05-18-22 02:37 PM - Post#919548    

As I get older, I'm finding I don't have the energy and or motivation to workout 50-60 minutes. So I've decided to switch from a 3 day to a 6 day split.
I've been following a 3x a week routine of Bench Press, Squats, Overhead Press, & RDL (1 day a week swapping the RDL for DL)
This week I started
M W F: BP / Squat
T TR S: OHP / RDL (1 day a week swapping the RDL for DL)

It occurred to me yesterday that a better split may be upper / lower.
M W F: BP / OHP
T TR S: Squat / RDL (1 day a week swapping the RDL for DL)

Curious as to what others think the better split option may be, if there is one. Hope this makes sense and thanks in advance for reading and answering.

05-18-22 03:01 PM - Post#919549    

Why don't you try 1 lift a day? Maybe add a pulling exercise like a row or a pull up?

05-18-22 03:18 PM - Post#919553    

I like the first option better, but I am also biased toward both training every day and always training whole body.

That said, your performance on the RDL/DL portion may be compromised to some degree by that day going after squat day (depending on intensity of these days).

05-18-22 06:56 PM - Post#919557    

Seems like Easy Strength might be ideal as a baseline, and then periodically switch it up with shorter periods of a more conventional bodybuilding type split when you have time and energy and want to go crazy in the gym.

Re: Moving from 3x a week to 6x a week
05-19-22 12:38 AM - Post#919562    

• MrDave100 Said:

Option one would be way better: BP and OHP interfere with each other, even if you swap them as the first exercise of the day.

Also, I don’t like the lack of upper body pulling.

I would suggest this:

Session One
- Any lower body pushing exercise: low bar, high bar, front, Zercher….
- Any upper body pulling exercise: pull ups, rows, pulldowns, curls….

Session Two
- Any lower body pulling exercise: deadlift, RDL, clean, SGDL…
- Any upper body pushing exercise: press, incline, bench, dips…

After a few weeks, you should probably substitute the lift that improved the least for any other variation.

"I think we often spend too much time focusing on max fitness and not nearly enough on maintaining our minimums. It seems we need to think sustainable rather than obtainable. Meaning whatever we do today, we can do it again tomorrow. Never taking so much from ourselves that we can't." Dan Martin

05-19-22 05:25 PM - Post#919590    

• Jort Kramer Said:

I have never had success with the one lift a day programs. I don't know what I do wrong. Everyone else on the planet makes tremendous progress at some point in their journey using that formula.

05-19-22 05:30 PM - Post#919591    

Thanks for the feedback everyone!! Food for thought there iPood. Taking a short break from pull-ups, but will be adding them back in the near future.

05-20-22 06:30 AM - Post#919597    

Here's an idea that might work as it gives you some more recovery time:

Mon
- Squat ("heavy")

Tue
- Bench ("heavy")

Wed
- Squat ("medium")

Thu
- Bench ("medium")
- Overhead press

Fri
- Squat ("light")
- Bench ("light")

Sat
- Deadlift / SLDL

Sun
- Rest

"My grandma Olga, a famous Finnish Powerlifter, once told me, 'Little one, take care of your gastrointestinal tract and it'll take care of you.' Then she struck me with some salted herring." - TC Luoma

Re: Moving from 3x a week to 6x a week
05-20-22 08:11 AM - Post#919598    

I would throw my hat into the ring for Upper/Lower, Especially as we get older (like me). gives the joints a break and muscles get 48 hours rest while still getting to workout every day. Heavy Deadlifts and to a smaller degree Heavy squats are problematic as they use the whole body, but as i have gotten older i have gravitated to Bulgarians, DB RDLs, Single leg stuff and Knees over toes stuff which honestly i think is better anyways and takes far less out of you...but boy it's amazing how winded you can get doing bulgarians...

Re: Moving from 3x a week to 6x a week
05-20-22 10:12 AM - Post#919602    

Try it for six weeks, then evaluate.

Me, I'd go to a two-a-day routine instead.

Monday
Press - 2 x 8
Squat* - 1 x 30
Pull from the floor** - It depends

Tuesday
Squat* - 1 x 15
Dips - 2 x 8
Pull-Up - 2 x 8
Farmer's Walk - Ad Astra

Sets and reps are for the top sets. Your warm-up and preliminary sets are not included. Doing dips and pull-ups are the key.

*I would include heavy bent-arm pullovers after your last set of squats.
**My choice would be high pulls with minimal arm pulling. Just try to pull your traps up to your ears. Really work your calves by getting up on your toes.

YMMV

Mark it Zero.

Re: Moving from 3x a week to 6x a week
05-22-22 01:27 AM - Post#919618    

• MrDave100 Said:

Age?
Food?
Sleep?
Other life stresses?

I'm not sure the solution to "I'm finding workouts hard" is "... so I'm going to do more of them."

Athletic Club East Strength in numbers

Re: Moving from 3x a week to 6x a week
05-22-22 02:38 AM - Post#919619    

• Kyle Aaron Said:

I keep looking for that “like” button….

