start cycle again. After 5 weeks Ill go back to a 4 or 5 day split working a muscle more exclusively. It all depends on what works for you. Time training, age,rest, nutrition and genes and play a role.You gotta find the “sweet spot”[/quote]
Too true man well put! Different strokes for different folks and all that!
Guys, i dont mean to highjack the forum. I life about 4 days a week, Kettle training. I have a guestion tho, im a personal trainer and manage a training studio, so i work 12 hours a day almost everyday, so how do some of you that live a similar lifestyle workout and stay motivated. I seem to get sick from being aorund the same equipment.
I have sold equipment for gyms for 3 years, and personal trained for 2 years and been promoted to manager for the past 2 months. so the long hours just make me sick of thinking aobut training unleess i use shits of caffeine and kill it.
wayne- keep on keepin on dude, you have great genetics and hope gear is helping you surpass your natural abilities, i would love to train you sometime.
I just need help staying motivated… any thoughts?
