Muscle groups for one day

[wakatak87]

Is there a sticky that talks about basic things like how many times to work a muscle group per week based on what you want? Im trying to decide whether to work each main muscle group (back chest legs) one or two times a week and how to do it when I can only workout three or four days a week. I know theres the sticky with endless pages of peoples ideas on what to do but a lot of those guys are huge monsters that Id rather not try to look like.

My stats are 20 year old busy ass college student, 160 pounds, ~13% bf and 6 feet tall. I want to get a little mass and lots of definition.

[sonnygll]

You sound like a beginner from your stats and the questions you ask. You should do 3 full body workouts per week. Mostly compound with fairly low volume.

[wakatak87]

Man are you sure...work back bis chest tris shoulders and legs all on the same day then only rest one day? Or is that just what youre spost to start out with

[Kale]

If you can only workout three times a week, the I would suggest

Day 1 Chest and Shoulders
Day 2 Back, Biceps Triceps
Day 3 Legs

If you hit them hard enough then once a week per muscle group is enough IMO. Remember that Chest and shoulders are tightly integrated and that a chest workout will pre exhaust the shoulders a lot.

[sonnygll]

Beginners can't hit a muscle hard enough for splits to work very well. That's more intermediate or advanced. You have to make the neural strength gains to make better use of the muscle fibers.

Not to mention there are protocols where advanced lifters work the entire body as many as 4 times a week. Like HFT and HST. I use a variety of workouts, full body, upper/lower, 3 and 4 day splits. They all have their place. Except for beginners.

[wakatak87]

Sonny - I dont see what being a noob would have to do with getting the muscles SORE. having smaller muscles doesnt mean you cant do 5 sets of 10-10-8-6-4 until you are swollen and sore for three or four days. Unless you are saying that I should purposefully not get sore by lowering the volume, and then eventually working my way to Kale's workout.

Kale - Ill definitely do shoulders and chest on the same day like you say, but doesnt bench press also pre exhaust the tris, making those a good idea to work on the same day as well?

[Ronnie Rowland]

I would do the split below, especially if you plan on doing dead-lifts on back day:

Monday) Back/Biceps

Wednesday) Chest/Shoulders/Triceps

Friday) Legs

[RuhlFreak55]

I would do the split below, especially if you plan on doing dead-lifts on back day:

Monday) Back/Biceps

Wednesday) Chest/Shoulders/Triceps
Friday) Legs

that workout would take me like......3.5 hours??? and that's a conservative estimate....how can anyone train like this?

[Ronnie Rowland]

that workout would take me like......3.5 hours??? and that's a conservative estimate....how can anyone train like this?

You simply do lower volume. It was my understanding he wanted a 3 day split working each muscle only once a week. For maximum gains a 5 day split is best.

[wakatak87]

that workout would take me like......3.5 hours??? and that's a conservative estimate....how can anyone train like this?

what do you suggest instead? I dont necessarily want one muscle group a week. i just doubt i could work my chest M W and F as posted earlier. Maybe ill do a full body workout on monday and friday. that seems like a good compromise.

or upper body monday and friday...lower wednesday and saturday...which is what my original idea was.

[Ronnie Rowland]

wakataK87, you sound like the perfect candiate for the the "Single-Shot" STS.

[sonnygll]

Well like I was saying, it has to do with neural strength gains. You need to be able to use the muscles more efficiently. There are actually studies showing greatly decreasing results from additional sets in the untrained. That's why you do less more frequently. It is also common knowledge the untrained recover faster, because they can't totally beat a muscle group into the ground like an advanced lifter. Upper/lower is ok, or you can split it by horizontal and vertical plain, and quad and ham focus. Also beginners need little to no isolation. You're just trying to get a solid base of muscle and get your CNS trained so you can lift some real weight.

Most of this stuff is in the American College of Sports Medicine exercise guidelines, which is very relevant to the novice lifter.

But in the end you have to do what makes you happy. If you have your heart set on an advanced split, it's better then riding the couch.

[RuhlFreak55]

wakataK87, you sound like the perfect candiate for the the "Single-Shot" STS.

lol i'm not gonna lie i've got no idea what that is

[RuhlFreak55]

You simply do lower volume. It was my understanding he wanted a 3 day split working each muscle only once a week. For maximum gains a 5 day split is best.

well doing lower volume to the tune of getting that workout down to like 2 hours would make it so little that training them once a week i don't think you'd get any results....granted i don't know his body but mine definately wouldn't grow

[jon eastwood]

Day 1 Chest and Shoulders
Day 2 Back, Biceps Triceps
Day 3 Legs

[wakatak87]

well doing lower volume to the tune of getting that workout down to like 2 hours would make it so little that training them once a week i don't think you'd get any results....granted i don't know his body but mine definately wouldn't grow

I'm not doing a really fancy routine, just 5 sets of free weight dumbbell chest and skullcrushers, then some free weight shoulder stuff. I dont see much of an alternative for a 3 day a week program. Im not trying to be a body builder, just look decent so my girlfriend isnt kicking my ass in that department. My question was basically to do a full body workout twice a week or do something as he mentioned.

But thanks for your unput everyone. Although it really just makes me confused with all the different ideas, it makes me think maybe its not a huge deal what I do, as long as i tax the muscles and make em hurt

[sonnygll]

well doing lower volume to the tune of getting that workout down to like 2 hours would make it so little that training them once a week i don't think you'd get any results....granted i don't know his body but mine definately wouldn't grow

That's true, that's why you do it multiple times per week. You're doing the same volume, you just spread it out.

You can also just hit everything in 1 way, then the next day hit it all again differently. Flat bench one day, incline another, rows one day, chins on another.

[bigdog123]

1. chest-back-traps
2. arms-shoulder
3. legs
*abc every workout day + cardio
my 2 cents