I'm currently doing a 3-day split that doesn't really follow any convention. i didn't have the time for a while to anymore than 3 days so i would work out on my 3 days off - on whatever day they happened to land which could be in a row, every other day, etc. so the 3 day split worked fairly well. Now i have pretty much 6-7 days a week to work out and i'd like to do more. I currently have NO cardio in my program which was OK to start, but i used to be a runner and would love to get back into it again.

So i'm wondering, what is a good way to schedule my work outs. Right now its setup like this:

Day 1: Chest/shoulders/tri's
Day 2: Legs/abs
Day 3: Back/Bi's

i'm looking to add 2-3 more days of exercise into my program. Should i stick with the split and throw cardio between those days? If so, should i do LISS or HIIT? If not, should i change my split or do some sort of full body deal? I'm looking to try something new since i'm just about to hit the 2 months mark with this program and i'm ready to mix it up a bit.

edit: i should add that i'm looking to get stronger & slowly bulk to avoid fat. i'm in no rush.

your thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

I would highly recommend going with a full body or lower/upper split and filling in the off days with the cardio of your choice (i.e. running).

As for routines, given your goals, I recommend two to start:

ABBH - http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459341
TBT - http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=508031

I'd read both, and see which one appeals more to you.

I would highly recommend going with a full body or lower/upper split and filling in the off days with the cardio of your choice (i.e. running).

As for routines, given your goals, I recommend two to start:

ABBH - http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459341
TBT - http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=508031

I'd read both, and see which one appeals more to you.

Couple questions for you (i'm currently reading them now):

1. have you done either of these? if so, do you feel they gave you the results you were looking for?
2. why is this guy so angry?!

I've not done ABBH, but strongly endorse TBT. Waterbury's a good way to get into full body (or upper lower) style workouts.

1. have you done either of these? if so, do you feel they gave you the results you were looking for?

Done both. I would recommend ABBH first, which will ease you into TBT. Both focus on large, basic, compound lifting.

2. why is this guy so angry?!

What do you mean? I think he seems like a nice guy. He's just motivated. I also think he probably tired of people doing biceps curls when they should be deadlifting and squatting.

I think i'm going to go for the TBT. but how do you decide which muscle groups to do? do you switch up what you do from his pool of workouts each time? or do you repeat them for a few months? i'd hate to think i was neglecting any of my muscles, ya know what i mean?

The reason i asked why is he so angry was because of his tone at the start of his posts and his "reasons" for writing what he is writing. it's like he is pissed off at the world for not doing what he says to do. Therefore, leave the grunting and screaming to the frat boys who have 13" guns and spend their entire day doing concentration curls and wasting Daddy's money. i get it, he's trying to be funny but he just sounds angry to me.

I think i'm going to go for the TBT. but how do you decide which muscle groups to do? do you switch up what you do from his pool of workouts each time? or do you repeat them for a few months? i'd hate to think i was neglecting any of my muscles, ya know what i mean?


Follow his program exactly as he lays it out. You will be working each muscle group everyday, 3 times a week (fullbody). It will feel a lot different than the bodypart splits that you are used to. Don't worry too much about it, fullbody routines work.

If you want a routine already laid out for you, this is what Chad himself wrote in the comments section of the original article. (I won't have you go searching for it; I'll just cut and paste)


ADDENDUM #2 (Sample Workout)

When I wrote this article I nixed the idea of giving a sample program because I wanted trainees to learn the myriad of ways a program can be outlined with regard to exercise selection. But at this point, I think a sample routine is mandated to help clarify the program. Here goes.

Week 1, Day 1:
Sets: 3
Reps: 5
Flat BB Bench Press
Seated Cable Rows
High-bar Back Squats
Sumo-style deadlifts
DB Hammer Curls
Standing Calf Raises

Week 1, Day 3:
Sets: 3
Reps: 8
Incline DB Bench Press
DB Upright Rows
Front Squats
Good Mornings
BB Bicep Curls
Dips

Week 1, Day 5:
Sets: 2
Reps: 15
Decline BB Bench Press
Chin-ups
Step-Ups
Traditional style deadlifts
Seated Calf Raises
BB Lying Tricep Extensions

Week 2: Same as Week 1 with 1.25-2.5% more weight and A1/A2 pairings. For example, Week 2, Day 1 will look like:

Sets: 3
Reps: 5
A1 Flat BB Bench Press
A2 Seated Cable Rows
B1 High-bar Back Squats
B2 Sumo-style deadlifts
C1 DB Hammer Curls
C2 Standing Calf Raises

The following week:

Week 3, Day 1:
Sets: 4
Reps: 5
Sumo-style deadlifts
SS grip pull-ups
Incline DB Bench Press
Preacher Curls
Front Squats
Seated Calf Raises

Week 3, Day 3:
Sets: 4
Reps: 8
High-bar BB Back Squats
Seated Cable Rows
Glute-Ham Raise
Military Press
DB Curls
Lying DB Tricep Extension

Week 3, Day 5:
Sets: 3
Reps: 15
Lunges
DB Flat Bench Press
Good Mornings
BB Bicep Curls
Dips
Standing Calf Raises

Week 4: Same as Week 3 with 1.25-2.5% more weight and A1/A2 pairings. For example, Week 4, Day 1 will look like:

Sets: 4
Reps: 5
A1 Sumo-style deadlifts
A2 SS grip pull-ups
B1 Incline DB Bench Press
B2 Preacher Curls
C1 Front Squats
C2 Seated Calf Raises

This should give everyone a good idea of how to plan the TBT program. You'll notice that certain muscle groups (calves) only receive direct stimulation 2x/week with the above sample program. This is not necessary or mandated. For someone with great calves, you don't have to perform any direct calf work. For someone with poor calves, all three sessions should consist of one calf movement. Obviously, the same goes for other underdeveloped, or overdeveloped, muscle groups. In other words, the TBT program is outstanding since you can cater it to your own needs/weaknesses.

Follow his program exactly as he lays it out. You will be working each muscle group everyday, 3 times a week (fullbody). It will feel a lot different than the bodypart splits that you are used to. Don't worry too much about it, fullbody routines work.

If you want a routine already laid out for you, this is what Chad himself wrote in the comments section of the original article. (I won't have you go searching for it; I'll just cut and paste)

sounds good, i'm going to try it out starting saturday. :bb:

now if i could only figure out my food plan :eat: