question for AM

[bg65]

I read your DFHT post and I have some questions... I have for a very long time used a split where I do upper body push (chest shoulders tris), upper body pull (back, bis), and legs... I just rotate through these three workouts currently using this split-
Sunday- Lift
Monday- Lift
Tues-off
Wed-Lift
Thurs-off
Fri-Lift
Sat-off
so say I do legs Sun, then push Mon and pull Wed, then legs Fri, push Sun, pull mon...etc I have always liked to focus my workouts on a specific group of muscles but it seems that a lot of people incorporate aspects of push and pull into their upper body workouts (as in your DFHT) I have been gaining well with this split, but is there a benefit to doing a more general upper body workout twice/week rather than splitting it into push and pull...Another reason I like to do this is that often I will still be sore from the previous workout and this split helps to ensure that I am not overtraining... thanks for any input

[AnimalMass]

I am a big fan of push/pull splits. Your progam isn't bad, but the problem is that you divide push/pull and upper body/ lower body. I think you would be better served by running an overall body push day: legs (squats), chest, shoulders, triceps -and- then a pull day where you work back, biceps, and hamstrings. This would also help the fact that you are only working each bodypart every 5-6 days, and this will make it so you are working each bodypart every 3-4 days.

Now the key to making a system like this work is that you pretty much have to do snatches and cleans.

Therefore, the more I look at it, it's probably not all that functional for a bodybuilder.

Now, it's just me, but I also am not a big fan of doing erector/ lower back work along with upper back. i.e. - I have a hard time doing deadlifts or goodmornings and then doing heavy barbell rows, lat pulldowns, etc.

OK, so I know I've rambled on a bit here, but I see 4 solutions to your problem...

1) Switch to a whole body push/ pull split and give serious thought to incorporating snatches and cleans to your program.

2) Keep the same split you have, but add squatting to one of the upper days as well - but here it becomes complicated because you wouldn't ever want to squat 2 days in a row.

3) If it's working, don't change at all - just keep banging it out.

4) Switch to an upper/ lower program like DFHT.

Those are really your options.

Matt

[bg65]

If i did a total body push/pull split, on which day would I do deads? I would classify them as a pull, but I have always done them on leg day(with squats, which are a push), which is why I try to keep pull and leg days a few days apart. thanks for the input

[AnimalMass]

This is the very reason why I like a lower/upper split better.

Basically lower body is: legs, abs, obliques, erectors.

Upper is: Chest, Shoulders, Lats, Arms

If you are going to do a push/push split, then you need to do squat with chest, shoulders, and triceps. - Then do deadlifts with back, (snatches, cleans), biceps, and hamstrings.

Matt