Hey guys, just curious if anyone has done a BP run that splits training into 3 workouts, specifically one lower body and 2 upper body workouts.
So instead of doing a full upper body one workout and then a full lower body the next workout, I would do something like back/trap/bi on Monday, chest/tri on Tuesday, legs on Wednesday. Rest Thursday, then rinse and repeat. This way each muscle group would get 3 days of rest before being trained again.
However, by doing a 3 workout split, my EDT blocks would not be protagonist/antagonist muscles. Would this be a huge problem? Could I do EDT blocks that aren't opposite muscles?
Main reason I'm asking is because I feel that my last BP run the full upper body workouts took really really long. Also, I like to workout as many days as possible so a 3 workout split adds another lifting day to the mix.
Any thoughts? Thanks guys!
Different BP routines, split upper body into 2 workouts?
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oliverparsons
- Posts: 84
- Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2010 11:26 am
- Location: NYC
I've done exactly as you've described kind of instinctively.
If I do stay in the gym for 2.5 hours then I make sure I'm hitting my macros during the workout.
There are so many muscle groups to hit in the upper body so I've found that increasing my training frequency has decreased my soreness and my time in the gym. So now I'm doing more volume but over a 2-3 day period.
I'll do my big barbell lift one day, then EDT's the next day, and then cardio and and the high frequency exercises such as face pulls and rotator cuff exercises and postural exercises on the third day. One trick to pack in more volume without limiting your intensity is to, for example, do shrugs right after your set of bench press on your Big Lift day and then eliminate that exercise from day 2; it really depends on the loading pattern you are using and if your energy will allow.
IMHO face pulls should be a part of everyones program. I've had back pain for years that I made 95% better just by adding facepulls. The back is one of those areas that are chocked full of various muscle fiber types, so it's possible to have a very muscular back and still have back pain due to the weakness of stabilizing muscles. As an aside... front squats on leg day to warm up are very good for correcting poor posture. I'm currently doing the russian program and it's been VERY hard but it's testing me and allowing me to bring up weaknesses in order to progress through the loading pattern. I've also had to pull on every trick I know to keep pace: Supersets, Trisets, drop sets, circuits, static holds, static stretch, negatives, partials etc etc
As far as the EDT blocks go, I believe that keeping antagonistic set ups is important because one exercise should potentiate the other, but, to be fair I have seen set ups hitting the same muscle but in a different spot. For example, you could do shrugs which hit the top of the traps (hopefully with dumbbells) for exercise A in your EDT, then for exercise B do shrugs on a dip bar which hit the bottom of the traps (mid back) where alottaaaa folks are weak and underdeveloped.
Sorry for the lengthy reply LOL
The most important thing about this in my opinion is keep the workout short so enthusiasm stays high and intensity stays ramped up. Intensity rules!!!
If I do stay in the gym for 2.5 hours then I make sure I'm hitting my macros during the workout.
There are so many muscle groups to hit in the upper body so I've found that increasing my training frequency has decreased my soreness and my time in the gym. So now I'm doing more volume but over a 2-3 day period.
I'll do my big barbell lift one day, then EDT's the next day, and then cardio and and the high frequency exercises such as face pulls and rotator cuff exercises and postural exercises on the third day. One trick to pack in more volume without limiting your intensity is to, for example, do shrugs right after your set of bench press on your Big Lift day and then eliminate that exercise from day 2; it really depends on the loading pattern you are using and if your energy will allow.
IMHO face pulls should be a part of everyones program. I've had back pain for years that I made 95% better just by adding facepulls. The back is one of those areas that are chocked full of various muscle fiber types, so it's possible to have a very muscular back and still have back pain due to the weakness of stabilizing muscles. As an aside... front squats on leg day to warm up are very good for correcting poor posture. I'm currently doing the russian program and it's been VERY hard but it's testing me and allowing me to bring up weaknesses in order to progress through the loading pattern. I've also had to pull on every trick I know to keep pace: Supersets, Trisets, drop sets, circuits, static holds, static stretch, negatives, partials etc etc
As far as the EDT blocks go, I believe that keeping antagonistic set ups is important because one exercise should potentiate the other, but, to be fair I have seen set ups hitting the same muscle but in a different spot. For example, you could do shrugs which hit the top of the traps (hopefully with dumbbells) for exercise A in your EDT, then for exercise B do shrugs on a dip bar which hit the bottom of the traps (mid back) where alottaaaa folks are weak and underdeveloped.
Sorry for the lengthy reply LOL
The most important thing about this in my opinion is keep the workout short so enthusiasm stays high and intensity stays ramped up. Intensity rules!!!
Yes bro!! You're so right! I couldn't believe how quickly my back pain healed. Basically foam rolling, facepulls and chest massage, because a smart masseuse told me that part of the pain was because my chest muscles were very tight.wtmarcus wrote:On the topic of the face pulls... The rhomboids are a missed muscle group for a lot of people and face pulls is a good antidote. If one is not inclined to do these then static bat wings is a good add on to everyone's program.