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Which is better? 1 bodypart per day or 2 per day over 3 days per week?

B

Burning_Inside

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**in reference to this thread: http://209.11.101.244/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=37716**

WHICH IS BETTER? ONE BODYPART PER DAY, OR TWO?

So let me pan out for everyone my views on the bad and the good, and let's see what we all think about which is the better of the bad.

Training 2 bodyparts per day, 1 bodypart per week, 3 days per week:

**Let's take all of these points with a "supposedly" after each "fact", because it seems not everyone here agrees 100% with everyone else on anything, so as to avoid arguements, don't take what I write as gospel.**

If lifting for mass, the reccommended "mass phase" resting periods and set counts will undoubtedly push your workouts past the 45 minute mark, meaning the cortisol starts a pumping. Now if you try to stay under that 45-50 minutes, most likely you're not going to get in enough of the reccommended sets and rest per body part. 20 minutes per bodypart...If working back,or another big bodypart, that works out to be around 9 sets being able to be done if you take a 2 minute rest between each set and eash set takes 15 seconds. Now remember there's always the amount of time that it takes you to strip/add weights. That might reduce the time by a set or so. Is that enough rest/sets/time for those bigger groups?

Overview:
BAD: possibly ending up with dinky workouts to try and hit 2 muscles on one day so you don't workout for more than 45-50 minutes so the cortisol comes and rapes your muscles.

GOOD: well, as one person said, the muscles can be worked sooner because you work 2 per day, meaning you can get them in a little sooner than every 7 days if wanted, and like someone said, you give your CNS (central nervous system) a rest by not lifting every day.

Now, let's take the single bodypart per day routine:

You get to concentrate all your time on one (sometimes 2 smaller) bodypart/s in a 45 minute period. This lets you get sufficient rest between sets and also lets you do a lot of sets to emphasize different muscles within the group, meaning you won't have to skimp on your routine. And getting out before the cortisol comes is a great thing as well. However some say that the everyday thing doesn't give your CNS enough time to rest, and you won't make any gains this way.

Overview:
BAD: Supposeldy your CNS doesn't have time to rest enough doing daily single bodypart workouts, which will impede gains.

GOOD: Muscle group can be thoroughly bombarded within a 45 minute period of time, and your workout is completed before cortisol pumps through your system to eat your muscles away.

Now one more thing I want to bring up, is the recovery/food thing...In my opinion, it seems the body would be more efficient in supplying nutrients to only 1 damaged body part per day rather than always 2.

Now looking at this, if what everyone said is absolute truth, then it seems that both have their negative sides and it's just personal preference in the end. The 2 bodypart per day routine has a tendency to skimp your workouts if you want to be out of there in 45 minutes or so to avoid the cortisol outbreak.

The single bodypart daily routine skimps you on gains by not allowing your CNS to rest thoroughly.

OK, now it's your turn to give your feedback.
 
REPLY

perfect timming of this post. I was going to post a very similar question. After one cycle and lifting heavy every day for one hour and one part per day I did see very good results. In fact bench press over the eight months was up 120 pounds and then plateu. I got some pretty bad nerve impengement going down both arms (thoracic outlet) from what i believe to be the constant use. I believe that i reached a summit because the cortisol levels remained so high. I layed completely off for two and one half months before symptoms resided. In that time, as you can imagine, I lost size and strength from being sedentary and the remaining high cortisol levels. I have reworked my lifting and started back 4 weeks ago. Since then lifting 2 parts per day, heavy sets, and one hour in length, every other day, I can honestly say that i am back to where i left off. Also since i do have a day to rest the CNS, the days i go lift are more intense. So at least for me two parts a day every other day seams to be paying off, at least for now. Some of the nerve problems have returned but not near as bad.
 
I'm rather unlucky. If I take too much time off (more than 1 rest day per week) then my gains and size begin to suffer. If I only work each muscle once per week, size and strength go down. If I do each muscle twice per week both sessions intense, then I seem to do pretty well.

