Push-pull-legs

[graham_may]

Hi guys
Many of you have prob read my training split etc, and I am considering shaking it up to a push-pull-legs to allow 2 dedicated CV days (need to battle this podge more effectively )in between, and to shock my body .
I would be proposing to do a split like this;

Mon - Legs
Tues - CV
Wed - Push
Thurs - CV
Fri - Pull
Sat - Rest (maybe CV, depends on other responsibilities)
Sun - Rest

Firstly, would this split be ok, ie its a slight variation on the push-pull-legs as I would propose to move legs to start of week as I have 5-a-side on a Friday night, therefore a 'pull' session on Fri would seem more appropriate.

Could i do abs on my CV days, or would it be best to keep them purely for CV?

Also, having looked at 42andstartingover's log, is is best to keep it simple (ie K.I.S.S principle) and start each session with compound movements, and finish with targetted movements? or should I use my feel?

Also, I only get 1hr in the gym as I already take an extended lunch to be able to do that (time I walk to gym, change, session, shower, change, wlak back to office) so is it realistic/possible to do do this type of session in 1hr?

Also, our gym gets pretty busy during lunchtimes on occasions, so if I was unable to do the routine in a set order each time, would this really matter?

Any help and advice greatly appreciated

[Andrew Roe]

i would agree with 42 about compoud first, as ive found you lose alot of the intensity of the exercise if youve already done isolations for the body part.

with regard to the busyness of the gym just think beforehand of a load of alternate exercises if you cant get the ones you want, cos if you have only got an hour your better off doing somthing rather than waiting for certain things and wasting half of your session

and as to fitting it into lunch brake i dont think you will have a problem, i used to have to train in a half hour lunch brake ( although i work in the gym so there is no travell time) and they were some of the best sessions i ecer had cos trained like a nucking futter to get everything in.

and i wouldnt think their would be a problem tagging abs to the cardio.

[Billy the Fish]

Looks ok to me, although I'm not a fan of this kind of wo myself it seems to be the 'in' thing at the minute.

Like Andy said it's sometimes a good thing to have to cram your wo into a certain timescale as you dont allow for excessive rest periods in between sets.

I find my wo's more intense when at work as I'm in a similar position to yourself whereby I have to fit everything into an hour (inc shower and grub etc) so your'e more inclined to train at a higher level of intensity which you may not do when you have time to burn.

[graham_may]

Cool, cheers for your views guys.
I feel, in terms of musculature, that my current training routine is working pretty well, but overal conditioning (BF% etc.) could def. do with a major boost, hence i wanna switch it up for a while.

Even if I do this type of WO for, say, 3 months and re-assess after that, at least i will gain yet more knowledge of how my body works and responds to different stimulii etc.

Andy - I normally fall asleep the night before a workout thinking of ways to improve, alternative weights/exercises/re range setc. etc. (sad i know!) so variation won't be a problem at all mate, but thanks

[Resurrected]

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Even if I do this type of WO for, say, 3 months and re-assess after that, at least i will gain yet more knowledge of how my body works and responds to different stimulii etc.

Nice to see someone thinking about there training. Sounds good to me Graham .

As I said in a previous post its worked well for me. It may not for you but certainly worth trying it out.

[graham_may]

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Nice to see someone thinking about there training. Sounds good to me Graham .

As I said in a previous post its worked well for me. It may not for you but certainly worth trying it out.

The way I look at it, even pro BBers learn more about their body, nutrition, rest, body response etc etc every year, so there is no reason why as a complete novice, i can't gain a huge amount of knowledge by trying new things

This new routine may suck for me, I may hate it...if it gets that bad, I can change back, or to another alternative, it's no big deal....but conversely, it may be the best step to overcoming plateaus and moving myself towards bigger and better goals...either way, unless i try, i will never know.

Is it right to be this excited about trying a new routine?!?!

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Is it right to be this excited about trying a new routine?!?!

Yes, why not

[graham_may]

Gonna be starting this new routine today.
Through work training, and another commitment, I haven't trained since last Wed, so should be nice and recharged and recovered ready to start this new routine.
I am having a slight inner hamstring (gracilis & semitendinosus I think) so may not be as full on start as I ha dhoped, depend show it feels.
Planned workout is

Squats - free bar or Smith, depends on how busy
Leg press
Calf extensions on leg press
Seated hamstring curls (depend son how about niggle feels)

and depending on time, maybe SLDLs or quad extensions

[James Copping]

If you're strapped for time just pick 2 compound lifts for each major muscle group, do 2 warmup sets and 3 working sets of each. Then do a couple of sets for a minor muscle group. A workout might look like:

Push
DB incline x3
Dips x3
Close grip bench x2

Pull
Deadlift x3
BB row x3
Pullup x3

Legs/shoulder
Squat x3
leg curl x3
calf raise x3
leg press x2
Military press x3