Moving past the 2-day split…

Well, I’ve been working out at Goodlife Fitness following this 2-day split exercise routine from Bodybuilding.com for a little over four weeks now. Though I’m virtually the same weight as when I started, I’ve leaned out some and feel significantly stronger. This 2-day split has been good to me so far but I feel like I’m ready to move on to a 3-day split.

The main reason? I’m really tired.

Doing the 2-day split twice a week — Monday and Tuesday, then a variation of those again on Thursday and Friday — at 5:15 AM, is exhausting and difficult for me to maintain with consistency. The early mornings are a drag but it’s the only real time I can get into the gym.

Beyond that, I’ve read on a number of sites that taking more time to rest muscle groups between workouts is better for their overall growth, and while I’m not looking to get huge, the idea of adding size quicker is a tad appealing. On the 2-day split, I only had a three to four day rest before working the same muscles again. The 3-day split will allow them to rest/heal/grow for a full week. Plus, it will allow me include more exercises per muscle group per workout, which I like.

I have to admit, it feels bizarre, almost counter-intuitive that fewer workouts per week could yield bigger results but I have yet to read an article that contradicts this. So, there must be something to it, eh? ?

Of course, now that I’ve decided to change my workout, I’m going through the same indecisiveness I went through last time when trying to pick my exercises. Thankfully, it’s a bit easier since I can pretty much combine my favourite exercises from the past four weeks to give me a solid workout plan.

I was just going to go on to the next phase in the Bodybuilding.com workout schedule. However, I have no interest in doing specific exercises for my forearms nor do I care to spend the amount of time in the gym required to complete that workout. In fact, one of the things I’m hoping to accomplish with the switch to a 3-day split is a quicker, more efficient plan.

Another bonus to this is that it will allow for more cardio days throughout the run of a week. Or, perhaps more truthfully, it will allow for more opportunities to get at least one dedicated cardio workout in each week.

I’m very much looking forward to Monday. Day one: chest and triceps. ?

[steelie]

3 comments
  1. have you looked into the p90x workouts? it’s a 3 phase workout – phase I and II consists of 3 active weeks and 1 recovery week. phase III consists of 4 active weeks and one recovery. i find that you push yourself for those 3 to 4 weeks and get a bit of a break. not an easy break – you’re still working out but mainly on your core muscles with a bit of cardio and flexibility (yoga) training.

    each of the active weeks splits the strength training into a 3-day split with cardio inbetween. i would recomment getting the p90x program. you don’t have to follow it but it gives a great routine that you can use and/or incorporate into your gym.

    and seriously, the yoga-x dvd on it is still, to this day, the best yoga routine i have ever done. i sweat buckets doing it but afterwards, i feel so good. it’s really improved my flexibility, stanima and balance.

    it also has a really good 15 minute ab routine. hardest i’ve ever done but worth it.

    anyway, if you google it, check it out and let me know what you think!

    1. Hey, Shy! 🙂

      I actually downloaded the videos to see if they were something I might want to buy. I’d love to try it but from what I could tell the routines didn’t look like they’d be easy to pull off at the gym. I could be very wrong but the constant switching would be pretty difficult with other people around.

      Do you do this at home or the gym? Or do you know anyone who has had success with it at the gym?

      1. hey steelie,

        with the weight training dvd’s, i have been able to do it at the gym. sometimes, i have to be creative if the pull-up station is not available. but everything else is either on the matt or using dumbbells, which there are enough to go around at goodlife for me. i prefer doing it at home, though – using the gym just for cardio these days.

        i have a few friends who did p90x all the way through before i tried it out. all of them saw and felt a difference. i noticed all of them become leaner and more muscular – they were all small to medium frame to begin with. and this was from just the workouts alone – none of us followed the diet because it’s a bit hard to do when you’re shopping for a whole family. and cooking for a whole family – it’s hard to plan their meals and your own. unless you put them all on the same diet. :p

        for me, my strength really shot up. the different types of push-ups and pull-ups were key to helping me increase my strength. of course, i will never be as strong as i was in my 20’s but to be able to do nearly 200 push-ups from one dvd (not consecutively but of different types all added up together within the hour AND mostly from the toes) was a real milestone for me.

        i still can not do one-handed push-ups from the toes but can from the knees which is something i could never do before.

Leave a Reply