Well, I am a newbie to bulking (i have been cutting for a long time), and i am wondering if a 3 full body workout routine is a good idea.
I do squats, deadlifts, bench press, dips, military press, lateral raise, chin-ups, bent over rows, triceps extension, DB curls, calf raise, crunches. All of these workouts are done with high intensity and only 1 -2 sets of each one.
I do this Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. the rest of the days are rest or light cardio (can I do HIIT?)

Thanks for answers

3 day full body workouts are fine for bulking. Cardio on off days is fine for controlling fat gain, but eat accordingly. HIIT is fine.

I'd having different lifting plans for different days, as that's a lot of exercises in one session (even with 1-2 sets). That way you could split squats and deads into different days, and maybe also get some single legged work in as well.

Ditch the isolation exercises... Stick with squats, deads, BB bench press, shoulder press, rows...

Ditch the isolation exercises... Stick with squats, deads, BB bench press, shoulder press, rows...

Hey, I would really like to get to your goals. Weight training is a lifelong job, and (in my opinoin) has nothing tow do with all this activity (unliess you have the time and energy to go forward!)

I take a day at a time and push the limits. (But I do not overload any muscle group)

Sit, down and make a plan. What is your goal? Abs, Lats, overall
Strength.. Then..

Construct a workout plan that accomplishes your goals

Your head is in the right place ...

Well, I am a newbie to bulking (i have been cutting for a long time), and i am wondering if a 3 full body workout routine is a good idea.
I do squats, deadlifts, bench press, dips, military press, lateral raise, chin-ups, bent over rows, triceps extension, DB curls, calf raise, crunches. All of these workouts are done with high intensity and only 1 -2 sets of each one.
I do this Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. the rest of the days are rest or light cardio (can I do HIIT?)

Thanks for answers

Great workout, at the one set level you are doing 12 sets. You could complete that program in less than 30 minutes. A good cardio effect would be gained by cutting your rest periods to 60 sec or less. You don't need the extra cardio, especially in a bulk. Why use the calories up, you won't build muscle from cardio?

Enjoy a life in those rest days. :tucool:

Sorry if my question is taking this post off topic, but if your goal is to bulk and put on a much lean mass as possible I struggle with how you can generate the maximum intensity and going heavy on a one day split.

I've only done splits so I would like to better understand how you do squat, deadlift and bench, let alone the other body parts, in one day with maximum intensity?

Is it that you just don't go as heavy and intense with a full body workout and the overall impact is still good because of the amount of volume? Or is this just not the full on bulk that a split would accomplish at max. intensity?

Sorry if my question is taking this post off topic, but if your goal is to bulk and put on a much lean mass as possible I struggle with how you can generate the maximum intensity and going heavy on a one day split.

I've only done splits so I would like to better understand how you do squat, deadlift and bench, let alone the other body parts, in one day with maximum intensity?

Is it that you just don't go as heavy and intense with a full body workout and the overall impact is still good because of the amount of volume? Or is this just not the full on bulk that a split would accomplish at max. intensity?


You don't necessarily squat and deadlift with heavy variants. Instead you do a heavy variant of one and maybe a lighter variant of the other if you want to do both in the same workout. So maybe you back squat, but do a snatch grip deadlift or single legged deadlift.

You generally don't do as many exercises as the above HIT-ish plan (which I don't like personally) if you are doing multiple sets. So you concentrate on big compounds and do maybe 4x6 of 6 exercises per workout. So maybe:

Squats
Bench
Single Leg stiff legged deadlift
Bent Row
DB Overhead press
Pullup

Or substitute a couple of those with isos if you must.

But you generally do different full body plans on different days. So maybe Wednesday, you do:

Deadlift
Bench
Lunge
Cable Row
Alt DB OH Press
Chins

Maybe a third plan for Friday, or maybe just swap between the two every workout.

The point is to spread the load over the whole body, but to hit it more frequently. Across the week you'll end up doing more volume per body part in compounds vs just doing all the volume in just one day with decreasing energy as you get drained as well as generally going down to isos to control fatigue.

So you are adding stimulus to stimulus, but not annihilating the muscle in one session.

Look up plans like Starting Strength by Rippetoe or nearly anything by Waterbury on t-nation.

Sorry if my question is taking this post off topic, but if your goal is to bulk and put on a much lean mass as possible I struggle with how you can generate the maximum intensity and going heavy on a one day split.

I've only done splits so I would like to better understand how you do squat, deadlift and bench, let alone the other body parts, in one day with maximum intensity?

Is it that you just don't go as heavy and intense with a full body workout and the overall impact is still good because of the amount of volume? Or is this just not the full on bulk that a split would accomplish at max. intensity?