Just my 2¢

05-23-22 02:04 AM - Post#919625    

Why not roll a dice every day? Keep every session to about 20 minutes after a short warmup.

1 - Sets of five in the push press and front squat. Power clean the bar at the beginning of each set

2 - Crawling, tumbling and loaded carries

3 - Lots of kettlebell swings

4 - Pushups, pullups and goblet squats

5 - Trap bar deadlifts and trap bar walk

6 - Roadwork

Check out my critical-thinking blog at sharpenyouraxe.substack.com

05-23-22 04:56 AM - Post#919626    

• RupertC Said:

Or this...

Crawling and tumbling to warmup

First roll

1-2 Power cleans - sets of 5
3-4 Push press - sets of 5 (start each set with a power clean from the floor)
5-6 Front squats - sets of 5 (start each set with a power clean from the floor)

Second roll

1-2 Kettlebell swings (maybe 10 sets of 10 every minute on the minute)
3-4 Loaded carries (make each session different)
5-6 Roadwork

Check out my critical-thinking blog at sharpenyouraxe.substack.com

05-23-22 06:56 AM - Post#919628    

Roadwork = running?

05-23-22 07:19 AM - Post#919629    

• SinisterAlex Said:

Yes!

Check out my critical-thinking blog at sharpenyouraxe.substack.com

05-23-22 09:51 AM - Post#919632    

I can't assess your plan without seeing your recovery plan? How dialed in is your diet especially protein? Sleep? Active recovery, e.g., walking? I'm in my mid sixties and I have found executing planned recovery is absolutely essential. Where as 30 years ago I could make some progress while maintaining some destructive behaviors. What are you doing for recovery?

Re: Moving from 3x a week to 6x a week
05-25-22 08:36 AM - Post#919662    

• Kyle Aaron Said:

56
Paleo
7-8 hours
Little to no stress

05-25-22 08:42 AM - Post#919663    

• The Finn Said:

I utilized the heavy, medium, light concept for the first time last year when I was strictly doing calisthenics. Wow!! Game changer.

05-25-22 08:50 AM - Post#919664    

• SinisterAlex Said:

Yeah, my running days are over. Walking using Leonard Schwartz’s heavy hands is more my speed.

05-25-22 08:54 AM - Post#919665    

• jamej Said:

Paleo
Plenty of protein
Active recovery: an hour of yard work/ landscaping
I prefer the passive recovery of Netflix on the couch.

05-25-22 09:18 AM - Post#919666    

I “work out” seven days a week – what I have done is reclassify what I call a workout. The term used to mean weights or heavy resistance training of some kind. Now “working out” might mean going for a nice walk – a session of Ashtanga Yoga – Tai Chi – a bike ride – a longish session on the climbing wall – an hour or so with the weights doing God knows what – a ring workout – the “Power Lifts or Olympic Lifts - and on and on. At 73 being able to lift a certain amount of weight has a different value than before. I still want an above average bench press – squat – dead lift etc but the whole idea of constantly having to add weight to the bar is no longer important. I have found that mixing things up like this has allowed many of the “nigglely” little injuries to heal up as the stresses are spread out so much better. Aches and pains are much less and surprisingly my strength levels are doing well. It’s really not much of a change as this is pretty much how I have trained my entire life.

Moving from 3x a week to 6x a week
05-25-22 09:27 AM - Post#919667    

Since you have recovery issues, suggest a four day upper/low, moving to the six day split only after you've built up work capacity. As far as exercise selection, I'll echo the need for a vertical/horizontal upper body pull. So:

M: BP & row
Tu: Squat (H) & RDL
W: Off
Th: Repeat Monday or OHP & pullup
F: Squat (L) & deadlift (H)
Sa: Off
Su: Off

Best of luck.

Be strong. Be in shape. Be a man among men, regardless of your age or circumstances.

Edited by AAnnunz on 05-25-22 01:16 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.

Re: Moving from 3x a week to 6x a week
05-26-22 12:57 PM - Post#919679    

• DanMartin Said:

I like this. It reminds me of a Dave Maurice routine, which I happen to have started.

Training Blog.

05-28-22 06:06 AM - Post#919706    

Over 50 and previously untrained in that tool or method, two workouts a week.

Previously trained, three - but one has to be light.

The workout is just one tool or method. If you're a runner you don't mix in weights, or vice versa, for example. You can push strength, or endurance, not both. Yes, they both matter - so you have training sessions of three months where you focus in one or the other.

You can do both only if one's on the backburner. You can run and do Accessible Strength. You can lift heavy and walk every day. You can't do Starting Strength and for a marathon.

Likewise diet stuff.

Strength, endurance, diet - you can do all three easy, you can do one of them hard and the other two easy. But you can't do two or three easy.

You can try to push all three, but most people just get burned out, and those who don't, get injured.

So the question here is whether palaeo is easy for you. You're here and struggling, so probably not.

Okay, so decide what you want to do.

1. strength 2pw + daily walk + normal healthy diet
2. accessible strength + Run Strong + normal healthy diet
3. accessible strength + daily walk + palaeo

Do one for three months then re-evaluate.

Athletic Club East Strength in numbers