Lifting for gains

[Big boy D]

The weird thing is that in some ways I wish I was you. I don't know what you look like like but I will assume smaller framed. I wish I could have the cut full but sleek look. I am just big. Bigger then most. With my size in order for me to have that sleek look I need to get the muscle really big. Harder to sustain then a guy 60 pounds lighter. When I do diet and hit the gym hard I look great but if I screw up my routine for anything over a week, week an a half. I go down hill fast. It's nice being big, but it is costly in more then just money. I feel the smaller framed guys don't pack on the weight like a big framed guy(fat+muscle). But the weight they do pack on is kept better by the smaller framed guys. Idk

 

[thetinyguy]

Ok since i feel i'm a prime candidate for the subject of "over-training" i'll shed some of my experience with it to help you out!

First off, i don't believe you can over-train entirely BUT there is a point where you will need a few days off to recover/grow. ANYWAYS i have been busting the crap out of this "myth" for the past 5 months. I believe that with the intensity of the training reflects how much more you should be eating to FUEL yourself and the increased metabolism resulted from more frequent/longer training sessions.
Currently i train Full body 3-4x a week like this.

Day 1: Full Body (Chest/Back PRIORITIZED) That means i start with chest/back.
Day 2. OFF completely
Day 3: Full Body (Legs PRIORITIZED)
Day 4: OFF completely
Day 5: Full Body (Shoulders/Arms PRIORITIZED)
Day 6: OFF completely
Day 7: Either OFF depending on how i feel or i will do weak point training PRIORITIZED along with full body

Sessions average approximately 3 hours and i consume a BCAA/Carb drink (like Size-On or something of the sort)
I also consume around 1-1.5 gallons of water and have energy through the entire session (99% of the time)
After a few weeks (being around 3-4) i may take a few extra rest days and consume higher calories.

You can doubt this training all you want but there's a reason why the guys back in the day trained this way for a few reasons i can think of being:
1. Burning more calories (Less reliance on boring cardio)
2. Better cardiovascular conditioning (this is due to super-setting two different exercises for different muscles and taking minimal rest)
3. Faster strength and size gains (Depending on your calorie intake VERY IMPORTANT)
4. More practice with exercise movements.
5. Improved Muscular conditioning.

These are the effects I HAVE experienced, the biggest determining factor that will also determine your progress is the CALORIES. (The highest point i was taking in 6-7k calories for a few days then dropping back down to 5-6k) You cannot eat like a RABBIT and train this way effectively! Who knows though this may work for some and others may not work so well but it will almost always boil down to intake of food. Also when you start feeling very run down through sessions is the point where i would take a few days off until you feel 100%.

Here's my older training log: Invalid Link Removed

When i first began trying to gain weight i made 2 choices: To train as hard as i possibly could and to eat as MUCH as i possibly could. I believe in high calorie/super high intensity training. During that period i trained 3 hours with a Chest/Back, Legs, Shoulders/Arms split and it worked really well i went from 170-240lbs over a winter and proved to myself what i was capable of. I went of the beaten path and tried something that seems to have been buried in the modern training world. Arnold and the golden era guys trained that way for a reason.

Hope this helps you out man! Impossible is nothing and anything is achievable.

 

[AaronJP1]

I got a program that trains 3 days a week...

Shoulders & Legs
Chest and Tris
Back & Bis.

Keep moving fast and get it done quick.

Everything works differently for every person.

I like that routine because, 1)I work a lot so 3 days is a nice time saver for me.
2) full body work outs are exhausting to me, just can't seem to get it done & part of it is because I usually hit a few more reps/exercises and it gets me tired quicker and I usually want to be out in under an hour. 3) the 5/6 day a week 1 muscle group deal doesn't work if for people that don't absolutely destroy that muscle group, basically the gains take longer to come I think personally.

What I posted above is 1 day followed by 2 days off.... It's easy if u want to carb up or fast and/or get cardio and abs in on the off days so I think people need to try many styles and routines and see what fits them best.

 

[Big boy D]

Ok since i feel i'm a prime candidate for the subject of "over-training" i'll shed some of my experience with it to help you out!

