No enhanced aren’t even humans they are freak! They deserve shame for their bloated guts and overdeveloped uppertraps rather than getting praises all the time from non-lifters for eating unhealthy and not lifting with proper form.
My favorite is Push, Pull, Legs, Rest Day, Upper body, Lower body, Rest Day. Alternating heavy days and light days. Upper/Lower days are supersets of antagonist muscles i.e. bench press supersetted with pullups.
@@adamek9750 I haven't looked at any of Layne's workout plans. I simply combined my two favorite routines overr the years, push/pull/legs & an upper/lower split.
@@zukodude487987 If you do low volume, I suppose it is. 2-3 sets per muscle group. I can't imagine doing 6 days a week full body, you will have to go very low on the intensity and on the volume. Maybe you are just a genetic freak.
John Meadows is unbelievable a humble guy. Who would've known that he'll like eat and every comment posted. This shows that he cares & I'm happy to support him. God bless bro 🙏🏽
I remember a channel, Natural Gallant Bodybuilding, saying the best workout is the one where you can recover from the highest amount of volume for yourself with the highest amount of frequency for yourself. I find this to be very accurate and a good example. Also, the video explains it basically the same way, at least so I understood it. Thanks for the video.
Any time I need a refresher course on anything bodybuilding related I type in the topic I’m interested in and “mountain dog” and I find my answers. In this case “training split mountain dog” and here I am. I appreciate you sharing your experience/knowledge John !
I’ve been doing Bro Split . But I designed it for myself . Monday : Chest and Lateral Raise - Tuesday Back and Trapezius - Wednesday Quad and Calf - Thursday Shoulder and Trapezius - Friday Arms and Forearm - Saturday Hamstring & Glute and Calf - Sunday Rest day ( If i need it ) . This split just designed around my muscles and joints recovery . So what i mean is that stop compare splits like PPL or Full bodu stuffs . Pls just listen to your body . I think Consistency is key . Just stick to the program that u love and enjoy most . Stay Strong ..
Simple thing is nothing works forever. I have 2 routine that work really well for me and I cycle between them. Usually 4-6 months on one then the rest of the year on the other. One is locked in 4 days a week same body parts. The other is 4 day a week push, pull, legs, (whatever needs extra work day) as the forth day.
Big fan of instinctive training. Gauge your recovery time, this is key. Overtraining sucks as bad as undertrained. Naturals have to train hard, but smart. And keep in mind, training is just the the first part of a 3 part approach needed for gains. Good nutrition and proper recovery. The pump is great, but you do not grow in the gym. You grow in the kitchen and resting.
@@sackychin6267 95% of what ? If u workout terribly but have amazing genetics, ur gonna look good, but if u have bad genetics and work your absolute ass off, ur probably gonna look good too.
I used to do PPL Rest Repeat and I stopped because I injured my elbow because of overusing it. I thought I only have muscles to recover but hell NO! what I learned: It is more than muscles recovery.
Big thing I learned about training splits is to make sure to change them. Don't get to fixed and take time to recover. And be willing to move the usual routine by a day.
Right now I'm doing 1. Chest/Back,2. Legs and 3. Shoulders, arms, abs. 2000 calories on off days and 2350 calories on training daysand it's working for me now. I'm 182 cm (6 ft), 91 kg (200.2 lbs). Biggest thing that lead to improvements has been being consistent. Thanks for the information Mountain Dog.
Rip John, but incredible video, both very well spoken individuals. Basically optimize recovery and interpret how your training is affected by the volume, understand when to break, but also don't forget to take into consideration your tendon, ligament and joint health.
Why not tag on cardio everyday man. Better for endurance and nothing wrong with tossing in 20 minutes or 30 minutes of cardio a day. Good for the heart and mind
What I found is when i start a program, i might have to train with soreness at first to force the body to adapt to the frequency i am using. If i just wait until im not sore, i will always be sore for the same amount of time and then i will lose time. When i force myself to train with soreness, my body adapts and soon enough im never really sore. In the long term I think it’s best to not let your body decide for your frequency but to kind of force it into doing more. You can’t apply that to the extreme but when it’s well managed and you know what your body can handle it’s good!
