KiLLuMiNaTi said:
finally, someone taking things back on topic.
Everyone on bodybuilding.com disagrees on splits. So do my friends.
Some say 3x per week, some 2x, some 1x.
Some say beginners should do 3x with 3 sets total, and advanced 1x with like 10 sets.
Others say it does not matter how long you've been going, but people with mostly slow twitch should do many sets, lots of reps, low weights, 3x per week, and guys with mostly fast twitch should do heavy weights, 3-5 sets, low reps, 1x per week, and that 50% of men are in between.
Bubka says you need 4 days off, at least.
I don't know who to believe, but they all seem to agree that if I'm an average guy, and I workout each compound muscle group about 2x per week (once every 4 days) alternating between lighter one 4 day cycle and heavy the other 4 day cycle, I should be OK. That is right in between all of them, and sounds safe.
light (15 reps, 9 sets total)
1. push/upper body + abs
2. lower body (except hams) + short, intense cardio
3. pull/upper body + hams since they go with lower back + abs
4. cardio lower body (since legs take more recovery time from day 2, according to a chart I saw)
heavy (8 reps, 6? sets total) (ex: 2 incline, 2 decline, 2 flat)
1, 2, 3, 4
My friend Jake, who has a very nice build, will go heavy with 5x5 incline, 5x5 decline, 5x5 flat bench, and 5x5 butter flies, and 5x5 dumbbell flies. That is a lot of sets for a heavy day. But he is only working the chest and tricepts, and he only does it once a week, and is sore the whole week.
I'd like to do fewer sets, but almost twice a week.