First off, i don't believe you can over-train entirely BUT there is a point where you will need a few days off to recover/grow. ANYWAYS i have been busting the crap out of this "myth" for the past 5 months. I believe that with the intensity of the training reflects how much more you should be eating to FUEL yourself and the increased metabolism resulted from more frequent/longer training sessions.
Currently i train Full body 3-4x a week like this.

Day 1: Full Body (Chest/Back PRIORITIZED) That means i start with chest/back.
Day 2. OFF completely
Day 3: Full Body (Legs PRIORITIZED)
Day 4: OFF completely
Day 5: Full Body (Shoulders/Arms PRIORITIZED)
Day 6: OFF completely
Day 7: Either OFF depending on how i feel or i will do weak point training PRIORITIZED along with full body

Sessions average approximately 3 hours and i consume a BCAA/Carb drink (like Size-On or something of the sort)
I also consume around 1-1.5 gallons of water and have energy through the entire session (99% of the time)
After a few weeks (being around 3-4) i may take a few extra rest days and consume higher calories.

You can doubt this training all you want but there's a reason why the guys back in the day trained this way for a few reasons i can think of being:
1. Burning more calories (Less reliance on boring cardio)
2. Better cardiovascular conditioning (this is due to super-setting two different exercises for different muscles and taking minimal rest)
3. Faster strength and size gains (Depending on your calorie intake VERY IMPORTANT)
4. More practice with exercise movements.
5. Improved Muscular conditioning.

These are the effects I HAVE experienced, the biggest determining factor that will also determine your progress is the CALORIES. (The highest point i was taking in 6-7k calories for a few days then dropping back down to 5-6k) You cannot eat like a RABBIT and train this way effectively! Who knows though this may work for some and others may not work so well but it will almost always boil down to intake of food. Also when you start feeling very run down through sessions is the point where i would take a few days off until you feel 100%.

Here's my older training log: Invalid Link Removed

When i first began trying to gain weight i made 2 choices: To train as hard as i possibly could and to eat as MUCH as i possibly could. I believe in high calorie/super high intensity training. During that period i trained 3 hours with a Chest/Back, Legs, Shoulders/Arms split and it worked really well i went from 170-240lbs over a winter and proved to myself what i was capable of. I went of the beaten path and tried something that seems to have been buried in the modern training world. Arnold and the golden era guys trained that way for a reason.

Hope this helps you out man! Impossible is nothing and anything is achievable.

Cool man. You really put on some weight. I like the work out you have going. I just think the full body work outs will help me feel more solid at the same time. I am going to try your routine .

 

[R1balla]

I got a program that trains 3 days a week...

Shoulders & Legs
Chest and Tris
Back & Bis.

Keep moving fast and get it done quick.

Everything works differently for every person.

I like that routine because, 1)I work a lot so 3 days is a nice time saver for me.
2) full body work outs are exhausting to me, just can't seem to get it done & part of it is because I usually hit a few more reps/exercises and it gets me tired quicker and I usually want to be out in under an hour. 3) the 5/6 day a week 1 muscle group deal doesn't work if for people that don't absolutely destroy that muscle group, basically the gains take longer to come I think personally.

What I posted above is 1 day followed by 2 days off.... It's easy if u want to carb up or fast and/or get cardio and abs in on the off days so I think people need to try many styles and routines and see what fits them best.

if its 1 day on, 2 days off, then you are working out 3 times every nine days, not seven...so it isnt 3x/week workout. i would shrink if i did that

 

[thetinyguy]

Cool man. You really put on some weight. I like the work out you have going. I just think the full body work outs will help me feel more solid at the same time. I am going to try your routine .

Definitely, like i said though you may have to ease into it but i swear it to anyone who asks me it works really well. Let me know how you like it!

 

[AaronJP1]

if its 1 day on, 2 days off, then you are working out 3 times every nine days, not seven...so it isnt 3x/week workout. i would shrink if i did that

Technically it's Sunday, Monday, Thursday. This would leave Fri, Sat, Tues, Wed off but you can kind of tailor it. The goal is to hit all it 3 times a week and leave 2 days of rest between each muscle group.

How is you're routine set up R1?