The complicity of all the info almost makes me want to throw my hands up in defeat. The sleep, diet, and split/routine takes forever to really figure out. Also factor in your normal work routine and the stress that comes with that it seems almost impossible to make gains. But, when you do hit the sweet spot in all the factors and you do make gains and feel like an animal in the gym, it’s all worth it then. Keep up the good timely info. Much appreciated.
Going through that at the moment, and in a spot where i don't know what to do next, but i will never give up, just because of that, when you figure out, you are an animal!
Good video. I struggle with sticking to a split for any prolonged length of time - I admit to pretty much feeling out what I'm doing intuitively, based on how I'm feeling, what I did recently and what my schedule is looking like for the next few days. I know my numbers and I know what I'm working towards. It's working ok for me.
CNS recovery is another thing to consider. Personally i like full body routine twice a week. One routine is very abbreviated and low rep work to using singles on big lifts like bench and deadlifts, only a couple of other exercises. My next workout is more of a 5x5 using different exercisers to the heavy workout using slightly more exercises eg 7 or 8 exercisers at the most. 2 full body workouts i hit each muscle group twice a week, low volume and fequency help my recovery especially cns recovery from heavy singles training.
This video is gold. I do 2 on 1 off 3 on 1 off full body days(5x). More effective sets and less fatigue per workout. Recovery is something I need to manage over many days rather than from a single workout. Similar to what Eugene said, my knees got sore so I backed off on legs and they blew up.
Good stuff John. I think it is great to detail the differences between natural and "enhanced" training. Young or naive trainers are done a disservice by these workouts published by PED users... a PED user can do almost anything, the natural trainer has to be more careful. He's not going to recover or promote protein synthesis like a PED user.
I'm a big believer in Instinctive Training and listening to your body because like you guys talked about, everybody's body responds different to different things.
I've had to pull back on splits due to injuries generated by not enough warm up, wrong sequence of exercise routines on one muscle group and poor form. I had to train around my injuries for up to 4 weeks. Very frustrating, but I had to do it to recover.
Perfect timing... 3days ago i just started a new program push ,pull ,legs n abs, rest n repeat! See how it goes pretty much bn on the typical bro split for too long now time to start mixing it up thanks guys 💪👊
Monday:chest and Tris Tuesday:back and bis Wednesday:shoulder and legs Thursday:chest and Tris Friday back and bis Saturday shoulder legs Sunday:offday
Great stuff guys! I change my routine quite often to match my lifestyle and poor recovery. Overtrained recently so try to dial back a bit on volume and intensity to get back to where I was.....keep them vids coming!
Listen to your body, train hard, sleep well, eat well, and try to progress. 🤷🏼♂️ hate to say it unless you’ve trained naturally for 10 years plus (also everyone is different) there are no rules and limits unless you tell yourself there is (even tho there is one you have to act that there isn’t). If you tell yourself that there is a limit, it will only hold you back from training a way that could be optimal. If you train with a lot of volume off the get go, your body will adapt with time. Training natural just takes time and patience, don’t listen to anyone, have fun and let your imagination take over and don’t doubt yourself (even tho there could be a limit)
Currently I'm spreading out my chest and shoulder workouts for joint health reasons. I can feel extra stress in my shoulder joints without training them on opposite ends of the week as chest.
I can’t believe that I am only seeing this after 2 years. 🙈 I am currently in this conundrum... as I want to create my own workout plan. I have been lifting since 2017, I must admit that it has been inconsistent. During lockdown I picked up so much body fat and when gyms were allowed to open up... I got back into it since 15/10/2020 and been going ever since. And this has been the most consistent I have been. Does that mean my gains are still considered to be Newbie gains? This video has helped a lot and yes... I have so much more questions. 🤣 Thank you Mountain Dog. God bless brother and thank you.
