Chest 2x a Week?

TommyD · 11-Jun-04, 03:28 PM

In attempts to increase my bench press, I've read that when not going to failure, you can have two chest days a week (also applying to other muscle groups). With my current routine of:

Day 1: Chest/Traps
Day 2: Shoulders/Forearms
Day 3: Back/Abs
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Bicep/Triceps
Day 6: Legs/Abs
Day 7: Rest

Bench, Squat, Military Press, Deadlift, Standing Curls, Close Grip Bench, and Bent Over Rows are all 5x5, and I usually have a couple other exercises along with each muscle group using lighter weight at 2x8-10. None of my exercises are to failure.

Where would be a good day to stick my 2nd chest day and should I go just as intense as the first chest day?

Gibson · 11-Jun-04, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom_Drahos

In attempts to increase my bench press, I've read that when not going to failure, you can have two chest days a week (also applying to other muscle groups). With my current routine of:

Day 1: Chest/Traps
Day 2: Shoulders/Forearms
Day 3: Back/Abs
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Bicep/Triceps
Day 6: Legs/Abs
Day 7: Rest

Bench, Squat, Military Press, Deadlift, Standing Curls, Close Grip Bench, and Bent Over Rows are all 5x5, and I usually have a couple other exercises along with each muscle group using lighter weight at 2x8-10. None of my exercises are to failure.

Where would be a good day to stick my 2nd chest day and should I go just as intense as the first chest day?

You throw it in on Day 5 with Triceps and move biceps to Day 3. It wouldn't be a bad move since you'll have a day off the day before. I would suggest going just as intense as the first day but decrease the no. of sets.....and don't do the same exercises.

TommyD · 11-Jun-04, 08:09 PM

I really hate the idea of chest/triceps, back/biceps, but I think you're right as far as moving biceps and triceps around Gibson. If I want to throw chest in there again, I'll have to switch things around a little. How about something like this:

Day 1: Chest/Traps (Chest: Fl. bench 5x5, Inc. Bench 2x8-10, Flyes 2x8-10)
Day 2: Back
Day 3: Shoulders/Triceps
Day 4: Legs/Abs
Day 5: Chest (Fl. Bench 5x5, D. Bench 2x8-10, Pause Bench 2x8-10)
Day 6: Biceps/Forearms
Day 7: Rest

I've moved up to a 6 day split, but I think this should provide adequate rest for my body as far as limiting overtraining and limiting working out while my muscles are fatigued.

Go ahead and be sure to chime in if I seem to have accidentally broken some fundamental rule of weightlifting.

GymRat18 · 11-Jun-04, 08:25 PM

Diddo Tom I'm trying basically to do what your doing and figuring out how to alter my split lately and its very similar to yours...
Mon: Chest/Tris
Tues: Back
Wed: Legs/shoulders
Thursday: Rest
Fri: Bis/ Tris
Sat: Rest
Sun: Rest

I think you'll figure out like I did Tom that you won't like having to go easy on two days or easy on the second go around AND if you go to hard you'll be tired on the second chest day to go too hard and you'll feel miserable that you couldn't give it your all... but thats been my experience trying to work chest in two times a week the past 2 weeks, so im back to my old split to keep my arms swole = P. Try the chest thing and see how it goes for YOU... good luck bud

**Firehawk** · 11-Jun-04, 09:18 PM

I love chest/tris back/bis method. In fact i wont do it any other way! I was trying chest/bi's back/tri's and it didnt work out nearly as well for me. But thats my preference...

gdawg0987 · 11-Jun-04, 09:26 PM

If your main goal is to increase your strength, you should set up a powerlifting routine like westside and train for your lifts and not worry about bodypart splits, that would be the most efficient way of increasing your max bench.

built · 11-Jun-04, 10:24 PM

I've found awesome results doing this (and yes you'll be working your chest 2 times a week):

Day 1: heavy arms (1-5 rep range)
Day 2: heavy legs (1-5 rep range)
Day 3: rest
Day 4: light arms (shoot for 20 rep sets)
Day 5: light legs (20 reppers true mental toughness on squats)
Day 6: rest
Day 7: rest

Also when I had time I'd add 20-30 mintues of high intensity cardio. Try it man. Gave mne great results. In 2 weeks I increased my bench 15 pounds and my squat 20 pounds. I've been lifting 3.5 years so this is one hell of an accomplishment. I'll start a journal sometime. Well now I have to switch to the football workout so it will be that. Try it man. I saw awesome results.

abarlament · 11-Jun-04, 11:06 PM

By arms you do mean upper body right cody?

