anyone here train 1day on 1day off

[mx3]

for last five years i have trained mon-fri. About three months ago I switched to 1 on 1 off to see if it would help my routine im not sure if it is helping or hurting me right now. does anybody else train this way. anthony roberts promotes this method. any input is appreciated.

[TheArtist]

i've done it for the past few weeks... i don't think i'm very fond of it... but it DOES have its advantages. Getting a day's rest in between workouts is pretty nice. But sometimes i lose motivation in that off day... guess that's a personal problem...haha

[Johny-too-small]

Ive trained that way for 1.5 years. Your CNS needs to recover before you can start muscle repair. In fact, Im taking 2 days off after legs and chest workouts because my intesity is at its peak during these workouts.

[kaberle_15]

I do 2 days on 1 off then 3 on and 1 off and I take breaks or extra rest days when I feel i need to.

[mx3]

thats why i started this to see if the extra rest will lead to improved mucle growth I just want to make sure I wasn't setting myself up for failure becaue I have never tried this method and am weary about changing my routine. I am about to start a cycle so it will be interesting to see if this helps more so on cycle than my previous routine. Just a personal ? for you johny, do you start light and work up or the opposite. with my old routine I started light but I changed it to starting heavy and working down weight and keeping same number of reps. 6-8

[mx3]

I do 2 days on 1 off then 3 on and 1 off and I take breaks or extra rest days when I feel i need to.

thats actually what I was gonna try but I want to give this method my all (6-8months) before I switched. these days im always trying to keep my body guessing.

[mx3]

what do you guys think, am I putting enough of a work load on my muscles if im starting heavy to lighter, to failure every time. Im not talking real light but I reduce the work load by five to ten lbs each set to keep in the 6-8 rep range. Like I said this is the first time I have changed my routine so I want to make sure I will continue to grow.

[Johny-too-small]

thats why i started this to see if the extra rest will lead to improved mucle growth I just want to make sure I wasn't setting myself up for failure becaue I have never tried this method and am weary about changing my routine. I am about to start a cycle so it will be interesting to see if this helps more so on cycle than my previous routine. Just a personal ? for you johny, do you start light and work up or the opposite. with my old routine I started light but I changed it to starting heavy and working down weight and keeping same number of reps. 6-8

I always go into the gym very mentally prepared. I'll do whatever it takes to keep a powerful focus as Im there for one reason, really. I always go as heavy as I can while staying in the 6-8 reps range for compounds and 8-10 for isos. Its all about intesity, imo.

[Mike S.]

I am doing 1 on 1off 1on 1off 2 on 1off... I loose motivation to go ... I am going to do the 5days a week thing though now

[qualityclrk1]

Ive trained that way for 1.5 years. Your CNS needs to recover before you can start muscle repair. In fact, Im taking 2 days off after legs and chest workouts because my intesity is at its peak during these workouts.

me too, cept i don't take two days off after chest....but i'll lift monday - friday, doin legs strictly on friday, so i have time to recover saturday and sunday before hitting my chest/tri's on monday

[reconforce4]

i do that, but sometime on off, i will some cardio

[resultseeker]

I am trying a new workout chest monday back tue arms wed legs thur and arms fri and abs sat and sun Is this a good workout or am i going to be waisting time

[Big]

I am trying a new workout chest monday back tue arms wed legs thur and arms fri and abs sat and sun Is this a good workout or am i going to be waisting time

I responded in your thread, you shouldn't work out every day with no off days. Read the other responses in this thread for other opinions.

[Ronnie Rowland]

I am trying a new workout chest monday back tue arms wed legs thur and arms fri and abs sat and sun Is this a good workout or am i going to be waisting time

If you can get plenty of sleep you can do the following 5 day split with excellent results. Just make sure to periodize it and keep each training session below 20 work sets during each training phase.

1) CHEST/CALVES
2) BACK
3) DELTS/TRAPS
4) ARMS
5) LEGS
6)OFF
7)OFF
8)REPEAT

[Pro_built7]

Honestly man you seem to be in the exact situation I was in about a year ago. I used to train 5x a week and was always motivated to go to the gym no questions asked. Made good gains and never missed a workout for anything. Well i started reading about the 1 on 1 off style and decided to try it. needless to say on that day off for some reason I'd lose total motivation and would sometimes skip (Horrible i know) did that for a few months with hardly any gains, and realized WTF am i doing?? I don't know why but that 1 day off screwed me up. quickly went back to what i was doing and love it- soo.. everyones body is different but personally i think i needed that day to day consistency thought i'd share with you my experience with this training style. whatever you choose best wishes !

[Renesis]

Slingshot I like the way you have that set up for the 5 days, but I have a problem where if I don't workout my chest twice a week it gets weaker. If I workout my chest twice a week I make progress every week so how would you recommend to fit it in there?

[Johny-too-small]

Slingshot I like the way you have that set up for the 5 days, but I have a problem where if I don't workout my chest twice a week it gets weaker. If I workout my chest twice a week I make progress every week so how would you recommend to fit it in there?