Add on question (more powerlifting related, but I recon you guys have some good answers in a bodybuilding context too): How about heavy and light days, say 3x5 on day one and 3x5 @ 80% of monday (or lower when choosing dynamic effort)? Thanks for the great work as always & keep it up!
@@slee2695 max effort is only in conjugate westside style training, other well known coaches like Sheiko and Chad Wesley Smith like to run 3x5s n stuff in waving intensity n volume like that where you never go all out and only build
G'DAY mates!☺️ Your guests are always well informed. The variety of information that's being provided gives us viewers options to find better ways in gaining strength and size. 👍
hva faen skal jeg hete well, you can do whatever you like and works for you! Thats the beauty! Now i have gone back to push - leg - pull - rest, and repeat. Every layout had its own charm with pros and cons.
Man bites Life have done PPLPPLPPLPPL... as a natty (basically no rest days, just from time to time a day or two when really needed) and made great gains have done upper, lower, rest, upper, lower, rest, rest as a natty and made great gains as well. if course at least cardio on off days and also on most training days now as an enhanced athlete im doing PPLPPL and make great progress as well. im going to failure a lot more often, using a lot more intensity techniques in general. i can tell that not soo much had changed since i started with the gear (have been about 7 months now). im a fan of a higher frequency; i think its better to train every muscle two times a week - both, as a natty and as a geared athlete as well. with juice you are just able to make your workouts more intense and still recover quite good. of course the progress (optical and and also strength-wise) is speeded up. but beside that, i dont see thaaaaat much of a difference between natty/enhanced. dont know why most pro‘s train each muscle only once per week; imo its better for your joints, if you split your volume from one to two days and reduce the impact on your joints and cns. but i think everyone should do what he loves the most. if you have no fun during your workouts, you will never achieve your goals
*Monday* Back chest biceps *Tuesday* Quads calves shoulders triceps *Wednesday* Rest *Thursday* Chest back biceps *Friday* Quads calves shoulders triceps Sometimes I'll add forearms and abs depends on my mood One week I'll alternate heavy weights low reps, higher reps less weight Recently i started to do one powerlifting week where I do deadlifts squats shoulder press and bench heavy weight more sets less reps.
I've done it all the first few years training but... Once a week training for me is best. Just suits my lifestyle and recovery. I'm the strongest in my gym, naturally too (it's a university gym) not bragging, but I put it down to 15 years of consistency and focus on complete recovery. Hard for some to grasp though.
@the Donn I've been going to the same gym for 15 years, a university gym, I know all the staff and management (I have family that work there) and the staff and the members themselves tell me. Many of whom I've trained with also. Do you want me to put up some numbers? When I trained at Dorian's Original Temple gym in my early twenties sporadically on leg days with my long time training partner, the staff that worked there told us that the only other trainers that they saw using the kind of poundages on the hack squat was Dorian. You don't have to believe me, but that's okay.
Old video, however.....Here's an interesting thought around the 5:45-6:00 mark where Eugene is talking about over reaching regarding leg training, then taking a couple of weeks off to realize said gains from over reaching. When I hear things like that, it makes me wonder if that is a similar reason to why people are able to make "bro" splits work they way they do. On paper, it would appear that they are less than "optimal" unless volume is equated, however, there's something to hammering a muscles and then letting it recover for a week, even for natty's. I've done it myself in the past and seen many others make it work. Sort of like a mini version of overreaching each training day on the 1 or 2 muscles you're working, then letting the gains be "realized" over the course of the week. I've since moved on to upper/lower and PPL type of splits, but there's something to be said for the "bro" split, even for us mere mortals.
