Total body or 1 body part per day?

[lorihart]

This is sort of stemed from the Ask Cathe forum.
Your views please
I would like to get more difintion in my arms and trim my thighs.
What would be best? Two full body workouts a week, One body part per day, or the Tank Top Rotation.
I currently do alot of cardio so thats not a problem.Everytime I think about doing a rotation it gets thrown out the window b/c I like doing whatever I am in the mood for.I tried one body part per day and have to say, I enjoyed it but didn't do it long enough to get results.
If I tried doing it again I would use the GS workouts, and/or PUB/PLB or the body blast series.
Do you think GS Legs once and week and L&G once a week would make my thighs bigger?
Thanks Girlies...
Lori

 

[clareMc]

I doubt L&G and GS legs once each per week would make thighs bigger, but it depends. But these are both a nice mix of strength and endurance so you should be OK. Don;t forget to include Low Max for one day's cardio to work the legs more.

To add arm definition I would go for working 2 body parts per day, and doing each upper body part twice per week. I have just done this with the S&H series for the upper body with fabulous results. Total body workouts just don't cut it for me. I rarely do them any more.

Clare

 

[CathydsRNA]

To make serious strength gains and to add lean muscle mass, working out one body part/day is recommended. I think you can go up to 2 body parts/day if you separate the workouts by at least several hours. The idea behind this is that if you are working to exhaustion and pushing yourself and increasing weights, you won't be able to push yourself to your full potential for the second body part workout. I use full body workouts for maintenance only and usually only when I am short on time for a particular week. I don't beleive that L&G or Gym Style Legs will make your legs bigger as these are not heavy weight workouts.

 

[Stacy]

For those doing 1-2 body parts per day do you only the body part from that particular workout or do you combine workouts, for instance chest from GS with chest from PUB? And do you do cardio that day too?

Thanks!

 

[CathydsRNA]

Yes, I do cardio on many of those days. I don't mix up Gym Style chest, back, triceps or biceps with other workouts although I have added decline presses to the chest workout. I usually mix up PUB with other workouts such as those found on the CTX series. I also add other shoulder work to the Gym Style shoulder work as that workout is too short for me. I also do the S&H workouts and don't add other workouts to these. I like to do my strength training first and then cardio. If I am doing a total body maintenance strength then I do my cardio first.

 

[dss62467]

What about doing 2 parts in one workout that are opposing muscles, like chest and back? I want to do each body part twice a week, but in order to do that, plus get in cardio, and abs, and yoga, AND keep the workout to a maximum of 90 minutes...I'm already going up to a 9 day week. I can't do two separate workouts in a day - I have to go to work!

Isn't that what Cathe's premise of the Pure Strength series is all about?

 

[clareMc]

This is indeed what I do. 2 upper body parts per day, sometimes three if I am feeling very strong, and then I do not do cardio aswell those days, with a separate day for legs.

It is very possible to make great strides in strength and muscle size working 2 parts per day. I am currently doing it. And as you say, working opposing muslce groups, like chest and back, allows you to do this. The only combo which hurts and is not so productive for me is chest and shoulders the same day. BUt then, there is also the argument for this in that if I do shoulders first, I pre-fatigue some of the muscles needed for the S&H chest work, for example, and that forces the chest muscles to work harder to lift the same weights and number of reps as I usually do. I do not allow myself to slacken.

It is also a question of time and convenience. I have too much on my plate to be able to drop everything and workout at several different times per day. I have one opportunity and I have to grab it. I cannot work chest in the morning and biceps in the afternoon, for example. The second oportunity to workout will never arise, does never arise. This is totally unrealistic for me, so doing 2 or 3 body parts back to back, as in S&H series and the PS and GS series is indeed realistic. It fits my time allowance and it produces results for me.

As is often repeated, there is "science" and then there is "whatever works for you". Only you can decide what your best workout plan is, sometimes regardless of what the best sports science may dictate.

And yes, recently with my increased focus on strength training, this has taken my workout week to 8 or 9 days and what's the problem with that? Who says all workouts have to be rotated around a 7 day "week"?

Clare

 

[kathryn]

I have good results from doing 3-day splits like the Gym Styles, each once a week.