Klinger · 12-Jun-04, 11:15 AM

Tom - I'm doing something similar to increase my bench. But I don't want my back to lag, so I slotted that in twice a week, too. It took a while to get it right. I was doing back the day after legs for a while and my deadlift sufered for it. Here's the routine, more or less.

Mon: Chest/tris/shoulders (BB flat, DB flat, flyes, DB shoulder, dips, skullcrushers)
Tue: Cardio or off
Wed: Back/biceps (deadlift, chins, BB rows, BB curl, hammer curl)
Thu: Chest/shoulders (BB flat bench, DB incline, BB close-grip, BB shoulder, shrugs)
Fri: Legs (all heavy; squats, calfs, extensions, curls) and light cardio
Sat: Cardio or off
Sun: Back/biceps (deadlift, DB rows, good mornings, upright rows, DB curls)

abs 3 days a week -- weighted crunch, hanging leg raise, etc.

**Gooseneck** · 12-Jun-04, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Firehawk

I love chest/tris back/bis method. In fact i wont do it any other way! I was trying chest/bi's back/tri's and it didnt work out nearly as well for me. But thats my preference...

I agree. I used to do it the other way and thought i had it down, but then I switched over to chest/tris : back/bis and I love it. Cuts down your time in the gym.

:

Gibson · 12-Jun-04, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom_Drahos

I really hate the idea of chest/triceps, back/biceps, but I think you're right as far as moving biceps and triceps around Gibson. If I want to throw chest in there again, I'll have to switch things around a little. How about something like this:

Day 1: Chest/Traps (Chest: Fl. bench 5x5, Inc. Bench 2x8-10, Flyes 2x8-10)
Day 2: Back
Day 3: Shoulders/Triceps
Day 4: Legs/Abs
Day 5: Chest (Fl. Bench 5x5, D. Bench 2x8-10, Pause Bench 2x8-10)
Day 6: Biceps/Forearms
Day 7: Rest

I've moved up to a 6 day split, but I think this should provide adequate rest for my body as far as limiting overtraining and limiting working out while my muscles are fatigued.

Go ahead and be sure to chime in if I seem to have accidentally broken some fundamental rule of weightlifting.

Have you tried omitting flyes and replacing them with say....oh I don't know....weighted dips??? Since removing flyes and cable crossovers from my workouts my bench has taken off. And yeah I think after a few weeks you will be overtraining your chest/shoulders and triceps. My shoulders are always very sore after a chest workout so I need a good 4 days rest before I work them.

Here's a sample of my 4 day split. I sometimes take two days off after a leg day and do 2 upper days in row. I go 4 to 6 reps on every exercise.

1: Legs
2: Rest
3. Chest/Bis
4. Rest
5. Back/Traps
6. Rest
7. Shoulders/Tris

TommyD · 13-Jun-04, 04:47 PM

As far as the preference for back/bi's, chest/tri's split goes, I've done that for a good year and since I've switched to a seperate day for my biceps/triceps, my triceps have increased a good deal in strength (biceps have remained the same). I like the idea of getting some good arm training in there @ 5x5 for close-grip bench/straight bar curls since I've never been able to train them when they're not fatigued (due to the chest/tri, back/bi split).

As far as eliminating flyes from my routine, I've never had them in my routine up until now. Since I've started them, my chest has taken a fuller look. I have pause bench in my routine my 2nd chest day so I can have a better chest workout than flyes in there. As far as weighted dips go, I do those on triceps day.

Great advice everyone, I'll be taking it into consideration as I revise my routine.

:

wanabe200 · 13-Jun-04, 05:52 PM

hey tommy d. ever just consider going to failure???

kenyon21 · 14-Jun-04, 08:09 AM

question tom. when\why did you start moving away from Max-OT style? i thought you were always one of the big supporters of it?

TommyD · 15-Jun-04, 01:24 PM

To answer both of the above questions, I've moved away from Max-OT b/c I wanted to see how my body responded to not going to failure every time I lifted. It's a good program, but there are other things that will get results out there. I just like to go from program to program, sticking with each for about 6-8 weeks before switching to the next.

Right now I'm looking into Westside to see what type of strength gains I can get from that.