I always thought best approach was built around what body parts are lacking to others as time goes on you’ll see certain parts grow faster then others so just base it all around what isn’t growing fast is what your split should be based on and of course never train a muscle till it’s recovered but if it’s lacking over training the stubborn muscle is bound to happen just keep confusing what lacks with different things
I'm a physiotherapist but kind of getting into bodybuilding. I'm big on longevity as i want to be active even at 80 years old, I was thinking if during a leg workout, it could be beneficial to do isolation exercises for hams, quads and glutes before hitting the squats? It would force me to use less weight, but it could probably help me also improve muscle control as I can't seem to get sore from squatting in any muscle. Just thinking if it would hinder my hypertrophy gains, I don't really care about strength as I think squatting 140kg is well enough for everyday function... Great videos, you're a cool dude, greetings from Finland
That's actually ideal for those of us that are over 30 and want to stay in the sport for the long game. You can apply that principle to every bodypart (I know I do). For Quads I start with Leg Extensions, for Chest I start with Cable Crossovers, for Back I start with Straight Arm Pulldowns/Rope Pullthroughs, for Shoulders I start with the Reverse Fly Machine, for Triceps I start with Rope Pressdowns, etc. I actually give credit to John for my current tricep workout - I've been doing his workout with Rope Pressdowns to warm up, followed by double-handle pressdowns, then reverse double handle pressdowns, J-Presses(? - the skullcrusher/close grip bench hybrid move), and finish with an overhead rope extension.
Man..... your video on insulin and how to maintain it and using eaa.....big game changer, use to be so sore but now I recover better and burning more fat 👍 plus you gain a subscriber ✌
Since I'm doing naturally without roids, I believe you really need to check your electrolyte and muscle tissue level. As MountainDog1 (lol) said, we really need to see if the soreness will be good to workout or would be better to rest. As the same if my body recuperates in two days no need to wait. So I suggest to do 8 week upper lower splits then 4 weeks of Bro splits then 4 weeks of full body and see what suits you best for the next 1 or 3 or 6 months.
Thanks M Dog for all the help you give us all especially me I'm 41 yrs old and all the help counts I'm as big and strong as any 20 something year old thanks to you please keep on doing what you do
Thanks for sharing John!! Love to see you channel grow every time I check in. You deserve it. Always quality video releases and frequent too. Keep up the good work! Happy thanksgiving to you John and your family.
sidelwork The best routine for recovery is a full body routine every other day doing just One Set for each body part. Chest . Bench Press 20x 1 ,Incline Bech press 20x 1 ,Stand press 20 x 1 ,Upright row 20x1 ,Shrug 20x 1,Flys 20x 1,Pull over 20 x 1,Dips 20x 1 ,Chins 20x 1 ,Dumbbell row 20x 1,Barbell curls 20x 1,Incline curl 20x 1 ,Concentration curl 20x1 ,Narrow grip Bench press 20x1 ,Incline Dumbbell Extension 20x1 ,Reverse Z/Bar Curl 20x 1,Squats 20 x1 ,Calf Raise 20x 1, Deadlift 10 x 1 ,Crunches 100,Leg raise 100,Twists with broom handle 100 . For a warm up do 20 Reps with a light dumbbell or 5-10 lb weight disk 20 x1 .This is a Steve Reeves full body routine and make sure you only use light weights on your first workout so you do not over do it and then you add on weight when you can ,this routine is Brilliant and can be done in an hour to an hour and a half . Mon/Wed/Fri or Tue`s/Thurs/Sat and if you want have a run on off days to help with recovery .This routine works and Steve Reeves is the proof ,forget Split routines and give this routine a try . Make sure you sip on a protein drink when your training for energy or else you will not get through the whole workout ,this is very important ,you will need a pint or 2 pints when training . You will never know unless you give this routine a try
Strictly chest on Monday Shoulders and tri's on Tuesday Abs and any touch up shoulders and tri's on Wednesday (very short workout 15-20 minutes) Back and bi's on Thursday Abs and touch up bi's on Friday (very short workout 15-20 minutes) Legs on Saturday Off Sunday Every week I change weight, reps, and intensity then every fourth week I do a decent deload with 50% of max weight and do speed work with it. (Shorter than usual workouts)
