Help making a switch from M/W/F full body training to a high frequency, short workouts bodypart split

[jayreg]

I'm an intermediate lifter who started out lifting following Starting Strength, and as I progressed I've been shifting around my exercises, including some isolations to manage fatigue as my lifts got heavier and my goals shifted towards aesthetics.

I've just moved house and I've now got access to a private apartment gym with some machines and dumbbells as well as a very nearby huge gym. Now that working from home has winded down after the pandemic I'm less able to dedicate entire weekdays with 2+ hour workouts, my #1 priority is having a gym routine that I can be in and out in 1 or 1.5 hours at the end of the day that isn't a huge slog and a bit more fun, with the compensation for doing less intensity being far more frequency. Another modification is quite frankly I'm sick and tired of squatting, I appreciate the glutes gains and I've proven myself that I can get to 3 plates with good depth, but I think I've served my time doing them and other than maintaining what I've got I'm not interested in training legs, with the exception of exercises I enjoy such as deadlifts and leg press.

Are there any good intermediate programmes that follow these principles? I was looking at Natural Hypertrophy's "Superhero aesthetics program" and although the goals align with what I want, I find the amount of volume looks way way too tiny to what I've been doing and I don't really care about neck and would rather work shoulders with compounds since that's what works great for me atm.

Here's two workouts I've done so far winging it until I can find a proper routine:

Upper body, Triceps, Biceps focus

Close grip bench press: 3x12

Pullups 4xF

Lateral raise machine 3x12

finish off with some hanging leg raises, dead hangs for ab work and grip training

Upper body, chest back focus:

DB Bench 4x12

Incline Bench 3x8

Cable row 4x12

leg raises, dead hangs as before

Thinking of doing a leg day once a week of heavy deadlifts, higher reps lower weight leg press, calves. Hopefully that sort of conveys the kind of program I am trying to find/build. Any tips or advice for how to make this switch?

 

[michaelkep]

@jayreg I'm not sure if this answers your question, but I was doing full body 5-6 days a week and switched to ...... Monday- upperbody... Tues-legs...Wednesday- upperbody...Thurs-legs...Fri-upperbody

 

[michaelkep]

I think you need more variation and less of the same movements... Like 4 sets of cable rows I wouldn't do. I do 1 set of back thickness and 1 set of back width and they're probably pretty close to failure. 4 sets of DB bench I wouldn't do as thought also is too much of the same movement. I suggest you do dips or assisted dips for more variation

 

[gracewriterrandy]

@jayreg Here's my current routine, I've seen some really nice improvement in my body since switching to this. I don't count reps for any of this and typically do 3-4 sets. I also don't have a set order, I go with how I'm feeling that day. For reps, I go until I am maybe 1 or 2 reps from failure and really try to focus on the muscle(s) I'm targeting. I'll also swap out days if I'm just not feeling it. I try to get at least 3 of the exercises listed, maybe more, and sometimes I'll superset two of them. I may also swap out a day, e.g., if I'm not feeling legs I'll do shoulders and then work legs the next day. I also do forearms, calves, and abs every day at the end of my workout.

1. Chest: Incline DB press, incline fly, cable (high/low and low/high), machine press, machine fly, dips.

2. Back: Pull downs, seated cable rows, DB rows, hammer strength machine rows, pull ups, shrugs.

3. Legs: Leg Press, split squats, single leg extensions, leg curls, adductor.

4. Shoulders: DB Press, DB lateral raise/front raise, cable rear delt, cable lateral, upright rows, shrugs.

5. Arms:

Biceps: incline curls, drag curls, hammer curls, machine curls

Triceps: rope press downs, various cable extensions, overhead DB press

6. Rest

 

[jayreg]

@gracewriterrandy Thanks for this. A common criticism of body part splits is when you only have a once a week for a muscle group then it's not being hit enough to stimulate hypertrophy. Do you think I should combine some days and so that they are twice a week? e.g. something like

Chest and Triceps

Back and Biceps

Legs and Shoulders

Chest and Biceps

Back and Biceps

Shoulders and Arms

 

[mark1234]

@jayreg First, pinterest is full of amazing workouts. I have almost 200 routines loaded on one of my boards.

Next what is your goal? Strength power, size, hypertrophy, ripped, swole.

Next there is 6 lift types

Squat, hing, vertical push , vertical pull
Horizontal push, Horizontal pull, and the Pluto of the bunch is Carry.

Limited time focus on compound type lifts. Depending on goals 60 to 80 percent of your lifts should be compound. The rest should be divided on secondary and tertiary muscle groups.

