training a body part more than once a week? sounds like a good idea to me

[hb]

I have come to believe that a body part should be trained every four to five days. How am I supposed to reach my full potential only training it four times a month? I think this would take a great amount of time.
The thing ive heard constantly is that "you dont want to overtrain yourself, it will work against you" Okay then i'll train the same body part every 4-5 days for a couple of months and then i'll take a break- when i start noticing that it is having an effect on me. Thats my take, different strokes for different folks, you gotta find out what works for you best, dont follow anyone elses method, everyone is different. What may work for your friend may not work for you.

Oh and guys I didnt come up with this theory, a 45 yearold man who benches 350 made me feel like a fool when I said i train a body part once a week.

 

[MrFitness880]

eh - try it and see. it could work for you. the only real way to tell is to try it and see

training methods are very much relative to body type, experience and goals

training every 4-5 is hardly revolutionary. and i have to say that guy doesnt impress me a bit. there are plenty of guys who are big or strong but dont know jack.

if you can recover and still make gains good for you, i know i couldnt. i have considered training body parts every other week from time to time.

 

[JoeBlack]

Yeah but I could find another big guy who trains once per week a bodypart and is damn strong too.

I also know someone who trains silly amounts and is also huge.

Its all about genetics and recovery limits. I used to train each bodypart a couple of times a week and do perhaps a total of 10 sets on chest as an example.

I know train each one ONCE per week and chest now has 6 sets. Compound movements and training balls to the wall. By strength and size rocketed...

 

[Lebed]

Originally posted by JoeBlack
Yeah but I could find another big guy who trains once per week a bodypart and is damn strong too.

I also know someone who trains silly amounts and is also huge.

I just got off from an intense 2-week mini-mass phase. 4 workouts per week with each muscle group getting exercise twice a week. It went extremely well and coming week I'm back to dieting with a 3-way split and hitting each muscle group once a week. The key is variation - I change my training patterns at least monthly to avoid plateaus. Hitting a muscle less often means you can concentrate on it better and destroy it more completely, while hitting a muscle more often translates to higher anabolic hormone levels and more stimuli for the central nervous system.

 

[madgame]

The key is variation - I change my training patterns at least monthly to avoid plateaus.

I think yall overrate this whole stuff you read and are told like "you need to hit a muscle from every possible angle and change your routine constantly otherwise u wont be making gains for a long time" or "you can only train it once a week if u wanna get the best results" or "never work out 2 days in a row even if u train different body parts"

I mean if you've really experienced that u stopped getting results after doing the same routine for a couple of months or years, switched to a different routine started getting results again, stopped getting results and switched again resulting in seeing results over again, you're probably right, but I bet a lot of you guys have never even sticked to the same routine for a long period of time and thus cant really tell whether variation helps u at all or is highly overrated.

Same thing is true for everybody who has ALWAYS worked out each muscle once a week and say they know theyd get worse results if they hit it twice a week (with half the amount of sets per work out).

I've sticked to the same routine for over 2 maybe almost 3 years now using one big basic exercise for each muscle and if I eat enough calories, plus get enough protein, etc. I'm still getting as good results as 1 or 2 years ago (in the very beginning I got better results of course cause I had just started to work out...beginners put on mass more quickly like everybody knows).

Anyways Im not flaming those who have really made the experience that variation works for them or training a muscle once a week instead of two times gets them better results, but I bet a lot of ppl who say stuff like that have never really tried to take the other path (for an extended period of time) but are just saying what other ppl tell them. I mean think about it maybe its completely useless to keep changing your routine every month and you're just doing it because some ppl say that (I know there are lots and lots of different opinions in bodybuilding) and maybe you'd get better results by working out each body part twice a week with half the amount of sets.

Remember, Im definetly NOT flaming anybody who can honestly say they made the experience that this and that works well for them whereas this or that doesnt work well for them, just those who have never really tried to go the other way for an extended period of time, just parrot what they've heared and think their way is the best/only one though it might really not be the best way..... (I dont mean to flame u personally lebed but what you wrote served as a good example ;-))

 

[Sexual]

It depends how hardcore you want to be with weightlifting. I do this too but I feel sore EVERY FRIGGEN DAY and it's starting to effect my motivation.

 

[Lebed]

Originally posted by madgame

I've sticked to the same routine for over 2 maybe almost 3 years now using one big basic exercise for each muscle and if I eat enough calories, plus get enough protein, etc. I'm still getting as good results as 1 or 2 years ago (in the very beginning I got better results of course cause I had just started to work out...beginners put on mass more quickly like everybody knows).

If you already have a perfect body then you're set. I don't - I want to keep improving my routines, therefore I need to vary them.

 

[Dolemite]

bottom line is we're all different, what works for you might not work for others, but im just gonna say that muscle does not grow in the gym, it grows during the week that you recover with enough food and sleep.

i would like to know what your routine is like, it is possible that you might not be training enough. just make sure that you blast your muscles enough. many people out there fear overtraining, but there is such a thing as undertraining too.

 

[madgame]

If you already have a perfect body then you're set. I don't - I want to keep improving my routines, therefore I need to vary them.

I didnt say a have a "perfect body". No offense, but I think u didnt really get my point. Seems like u think that because I've sticked to the same routine for several years means I haven't been able to improve my body anymore during this time.

 

[JoeBlack]

Originally posted by Lebed
If you already have a perfect body then you're set. I don't - I want to keep improving my routines, therefore I need to vary them.

Incorrect.

Please explain why you NEED to vary your routine to improve.

 

[Sometimes]

-

 

[Sometimes]

Would the following be overtraining?

Monday : Chest, Shoulders, triceps
Tuesday : Legs
Wednesday : Back, bicep
Thursday : Rest
Friday : Chest, shoulders, triceps
Saterday : Legs
Sunday : Back, bicep

Basically each group gets worked on, gets 3 days rest, then repeat

thanks

 

[elvis aint dead yet]

People vary their training because they get burned out.

Doing the same thing over and over again usually results in boredom.

Lets face it, Most people that ask bodybuilding advice on a site like this, aren't hardcore bodybuilders.

So telling them to work out each body part a few times a week, most likey will result in them injuring themselves.

WHile working out has a lot to do with exercising, so does your mind, rest, recovery and nutrition.

I've tried various things over the years. Stopped for a few years, then started back up again.

What works for me doesn't always work for everybody else.

However, if your near 30 years old and have no desire to become Mr. Arnold or the next Ronnie Colemen, you do not need to work out 2 times a day 6 days a week.

What it comes down to is, your life.

If you have a family and have a career, you most likely aren't looking to spend hour upon hour day after day in the gym.

For me, I get in and out of they gym within an hour, 5 times a week.

Should everybody switch up their routines? Who knows. For some, maybe, for others, no.

I know for me, after about 8-10 weeks, I swtich up my routine because my body has become too accoustumed to doing the same routine.

And for many people, after a certain time, you aren't going to be changing the weight u lift as much anymore.

Thats just a fact of life, otherwise everybody would be benching, squatting, pressing, and curling 1000+ pounds and so on.

There is a time when u basically aren't gonna be able to lift much more, whatever that is for you.

So u switch up the exercises and routines. It gives you a fresh outlook, fresh motivation, and a new goal.

As they say, if you have no more goals, u might as well already be dead.

 

[Porky]

Originally posted by Trippsta
It depends how hardcore you want to be with weightlifting. I do this too but I feel sore EVERY FRIGGEN DAY and it's starting to effect my motivation.

Nothing makes me feel better than when I'm sore.