I rained for 5 months now, I did bro split, but I feel like I can do more. I’m starting today Push/Pull/Legs twice a week, let me know what you think about this routine. Maybe I’ll do Legs only once a week and Saturday I’ll do cardio and be focusing more at my abs. Every opinion is important for me. Thank you 😊
You could try Push pull legs rest upper lower rest. I'm currently doing this coming from a upper lower rest upper lower rest rest routine and i feel great, i can do slightly more volume on the big muscles without recovery being affected
Dan Dan Hey Dan 👋, I’m kinda new to the gym and I don’t quite understand how upper and lower works. Can you tell me what do you train on your upperbody and on the lower body. Thank you so much for answering, have a good day 😊
@@ivaylokrushkov382 On upper body day you train all your upper body, and lower body day you train legs and usually abs. Is good to have a mix between push pull legs and upper lower because you train 5 days per week instead of the 6 required for a double push pull leg routine, allowing for more rest and recovery. It's an intelligent split and one of the best ways to maximize volume when you feel that you can handle it. So basically it would look something like this: MON : push day TUE: pull day + abs WED: legs day THU: rest FRI: upper body day SAT: lower body day + abs SUN: rest So you can hit every muscle group twice per week without sacrificing recovery. You could vary your training intensity, for example talking about chest you could use lower reps, compound movements, and higher weight in your push day, and use lighter weights and more reps with some complementary exercise in your upper body day. IE: Chest Workout - push day Bench press: 3×6-8 Inclined dumbbell press: 3×8-10 Dips: 3×10-12 Chest workout - upper body day Flat dumbbell bench press: 3×8-10 Cable flyes: 2×12-15 Hope this helps. Have a great one!
Issue with push is you're not gonna be able to max on tricep and shoulders. Chest tri, back bi, shoulders and 1 tri, legs and 1 bi, and rest and do small muscles. 6 sets by 3 excerices for each muscle group guys
I train in the AM and I use steroids. Weekly massage is in the PM. Working well for me at the moment. Mon: Legs Tues: Pull Wed: Push Thur: Legs (deep tissue massage) Fri: day off Sat: Pull Sun: Push
@@spiderman4440 Not OP but here are some of John's Arm vids: th-cam.com/video/9uYWDTMAIRk/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/SZUF6h_uv14/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/JgJ7AK0du7k/w-d-xo.html
I like to do chest/back -off- quads/hams/calf’s-off-delts/traps/arms-off-then train day1=chest day 2=back day3=hams/calf’s day4=quads day5=delts/traps day6=arms day7=off then day1= back/bis day2=chest/tris day3=off day4=quads/hams/calf’s day5=delts/traps day6=arms day7=off then repeat program. I do this for 8/10weeks then go day 1=pull day2=push day3=legs day4=off then repeat.also do this for about 8/10weeks. When preparing for competition I do 30/60mins fasted cardio every morning. And if needed 30/60mins in the evening 💪👌👍🏴🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
I train legs twice a week, but only once for chest and back. My benching is not the best. Would it be more beneficial to do chest twice a week, lighter weight with more reps, or, heavy and still once a week?
If you would train a bodypart every day for a few weeks, how much volume would it be per day? How many exercises? Just squat or leg press for 5-10 sets? Im very curious how to set that up the correct way.
Also joint health needs to be considered...my muscles recover a lot faster than my joints
absolutely!
Eaxactly! That's why I got golfers elbows and shoulder issues on the left side.
Thats why deloads are a great thing
If it wasnt for my joints and CNS I could go all out on squat bench deadlift every day and still progress, you are very right.
Jasper M. exactly! I had to switch my bench day to a core / calf workout yesterday because my elbow was just hurting too much to bench
Love the community in the comments everybody positive and trying to help one another. Natural or enhanced.
exactly - we all in this together!
No enhanced aren’t even humans they are freak! They deserve shame for their bloated guts and overdeveloped uppertraps rather than getting praises all the time from non-lifters for eating unhealthy and not lifting with proper form.
@@Zetsuke4 biiiiiitch
RIP John! You will always be missed! 🙏🏿
My favorite is Push, Pull, Legs, Rest Day, Upper body, Lower body, Rest Day. Alternating heavy days and light days. Upper/Lower days are supersets of antagonist muscles i.e. bench press supersetted with pullups.