 

[jayreg]

@mark1234 (Upper body) size is main goal, but also would like to keep progressing on my OHP, Bench and DL doesn't matter if it's not as fast as possible though.

 

[mark1234]

@jayreg Upper body size starts with the foundation.
That's the legs. Then comes the second part of foundational growth and that's in the kitchen.

The body doesn't grow in the gym
It grows in recovery, it's broken down in the gym. The breakdown does NOT come from reps and sets alone - it comes from time under tension x load. My compound lifts are rarely a 4x12.

You now have to figure out how many days a week. How many times you want to hit a muscle group. 1 is the norm, 2 is gaining popularity and some call for it daily.

A 4 day split can be
2 on 1 off 2 on 2 off. Example is Monday Tuesday on, Wednesday off, Thursday and Friday on, Weekend off.

Or EVERY other day no matter what. < this is worked for me with a total body split. I had 4 or 5 total body workouts, every day was different and every day was a different target. >
So breaking down you splits to number of days per week and when plays a part.

------------------‐---‐-------‐---------------------------------------------

An upper lower split 4 days a week.
A push pull legs for 3 days a week
Total body 4 every other day
Typical bro split. 1 group per week

All work and there are many variations of splits. The goal is consistency.

‐-‐---------‐---------------------------------------------------------------
All reps are in ranges
If you touch the top range number add weight
If you don't touch the lower number remove weight.

Heaviest output should be 90%ish percent effort.
If you're doing a 5x6-9 set rep. Set one is 225 and you're at 9. Way cool. Go 245 if you get 9 go 275 . You get 8. BINGO! Stay the weight. Ride it out. Once you get 9. Add weight. And yes it's OK to load and only get 5. Lower a smidge and do that entire set over.

Example of upper lower
Monday is upper A

Warm up every day is
4x25 push up. 4x9 lat pull down, 4x12 arm circles, 4x10 air squat. In a quad compound set.

2 warm up sets on bench 6 to 9 reps. At 35% or so of max.
4 to 6 sets of work load in a progressive overload or something the adds more tension.
Then either a finish set of 20 at warm up weight to 50% of heaviest work set.

Same thing for bent over row.

Incline cable or incline dumbell press
6x6-10

High cable rows. 6x6-10 neutral to close grip.

‐‐------------

Tricep press down, ropes press down reverse grip.

Double rope face pulls 3x30

Biceps barbell curl.

5x8 sets 6-12 reps.

Dumbell upright row.
4x 8-12

‐-----------‐--------------------------------------------------------------
Leg day 1

Same warm up.

Rack clean 5x5-8

Squat/ calf. 4x6-10. 1 set 60 to 70 percent 20
Leg press/calf 5x5-8
Double Leg extension 4x 8-12

 

[dawn16]

@jayreg My brother's split:

Day 1: Pull ups - Dips

Day 2: Deadlifts - Hanging leg raises

Day 3: Shoulders - Biceps - Triceps

Day 4: Incline bench - Barbell rows

Day 5: Squat [alternative] - Shoulders

4-8 sets

It's definitely in and out, probably more in and out than you were looking for. But it's balanced, psychologically easy, and in my opinion elegant (I like the simplicity).

 

[jayreg]

@dawn16 I like this. I think I'll add 1-2 exercises each day, add a day 6 and swap some stuff out but the structure is what I want.

 

[dawn16]

@jayreg Nice. Can you reply the revised version when you're ready? It would be interesting

 

[jayreg]

@dawn16 I'm still working out the details, have a feeling that I'm doing a little too much volume since it's Thursday and I'm starting to feel sore after going a little too hard on Tuesday, so might have to adjust or I might just forgo day 6 and keep it a 5 day split.

Monday: Chest, Triceps Shoulders

Close grip bench, DB Press, Incline Bench

Tuesday: Legs

Trap bar deadlift, leg press, leg curl, calve press

Wednesday: Back and biceps

Landmine row, pullups, seated cable row, bicep curls

Thursday: Light day hitting some muscle groups a second time

Flat Bench, RDL, Lateral Raise machine

Friday: Arm day

Bicep curls, tricep pushdown, skull crushers, chinups

Saturday (Optional): accessories/fun

Hip thrusts, OHP, landmine row, cardio

Any feedback appreciated. But atm this routine is so much more fun than my old training style and I'm getting a killer pump and soreness. If anything I'm at risk of enjoying it too much and doing too much volume in one day.