 

[R1balla]

i cycle through around 4 of them a year. and each time i go, i do different exercises but keep the same routine with same reps for that specific routine i am doing for a month or two. i literally changed maybe every other month. always confusing my body

but i have seen best results with DC. ive been on a 4 day split these past three weeks, and starting monday im gonna go back to DC lol

 

[AaronJP1]

i cycle through around 4 of them a year. and each time i go, i do different exercises but keep the same routine with same reps for that specific routine i am doing for a month or two. i literally changed maybe every other month. always confusing my body

but i have seen best results with DC. ive been on a 4 day split these past three weeks, and starting monday im gonna go back to DC lol

Nice yeah I'm going to have to look into that further.

 

[Big boy D]

Definitely, like i said though you may have to ease into it but i swear it to anyone who asks me it works really well. Let me know how you like it!

I work out for about two hours now. I do one body part for the most part. I hit up other parts that I want to pump during the work out super set stuff,. Have you been lifting for a long time?

 

[R1balla]

see, i used to do bodybuilding splits, but i never saw real growth from them. only definition. when i cut, ill throw them into the mix, but the rest of the year i only train for about 50 minutes. either DC or my own 4 day split.

i used to be so against three day workouts, but if you do them right, the rest can be so beneficial. i love it

 

[cg123]

I work out for about two hours now. I do one body part for the most part. I hit up other parts that I want to pump during the work out super set stuff,. Have you been lifting for a long time?

This is most likely ur problem with growing. U can't be hitting one body part for 2 hours a day. Thats way over training and I'm surprised you haven't had an injury. Also cortisol is realesed after about an hour after working and this prevents muscle growth. Limit your workouts to about 45 min to an hour especially with one body part.

 

[tilldeath]

IMO I feel like you have to lift as heavy as possible for the 6-8 rep range to illicit results. I can increase actual muscle size a bit with higher reps like 10-12 however I see biggest gains at lower reps with heavier weight. My thoughts are are the same as Ronnie Coleman's "Everybody want to be a bodybuilder, but ain't nobody want to lift no heavy ass weight." Although I think this is the case for the majority of people I also know there are some who respond better to volume. Mainly I guess what ever creates hypertrophy in the muscle is good and time under stress. just my 2 cents.

 

[R1balla]

everybody responds to different rep ranges. i respond best, for muscle growth, around 8 - 10 reps.

 

[cg123]

everybody responds to different rep ranges. i respond best, for muscle growth, around 8 - 10 reps.

How do you figure out what you respond to best. It seems impossible to actually be able to tell

 

[tilldeath]

How do you figure out what you respond to best. It seems impossible to actually be able to tell

lift in low rep ranges with a steady bulking diet for around 3 months, taking measurements, tracking weight, and logging lift increases. Then lift high rep ranges and for 3 months and compare.

 

[AndrewStone16]

I find that lifting heavy weight as many times as I can until failure, absolutely destroys my muscles to ensure huge gains. Just make sure rest is part of your split, it's vital.

 

[thetinyguy]

see, i used to do bodybuilding splits, but i never saw real growth from them. only definition. when i cut, ill throw them into the mix, but the rest of the year i only train for about 50 minutes. either DC or my own 4 day split.

i used to be so against three day workouts, but if you do them right, the rest can be so beneficial. i love it

Definitely, once you find out what works the best it's pretty smooth sailing (except all the blood sweat and tears haha) The main thing is experimenting!

This is most likely ur problem with growing. U can't be hitting one body part for 2 hours a day. Thats way over training and I'm surprised you haven't had an injury. Also cortisol is realesed after about an hour after working and this prevents muscle growth. Limit your workouts to about 45 min to an hour especially with one body part.

That's verryyy subjective, maybe for a complete beginner who has never lifted. I do 3 hour sessions of lifting heavy for squats/deadlifts/bench in 1 workout for 3-4 sets each and still left the gym feeling awesome, In fact I've made better gains training that way. So you are right, but it does depend on your muscular conditioning. It's all about how much training your body allows you to RECOVER from. Some people can get away with training every day with 1-2 days off a week. Problem is, is that most people are limiting themselves to this 45 minute rule.

I find that lifting heavy weight as many times as I can until failure, absolutely destroys my muscles to ensure huge gains. Just make sure rest is part of your split, it's vital.