@@adamek9750 I haven't looked at any of Layne's workout plans. I simply combined my two favorite routines overr the years, push/pull/legs & an upper/lower split.
@@zukodude487987 If you do low volume, I suppose it is. 2-3 sets per muscle group. I can't imagine doing 6 days a week full body, you will have to go very low on the intensity and on the volume. Maybe you are just a genetic freak.
@@zukodude487987 How are the results?
That's a fantastic idea for a split I never considered in 20 years of lifting lol. Thanks Jeff! I'm totally stealing this!
I would do seal rows after bench and pull ups after incline bench and bent rows after decline bench. Literally hitting the same angle both ways.
John Meadows is unbelievable a humble guy. Who would've known that he'll like eat and every comment posted. This shows that he cares & I'm happy to support him. God bless bro 🙏🏽
Thank you. I appreciate the support and for you recognizing the efforts I make.
John is changing how we view enhanced vs natural and bringing all of us together on a great plain.
that's the goal, I hate the bickering
Whos john?
@@ericpacitti3970 the guy who's not Eugene.
I remember a channel, Natural Gallant Bodybuilding, saying the best workout is the one where you can recover from the highest amount of volume for yourself with the highest amount of frequency for yourself. I find this to be very accurate and a good example. Also, the video explains it basically the same way, at least so I understood it. Thanks for the video.
Any time I need a refresher course on anything bodybuilding related I type in the topic I’m interested in and “mountain dog” and I find my answers. In this case “training split mountain dog” and here I am. I appreciate you sharing your experience/knowledge John !
I’ve been doing Bro Split . But I designed it for myself . Monday : Chest and Lateral Raise - Tuesday Back and Trapezius - Wednesday Quad and Calf - Thursday Shoulder and Trapezius - Friday Arms and Forearm - Saturday Hamstring & Glute and Calf - Sunday Rest day ( If i need it ) . This split just designed around my muscles and joints recovery . So what i mean is that stop compare splits like PPL or Full bodu stuffs . Pls just listen to your body . I think Consistency is key . Just stick to the program that u love and enjoy most . Stay Strong ..
No BS, straight to the point video. Love it
no drugs here, just anabolic chicken
Simple thing is nothing works forever. I have 2 routine that work really well for me and I cycle between them. Usually 4-6 months on one then the rest of the year on the other. One is locked in 4 days a week same body parts. The other is 4 day a week push, pull, legs, (whatever needs extra work day) as the forth day.
Big fan of instinctive training. Gauge your recovery time, this is key. Overtraining sucks as bad as undertrained. Naturals have to train hard, but smart. And keep in mind, training is just the the first part of a 3 part approach needed for gains. Good nutrition and proper recovery. The pump is great, but you do not grow in the gym. You grow in the kitchen and resting.
Genetics is 95%
@@sackychin6267 95% of what ? If u workout terribly but have amazing genetics, ur gonna look good, but if u have bad genetics and work your absolute ass off, ur probably gonna look good too.
amazing.. i was just thinking about this today and no other than John Meadows uploads a video that answers my question perfectly.
Same. Another quality upload by the Mountain Dog himself!
Yes very good vid I notice a better quality in the video as well looks very defined.
I used to do PPL Rest Repeat and I stopped because I injured my elbow because of overusing it. I thought I only have muscles to recover but hell NO!
what I learned: It is more than muscles recovery.
Big thing I learned about training splits is to make sure to change them. Don't get to fixed and take time to recover. And be willing to move the usual routine by a day.
Right now I'm doing 1. Chest/Back,2. Legs and 3. Shoulders, arms, abs. 2000 calories on off days and 2350 calories on training daysand it's working for me now. I'm 182 cm (6 ft), 91 kg (200.2 lbs). Biggest thing that lead to improvements has been being consistent. Thanks for the information Mountain Dog.
Rip John, but incredible video, both very well spoken individuals. Basically optimize recovery and interpret how your training is affected by the volume, understand when to break, but also don't forget to take into consideration your tendon, ligament and joint health.
This is complete gold. I can't believe this knowledge is for free.