Really? Damn. My chest gets weaker and weaker after a cycle and I dont know wtf Im doing wrong when everything else maintains or grows. Training 2x per week does the trick?

[Renesis]

For me yeah. Then again my chest is a pain in the ass. If I don't hit it hard 2x a week it goes backwards. I have gone from benching the 100lb dbs 8 times to barely getting up the 90s for 10 because I haven't hit my chest hard 2x a week for the past 3 weeks. I haven't even done a single cycle yet. So yeah -.-

[Ronnie Rowland]

Slingshot I like the way you have that set up for the 5 days, but I have a problem where if I don't workout my chest twice a week it gets weaker. If I workout my chest twice a week I make progress every week so how would you recommend to fit it in there?

Renesis, the split below will work well for what you are trying to accomplish.

1) Back
2) Chest/Biceps
3) Shoulders/Triceps
4) Legs
5) Chest
6 OFF
7) OFF
8) REPEAT

[mr newbreed]

for last five years i have trained mon-fri. About three months ago I switched to 1 on 1 off to see if it would help my routine im not sure if it is helping or hurting me right now. does anybody else train this way. anthony roberts promotes this method. any input is appreciated.

i was training 5 days a week up until this week,ive now gone for the mon/wed/fri routine after some real good advice and then researching the benifits of doing so,you dont grow when you train,you grow when you rest-you do the math bro

[Ronnie Rowland]

Really? Damn. My chest gets weaker and weaker after a cycle and I dont know wtf Im doing wrong when everything else maintains or grows. Training 2x per week does the trick?

Johny-too-small, training a muscle with more frequency on occasion has it place in bodybuilding as you become more advanced.

Your loss of strength could also be from a lack of volume or avoiding a low rep set in the 4-6 rep range on your second work set while your CNS is firing at full throtte..

[Johny-too-small]

Johny-too-small, training a muscle with more frequency on occasion has it place in bodybuilding as you become more advanced.

Your loss of strength could also be from a lack of volume or avoiding a low rep set in the 4-6 rep range on your second work set while your CNS is firing at full throtte..

Hmmm. I typically hold out on the 4-6 rep set till the last set of the excercise. You think that I should move it up closer in the excercise? 2nd set, perhaps?

Also, my tris and bis are HUGE. Much bigger proportionately than my chest. Do you think pre-exhausting my tris before a chest workout would work?

Sorry about the hijack.

[Renesis]

Renesis, the split below will work well for what you are trying to accomplish.

1) Back
2) Chest/Biceps
3) Shoulders/Triceps
4) Legs
5) Chest
6 OFF
7) OFF
8) REPEAT

I like the looks of this workout routine. Thanks a bunch.

[Ronnie Rowland]

Hmmm. I typically hold out on the 4-6 rep set till the last set of the excercise. You think that I should move it up closer in the excercise? 2nd set, perhaps?

Also, my tris and bis are HUGE. Much bigger proportionately than my chest. Do you think pre-exhausting my tris before a chest workout would work?

Sorry about the hijack.

Yes, move up the power set to the second work set and stop a rep shy of good failure on the first work set. Now the last set for a key exercise such as decline presses should be a high rep burn out set, not a low rep set. But, doing a low rep set last is idea for secondary exercises such as incline presses because it's considered an un-natural movement. 15 degree declines are good because they help take the triceps out of the movement!


Pre-exhausting the triceps before chest would only compound the problem. I would focus on 15 degree declines as a key exercise and 15 degree incline presses or 15 degree incline flyes as a secondary exercise. That's the best you will ever do for the chest other than adding a third exercise at the max.

[Johny-too-small]

^^thanks for the post, bro.

[Pro_built7]

hey man so what split did you decide on ?

[qualityclrk1]

hey man so what split did you decide on ?

bump

[ctx97]

Mon-wen-friday here with cardio in between

[mr newbreed]

Mon-wen-friday here with cardio in between

same as mine bro

[RBIZZY]

Ive trained that way for 1.5 years. Your CNS needs to recover before you can start muscle repair. In fact, Im taking 2 days off after legs and chest workouts because my intesity is at its peak during these workouts.

WHAT KIND OF GAINS HAVE YOU SEEN WHEN COMPAIRED TO SAY LIKE A 5DAY WORKOUT PLAN? I HAVE BEEN THINKING OF DOING THIS. IM LIKE RENESIS, TO WHERE IF I DONT WORK EACH MUSCLE GROUP TWICE A WEEK, I THINK I GO BACKWARDS, SO I DO ONE DAY A WEEK HEAVY AND HARD, AND ONE DAY A WEEK LIGHTER BUT STILL GOOD... I DID A 5 DAY SPLIT ONCE AND I DIDNT FEAL LIKE I WENT FORWARD AT ALL, YOU KNOW LEGS ONE DAY, ARMS ONE DAY, CHEST ONE DAY, SHOULDERS ONE DAY AND BACK ONE DAY.... I FELT LIKE THERE WAS TOO MUCH TIME INBETWEEN MUSCLE GROUPS...