100% agree with this, main thing is to notice when you need a few days off as well. Some days i'll just feel like i'm dragging ass. Then i'll take 2 straight days off and consume higher calories. Once you recognize this pattern then you ensure you'll always get max gains because you'll always be progressing. High reps definitely work to (12-20) the trick is to FAIL at 20 reps or so, HUGEEE burn/pump but i usually stretch after getting the pump to stretch the fascia like in DC.

 

[Big boy D]

Ok! I looked into the DC work out a bit. What's the scoop? Save me some time!! What's the work out that you do guys? Like I said I'm 260 6'2" with a body fat of let's say 19. I want to get beastly!! It sounds Like this DC would be good for me. And yes that's my pic up there, I am already kinda beastly, but I want to get BEASTLY!

 

[thetinyguy]

Ok! I looked into the DC work out a bit. What's the scoop? Save me some time!! What's the work out that you do guys? Like I said I'm 260 6'2" with a body fat of let's say 19. I want to get beastly!! It sounds Like this DC would be good for me. And yes that's my pic up there, I am already kinda beastly, but I want to get BEASTLY!

Here's EVERYTHING you need to know about DC training!

Invalid Link Removed

 

[Torobestia]

I grew pretty well with the "typical" bodypart split, although my exercise selection was modeled a lot like westside. The exception was that I stalled pretty hard with squats after a point, and it was only after I switched to DC that I saw my squat go up again.

I think one of the biggest problems I see in people's routines is when they deadlift for high reps, and the weight they're using is like sub 300 (arbitrarily picking 300 for a minute). Like if you're doing 225 for sets of 12, you need to stop bothering with that weight and start using heavy ass weight - relative to YOU - for low reps until you can handle serious weight. The deadlift is such a great mass builder, why waste it with light weight? And 225 is light weight for anyone, sorry. I could "deadlift" 225 totally untrained (back when I benched and squatted 95, lol).

 

[Torobestia]

lift in low rep ranges with a steady bulking diet for around 3 months, taking measurements, tracking weight, and logging lift increases. Then lift high rep ranges and for 3 months and compare.

Such an on-point suggestion. Listen to this guy. Also, don't forget to experiment with rep/set ranges in between.

I think a good rule of thumb is to use lower rep ranges for compound movements, higher rep ranges for isolation movements. But try different things out, but make sure to give whatever programming you chose a decent amount of time to see results before passing judgment. Like don't do 5/3/1 for 8 weeks and then say "****, my 1RM only went up 5lbs, forget this program."



P.S. don't do 5/3/1 if you're a beginner, though LOL. It's slow gains, and it's honestly best for people with advanced totals.

 

[AaronJP1]

How effective are the dips, pull ups, push ups do you guys think?

Most guys I know that do that are lean and have that dial shower comical in shape look

 

[Torobestia]

How effective are the dips, pull ups, push ups do you guys think?

Most guys I know that do that are lean and have that dial shower comical in shape look

The first two are honestly awesome. The third can be good, but is largely unnecessary if you're comfortable doing bench presses (Zir Red likes push-ups for various reasons; I'm not sure they're at all necessary for a decent program though).

 

[AaronJP1]

The first two are honestly awesome. The third can be good, but is largely unnecessary if you're comfortable doing bench presses (Zir Red likes push-ups for various reasons; I'm not sure they're at all necessary for a decent program though).

Dips hits the chest, tris and core.
Pull ups the back and Bis and push ups chest and shoulders....

Almost do that stuff at home and hit legs later on at the gym...

Wonder what the outcome of that would be if ppl did body weight exercises and used weights either very minimally or not at all...

 

[ssbackwards]

i switch up rep ranges every week.

figure hit different muscle fibers stimulate all tissue, get full growth.

been working well.

much better shape to the mscle bellies

 

[draft91]

I want to add some of my experiences.

Im 20 years old and 1.70m and 82 kg. Im lifting for 4 years. 3 months ago I decided to change all my workout routine and nutrition. Before that I always workout like to kill myself With the new type, Im doing so much work. 5 days a week.

monday: chest-back-abs
tuesday: delts- arms
wednesday: legs
thursay: rest
friday chest-back
saturday: delts-arms
sunday rest

this is my routine. For the first 3 days routine is general hit training. 1-2 min rest and 4-12 reps. Deadlift and squats are more less reps like 1-3. After thursday, at the second period, im using hiit kind of training. Like giant sets, superset or Steve Kuclo's crazy 8(everybody part once a month).