I think the theory for HIT 1-2 sets per exercise is that once you've done your warm up sets and are fully warmed up, the first set should be the one where you can shift the most weight for the most reps, which is true I think. A fairly typical pattern (once fully warmed up) for bench press for example for 4 sets with one minute rest between sets and maintaining the same weight for each set would be :-

1st Set - 12 reps
2nd set - 10 reps
3rd set - 9 reps
4th set - 7 reps.


I think the theory is that once you've done the first set, that you've already maximally stimulated the muscle, so why do any more sets when you won't be able to do any more reps or more likely less reps in the next set ?

There is an appealing logic to that although of course it has been questioned whether it bears out in practice.

And I guess with a 3 day full body routine doing more sets might hinder recovery for your next workout which is only 2 days away, compared to a once a week split where it will be 7 days till you work body part again. I tjink certainly for 3x full body sets per exercise must be kept low, usually I'll do 3-4 excluding warm up sets, that might be too many though, maybe 1-2 would actually be better for reasons of recovery.

So I guess the overall theory of HIT full body 3x a week is 1 or 2 at most full intensity sets per exercise, maximally stimulates the muscle and allows the muscles to recuperate best rather than doing more sets and doing this 3x a week keeps the muscle optimally stimulated 7 days a week, whereas one day split your muscles might only be stimulated for 2 out of 7.

You don't necessarily squat and deadlift with heavy variants. Instead you do a heavy variant of one and maybe a lighter variant of the other if you want to do both in the same workout. So maybe you back squat, but do a snatch grip deadlift or single legged deadlift.

You generally don't do as many exercises as the above HIT-ish plan (which I don't like personally) if you are doing multiple sets. So you concentrate on big compounds and do maybe 4x6 of 6 exercises per workout.

The point is to spread the load over the whole body, but to hit it more frequently. Across the week you'll end up doing more volume per body part in compounds vs just doing all the volume in just one day with decreasing energy as you get drained as well as generally going down to isos to control fatigue.

So you are adding stimulus to stimulus, but not annihilating the muscle in one session.

Thanks for explaining MB. That makes a lot of sense as breaking up the big compounds over the 3 days all while hitting every muscle multiple times during the week. I guess I just wrongly relate "full body workouts" with circuit type training which on a bulk just doesn't seem optimal. I'm sure circuit type training is fine for most, but there is no way I can personally generate full intensity and heavy weights hitting every body part including warms up.

My 2 day splits 3x per week are actually structured very close generically speaking as I break up my compounds and substitute in other exercises for the second time I hit the muscle group within the same week.

I think the theory for HIT 1-2 sets per exercise is that once you've done your warm up sets and are fully warmed up, the first set should be the one where you can shift the most weight for the most reps, which is true I think.
why do any more sets when you won't be able to do any more reps or more likely less reps in the next set ?

So I guess the overall theory of HIT full body 3x a week is 1 or 2 at most full intensity sets per exercise, maximally stimulates the muscle and allows the muscles to recuperate best rather than doing more sets and doing this 3x a week keeps the muscle optimally stimulated 7 days a week, whereas one day split your muscles might only be stimulated for 2 out of 7.
The majority of HIT users do not believe in warm up sets, you are warmed up with the first few reps. You should be using about 80% of your 1 rep max. So it is one set per exercise, If you feel a set of squats aren't enough for quads, you could add another set of a quad exercise say leg extensions as a pre-exhaustion before squats.

You would do as many reps as possible, If you did less than 8 reps, you would reduce weight, next workout. If you did more than 12 reps you would add more weight next workout. Sets are done to momentary muscular failure where you can't complete a rep in good form, no matter how hard you try. You are simply putting in all effort into one set of an exercise, rather than backing off on effort so you can get 3 to 5 sets of exercise.

HIT offers a big advantage in this busy world, you can get a very good workout in less than 90 minutes a week. It is that lifetime system that you can stick to, leaving the rest of the time to live a life. There are to many people spending 3 hours a day in a gym with little to show for it.

BTW: I have lifted on and off for over 50 years. I have never warmed up or done any stretches. I have never experienced injuries.

Thanks for explaining MB. That makes a lot of sense as breaking up the big compounds over the 3 days all while hitting every muscle multiple times during the week. I guess I just wrongly relate "full body workouts" with circuit type training which on a bulk just doesn't seem optimal. I'm sure circuit type training is fine for most, but there is no way I can personally generate full intensity and heavy weights hitting every body part including warms up.

My 2 day splits 3x per week are actually structured very close generically speaking as I break up my compounds and substitute in other exercises for the second time I hit the muscle group within the same week.

If you want to gain some practical experience then do the Smolov Squat Cycle while bulking and see how much mass you gain :)

The majority of HIT users do not believe in warm up sets, you are warmed up with the first few reps. You should be using about 80% of your 1 rep max. So it is one set per exercise, If you feel a set of squats aren't enough for quads, you could add another set of a quad exercise say leg extensions as a pre-exhaustion before squats.