[Johny-too-small]

WHAT KIND OF GAINS HAVE YOU SEEN WHEN COMPAIRED TO SAY LIKE A 5DAY WORKOUT PLAN? I HAVE BEEN THINKING OF DOING THIS. IM LIKE RENESIS, TO WHERE IF I DONT WORK EACH MUSCLE GROUP TWICE A WEEK, I THINK I GO BACKWARDS, SO I DO ONE DAY A WEEK HEAVY AND HARD, AND ONE DAY A WEEK LIGHTER BUT STILL GOOD... I DID A 5 DAY SPLIT ONCE AND I DIDNT FEAL LIKE I WENT FORWARD AT ALL, YOU KNOW LEGS ONE DAY, ARMS ONE DAY, CHEST ONE DAY, SHOULDERS ONE DAY AND BACK ONE DAY.... I FELT LIKE THERE WAS TOO MUCH TIME INBETWEEN MUSCLE GROUPS...

Ive put on 40lbs. But, imo, its diet that has been key for me.

[RBIZZY]

Yeah Diet Is The Key. I Have Been Putting Alot More Rest Days In My Workout Weeks..... I Always Start A Cycle With 4-6 Weeks Of Back And Bi's, Chest And Tri's And Legs And Shoulders, With Forarms In Bi's.... I Find This Gets My Strength Up While I Wait For The Gear To Kick In.... But I Need To Put Alot Of Thought Into My Next 4-6weeks. I Will Do: Day1, Chest And Tri's, Day 2, Back And Bis, Day Three Legs And Shoulders. Day 4 Rest, Then Over Again With A Rest Day Or Maybe Two Where I Feal Like I Need It. For This Cycle I Have Also Decided To Drop Weight Down On Lifts. I Usually Do 12 45lb Plates On Leg Press, But Now Ill Do 8 At The Most To Make Sure I Do Full Rang Of Motion, And Get The Most Out Of The Work Out, Making Sure To Go Slow On The Negatives.... And I Am Also Trying To Play "catch Up" With Lagging Body Parts. My Right Arm Is Smaller Than My Left Arm, And Im Right Handed... My Left Is The Stronger Arm, So Those Are My Goals This Cyle...

[Ronnie Rowland]

WHAT KIND OF GAINS HAVE YOU SEEN WHEN COMPAIRED TO SAY LIKE A 5DAY WORKOUT PLAN? I HAVE BEEN THINKING OF DOING THIS. IM LIKE RENESIS, TO WHERE IF I DONT WORK EACH MUSCLE GROUP TWICE A WEEK, I THINK I GO BACKWARDS, SO I DO ONE DAY A WEEK HEAVY AND HARD, AND ONE DAY A WEEK LIGHTER BUT STILL GOOD... I DID A 5 DAY SPLIT ONCE AND I DIDNT FEAL LIKE I WENT FORWARD AT ALL, YOU KNOW LEGS ONE DAY, ARMS ONE DAY, CHEST ONE DAY, SHOULDERS ONE DAY AND BACK ONE DAY.... I FELT LIKE THERE WAS TOO MUCH TIME INBETWEEN MUSCLE GROUPS...

You either didn't train with enough intensity, you performed too few sets or too many exercises and/or your diet was off. I can assure you, training each muscle group only once a week works well. Take a look at what it's done for the majority of pro-bodybuilders. That said, twice a week training has it's place. But, you should not do it all the time or you will increase the probability of CNS burnout, plateauing and injury.

[RBIZZY]

yeah thats why i usually do it for the first 4-6 weeks.... i dont know, i just felt as if i was at a stand still with a five day split, or each muscle group once a week. everyone is different. maybe it was all in my head. i know i didnt overtrain because i have been trained on overtraining. i am a consultant/trainer for golds gym. i just dont like it so much.... im going to try to experiment alot with this cycles training. hopefully i can find what will work best for me. my last cycle i gained about 40lbs.... if i can gain close to 25-30lbs this cycle i will be happy...

[TADOLFI]

This is a great thread for ideas.
I'm reading some of it and after I read it, I'm like - Duh, that was obvious, why didn't I think of that for myself before?
Good stuff!

I do think it is a personal choice of what you feel works best for yourself.
And I hate to say it, but your age and stress level comes in to play to a certain degree. (just my opinion)

[mr newbreed]

Renesis, the split below will work well for what you are trying to accomplish.

1) Back
2) Chest/Biceps
3) Shoulders/Triceps
4) Legs
5) Chest
6 OFF
7) OFF
8) REPEAT

i sometimes have a similar problem,not with my chest tho-with my shoulders/traps
any help you can give would be great

[Ronnie Rowland]

i sometimes have a similar problem,not with my chest tho-with my shoulders/traps
any help you can give would be great

You could do the following with the above scenario-


1) delts/traps
2) back
3) chest/biceps
4) legs
5) delts/triceps/traps
6) OFF
7) OFF
8) REPEAT