Decreasing volume/increasing frequency.

[Onlythebestwilldo]

I'm after some guidance. I'm currently 3/4 times a wk usually EOD
Monday-Chest/bicep
Wed-Back/triceps
Fri-Shoulders/traps
I would do legs either on wed or fri and occasionally Sunday. But generally hitting each body part once.

I'm want to increase frequency hopefully for better gains. At the moment all body parts recover pretty fast. 3 days or so and they feel g2g again except legs.
If I hit my legs hard it's 5 or 6 day before I could consider hitting them to the same extent again. So leg work outs usually fluctuate from wk to wk. After a wk of sore and stiff legs its hard to inflict that again.

So im interested in any experience with decreasing volume and increasing frequency. Usually 48 hrs after work out muscle soreness peaks then over the next 24 returns to feel fine again.(apart from legs).

So would I be best to wait until muscle feel fully recovered and decrease volume to allow muscle to repair quicker?

Is there a sweet spot for hitting muscles?

 

[DarksideSix]

i did a workout for 12 weeks once that was someething like this,

Mon/thursday: Chest, back, bi's

Tuesday/friday: legs, shoulders, tri's

You did 6 sets total. to excersises......1 core lift that never changes and 1 alternate that changes every week

So example....for chest, your core lift would be bench press. that would never change, butmonday you may do flys for alternate and thursday you'd do incline DB press.

1st wk 10 reps on everything, second week 8 reps on everything, 3rdwk 6 reps on everything. then repeat. it was actually a great workout! i recovered fast and saw some good gaines.

 

[TheLupinator]

Look into a lower/upper or push/pull type split. 2workouts each done 2x/week

I used to do multiple muscle groups per session and hit them more frequently but my strength would stall because I wasn't getting enough recovery plain and simple. I also train as intense as possible

 

[63Vette]

I recently posted this on another board... had some skeptics and some believers... either way- THIS is my current routine and I will change it again soon:

The one thing I have learned about my body is it responds best when I keep things changing.
Because of this I usually change routines to match whatever cycle I am running and every so often I will even change up how they are paired.

I am currently on a Tren blast and this is my current routine:

1) Biceps/Abs
Twenty-Ones (7-7-7)
Decline Dumbbell Curls
Rev Grip Cable Curls
Sup Dumbbell Curls (Swiss)
Pull Ups
Preacher Curls
SloMo Dumbell Curls
Leg Raises
Swiss Crunch
Plank to Failer


2) Chest
Barbell Flat Bench Press
Dumbbell Flat Bench
Smith Machine Exp Bench
Forward Lean Dips
Dumbbell Flys
Smith Seated bench


3) Legs
Squat
Kneeling Ham Curls
Lunges
Leg Press
Seated Calf Raises
Standing Calf Raises
Quad Extensions
Glute Kick-Backs


4) Back
Bent Over Bb Row
Bb Shrugs
T Bar Rows
Db rows
Db Reverse Fly
Bent over Db Row
Power Cleans
Wide Lat Pulldowns



5) Triceps/Abs
Db pullovers
Bench Side Dips
Skull Crushers
Tri Cable Pushdowns
Ovrhd Cable Extensions
Db Ear Crushers
Ovhd Db extension
Close Grip Bench
Tri-Kickbacks
Tri-Angle Pushups
Dcline Crunches
Leg Raises
Side Planks


6) Shoulders
Db Side Raises
Bb Upright Row
Military Press
Hang/Clean Press
Seat OH Db Press
Seated Arnold Press
Bb Rows - Standing

I number the workouts so regardless of if/when I take a day off (I listen to my body) I can pick it right back up in sequence.
I generally use three sets of 12 but again, I listen to my body and will run a fourth set or add weight and run 3x8 etc.
I never wait more than 60 seconds between sets and never more than 2 minutes between exercises.
I usually wear a heart rate monitor and use my heart rate to determine how long to rest and when to hit it harder.
If I vary up in weight I drop the reps - but make sure I hit failure on each specific muscle during the workout.

You may have noticed there is no cardio in this regimen and that will be controversial to some of you.
I do occasionally add cardio to this at the end but primarily use short rests and drive my heart rate up as my cardio substitute.

I have cardio intensive routines (usually one a year) that I run in the spring. I stay quite lean without the additional cardio.

Let me know what you think - steal or borrow anything you want, it is here for consideration and to share.... it might work for some of you and may not work for others.

 

[Onlythebestwilldo]

I like the info guys. I will mash it all together and come up with something. Cheers. I will let you know how I get on down the line.

 

[SmilingBob]

I like to change it up every 6-8 weeks, however, I am really enjoying my current split. Hitting each muscle group 2x a week. Something like 2 exercises for back, 2 for legs, 1 for bis then next day --> 2 exercises for chest, 2 for shoulders, 1 for tris then rest and repeat.

 

[Lulu66]

If you are on cycle, then yes twice a week should be fine, but u have to listen to your body and signs of overtraining. If not on cycle stick with once a week per part to ensure full recovery. I prefer once a week on and off cycle, is what works for me.

 

[Onlythebestwilldo]

If you are on cycle, then yes twice a week should be fine, but u have to listen to your body and signs of overtraining. If not on cycle stick with once a week per part to ensure full recovery. I prefer once a week on and off cycle, is what works for me.

I'm running GH solo at the mo on wk 10ish 5iu per day.(uncle z blue tops. I have some Elitropins due any day now.) So that should be helping with recovery. Gonna try this type of training for 5 wk or so to see how I get on.

I find that my muscles scream at me to stop if they aren't g2g.

 

[63Vette]

I never go more than six weeks without changing my routine and I always start with my goal in mind when assembling my routine (i.e. cut, bulk, recomp etc.) I also adjust my diet. I blast the gear that best fits my goals. If your diet, gear, and routine are all in sync you get great results- otherwise you are pissing in a fan at my age!

And yes, the best advice on this thread IMHO is to LISTEN to your body!! Over-training is easy to do in such an addictive pastime!

Vette