Before this routine i was 79kg and maybe bf % is more than 15. Now im lower than that, maybe %12-13 and 82kg without any cardio. And im eating like a monster. Everyday 10 eggs, 1 kg red meat, 200-250gr oat, brocoli, protein powder and bcaa. Before this routine and eating i was thinking that i reached my max level and i cant add muscle without injections. But i just chanced everything and its like a recreate myself.

note: sorry about grammer mistakes

 

[Big boy D]

I want to add some of my experiences.

Im 20 years old and 1.70m and 82 kg. Im lifting for 4 years. 3 months ago I decided to change all my workout routine and nutrition. Before that I always workout like to kill myself With the new type, Im doing so much work. 5 days a week.

monday: chest-back-abs
tuesday: delts- arms
wednesday: legs
thursay: rest
friday chest-back
saturday: delts-arms
sunday rest

this is my routine. For the first 3 days routine is general hit training. 1-2 min rest and 4-12 reps. Deadlift and squats are more less reps like 1-3. After thursday, at the second period, im using hiit kind of training. Like giant sets, superset or Steve Kuclo's crazy 8(everybody part once a month).

Before this routine i was 79kg and maybe bf % is more than 15. Now im lower than that, maybe %12-13 and 82kg without any cardio. And im eating like a monster. Everyday 10 eggs, 1 kg red meat, 200-250gr oat, brocoli, protein powder and bcaa. Before this routine and eating i was thinking that i reached my max level and i cant add muscle without injections. But i just chanced everything and its like a recreate myself.

note: sorry about grammer mistakes

Thanks for the post. So your saying you eat two pounds of red meat a day. Is that what you eat everyday? One more question. Are you doing this work out year round?

 

[draft91]

Yes im eating that much meat everyday. But not chicken or turkey just red meat. And im doing this workout for 3 months and i want to keep it till summer. Because it is working so amazing for me. I really suggest this workout routine but you have check for overtraining. Sometimes drop the numbers of movements or sets. And stop doing cardio

 

[Big boy D]

Dude! Write down what you eat in a day. That's 15 pounds of red meat a week bro! Not just meat, red meat. That can't be healthy. 15 pounds! Bro I am starting to think your full of it. I hope your buying all natural meat. I could prob eat that much a day but I would think I would get backed up.... idk sounds a bit to much.

 

[draft91]

Big Boy D, i went to doctor to ask about nutritions about genetic predisposition. I got diggestive problems with chicken and turkey. I can easly diggest fish and meat faster than chicken and turkey. For that reason im eating a lot. And i know its look so much but it is working. My ancestors are nomad and i think this is effect my genetics like that.
I want to add last week i went to check up for everything because my family thing that i got some problems. I got my results 4 days ago and im really perfect Im still eating 2 pound meat everyday. My blood analisis are so good Just try this nutrition plan for 2 weeks, if you dont like it you can change it.

 

[GTB]

I got a program that trains 3 days a week...

Shoulders & Legs
Chest and Tris
Back & Bis.

Keep moving fast and get it done quick.

Everything works differently for every person.

I like that routine because, 1)I work a lot so 3 days is a nice time saver for me.
2) full body work outs are exhausting to me, just can't seem to get it done & part of it is because I usually hit a few more reps/exercises and it gets me tired quicker and I usually want to be out in under an hour. 3) the 5/6 day a week 1 muscle group deal doesn't work if for people that don't absolutely destroy that muscle group, basically the gains take longer to come I think personally.

What I posted above is 1 day followed by 2 days off.... It's easy if u want to carb up or fast and/or get cardio and abs in on the off days so I think people need to try many styles and routines and see what fits them best.

I just switched to the same routine a week ago,totally stimulated my muscles. I am sore in places I have not been sore in quite awhile, and I can feel the density changing. I don't take the two days off like OP, but I do hit it hard and get my fair share of rest. The change was like a breath of life. I definitly feel like it was plateau buster.