Shoulders, arms
Cardio
Back
Cardio
Chest/arms
Cardio
Legs
That's what I was taught years ago. Idk if it's best, or not.
Why not tag on cardio everyday man. Better for endurance and nothing wrong with tossing in 20 minutes or 30 minutes of cardio a day. Good for the heart and mind
My current split : chest/back, rest, leg/shoulder, arms /abs, full body, rest, rest...Repeat.45 min session and all natural.
Hello.
How much sets by part in your split and in your full body?
Thank à lot
What I found is when i start a program, i might have to train with soreness at first to force the body to adapt to the frequency i am using. If i just wait until im not sore, i will always be sore for the same amount of time and then i will lose time. When i force myself to train with soreness, my body adapts and soon enough im never really sore. In the long term I think it’s best to not let your body decide for your frequency but to kind of force it into doing more. You can’t apply that to the extreme but when it’s well managed and you know what your body can handle it’s good!
More videos with Eugene please!Dude knows his stuff!
The complicity of all the info almost makes me want to throw my hands up in defeat. The sleep, diet, and split/routine takes forever to really figure out. Also factor in your normal work routine and the stress that comes with that it seems almost impossible to make gains. But, when you do hit the sweet spot in all the factors and you do make gains and feel like an animal in the gym, it’s all worth it then. Keep up the good timely info. Much appreciated.
you bet
Going through that at the moment, and in a spot where i don't know what to do next, but i will never give up, just because of that, when you figure out, you are an animal!
Good video. I struggle with sticking to a split for any prolonged length of time - I admit to pretty much feeling out what I'm doing intuitively, based on how I'm feeling, what I did recently and what my schedule is looking like for the next few days. I know my numbers and I know what I'm working towards. It's working ok for me.
really humble and precise person - john meadows one of my favourite fitness mentors
How can you NOT like this? There's no argument that this makes sense.
My favorite split 6 days on, 1 day off (usually Sunday) then Monday and Friday you train your weak body part.
CNS recovery is another thing to consider. Personally i like full body routine twice a week. One routine is very abbreviated and low rep work to using singles on big lifts like bench and deadlifts, only a couple of other exercises. My next workout is more of a 5x5 using different exercisers to the heavy workout using slightly more exercises eg 7 or 8 exercisers at the most. 2 full body workouts i hit each muscle group twice a week, low volume and fequency help my recovery especially cns recovery from heavy singles training.
This video is gold. I do 2 on 1 off 3 on 1 off full body days(5x). More effective sets and less fatigue per workout. Recovery is something I need to manage over many days rather than from a single workout. Similar to what Eugene said, my knees got sore so I backed off on legs and they blew up.
Good stuff John. I think it is great to detail the differences between natural and "enhanced" training. Young or naive trainers are done a disservice by these workouts published by PED users... a PED user can do almost anything, the natural trainer has to be more careful. He's not going to recover or promote protein synthesis like a PED user.
I'm a big believer in Instinctive Training and listening to your body because like you guys talked about, everybody's body responds different to different things.
I've had to pull back on splits due to injuries generated by not enough warm up, wrong sequence of exercise routines on one muscle group and poor form.
I had to train around my injuries for up to 4 weeks. Very frustrating, but I had to do it to recover.
Perfect timing... 3days ago i just started a new program push ,pull ,legs n abs, rest n repeat! See how it goes pretty much bn on the typical bro split for too long now time to start mixing it up thanks guys 💪👊
How's it been?
Monday:chest and Tris
Tuesday:back and bis
Wednesday:shoulder and legs
Thursday:chest and Tris
Friday back and bis
Saturday shoulder legs
Sunday:offday
Really liked how the other guy was just sitting patiently listening with a smile ❤
Very good advice.
Just listen to your body!
Theses collabs were great. Memories 🤧
Great stuff guys! I change my routine quite often to match my lifestyle and poor recovery. Overtrained recently so try to dial back a bit on volume and intensity to get back to where I was.....keep them vids coming!
