Training 2x/Day

[chiplin]

I just got a job at the gym I train at and I have free access whenever I want to train. I'm really considering trying to lift early afternoon and early evening, with the larger muscle group of that day being the first to be worked. I've also heard of people lifting 2x/day but working the same group, does anyone have any thoughts on that ? I'm going to be going on a bulk in about 3 weeks here so I'm trying to create or find something that's going to work in my best interest. What are your guys' thoughts on training twice a day ? Pros ? Cons ?

[btufts]

IMO once a day is enough, you'll already be taxed out from your workout. All the times I've gone twice I end up hurting myself the second time. I have however split up quad and ham workouts in one day which was alright, I would still rather be in one workout

[PdH]

^Agreed. Once a day is enough. Double splits can be pretty taxing on the CNS and thereby hinder your gains when bulking.

[natenator]

I think if you are eating enough + on AAS (a good dose lol) then 2x/day can be very beneficial to bring up lagging body parts.

Blast them hard for 4-6 weeks then go back to less volume and give them ample time to rest and heal. You should see some more growth then if hitting just once a week.

[chiplin]

Okay, so for those who said just stick to a regular split, training once a day. How many exercises do you recommend for each body part ? I've seen people do 1 exercise, but then you look in magazines like MD at pro profiles and you see their arm workout is 5 biceps and 5 triceps exercises for 4-6 sets each.

[btufts]

Okay, so for those who said just stick to a regular split, training once a day. How many exercises do you recommend for each body part ? I've seen people do 1 exercise, but then you look in magazines like MD at pro profiles and you see their arm workout is 5 biceps and 5 triceps exercises for 4-6 sets each.

4-5 for bigger muscle groups, ie. back, chest, legs

2-4 for smaller muscle groupes, ie. shoulders, bi's, tri's

remember these guys don't stop in the gym either when they're working out not to mention a lot of those exercises could be supersets etc. not to mention you never know in these videos whether these guys are training for contest or off season or they're just doing high volume for a certain time. the pro's are always doing periodization so what they might be doing one month may not be what they're doing the next month

[chiplin]

Okay cool, thanks man.

Also, for cardio. I was thinking maybe after lifting sessions I'd do 20-40 minutes of moderate intensity cardio to keep excess fat off. I know for a bulk I shouldn't be worrying about unwanted fats, but I'm not going for like a professional bodybuilder bulk, I just like it to be nice n slow and stay semi-lean while doing it, which is where the cardio would come in.

[btufts]

Okay cool, thanks man.

Also, for cardio. I was thinking maybe after lifting sessions I'd do 20-40 minutes of moderate intensity cardio to keep excess fat off. I know for a bulk I shouldn't be worrying about unwanted fats, but I'm not going for like a professional bodybuilder bulk, I just like it to be nice n slow and stay semi-lean while doing it, which is where the cardio would come in.

nahhh no need, let your diet do the work, 20 min every couple days wouldn't hurt but really your main focus is to gain muscle. too much cardio and you'll hinder gains. no more than 2 lbs a week is steady progress. any more than that you're probably going to gain fat. i'm not sure what your diet is looking like either or if your taking AAS.

[natenator]

nahhh no need, let your diet do the work, 20 min every couple days wouldn't hurt but really your main focus is to gain muscle. too much cardio and you'll hinder gains. no more than 2 lbs a week is steady progress. any more than that you're probably going to gain fat. i'm not sure what your diet is looking like either or if your taking AAS.
I'd rather see closer to 1lb/week or even .5lb/week. You can generally be sure that at .5lb/week increase that its muscle being put on and 2lbs of muscle in a month is pretty damn good.

Remember, 10lbs of muscle in a year and you've had an outstanding year!

[btufts]

I'd rather see closer to 1lb/week or even .5lb/week. You can generally be sure that at .5lb/week increase that its muscle being put on and 2lbs of muscle in a month is pretty damn good.

Remember, 10lbs of muscle in a year and you've had an outstanding year!

that's what i'm working on now. 1 lb a week steady for the past month and it looks like i've gained 15. rapid weight gain sucks lol

[chiplin]

nahhh no need, let your diet do the work, 20 min every couple days wouldn't hurt but really your main focus is to gain muscle. too much cardio and you'll hinder gains. no more than 2 lbs a week is steady progress. any more than that you're probably going to gain fat. i'm not sure what your diet is looking like either or if your taking AAS.

I'm not taking AAS... yet. My diet focuses on proteins and carbs but there's always the fat source in there too. Right now I'm taking 4-5 meals a day protein being the main part of each one then depending on the time of day, carbs or fat.


So I should focus on .5-1lb a week for gains ? How long should I bulk for ? I was only gonna go until next spring, approx March.

[PdH]

Bro, I'd still recommend the program I suggested before:

http://www.canadabodybuilding.com/forums/showpost.php?p=341263&postcount=72

If you're going to do cardio while bulking I would keep it low intensity.

[chiplin]

Oh my god, how did I even forget to look at my previous logbook... fml. That workout was unreal. Thanks for bringing it to my attention bro, I'm gonna rock that again for sure ! With a couple variations though ;)