# How many training days per week are optimal?



## Bobbyloads (Apr 27, 2019)

What you guys think works better? Obviously everyone is different but just from your experience what works better less days at gym for more recovery time or 5 or 6 days when you can to hit a few muscle groups 2 times in a week? When I started I would go like 6 days now I do almost weekly 5 days a week but cause of that I don’t get as sore as I would like on the muscle groups I do twice in a week. Am I still getting good muscle growth if I don’t get as sore or should I maybe do 4 days lifting and dedicate one day to cardio or more legs or some shit?


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## maxmuscle1 (Apr 27, 2019)

Bobbyloads said:


> What you guys think works better? Obviously everyone is different but just from your experience what works better less days at gym for more recovery time or 5 or 6 days when you can to hit a few muscle groups 2 times in a week? When I started I would go like 6 days now I do almost weekly 5 days a week but cause of that I don’t get as sore as I would like on the muscle groups I do twice in a week. Am I still getting good muscle growth if I don’t get as sore or should I maybe do 4 days lifting and dedicate one day to cardio or more legs or some shit?



Natural- 3 days compound heavy lifts total body.

Enhanced- I like 3 day on, 1 day off, 3 days on.
Each muscle group 2x per week.  But that is just me.

Max


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## Straight30weight (Apr 27, 2019)

Two on, one off, 2 on, 2 off for me. I need a break every 2 days or my workouts suffer greatly.


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## dk8594 (Apr 27, 2019)

I did a heavy set of wrist curls in 02 and had to take the rest of the year off.

Since then it’s been 4 weight days and 2 cardio only day, which seems to work as long as I skip the rest pause, drop set wrist curls to negative failure.


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## Bobbyloads (Apr 27, 2019)

Yeah like I figured everyone gets their own grove I like the 3 days on 1 off idea might steal that to try it out. 2 on 1 off is probably easier on the family life though maybe when I get jacked as shit I’ll try it lol


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## CJ (Apr 27, 2019)

First question should be, how many days work in YOUR life's situation right now, where you can get to the gym every week. Is it 3? 5? 7?

Makes no sense trying to plan out a 6 days per week split if you can only get in 4 days. See my point? Sometimes life dictates your split for you, whether it's 'optimal' or not.

***edit*** I misread your post, so my response isn't 100% relevant.


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## Tinbeater36 (Apr 27, 2019)

I'm by no means an expert but I go by feel.  If I feel good I go, if I start feeling beat up or overly tired I take a rest day. Generally that ends up being 6 days a week.


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## maxmuscle1 (Apr 27, 2019)

CJ275 said:


> First question should be, how many days work in YOUR life's situation right now, where you can get to the gym every week. Is it 3? 5? 7?
> 
> Makes no sense trying to plan out a 6 days per week split if you can only get in 4 days. See my point? Sometimes life dictates your split for you, whether it's 'optimal' or not.



That’s real now! My job/personal life/kids dictate how I schedule workouts.  But.. I make it a priority because it is so important to my well being.

Max


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## CJ (Apr 27, 2019)

maxmuscle1 said:


> That’s real now! My job/personal life/kids dictate how I schedule workouts.  But.. I make it a priority because it is so important to my well being.
> 
> Max



Me too, I never know how many days I can get in. Makes it difficult.


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## Bobbyloads (Apr 27, 2019)

I see everyone’s point but in a perfect world I mean if everything is smooth obviously shit comes up family stuff being sick etc.... I work 8-5 with a hour drive each way and have to split time at the gym between me and my wife cause she watches the kids during the day but I have been doing good still going. I just wanted to see what people say and do to compare my routine and maybe try out others like that 3 on 1 off I really like that one.


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## JuiceTrain (Apr 27, 2019)

Straight30weight said:


> Two on, one off, 2 on, 2 off for me. I need a break every 2 days or my workouts suffer greatly.



This is what I do;
Mon/Tues off Wed than Thurs/Fri and rest during the weekend


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## Bobbyloads (Apr 27, 2019)

Love the weekends at my gym ****ing ghost town I’m here now and flying through sets and talking to you guys in between.


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## CJ (Apr 27, 2019)

I just started Tues/Wed(Upper/Lower) and Fri/Sat/Sun(Pull/Push/Legs). Off Mon and Thurs. 

4 days per week Upper/Lower wasn't good for me, the Upper days got too long. 

Rotating Push/Pull/Legs was a bit too much time before I hit a body part again.


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## maxmuscle1 (Apr 27, 2019)

Bobbyloads said:


> I see everyone’s point but in a perfect world I mean if everything is smooth obviously shit comes up family stuff being sick etc.... I work 8-5 with a hour drive each way and have to split time at the gym between me and my wife cause she watches the kids during the day but I have been doing good still going. I just wanted to see what people say and do to compare my routine and maybe try out others like that 3 on 1 off I really like that one.



