How to split?

paddymorrison

I have been reading about routine planning on the web, but I just can't decide what is the best for me because different websites seem to be saying different things.

Ok, I go to the gym 4 times a week, trying to gain a stone, as mentioned on another thread. I don't know if I should stick with my upper/lower split or should I use a four day split instead, concentrating on one muscle group per day. At the moment, I think I am doing too many exercises for my upper days, which makes things less intense. If I switch to a four day split, I am wondering if the gap between each muscle workout is too long. Please let me know what you guys think, cheers!

Colm_OReilly

You shouldn't split. Your body isn't a bunch of segmented units, it's a complete system and responds best when trained in that manner.

Compound exercises (exercises which work the entire body or a bunch of muscles together) produce the neuro endocrine response necessary to build yourself up.

Work movements (squats, deadlifts, presses, power cleans) not muscles. If you want, you can supplement these heavy lifts with bodyweight exercises - pull ups, push ups, sit ups, L-Holds, dips, etc. If you don't think these will help muscle growth, look at any male gymnast - probably the closest to an ideal male body of any sportsman. (light weight wrestlers would be close as well)


Colm

paddymorrison

Thanks! So, should I do a full body workout everytime? Will I have enough time to recover between sessions though? How do you arrange your routines?

Colm_OReilly

Paddy,

I can't tell if you'll recover between sessions as I don't know your tolerances and current fitness levels. Recovery isn't just time off between workouts - it's to do with stress, nutrition, proper sleep, etc.

I don't know what your goals are apart from getting bigger, if they're strength, sports conditioning, general health/fitness (I should stress that these aren't mutually exclusive goals)

For strength, here's an example of routines to follow: http://board.crossfit.com/showthread.php?t=20170&highlight=starting+strength

For general physical preparedness - I follow Crossfit's main site workouts (which is a 3 days on, 1 day off routine). The beauty of it is I don't need to worry if any part of my fitness is being neglected. Of course, running an affiliate I have to ensure the workouts provide benefit to my clients.

Info here and here.

Any other questions please feel free to fire away,
Colm

paddymorrison

Cheers for the links! I will try some of the routines there and see what suits me best. I guess I just need to experiment a bit.