Thread: How many muscle groups do you work per workout?

Mine is a bit different from what most people do probably.

1) Chest
2) Back - Bi
3) Delts - Neck
4) Tri - Traps
5) Legs - Calves - Fore

I do abs 2-3x a week just one set per day, usually any day I feel like it other than a back or leg day. I also ride the bike for 20m when I feel like it, which right now is nearly every day.

1 major muscle (Back, Chest, Quads, Delts)...and sometimes I add a smaller muscle like triceps, biceps, calves, etc.

Originally posted by Fit Freak
1 major muscle (Back, Chest, Quads, Delts)...and sometimes I add a smaller muscle like triceps, biceps, calves, etc.

Same for me!

Do you think it is best to gain strength and mass by only lifting 1-2 muscles or just strength or just mass.

Mon. : Bi, Tri, Delts
Tues. : Chest, Back, Forearms, Traps (long day )
Wed. : Legs, Calves
Thrus. : Chest, Back, Forearms, Traps
Fri. : Bi, Tri, Delts
Sat. : Run
Sun. : Run

So I range from 2 - 4.

Originally posted by just_lift
Do you think it is best to gain strength and mass by only lifting 1-2 muscles or just strength or just mass.

Either. World class powerlifters from what I've read will not train a bodypart sooner than 8 days rest, and even that is pushing it for some of them.

I have done every other day workouts before, whole body 3x a week, and it was brutal. At my age though I dont have the recoup or really the energy to be doing twice a day workouts that kick my ass like that. It was hard for me to evolve to a 5 on 1 off program but it is just about perfect for me, 4 on 1 off is also something I do sometimes.

Arms and shoulders...and especially BACK AND CHEST...damn...I think it's too much in one workout...IMO...you're going to end up with lagging bodyparts due to decreased intensity late in your workouts.

The Back is a HUGE muscle group and should be given it's own day for sure...JMO!

Also...training arms twice a week is overtraining...remember the arms get hit indirectly from training chest and back.....so you don't need to train them as often. Your workout split is far to centered on training arms...shift that focus to larger muscles like chest, back, and ESPECIALLY LEGS! Then you'll build muscle and trust me....your arms will grow too.

Agreed, chest is not all that much work but back has the most muscle groups and also covers alot of surface area. I also appreciate a good back and not being genetically gifted in that area I need all the energy I can throw at it, back volume for me is definately more than chest, chest is around 8 sets for me total right now.

Arms are small potatoes and get work from other body parts, I do 3 sets of biceps on back day for example, thats it. Triceps I do about 6-7 sets right now.

Legs are a killer, the one thing thats "worse" than back day.

So come up with big muscle/little muscle or something along those lines. I would recommend 4 or 5 days to cover the body, thats what I like to use.

I like that Mudge...just 3 sets for biceps after back. I've had serious tendonitis in my arms now going on a year and it's been almost 4 months...hell over 4 months maybe...since I did a single set for biceps....and they haven't shrunk an ounce! Just goes to show you they get plenty of stimulation from back.

I really feel them on back day, even when trying to isolate the back. Plus the biceps are so small, and mine dont seem to change size that much either. I've done as many as 12 sets for biceps before (3x a week!), that was years ago of course, but that is 1980s thinking and its really a waste of time and effort and the energy loss is not worth it when it comes to other groups. I can do lots of sets or only a few and it seems the same with my biceps, triceps are what I'm more concentrating on *mentally*, as far as trying to make them bigger (Paul Demayo syndrome ).

I'm no freak but arms are probably my best bodypart, maybe due to concentration when I was younger. I could 2 arm curl 110 for a couple good reps when I was a sophmore in high school, my bench was around 185 at the time. I would say thats a little unbalanced strength-wise.

Anywho, I disagree alot of the time when I hear "overtraining" I think people overuse the word, but I really do like 4/5 day training scenarios with one day off. I think the harder you workout you need more rest, again if you look at the powerlifters those guys take long rest between sets and long rest between just plain training days. From what the pros claim most of them are on 6/7 day schedules.

Thats my 7 cents.

Originally posted by Fit Freak
I like that Mudge...just 3 sets for biceps after back. I've had serious tendonitis in my arms now going on a year and it's been almost 4 months...hell over 4 months maybe...since I did a single set for biceps....and they haven't shrunk an ounce! Just goes to show you they get plenty of stimulation from back.

you to?
I've got something like that with my tendons.....
I guess the three months I took off the begining of the year for school helped to heal them,a s I was in pain most of the time.
I don't eventhink I did 12 sets for biceps the whole year of 2002.

I was riding my buddy's new atv last friday night for about 15 minutes in a field..when I got off...both tendons (at the bend in my arm) were KILLING me! I slammed 800mg ibuproferin and stayed out of the gym the rest of that week...
you have the same promlems?

Monday: quads and abs
Tuesday: back and bis
Wednesday: -
Thursday: hams, booty and abs
Friday: shoulders, tris and pecs
Saturday: -
Sunday: cardio and calves

I am doing single muscle group workouts also with very high volume for most. I also followup with an intense 15 minute HIIT session. But I admit this will knock me out for an hour or two on many days and require I take a nap or just veg on the couch and read and rest etc.

Monday: Chest (4 exercises, 6-8 sets each), HIIT
Tuesday: Back (6 exercises, 4-8 sets each), HIIT
Wed: Cardio (45 minutes with an embedded HIIT cycle), Abs (4 exercixes 3-6 sets)
Thurs: Legs (6 exercises, 4-8 sets each), HIIT
Fri: Arms (6 exercises, 8-12 sets each), HIIT
Sat: rest (sometimes extra cardio day)
Sun: rest

Currently, I am using a full-body program, with two different workouts, separated by 4-7 days. I perform 5-7 exercises per workout.

I've also made good gains on an upper and lower split, two different workouts per split, with 5-7 sets per workout, and each workout is separated by 3-6 days.