I eat sufficient calories and I get quite a bit of sleep (two 4 hour blocks) although it is normal for me to wake up for about an hour in the night. I'm recouperating well and have no energy problems or strength/size loss. Go figure...I'm the exception to the rule I guess.
 
reply

I was just wondering. How long have you done this schedule? Do you continue to make progressive gains? For me that is the whole reason for gear. I seam to peak, stay steady, then decline if i keep up the same training schedule. Gear will help me through those times to a new level that i can maintain and then it startes all over again.
 
I'm one of those here who is gear-free. As of this year, I've been in a plateau that took extra efforts to get out of...the only way I was able to do it was to hammer out concentrated sets on separate bodyparts. I usually mix it up (both exercise and set/rep scheme) but I work out the entire body twice a week with one day of rest. I've probably been doing this since early to mid May. My focused lifts are combination movements, particularly fond of standing military presses and squats.
 
Well, you CAN look it up in a search engine, but I'll humor ya'..
taken from : http://www.science.mcmaster.ca/Biology/4S03/cortisol.html

"Cortisol is a steroid hormone that is released from the zona fasciculata of the adrenal cortex in response to stress. The stressors that stimulate the release of this glucocorticoid hormone may be any number of things such as drastic changes in temperature, heavy exercising or even falling in love. Cortisol is considered to be such a reliable indicator of stress upon a system that many physiologists define stress as an event that elicits increased levels of cortisol.

The mechanism by which cortisol is released begins with the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus receives input about stressors affecting the system and transfers this information in the form of a chemical called corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH). The CRH travels through a portal vessel to the anterior pituitary gland where it stimulates the release of adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH). The ACTH is then circulated to the adrenal cortex where it stimulates the production and release of cortisol. Once secreted into the general circulation cortisol inhibits the release of and sensitivity to CRH thereby establishing a negative-feedback control over the system (see figure 1). The actual effects of cortisol on an organism is to alter metabolic functioning and the body's immunity response.




Increased cortisol levels alter organic metabolism in a number of ways. There is an increased mobilization of amino acids from protein stores in extrahepatic cells (non-liver cells). There is also an increase in transport of these amino acids to the liver. The liver converts these amino acids to glucose through a process called gluconeogenesis, and also uses them to increase production of plasma proteins. The increase in cortisol levels also serves to mobilize fatty acids from adipose tissues in an attempt to shift cells the metabolic systems from the utilization of glucose for energy and to the utilization of fatty acids instead. Separate from it's metabolic function increased levels of cortisol serve to suppress the immune system. This is achieved by decreasing the production of lymphocytes (especially T cells) and antibodies. Suppressing the immune system may be helpful in reducing some of the damaging effects of the immune response, for example cortisol is thought to help lower a fever. Finally cortisol is also capable of repressing the inflammatory response. Damaged cells release chemicals from their lysosomes that activate the inflammatory response. Cortisol is thought to prevent this activation by stabilizing the lysosomes of damaged cells preventing the release of the initiating chemicals.

The action of cortisol has many significant medical implications. For diabetics more insulin may be required when they are under stress to cope with the increase blood glucose levels. Surgeons need to be aware that the protein catabolism of their patients may increase due to the stressfulness of their situation. Cortisol ability to suppress the immune response may be exploited clinically to treat various inflammatory conditions such as allergies and arthritis. Cortisol may also be used in organ transplant operations to reduce the chance of organ rejection.

Although cortisol is not essential for life it helps an organism to cope more efficiently with it's environment.

References

Guyton, A.C. and J.E. Hall. 1996 Textbook of Medical Physiology. Ninth Edition. W.B. Saunders, Philadelphia.

Vander, A.J., J.H. Sherman and D.S. Luciano. 1994. Human Physiology. Sixth edition. McGraw-Hill Inc. New York."
 
Well since Arnold and the rest of the gang had no problem training more then 45 min

Maybe it depends on the person.
I myself prefer hitting every muscle group 2 a week.
(legs only once for now, but because of knee problems).
So doing 2 muscle groups a day.
I tried the once a week thing and it sucks bigtime (for me).
This is a individual thing. Some will benefit training everything once a week, some twice a week.
 
It depends on the intensity of the workouts. Some people have one heavy day and one light day per body part per week. Others go balls-to-the-wall on each body part once every 6 days (which is also what I do).

I am sometimes sore for about 4 days so I also listen to my body when it comes to the time between working each body part.
 
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