Thread: Four Day Split's

Either:


Quads/Hams
rest
Chest/Delts
rest
Back/Traps/Calves
rest
Biceps/Triceps
repeat (ie no rest this day)

or:

Quads/Hams
rest
Chest/Triceps
rest
Back/Biceps/Traps
rest
Delts/Calves
repeat (ie no rest this day)

there's others too

Mine is

Chest/biceps
shoulders/triceps
Back
Legs

Why not throw legs into the middle of the mix. Use legs as a day of rest for your upper body.

My routine has been working great for me...really get 100% of everything into my lifts but this doesn't mean it works for everyone. I don't see why you would have a problem with it but any 4 day split will work fine I suppose.

I do.

Day 1 - Chest/Biceps (Max-OT cardio in the AM)
Day 2 - Quads/Hamstrings
Day 3 - Low Intensity Cardio
Day 4 - Shoulders/Triceps (Max-OT cardio in the AM)
Day 5 - Back/Traps/Rear Delts
Day 6 - Low Intensity Cardio
Day 7 - Off

My current 4 day split is the same as LAM posted ('cept I keep skipping my cardio ) I also add abs to back day.

Thanks for the responses. My only concern with Deadbolts routine was adding triceps to my back day which is overall my second most excruciating day as is. I like coupling shoulders and triceps, that looks like the way I will be turning.

I also wish I could put legs in the middle of the week, but currently I am in an intermural basketball league at school that we have games for every wednesday night, and so if I were to workout my legs anytime midweek like I should be doing, I would not even be able to move for the game on wednesday.

Monday - legs
Tuesday - chest
Wednesday - off
Thursday - back
Friday - shoulders and arms
weekend - off

I lift in the evening, cardio is 7 days a week when I walk the dog 3-4 miles and I work abs before the walk.

you're a strong man for training legs on mondays....i always say i "should" but just can't manage it.

I don't understand why everyone is so tired on Monday. I never understood that. Nonetheless, ALBOB, I like your routine. My shoulder is probably my least time consuming day, atleast when I ran a five day split so it would make sense instead of adding some trap work to add some bicep and tricep work. I will be deciding over the weekend what I will choose to go to, we will see. Also ALBOB, your able to do back on thursday and then biceps on friday? How so...

Originally Posted by soxmuscle

I don't understand why everyone is so tired on Monday.

most people do not keep the same routine on the weekends as they do during the week. this will effect your energy levels both physically and mentally.

I'm starting a new 4 day split next week instead of my 3 days right now. Here is how I think I will split:
Mon-Back/Traps
Tues-Chest/Tri's
Thurs-Legs
Fri-Delts/Bi's

I liked the following 4 day split when doing bodybuilder routines:

Monday: Chest, Shoulders
Tuesday: Back
Thursday: Arms
Friday: Legs

I also did this one, which was interesting, but I didn't like it as much:

Monday: Chest, Lats, Calves, & Abs
Tuesday: General Back, Shoulders, Forearms, & Abs
Thursday: Quads, Triceps, Calves, & Traps
Friday: Hams, Biceps, Forearms, & Abs

I've also been thinking of incorporating a posterior chain (Gluts, Hams, Erector Spinae, and Calves) day into a 4 day split.

Interesting CP. Your first one is what I currently do and I haven't enjoyed it as much as I thought I would. For whatever reason, it is tough for me to hit my shoulders well when I am worn and torn from doing my chest excercises first.

When you couple two muscle groups, do you do one group first and then one group second, or do you do one set of one muscle group and then one set of the other muscle group?

That may be my problem. With biceps and triceps, I do one set of one and then one set of the other and I waste very little time resting. I might have to do that with shoudlers and chest aswell, that could be my problem.

Originally Posted by soxmuscle

Interesting CP. Your first one is what I currently do and I haven't enjoyed it as much as I thought I would. For whatever reason, it is tough for me to hit my shoulders well when I am worn and torn from doing my chest excercises first.

When you couple two muscle groups, do you do one group first and then one group second, or do you do one set of one muscle group and then one set of the other muscle group?

