I am going through a bulking period and I am trying to find a good way to maximize my work-out. Currently I have a 4 day split work-out and do Cardio twice a week but I want to mix it up? Anyone ever tried working out one body part per day. I am thinking of having the following workout routine: Monday: Shoulders + (abs) Tuesday: Back Wednesday: 45 Minute Cardio + (abs) Thursday:Chest Friday:Legs + (abs) Saturday: Arms (light abs) Sunday: Off or 20 minute cardio Let me know what you guys think and if this would be a good bulking routine (though I am slim, I tend to be skinny fat and thats why I have cardio at least twice a week as otherwise, I gain a lot of weight in the midsection extremely fast)
I do it... and seems that it works for me. The only thing i noticed that your routine seems to me light. Unless you just did not elaborate. here is my routine. Monday: Chest, Triceps Tuesday: Legs, Squats Wednesday: rest Thursday: Upper back, pull-ups Friday: Shoulder, shrugs. Saturday: lower back, dead-lift Sunday: rest. 1. I am trying to have a rest next day after 2 biggest exercises like Squats and dead-lifts. 2. I do abs but only when i feels like my day was light (for whatever reason). Like I feel tired and decided to take it easy or simply machine i wanted to workout had been taken. The same goes with biceps. I do not do them. If i feel i did not get enough "pulling" on Thursday i do biceps at the end.
PS: Forgot to add that i do Cardio at the end (from 10 minutes to 30 minutes) depends on how tired i am. And Wednesday i am trying to do HIIT for 20-25 minutes.
Well the routine may be light in the sense that I am doing only one muscle per day, but I'll be working it out till exhaustion. Also on the days that your routine calls to be off I will probably be doing cardio and abs.
By light i meant something different. You just said "Chest". My guess is that you do rest between exercises. What do you do? Just sit on a bench? (That what i meant by light.) For example my Monday routine: 1. Chest press 2. Abs 3. Dumbbell flys 4. Cable push-down 5. Chest machine 6. Overhead Extension So the idea is to try to have some rest for the muscle (group) (not for the body) between exercises. I do rest between exercises (just walk to the water fountain to make a sip and back). Total routine: 35 minutes. ----------------
What you have is similar to what I do. Any routine will will work but to gain lean mass you need to eat properly.
If you have the time to work out like this then it is okay but i would put triceps with shoulders or chest and biceps with back and have a extra rest day. if you are training intensley enough you will need it .rest is a part of growth.I used to train with a guy who was 19 stone benched 505lbs and used to train each body part once every 9 days!
But is it necessary. I was under the impression that working bodyparts 1x a week was an advanced technique and most people rarely need to do advanced techniques. Intermediates work well on working a bodypart 2x a week, there are others but my main concern is time. If you don't have to lift 5x...then why do it? Unless you truly are a gym rat.
I've read and been told that working one/two muscles per day is more suited for those looking for 'beach muscles' whereas working more than 2 a day aids in building 'functional' muscles (running, jumping, wrestling, body weight exercises)
I gained my most strength by doing one body part a day. I would work them to exhaustion, and be sore for days after. I did chest, back, legs, and shoulders. I didnt do anything for arms but they grew right along with the rest of my body.