 

[Big boy D]

Big Boy D, i went to doctor to ask about nutritions about genetic predisposition. I got diggestive problems with chicken and turkey. I can easly diggest fish and meat faster than chicken and turkey. For that reason im eating a lot. And i know its look so much but it is working. My ancestors are nomad and i think this is effect my genetics like that.
I want to add last week i went to check up for everything because my family thing that i got some problems. I got my results 4 days ago and im really perfect Im still eating 2 pound meat everyday. My blood analisis are so good Just try this nutrition plan for 2 weeks, if you dont like it you can change it.

That's funny I can't eat a lot of red meat. It binds me up and gives me gas bad. I eat mostly chicken,fish, Greek yogurt. I put red meat in once or twice a week.

 

[AaronJP1]

I just switched to the same routine a week ago,totally stimulated my muscles. I am sore in places I have not been sore in quite awhile, and I can feel the density changing. I don't take the two days off like OP, but I do hit it hard and get my fair share of rest. The change was like a breath of life. I definitly feel like it was plateau buster.

Right.
I switched again to 4 days a week/ upper and lower body. I think I will switch back to this 3 day a week....

Where did u locate this routine GTB?

 

[GTB]

Right.
I switched again to 4 days a week/ upper and lower body. I think I will switch back to this 3 day a week....

Where did u locate this routine GTB?

It was on a forum somewhere. I am a firm believe in muscle confusuion. I try to change things up every 5-6 weeks. Nothing original, I just pick things up from guys at the gym, I read all the time.I am older so I am into isolation exercises right now to start ourt my workouts. I just started doing spider curls to get blood to my biceps, and they are blowing up. I switch up high/low reps each week and I Cucle each exercise so that I can hit it first once a week.
I did Chest/tri's tonight.
Incline db flys 3/15 50lbs
wide grip flat bench,3/30 155 lbs
incline db3/15 50lbs. I only have 50lbs dbs at home. I go heavy at the gym 85lbs 3/8

Tri's
Rope pull downs 1/20 40lbs 3 /15 60lbs
Incline skull crushers(easier on the elbows) 3/8 95 lbs
Kick backs 3/15 30lbs.

I'll rotate exercises next week. I am open to suggestions, and wehatever has worked for you. I am here to learn

 

[fadi]

By no means am I a big guy, but here is what has been working for me lately. I do 4 a week, two way split:

Monday: Back and Biceps (squat)
Tuesday: Chest, Triceps, and Shoulders
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Back and Biceps (deadlift)
Friday: Chest, Triceps, and Shoulders
Saturday: Off
Sunday: Off

I Try to keep my reps in the 6-8 range, but I try to beat my previous workout and work my reps up to 10-12 at which point I add weight which makes my reps drop back to the 6-8 range.
For some reason, I do not recover well between sets so I take 30-60 sec rest, reduce the weight a little and go again to hit my rep ranges. Squats and Deadlifts take loner rest.

What I have been thinking of changing is doing high reps, 10-12 range with lighter weight on Monday and Tuesday and heavier lower reps, 6-8 on Thursday and Friday. I may make that adjustment in February.

Peviously I was doing the same split but doing Monday, Wednesday, Friday. I had major drop when I switched to 4 times a week, but recovered and back on track.

 

[AaronJP1]

By no means am I a big guy, but here is what has been working for me lately. I do 4 a week, two way split:

Monday: Back and Biceps (squat)
Tuesday: Chest, Triceps, and Shoulders
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Back and Biceps (deadlift)
Friday: Chest, Triceps, and Shoulders
Saturday: Off
Sunday: Off

I Try to keep my reps in the 6-8 range, but I try to beat my previous workout and work my reps up to 10-12 at which point I add weight which makes my reps drop back to the 6-8 range.
For some reason, I do not recover well between sets so I take 30-60 sec rest, reduce the weight a little and go again to hit my rep ranges. Squats and Deadlifts take loner rest.

What I have been thinking of changing is doing high reps, 10-12 range with lighter weight on Monday and Tuesday and heavier lower reps, 6-8 on Thursday and Friday. I may make that adjustment in February.

Peviously I was doing the same split but doing Monday, Wednesday, Friday. I had major drop when I switched to 4 times a week, but recovered and back on track.

That's what I would like to know.
Some people say the same muscle twice a week is too much...

Some do not. I see u hit it twice a week what's your theory?

 

[fadi]

That's what I would like to know.
Some people say the same muscle twice a week is too much...

Some do not. I see u hit it twice a week what's your theory?