That may be my problem. With biceps and triceps, I do one set of one and then one set of the other and I waste very little time resting. I might have to do that with shoudlers and chest aswell, that could be my problem.

Yes the shoulders are pre-exhausted but you need to work them much less if done this way. It worked for me for a while b/c I got to use less volume on my shoulders and they responded great! But now I have switched it b/c I was tired of my routine. Doing delts with chest keeps people from htting them twice a week.

Yes you should do one muscle group at a time...unless supersetting them or shock em or change it up. Do one muscle then move on to another don't alternate IMO.

Interesting Deadbolt. What are the negatives and reasons not to switch up each set between muscle groups?

Originally Posted by soxmuscle

Also ALBOB, your able to do back on thursday and then biceps on friday? How so...

Actually doing biceps the very next day helps me hit them as completely as possible. While it's true they do get some very good indirect stimulation from the pulling exercise on back day, hitting them with direct work the very next day ensures they are worked 100%. I should clarify that this is the four day split I'm currently using. Occasionally I switch to more of a power split.

Week one
Monday: legs
Tuesdy: chest
Wednesday: off
Thursday: back
Friday: legs
Weekend: off

Week two
Monday: chest
Tuesday: back
Wednesday: off
Thursday: legs
Friday: chest
Weekend: off

Week three
Monday: back
Tuesday: legs
Wednesday: off
Thursday: chest
Friday: back

Week four
Repeat week one

As you can see, this routine works each major body part four times in a three week period. All days are limited to 100% power movements. NO ISOLATION MOVEMENTS. I'll only stay on this routine for two or three cycles and then I need to back off a bit to give my body time to completely recover. It's a great routine for breaking through plateaus though.

No direct shoulder work in that 3 week power split ALBOB?

Originally Posted by soxmuscle

Interesting Deadbolt. What are the negatives and reasons not to switch up each set between muscle groups?

I find I lose everything I'm putting into my w/o this way. I've tried it and don't enjoy these tpyes of workouts. The first exercise is strong but come the second one I've expended so much energy on my first exercise that the second one can't get my full effort and attention that I know I could put into it by spliting them.

I know several guys in my gym that only lift this way and they do fine. I guess its personal preference but I've tried it and don't enjoy the results I get. I use it every so often just to change things up but not as a staple to my workouts. I get better results doing one msucle at a time.

And if you don't superset the two muscles (one right after the other) you cool down way to much. Its much to long of a break inbetween sets for my liking. For ex:
BB curl
rest
CG Bench
rest
BB curl

These rest just seem to long for me...I would rather do all one muscle at a time then move onto another.

Originally Posted by ChrisROCK

No direct shoulder work in that 3 week power split ALBOB?

Back will hit the posterior delts and traps and chest will hit the anterior delts maybe?? I dunno just trying to figure it out myself...it sounds like more of a powerlifters routine to get your big 3's up so not much accesory work is added in. Hence the no bi's and such.

I used split with multiple bodyparts, HIT style, but began to burn out. The last bodypart of the day would suffer.

Now I use this split and put full focus into each bp.

Mon: Chest/Calvs
Tue: Back/Traps
Wed: Shoulders/Abs
Thur: Arms/forearms
Fri: Legs

My routine is similat to Albob's in theory- I rest every Mon and Tue, and use a four day cycle for the remaining five days of the week. In the same way, a different workout gets repeated every week. Additionally, I have an alternate workout for each of the four- so when I repeat a group, it's with different exercises, or in a different order.

Here's my split-
1) Chest, Triceps
2) Upper legs
3) Back, Biceps, Traps
4) Lats, Abs, Calves

Originally Posted by DeadBolt

Back will hit the posterior delts and traps and chest will hit the anterior delts maybe?? I dunno just trying to figure it out myself...it sounds like more of a powerlifters routine to get your big 3's up so not much accesory work is added in. Hence the no bi's and such.

Absolutely correct.

Your shoulders, bi's and tri's will be fried by the end of the week with all the indirect work they'll be getting with this routine. Also, with this routine, your body will be pumping so much HGH even your toes will get bigger.

Originally Posted by ALBOB

Also, with this routine, your body will be pumping so much HGH even your toes will get bigger.