That’s a great attitude, especially when your such a hard worker outside of the gym.  Mad respect.

Max


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## Bro Bundy (Apr 27, 2019)

and your titles are getting better


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## Trump (Apr 27, 2019)

Pull push legs day off repeat


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## Bobbyloads (Apr 27, 2019)

I haven’t got into pull push days yet still doing research about it but a lot of people swear by it def something I want to try out when I get more experienced


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## Tiny (Jun 23, 2019)

Two a days every damn day son!

In a perfect world but I’m really just constantly gauging where my body is as far as recoup and going as often as I my body let’s me at my age. Ideally I’m allowing the day to get some carbs after lifting before handling some stamina training.

Longer I’m out of the gym the easier it is to stay out some more


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## Long (Jun 23, 2019)

maxmuscle1 said:


> Natural- 3 days compound heavy lifts total body.
> 
> Enhanced- I like 3 day on, 1 day off, 3 days on.
> Each muscle group 2x per week.  But that is just me.
> ...



I started 3 on 1 off 3 on, and I am natural. I think its better than 4 or 5 on and 2 off or whole body once a week.

But I definitely am seeing a trend that the more I focus and up my game lifting that I can only go a month before I need 3 to 5 days off to recover. I have also been in a calorie deficit for quite a while now so that could be a huge factor. 

When I was a bit fatter and eating a lot more calories I was slamming 2 1/2 hour gym sessions and doing cardio in the PM.


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## CJ (Jun 23, 2019)

Long said:


> I started 3 on 1 off 3 on, and I am natural. I think its better than 4 or 5 on and 2 off or whole body once a week.
> 
> But I definitely am seeing a trend that the more I focus and up my game lifting that I can only go a month before I need 3 to 5 days off to recover. I have also been in a calorie deficit for quite a while now so that could be a huge factor.
> 
> When I was a bit fatter and eating a lot more calories I was slamming 2 1/2 hour gym sessions and doing cardio in the PM.



ABSOLUTELY being in a calorie surplus/deficit affects how much volume that you can handle. That's your fuel for workouts and recovery.


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## rawdeal (Jun 23, 2019)

More Issues To Consider:

is Shoulders a bodypart for you, or do you let it get taken care of on Back days and Chest days?

if Shoulders is its own day, do you do Triceps on that day or Chest day or some other day?

Biceps would pretty much have to go on Back day, or ... NO ... you split them away from Back day?

sounds like most here don't split any more than just Push - Pull - Legs, or do some here split into a bunch of bodyparts like the Pros claim to do?

anybody split Quads from Hams?  Calves go with Legs or added after different days?  Specific forearm work or just figure they get hit somewhere?

anybody have the luxury of hitting the gym twice on some days, like a major workout and a "little" one later for things you don't prioritize but don't wanna leave out?


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## Texan69 (Jun 24, 2019)

2 days per 7 day period was too much for me, at least for the long run. Except for calfs and traps. 
I do push/pull/legs/rest day then repeat. Sometimes two rest days then repeat 
so it ends up hitting each muscle every 4-5 days so not really looking at a 7 day week timeframe as it’s on a roaring schedule. 
But like you and everyone is saying everyone’s different. Some do better with more frequency. I prefer the more frequency but less volume per workout. I am able to train more intense that way versus doing one day of high volume per week for each muscle


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## rawdeal (Jun 24, 2019)

I've tried every variation Weider, Arthur Jones and I could think of over the years, and I'm pretty much settled on 3 on, 1 off myself.  Helping me reach that decision is the collection of orthopedic woes I've collected that limit my menu of exercises a bit. K*I*S*S  = push, pull, legs for me and gives me the peace of mind of knowing I'm doing what's best for the current version of me.  When you think about it, 3 on, 1 off leads to 2 workouts per week for each bodypart .... it's just that your week is 8 days long instead of 7.  I can always tweak the volume a/o intensity if I feel flat sometimes, while sticking to the basic blueprint.


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## dk8594 (Jun 24, 2019)

rawdeal said:


> More Issues To Consider:
> 
> is Shoulders a bodypart for you, or do you let it get taken care of on Back days and Chest days?
> 
> ...



1) I don’t train anterior delts. IMO they get enough from presses. However, I still do medial and posterior work. I do medial with my chest workout and posterior with my back workout.

2) I don’t do much for biceps and never really got why so many people do such heavy volume. I do four sets on bicep curls on my chest, delt, arm day.

3) I split calves and abs out separate from the regular push, pull , leg protocol. My theory is that if I did legs right, I won’t have any left to give calves. Hence they get their own day.

4) No, I don’t separate quads and hams. Besides leg extensions and leg curls, I haven’t found a way to work one without working the other to some degree.

5) if I was able to spend all day napping and recovering I might consider it. As it stands now though, it would be a recipe for running myself down


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## elena (Jul 1, 2019)

you are doing good. i am also go to the gym for about 4 days a week.


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