In this article I will discuss which muscles to train with each other and
in what order for the best results.
Rest is a very critical part of bodybuilding- at any level. Actually,
rest is where the actual "getting bigger" takes place. So it is very
important to organize your program so that each muscle is trained for the
maximum amount of growth possible. Some muscles combine better with others in
training. Also, it is important to make sure that your workouts don't
conflict with each other. For example, if you do lower back the day before
you do legs, you will have a lot of trouble doing squats because your lower
back is needed. So if you don't organize it all correctly you will have to
take a lot of extra days off (especially in the example I mentioned because
the lower back takes longer than any other muscle to recover).
I must note that I am not a strong believer in overtraining, or at least
what some people consider overtraining. I believe that overtraining most
often results from improper nutrition/supplementation and/or from training a
muscle too frequently. Some people are set on the idea that 12 sets or more
for any major muscle group is far too many, and that you can completely
stimulate all the available muscle fibers with one (or rarely a few) long,
concentrated sets of each exercise. Now I agree with this to an extent, as I
don't believe that you should do 15 or 20 sets when you first get started,
but 1 or 2 sets of bench?! of squats?!. Now I know how tired I am after a set
where I take it to absolute failure; but the thing is I can always rest and
do a few more- meaning that not all the fibers were exhausted. I simply
believe that performing 3-5 sets for each exercise will recruit and overload
the most fibers, thus, producing the greatest gains.
Now- to the training split. Your muscles really don't know what day it is
so I don't have specific days for each muscle. I also don't believe in
scheduling rest days- I take them as they come. I just hate it when you
schedule a rest day on Monday and plan on resuming on Tuesday, and come
Tuesday something comes up and you can't work out. Now if you were sore and
needed a break on Monday then oh well, it was necessary; but if you could
have worked out on Monday and didn't simply because it was on the schedule,
well then you should kick yourself.
Ok finally- here's the split...
Day 1: Quads
The only muscle that really shouldn't be sore when training legs is the
lower-back because you need this very much when doing squats. Some people
prefer to train lower-back with legs, but you need your lower-back in order
to train your upper-back. So rather than training them all in one day or
taking off days to let your lower-back recover, I believe training it with
back would be better.
I am a firm believer that the quadriceps are by far the most demanding
muscle group in the body to train. Because of this I devote an entire workout
to them. The great thing about legs is that there is no question as to which
exercise will give you tremendous gains. The squat is the absolute best
exercise for developing your quads and is also one of the fundamental
compound exercises in your routine. However, this is a subject that I could
talk about for hours and before I get too far I'll continue the with the
training split (if I am accepted to write for Bodybuilding.com, I'll have an
article devoted to each major muscle group within a few months).
Day 2: Shoulders and Traps
Your shoulders should be fresh when you train either your chest or
triceps. You need your front delts when performing virtually all chest
exercises and for some triceps exercises. You really don't need any help from
your chest to train shoulders, but you do need your triceps to perform many
of the shoulder exercises. So it is a good idea to do your shoulders right
after your chest or long enough before it to have fully recovered. As for
triceps, hit your delts right before them or long enough after them to have
recovered. The traps are involved in virtually all upper-body movements that
require you too hold a weight while standing. Your traps really aren't needed
heavily in much of anything except for shoulders (where they are required,
and that is why they are trained together). However, they are needed in some
exercises such as deadlifts and act as stabilizers, so be aware of this when
going especially heavy.
Day 3: Back (both lower and upper), Hamstrings, and Biceps
You need your biceps and lower back to train upper back- so this is the
exact reason we're training them together here. Your lower back is very
unique and is unlike any other major muscle group in the body. It's sole
purpose is to act as a stabilizer, holding the body steady rather than
contracting through a full range of motion. Therefore, when you do work it
through a full range of motion with good mornings or hyperextensions, it can
become so overwhelmed that it can take a week to fully recover. Hamstrings
tie right in with the lower and upper back. With this workout, you do your
back first, which uses the lower back as a stabilizer. Then you immediately
hit your lower back using stiff-legged deadlifts as the power movement, which
also involves the hamstrings so you can go ahead and do 3-5 sets of leg
curls. Next, just do a few sets of barbell curls and then an isolation
exercise to finish of your biceps which are already a bit pumped from hitting
your back.. When this is over, you should feel very satisfied; you just
eliminated 4 muscles from the split.
Day 4: Chest and Triceps
After hitting your shoulders a couple days ago, they should be ready to
assist in this workout. The pectorals and triceps work very well together-
even better than the biceps do with the back. The chest is a definite
favorite among teens, while the triceps are one of the most neglected. I hate
to see this because these are my two favorite muscle groups. The chest is
just my all-time favorite, but the triceps are my favorite to train. Just
like with the back, you are blasting the chest, and then finishing off the
already tired triceps.
*Abs and Calves
When you train these is totally up to your preference. For calves and
abs, you really don't need any secondary assistance from any other major
muscles group, so train them whenever they're ready. I personally believe in
training your abs whenever they're not sore. Since they only take about 10-20
minutes to train, just hit them right before another workout or as often as
they are ready. Now calves can be done on the chest day, shoulder day, or on
the leg day (the back day is already pushing it). Since I like to focus on
only my legs when I hit them, and that shoulder workout usually kills me by
the end, I usually do my calves at the beginning or end of the chest and tris
workout. Another thing I sometimes do is if I'm about to take a shower
anyway, I'll just load the bar up and do my calves real quick separate from
the main workout on any one of the days (this is only because I pump at home
though).
This split is designed so that someone could pretty much work out
everyday, but I am definitely not suggesting this. I am just merely
organizing a plan so that you can workout as often as your body allows you to
at your particular level. Someone just starting out should not lift more than
5 days per week- but this is even pushing it. You must gradually prepare the
body for the changes that you are planning on subjecting it to. However, you
must also remember that the body is amazingly adaptable, so pushing yourself
to the limit is not a bad thing. Just make sure that you do your research.
You must learn as much as possible through reading and experimentation. This
site alone has enough information to start you on your way, so you can be the
person giving the advise. One important thing to remember is that everyone
has their own opinion, and it is best to examine as many as possible. Good
luck and keep pumpin'.
"The pain of bodybuilding is inevitable, but whether you suffer or not is
entirely up to you."
John Giljum
JohnnySkill@aol.com
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