Problems switching from muscle 1x/week to 2x/week

[AandF6969]

Whats up bros, I havent been here in a while I've been busy pledging a Fraternity and my grandmother also passed away. I've been doing every muscle 1x a week with a workout looking like this

M-Delts
T-Traps/Back
W-Legs
T-Off
F-Chest
S-Arms
S-Off

I've been drinking 3 protein shakes a day inbetween meals and have gained some weight. Ive been doing this workout for about 6 months, changing exercises, reps, everything but I still feel I'm burned out on it. I would like to change to every muscle 2x a week but how will I have time for it? Right now I do about 15 sets per bodypart and I would have marathon workouts if i added a muscle or two a day. I would like to only do legs once a week and everything else twice a week, maybe running on my off days. Could anyone help me out here with my split? Maybe some supersets? I really would rather not go to the 2x a day workouts yet.

Thanks

[Shud]

something like this would work.......
mon-thurs --- chest / back
tue-fri --- delts / arms
w --- legs
sat and sun off.....or u can push the second ones to fri/sat and have thurs sun off....
im doin that at the moment and i get pretty good pumps....

[AandF6969]

How many sets per muscle group do you do though? I like to do at least 15 to get a really good pump going so I make sure I feel it... I don't think I'd enjoy getting 3 to 6 sets per muscle group. I guess I'm asking if frequency of working the muscle is more important than intensity?

[Shud]

chest back shoulders and legs around 3-4 exercises btw 3-4 sets each.......
u have o remember your are doing them twice a week....
with arms 2-3 exercises 3-4 sets...
its all up to you....what you fell comfertable with...

[saboudian]

Look for a HIT based Training system. If you go along with shud's system, that much volume will kill you.

[AandF6969]

Look for a HIT based Training system. If you go along with shud's system, that much volume will kill you.

Whats HIT training?

[bermich]

15 sets is a waste. That is why you are burning yourself out.
Increase the weights and do 5-6 sets
The same body part ONCE a week is NOT ENOUGH.
Your muscles dont need 6 days to recover.
As far as not having time: You take two days off as it is. That is 2 more days you can workout.

To increase size: You need to increase the weight. Im sure if you are doing 15 sets, you are using less weight than you could be using. Try doing 6 reps with heavy weights, Im sure you will get a good pump.

Shuds schedule looks like mine. Go with that for now.

Do yourself a favor and dump the routine you have.

[BASK8KACE]

Whats up bros, I havent been here in a while I've been busy pledging a Fraternity and my grandmother also passed away. I've been doing every muscle 1x a week with a workout looking like this

M-Delts
T-Traps/Back
W-Legs
T-Off
F-Chest
S-Arms
S-Off

I've been drinking 3 protein shakes a day inbetween meals and have gained some weight. Ive been doing this workout for about 6 months, changing exercises, reps, everything but I still feel I'm burned out on it. I would like to change to every muscle 2x a week but how will I have time for it? Right now I do about 15 sets per bodypart and I would have marathon workouts if i added a muscle or two a day. I would like to only do legs once a week and everything else twice a week, maybe running on my off days. Could anyone help me out here with my split? Maybe some supersets? I really would rather not go to the 2x a day workouts yet.

Thanks

Your body is speaking to you LOUDLY. You're overtraining yourself--THAT's why you're burned-out and THAT's why your body isn't growing. I'm guessing that the reason you want to switch to working out 2x's per week is because you want to grow faster, but increasing your workout frequency at this time is the last thing you should do.

We grow when we rest. When your life is hectic and you're not getting rest and/or if you're feeling burned-out and you're not growing, then you need to stick to one or two exercises per body part with no more than 9 sets total per body part (not including 1-2 very light warm up sets per body part). You should also decrease the amount of times you go to the gym. Perhaps workout your entire body once ever 9 days as opposed to once every 7 days.

It took me a while to back off and rest more. The weeks during which I hit the gym only 3 times a week while eating well are the weeks when I'm not only strongest, but are the times I make the most noticible gains--better pump, visibly fuller muscle, and a pleasant tight feelling.

Stop believing the myth of lifting harder is better. Rest more--especially when you're stressed, and you'll be surprised at the gains you make.

[scottninpo]

i totally agree, if you start looking to an HIT program, you'll be learning about Arthur Jones' theories on stimulation and recovery, i started an HIT program and didn't like it very much, mike mentzer recommends lifting every fourth day, working 2 body parts a training day, which would mean working a body part once every 12 days, i just didn't like having to wait so long in between workouts, plus you have to diet a lot more strictly, i now work out mon/wed/fri using an upper/lower split, one work set to failure per bodypart, so i'm training each body part once or twice a week, so far, it's working out great for me

[flex_300]

Looks like the same battle that I encountered a few months back. My workouts consisted of a 5 day split with 20-25 sets for each body part. My workouts were very intense, but I was very irritable when I wasn't in the gym. Needless to say, after about 6 months, I was burnt out. This is the workout that I switched to.

Monday: legs, chest, bi's, 20 min. cardio
Tuesday: off
Wednesday: back, shoulders, tri's, 20 min. cardio
Thursday: off
Friday: legs , chest, bi's, 20 min. cardio

I usually do 6 or 7 sets per body part with all out intensity.
I just keep rotating through this workout every day that I lift. It has worked really well for me. I have finally been able to put on mass because of the extra days off.

[scottninpo]

Looks like the same battle that I encountered a few months back. My workouts consisted of a 5 day split with 20-25 sets for each body part. My workouts were very intense, but I was very irritable when I wasn't in the gym. Needless to say, after about 6 months, I was burnt out. This is the workout that I switched to.

Monday: legs, chest, bi's, 20 min. cardio
Tuesday: off
Wednesday: back, shoulders, tri's, 20 min. cardio
Thursday: off
Friday: legs , chest, bi's, 20 min. cardio

I usually do 6 or 7 sets per body part with all out intensity.
I just keep rotating through this workout every day that I lift. It has worked really well for me. I have finally been able to put on mass because of the extra days off.

if it works for you, great, but why give your legs 3 and 4 days rest at a time, but give your shoulders/bis/tris only one day of rest? don't forget, any chest exercise is going to hit shoulders and tris, and any back is going to hit bis, so you're not really giving them as much rest as your legs, that's why i go upper/lower

[ENraged]

What about a push/pull split
I am almost done with 3 months of this and it has been very nice

[scottninpo]

enraged, i did push pull too, i liked that a lot, how did you break it down? i did like this:
Mon: chest and back
Tues: off
Wed: quads and hams
Thurs: off
Fri: shoulders and tris