Weightlifting splits/days.

[Matthew 27]

Alright fellow lifters. What kind of splits are you seeing the most gains in strength/muscle (2 different animals I know, but just throwing it out there)? I know some swear by splitting up the body...others use compound movements. 3/4/5 day splits for each target. What have you all had luck with? I started compound + supersets on a 4 day split at first but never fully healed and weights did not change much. Now, I lift intensely only 1 day/week splitting the lower and upper body....it's a looooooong workout. But, I've seen great improvements in strength and my weight loss has been steady. One thing I've hypothesized is a slowing of healing due to the inability to eat/absorb the copious amounts of Protein I could preop, hence a need to allow for more heal time. I'd love your hear your all's insight and experiences. Thanks.

[NewSetOfCurves 1,555]

I'm not sleeved yet, but weight training has been a big part of both my life and my husband's life (we actually met in a weight room--okay TMI). Anyway, your hypothesis makes sense. What about a 2 day split? Upper on one day, lower on the second? I remember reading an article in Muscle & Fitness about the benefits of being a weekend warrior. The problem with 3/4/5 day splits, especially with upper body, is that even though your isolating the muscle, other muscles are still being used; hence, inability to fully heal. As a "weekend warrior" you're targeting all your muscles in a short amount of time and allowing maximum healing time. I know that when my husband and I got carried away with life events and weight training got pushed to the back burner, we tended to experience greater gains in strength and mass due to the muscles having some r&r healing time.

[NewSetOfCurves 1,555]

I liked this article:

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Weekend-Warrior-Workout&id=2591232

[Matthew 27]

I liked this article:

http://ezinearticles...kout&id=2591232

Excellent insight...thanks.

[Globetrotter 1,340]

So I do cardio every day, 6 or 7 days a week, and do weights every two days. When I do weights though, I am doing whole body - upper, lower, core, and doing my cardio and my yoga. I am wanting to build muscle so that I will be able to burn my fat better/faster.

Is this right?

[NewSetOfCurves 1,555]

Different people will argue different things. When I was in college and received my certification as a weight trainer, I was taught that isolating the muscles (from anywhere from 2days--like we discussed in this thread--to 3/4/5 day splits) with heavy weight, low reps was ideal for BUILDING muscle because you achieve tearing that muscle during that isolation period and you allow it sufficient time to rest and heal (that's the time in which it BUILDS and grows). Full body workouts back to back, or light weight lifting with high reps will achieve toning and leaning out muscle--which is fine and great, but you have to consider what your goals are. Women, however, do not build muscle like men (genetics plays a BIG part as well). I use to always push my female clients to go heavy because it's difficult for women to bulk up; and, even when women do go heavy, for the most part they seem to achieve that toned look that most women desire. Another lesson in building muscle 101 is to shock your muscles! Don't stick to the same routine, switch up about every month. Heck, throw in some crossfit training (which I think is awsome, but I also believe that it should be cycled in if your trying to bulk up, because it leans out the muscle if your doing it multiple times per week) within that cycle, but just remember to alternate the types of lifts you do. This is just my humble opinion, others might argue differently, which is fine, everybody is entitled to their own beliefs; I'm just trying to relay to you what I was taught. Research findings are always changing what was once true, so do some research and acquire as much knowledgs as you can so you can achieve your goals.

[NewSetOfCurves 1,555]

And yes Globetrotter, the more muscle we have, the more energy it takes to work those muscles, hence the ability to burn more "fat".

[Globetrotter 1,340]

Thanks! So, I worked my upper body hard last night, doing slow perfect form reps of the most weight I could possibly push. Should I not do upper body again until ... tomorrow?

[NewSetOfCurves 1,555]

No, you should NOT hit your upper body again (if you trained each area). According to your previous post, you lift weights every 3days. I would suggest a 3 day split of:

Day 1: back, shoulders, and chest

Day 2: biceps, triceps, forearms

Day 3: quads, hams, and calves

Abs should be cycled in 2-3 times a week as well.

[Lissa 2,631]

Curvy, Question re: abs... should they be done in conjunction with back and shoulders or on a separate day? I just discovered that I can't do a regulation sit up, although I do crunches every other day and I do sit ups on the exercise ball with a medicine ball in my hands so that I don't end up using my neck/hands to lift myself. I'm going for my white belt in mixed martial arts and one of the requirements is that I do 50 regulation sit ups in two minutes (men's rules, women's are 25 sit ups in one minute). I also don't have the upper body strength (yet) for men's push ups, but I can meet the requirement for women's push ups without a problem. Any tips?

[NewSetOfCurves 1,555]

Congrats on pursuing the white belt in martial arts! That is AWESoME! Whether you work out your abs in conjunction with your strength training sessions, or you work them on your off days, or cardio days, you will be fine. You are on the right track with the crunches and the use of the medicine ball paired with the medicine ball (you are utilizing your stabilizing muscles and adding resistance), but there are a bunch of other abdominal workouts you can do to strengthen your core. Check out this site and try these out:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/core-strength/SM00047

Hope this helps!