You would do as many reps as possible, If you did less than 8 reps, you would reduce weight, next workout. If you did more than 12 reps you would add more weight next workout. Sets are done to momentary muscular failure where you can't complete a rep in good form, no matter how hard you try. You are simply putting in all effort into one set of an exercise, rather than backing off on effort so you can get 3 to 5 sets of exercise.

HIT offers a big advantage in this busy world, you can get a very good workout in less than 90 minutes a week. It is that lifetime system that you can stick to, leaving the rest of the time to live a life. There are to many people spending 3 hours a day in a gym with little to show for it.

BTW: I have lifted on and off for over 50 years. I have never warmed up or done any stretches. I have never experienced injuries.


The first workout system I ever did was some booklet I'd bought from a soccer magazine advert when I was a teenager in the days before mass internet use in the early 90s. It was obviously HIT as it was a 3x full body, one set per exercise routine, no warm up sets required. I remember there was no author on the book for some reason but I guess it may have been this Ellington Darden guy you mention, or based on his principles. I had a crappy bench I'd got from a catalogue shop but I remember my weights shot up quickly. And although I was a newbie and quick progress was pretty much inevitable on any weights system, it's obviously a system that can be effective.


Re warmup sets, I would say that I read a very famous exponent of HIT, Dorian Yates, the ex Mr. Olympia did a few warm up sets before his one working set which he'd hit with all out intensity. In my experience I can lift more on my first "working" set for say bench press if I do a couple of warm up sets than if I try and do my first working set cold. Warm up sets defo loosen up and stretch the fibres etc in my experience to enable you to lift more on the first working set. So I may go back to HIT, cos I can see the logic in "what's the point in doing sets subsequent to your first working set if you're doing less reps in the subsequent sets? Your muscle is already maximally stimulated and all you're doing is hindering recovery for your next workout ".


I agree re your point in having a life outside the gym by the way. I mean we all want to look good but there has to be a balance too and anyway looking good is obviously in big part controlled by what you're eating outside the gym. If you're in a full time job and purely after aesthetics it's hard to see how one could justify spending 3 hours every day in the gym to the exclusion of having a life. If your whole life revolves around how you look then you're missing the main part of life I think i.e. having one. I'm cutting but I still allow myself one party night a week. At first on my cut I didn't drink and stayed in on weekends whilst my pals were out carousing. I felt miserable as sin not getting out for a drink and a dance at the weekend so decided it wasn't worth it so now am just keeping up with my weights and cardio and eating clean but allowing myself a booze and boogie night on a Saturday - I stick to low carb beer if it's sold in the bars/nightlclubs:D.

It just means my cut will last a bit longer:lol:

Re warmup sets, I would say that I read a very famous exponent of HIT, Dorian Yates, the ex Mr. Olympia did a few warm up sets before his one working set which he'd hit with all out intensity. In my experience I can lift more on my first "working" set for say bench press if I do a couple of warm up sets than if I try and do my first working set cold. Warm up sets defo loosen up and stretch the fibres etc in my experience to enable you to lift more on the first working set. So I may go back to HIT, cos I can see the logic in "what's the point in doing sets subsequent to your first working set if you're doing less reps in the subsequent sets? Your muscle is already maximally stimulated and all you're doing is hindering recovery for your next workout ".
:

Yes, Dorian Yates did have his methods for HIT. Fast explosive reps that even his warmup sets couldn't prevent him from tearing many muscles. I hope in retirement, he doesn't have any more problems seen by many competive lifters like Hip replacements - Bill Starr, Clarence Bass, Tommy Kono, Bill Clark, Ken Patera, Russ Knipp.

Yes, Dorian Yates did have his methods for HIT. Fast explosive reps that even his warmup sets couldn't prevent him from tearing many muscles. I hope in retirement, he doesn't have any more problems seen by many competive lifters like Hip replacements - Bill Starr, Clarence Bass, Tommy Kono, Bill Clark, Ken Patera, Russ Knipp.


So what is the difficulty and the disagreement with the couple of warm up sets then the the one working set approach ?

I think if I was to try HIT again this is the method I would adopt - simply cos I think the coupla warm up sets enable me to lift more for the working set.

So what is the difficulty and the disagreement with the couple of warm up sets then the the one working set approach ?

I think if I was to try HIT again this is the method I would adopt - simply cos I think the coupla warm up sets enable me to lift more for the working set.
No difficulty beyond you don't achieve any more then you would from first three reps. Let say you did 8-12 exercises, would you do 3 warmup sets for each exercise or a total of 32-48 sets in all? You would deny the follow-on exercises of their fair share of energy and tax your CNS by performing un-needed sets. If you only did it on first set it wouldn't apply itself to the other exercises to be performed. How the warmup sets would produce energy is beyond my comprehension. Work is work even if you only use 50% of 1 maxrep. It would take away my capabilities to lift more.