Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I am wondering if you folks that are trying to add mass break up your workouts by body zone. Like chest/arm day, leg day, back/shoulder day. Or do you just mix it up like squats, push press, weighted chins one day. Then dead lifts, weighted dips, etc in a few days?

flag	asked Jul 5 2011 at 6:46 rhino 21●2

ben61820 · Answer 1 · 2011-07-05 12:24:48Z UTC

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I'm a complete novice but what I have been doing has been working for me so take it for what it's worth.

I do not break up the workouts by body zone. I do the traditional backsquats, DLs, presses, etc. 3 times per week.

I'll add that on my "off" days, at home I will do my chins and pushups. This is to keep my ability to manuever my bodyweight sound (as I'm gaining weight and don't wanna get too fat) and just to get that endorphin rush that usually leads too a good, smiley day.

answered Jul 5 2011 at 12:24

ben61820
16.1k●1●14●57

	did you have to work up to dl, squatting three times a week? After I do a "leg day" I am really sore for like 4 days and usually avoid lower body work. Could I be going too heavy? I do 5x5's but I really have to push to get through them. I like the idea of the off day calisthenics. Do you think I could do those weighted? or would I be over doing it in your "complete novice" opinion? thanks for the help – rhino Jul 5 2011 at 16:37
	what is a leg day? what else do you do besides squats? – Michael RB Jul 6 2011 at 1:56
	Ben, I've been transitioning off the Stronglifts 5x5 routine, as I felt I was gaining too much mass in my quads from squats 3x a week. I definitely like the logical breakdown of different push/pull lifts on an A and B day schedule though. My A day was Squats, Press, Deads, Pullups, and B was Squats, Bench, Bar Row and Dips. I want to rearrange it and make my own circuits emphasizing chest/back and shoulders/arms, rather than legs. I can attest to the full-body nature of squats however, and I feel like it really made my body switch into muscle-building mode. – Futureboy Jul 6 2011 at 4:30
	@Rhino, no I didn’t have to work up to it. In the beginning I believe as long as one is somewhat fit they can recover enough to do them 3xweekly. I’ve read that most people don’t start weighted chins/dips until they can do at least 10 pulls and/or something like 20-30 dips. But I’m sure you can start earlier if you’d like. For me I feel that getting used to 3 sets of 10 pullups is more a matter of getting neurologically comfortable with that amount of work, rather than it being purely a question of “do you have the muscular ability to do that many.” I’m actually only right now at 3 sets of ten – ben61820 Jul 6 2011 at 12:50
	@Future, I still pretty much am on an A/B routine like yours. I actually started doing some more supplemental work like DB rows and barbell curls, too. And I might move my dips onto an “off” day like I do my chins/pullups because I’m getting to the point where I’m doing dips high enough in the rep range where sometimes I feel a bit fatigued before I do them, since I do them at the end of a workout. – ben61820 Jul 6 2011 at 12:52

Thomas Seay · Answer 2 · 2011-07-05 16:59:00Z UTC

Rhino, a lot depends on your personal statistics. How old are you? What's your present level of fitness? How long have you been lifting?

For example, I am 51. I lift pretty heavy, so I have found that a 5-3-1 works pretty well for me. I basically squat one time a week, deadlift once a week, and press once a week. I, of course, do plenty of assistance exercises in addition to the above.

If you are younger or a relatively novice lifter, I would not recommend the above. In that case, go with a Bill Starr 5 x 5. MaddCow used to have a program up on the web somewhere that was nice in this regard. Or you might want to try DoggCrapp Training, if you are particularly ambitious.

JakeA · Answer 3 · 2011-07-05 12:43:14Z UTC

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I would not discount the full body barbell movements of squat, deadlift, and bench/overhead pressing along with weighted pullups or chins. Those movements will get you where you want to go as long as you add as much weight as you can.

That said, adding isolation movements will surely help to hit the spots you're hoping to increase when you use them as assistance exercises.

answered Jul 5 2011 at 12:43

JakeA
5,657●12●31

	When you say "as much weight as you can" how many reps are you expecting to get are you saying like 1-3 for 3 sets or like 5 reps 5 sets. I have been doing 5x5's but I am not stuck on them doing you think there is an advantage to going heavier? Thanks – rhino Jul 5 2011 at 16:47
	It depends on what you're trying to get out of it, but in general I would add weight every workout unless I couldn't complete the set. Say you're going for 5x5 and you get it all then add 5 lbs. If you don't get it, then go for it again next time. – JakeA Jul 5 2011 at 17:41
	My goal is always to put more weight on the bar than the last time. As far as results, I think 5x5 is a good medium for hypertrophy/strength. Fewer reps are more strength-biased and more reps more muscular endurance/hypertrophy I believe. – JakeA Jul 5 2011 at 17:43

A.J. Aguirre · Answer 4 · 2011-07-05 09:23:11Z UTC

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It really depends on your own objectives. It's completely proven that muscle isolation workouts are the best way to achieve muscular hypertrophy.If, however, our goal was to obtain power, or just general functionality, I would choose full chain/global exercises.

answered Jul 5 2011 at 9:23

A.J. Aguirre
278●1●7

My objectives are weight and muscle gain strength being secondary. Not because I want too get huge. I just want to thicken up a bit I am 5' 9" and 150 and lean. So I would just like to pack on a little more muscle. I am strong enough for right now. Thanks – rhino Jul 5 2011 at 16:48

Michael RB · Answer 5 · 2011-07-06 01:31:40Z UTC

Anything like this would really depend on what your goals are and where you are currently.

If you are a novice a simple 3X5 routine would put strength fast. If you are not lifting that heavy(2XBW squat,etc.), I think it is best to lift the big lifts a few times a week because your body can recover.

My only helpful hint for any new lifter is to make sure you are logging every major compound lift and go into the gym each day with a goal to beat. I find systemically pushing for new personal records a great path to strength and always keeping myself entertained at the gym.

Joshua · Answer 6 · 2011-07-06 02:32:56Z UTC

The Body Is One Piece

It is not a bag of parts randomly assembled.

Most of the lifting I do is Olympic style weightlifting so I don't really have a choice in the matter, it works everything.

At one time in my life, I did follow a "back day", and a "legs day" with some form of upper body pressing on each day. This was deadlifts and rows on back day, squats, romanian deadlifts, good mornings on legs day.

Futureboy · Answer 7 · 2011-07-06 04:43:35Z UTC

I think everyone pretty much nailed it in their answers so far, so I don't think I really need to add anything...but this is what I've been doing.

I've been adhering to a Stronglifts style 5x5 routine with A days and B days, i.e. ABA one week and BAB the next. I really like it. I go to the gym with a set of lifts in mind, and goal weights for each. I like to have a plan in the gym. If I don't have clear goal-weights for each exercise, I find myself sort of "maintaining," for lack of a better word, and not pushing myself as much.

My A days are Squats, Press, Deads and Pull ups. B days are Squats, Bench, Bar Rows and Dips. Each A and B day I also add 3x20 kneeling cable crunches and 2x20 on each side of cable lateral woodchops. I've made a ton of progress since I started on this routine in January. I do feel like there's a little too much concentration on Squats for me, and I'm working on setting up a new routine that's a little more chest/arm/shoulders oriented.

To answer your question, I feel like I've made more progress in the past 6 months doing nearly full-body style lifting, than I have in all the time I've ever been going to the gym or lifting weights in an isolation style, and I'm 29. I wish I would've started this when I was 16! I also feel much more fit, and less sore/laid up on off days than I ever did before, but that may just be up to me not eating a horrible SAD diet anymore.

Workout break downs ?

7 Answers