Power lifters lift multiple times a week. 5x5 programs are full body workouts 3 times a week. DC training is twice in 9 days I believe. Lyne Norton has two way split and 2 days power.
Training each body part more than once a week is fine. The problem is that you cannot do as many sets for each body part that you would if training once a week. But doing the big compound moves will add mass all over, and you add accessories to the remaining parts.

My routine started as a DC training routine, but as I experimented with exercises, weights, rest, reps, and sets I am finding what is working for me. I still have questions and things I need to figure out, but working on them. Right now I am concentrating on form and tempo trying to get the most from each rep.

 

[GTB]

That's what I would like to know.
Some people say the same muscle twice a week is too much...

Some do not. I see u hit it twice a week what's your theory?[/QUOTE

I do not hit one body part with same w/o twice in a week. I am yet to see the benefits of that type of routine. I usually hit each body parts once every five days or so.

 

[Big boy D]

Power lifters lift multiple times a week. 5x5 programs are full body workouts 3 times a week. DC training is twice in 9 days I believe. Lyne Norton has two way split and 2 days power.
Training each body part more than once a week is fine. The problem is that you cannot do as many sets for each body part that you would if training once a week. But doing the big compound moves will add mass all over, and you add accessories to the remaining parts.

My routine started as a DC training routine, but as I experimented with exercises, weights, rest, reps, and sets I am finding what is working for me. I still have questions and things I need to figure out, but working on them. Right now I am concentrating on form and tempo trying to get the most from each rep.

I am going to do the DC workout. I have looked into it a little. It seams like a good way to really build your body up. Any suggestions? I am doing the four day split. I have been jumping around workouts for the last two months trying to find something I like. I think this is it. Do you still use the base theory behind dc or did you just more or less go out on your own?

 

[fadi]

I am going to do the DC workout. I have looked into it a little. It seams like a good way to really build your body up. Any suggestions? I am doing the four day split. I have been jumping around workouts for the last two months trying to find something I like. I think this is it. Do you still use the base theory behind dc or did you just more or less go out on your own?

DC training is not kind to the older guys like myself, Dante also recommends not doing DC for those over 35 if not mistaken. by the way I have the DC DVD which is pretty good.

I started with the DC routine and I really liked it. strength was going up quick with each workout. That is how I found out that I respond better to short rests and I respond better to more frequent workouts rather than once a week. I realized that I do not recover fast enough between sets so I increased my rest period to 30 seconds and if I cannot get all 3 sets with the same weight, I lower it on the second or third set.

I have an A and B routine and I alternate them. I do more workouts per body part per session rather than alternate them as DC does, for example DC has A1 and A2 where I only do A but I would include the workouts I was doing in A1 and A2. I also concentrate on my weak areas and I put them first in my workout.

Start with DC training and give it few weeks. It will be weird at first, but you get used to it quick.

 

[SweetLou321]

Ok since i feel i'm a prime candidate for the subject of "over-training" i'll shed some of my experience with it to help you out!

First off, i don't believe you can over-train entirely BUT there is a point where you will need a few days off to recover/grow. ANYWAYS i have been busting the crap out of this "myth" for the past 5 months. I believe that with the intensity of the training reflects how much more you should be eating to FUEL yourself and the increased metabolism resulted from more frequent/longer training sessions.
Currently i train Full body 3-4x a week like this.

Day 1: Full Body (Chest/Back PRIORITIZED) That means i start with chest/back.
Day 2. OFF completely
Day 3: Full Body (Legs PRIORITIZED)
Day 4: OFF completely
Day 5: Full Body (Shoulders/Arms PRIORITIZED)
Day 6: OFF completely
Day 7: Either OFF depending on how i feel or i will do weak point training PRIORITIZED along with full body

Sessions average approximately 3 hours and i consume a BCAA/Carb drink (like Size-On or something of the sort)
I also consume around 1-1.5 gallons of water and have energy through the entire session (99% of the time)
After a few weeks (being around 3-4) i may take a few extra rest days and consume higher calories.

You can doubt this training all you want but there's a reason why the guys back in the day trained this way for a few reasons i can think of being:
1. Burning more calories (Less reliance on boring cardio)
2. Better cardiovascular conditioning (this is due to super-setting two different exercises for different muscles and taking minimal rest)
3. Faster strength and size gains (Depending on your calorie intake VERY IMPORTANT)
4. More practice with exercise movements.
5. Improved Muscular conditioning.

These are the effects I HAVE experienced, the biggest determining factor that will also determine your progress is the CALORIES. (The highest point i was taking in 6-7k calories for a few days then dropping back down to 5-6k) You cannot eat like a RABBIT and train this way effectively! Who knows though this may work for some and others may not work so well but it will almost always boil down to intake of food. Also when you start feeling very run down through sessions is the point where i would take a few days off until you feel 100%.

Here's my older training log: Invalid Link Removed

When i first began trying to gain weight i made 2 choices: To train as hard as i possibly could and to eat as MUCH as i possibly could. I believe in high calorie/super high intensity training. During that period i trained 3 hours with a Chest/Back, Legs, Shoulders/Arms split and it worked really well i went from 170-240lbs over a winter and proved to myself what i was capable of. I went of the beaten path and tried something that seems to have been buried in the modern training world. Arnold and the golden era guys trained that way for a reason.

Hope this helps you out man! Impossible is nothing and anything is achievable.

70lb gain? How much of this was bodyfat in that one winter? Or did you have help?

 

[SweetLou321]

Power lifters lift multiple times a week. 5x5 programs are full body workouts 3 times a week. DC training is twice in 9 days I believe. Lyne Norton has two way split and 2 days power.
Training each body part more than once a week is fine. The problem is that you cannot do as many sets for each body part that you would if training once a week. But doing the big compound moves will add mass all over, and you add accessories to the remaining parts.

My routine started as a DC training routine, but as I experimented with exercises, weights, rest, reps, and sets I am finding what is working for me. I still have questions and things I need to figure out, but working on them. Right now I am concentrating on form and tempo trying to get the most from each rep.

I train WSC and that means twice a week for everything and im stronger and bigger then ever.

 

[Big boy D]

I train WSC and that means twice a week for everything and im stronger and bigger then ever.

So your saying you train 2 times in 7 days full body? So you take 3 days off one on? That sounds like you would recover well but is that all? Do you do cardio or anything between? Also what's bigger then ever?

 

[tilldeath]

I lift one body part a week, except every 4-5th week then I throw in a twice a week'er. Also I take one week off every 6 months.

 

[Big boy D]

I lift one body part a week, except every 4-5th week then I throw in a twice a week'er. Also I take one week off every 6 months.

Your saying once a week you go?

 

[Big boy D]

I noticed today my thread is is the news letter. Cool! I think it's the question we are all after. "how do I get the most out of my hard work" there is so much to learn in this sport. It is for sure the sport of all sports. This site has helped me in so many ways. Thank you guys for all that you add. There are many ways to lift, there's only you that can make it happen. Please continue to add the knowledge so that maybe some one will have the gains they cry for.

 

[Big boy D]

DC training is not kind to the older guys like myself, Dante also recommends not doing DC for those over 35 if not mistaken. by the way I have the DC DVD which is pretty good.

I started with the DC routine and I really liked it. strength was going up quick with each workout. That is how I found out that I respond better to short rests and I respond better to more frequent workouts rather than once a week. I realized that I do not recover fast enough between sets so I increased my rest period to 30 seconds and if I cannot get all 3 sets with the same weight, I lower it on the second or third set.

I have an A and B routine and I alternate them. I do more workouts per body part per session rather than alternate them as DC does, for example DC has A1 and A2 where I only do A but I would include the workouts I was doing in A1 and A2. I also concentrate on my weak areas and I put them first in my workout.

Start with DC training and give it few weeks. It will be weird at first, but you get used to it quick.

Ya I am 35. Were did you get your info from. I want to write more but on the run.

 

[tilldeath]

Your saying once a week you go?

nope, I lift sat, sun, mon, tues, and wed. Each bodypart once, then every 4th-5th week I lift each bodypart twice.

 

[lavathrow]

you guys ever been to harlem, brooklyn, queens?

go there, then go to any corner lot city park.. there you will see guys jacked on just bodyweight exercises.. no gear, no supplements.. just consistency and good eating..

many of these guys put everyone on these boards to shame.. without the loads of crap supplements, training timing, lift counts, blah blah blah..