Listen to your body, train hard, sleep well, eat well, and try to progress. 🤷🏼♂️ hate to say it unless you’ve trained naturally for 10 years plus (also everyone is different) there are no rules and limits unless you tell yourself there is (even tho there is one you have to act that there isn’t). If you tell yourself that there is a limit, it will only hold you back from training a way that could be optimal. If you train with a lot of volume off the get go, your body will adapt with time. Training natural just takes time and patience, don’t listen to anyone, have fun and let your imagination take over and don’t doubt yourself (even tho there could be a limit)
Btw John and Eugene, I love this video just adding to it, I really wish people will take this and analyze what was said.
thank you!
John was such an amazing person. We are all a lot better off because of him.
I just found this channel and it's the best
Currently I'm spreading out my chest and shoulder workouts for joint health reasons. I can feel extra stress in my shoulder joints without training them on opposite ends of the week as chest.
1. Push
2. then legs....
rest day
3. Pull
rest day
Repeat....
I wish I just listened to John years ago when I first started
I can’t believe that I am only seeing this after 2 years. 🙈
I am currently in this conundrum... as I want to create my own workout plan. I have been lifting since 2017, I must admit that it has been inconsistent.
During lockdown I picked up so much body fat and when gyms were allowed to open up... I got back into it since 15/10/2020 and been going ever since.
And this has been the most consistent I have been. Does that mean my gains are still considered to be Newbie gains?
This video has helped a lot and yes... I have so much more questions. 🤣
Thank you Mountain Dog.
God bless brother and thank you.
The best splits that have worked for me over the years is to do push exercises on one day, and pull on another day, then legs.
I'm the opposite.
I love chest back, biceps triceps etc.
awesome content John! i hope to meet you one day! God bless you & the family always!
Good principles: for natural lifters should make their best for training adaptations from acute metabolic stress and recovery properly
Thanks for the advice John Meadows!
Add on question (more powerlifting related, but I recon you guys have some good answers in a bodybuilding context too):
How about heavy and light days, say 3x5 on day one and 3x5 @ 80% of monday (or lower when choosing dynamic effort)?
Thanks for the great work as always & keep it up!
Sounds good
.but no max effort days?
@@slee2695 The heavy day would be Max effort ;)
@@jurjenbavelaar1558 ok..usually max effort refers to 1 rep max
@@slee2695 Because the max you can use on 3- of 5 reps isn't max effort..? ;)
@@slee2695 max effort is only in conjugate westside style training, other well known coaches like Sheiko and Chad Wesley Smith like to run 3x5s n stuff in waving intensity n volume like that where you never go all out and only build
1 minute and a half in and i already liked the video. It looks really great, thank youtube for recommending them
this video is straight truth. well done, john
We miss you John RIP to a legend
G'DAY mates!☺️ Your guests are always well informed. The variety of information that's being provided gives us viewers options to find better ways in gaining strength and size. 👍
Love ur vids John !!
thank you!
I do a push/pull 6 days a week.
In a perfect week that means: push, pull, push, rest, pull, push, pull.
NinjaDeathtrap no legs? Lol
That_one _guy of course. Quads and calfs on push day. And glute and hams on pull day.
How is that possible? I tought you were supposed to have leg days where you only train legs so doing legs on push and pull must be a bad idea or?
hva faen skal jeg hete well, you can do whatever you like and works for you! Thats the beauty! Now i have gone back to push - leg - pull - rest, and repeat.
Every layout had its own charm with pros and cons.
I’ve been doing Push,Pull,Legs..rest..full body..rest..rest..and repeat
Full Body as a Natural. Best gains of my life.
I personally stick with pplppl and I've seen awesome gains.
Man bites Life have done PPLPPLPPLPPL... as a natty (basically no rest days, just from time to time a day or two when really needed) and made great gains
have done upper, lower, rest, upper, lower, rest, rest as a natty and made great gains as well. if course at least cardio on off days and also on most training days
now as an enhanced athlete im doing PPLPPL and make great progress as well. im going to failure a lot more often, using a lot more intensity techniques in general.
i can tell that not soo much had changed since i started with the gear (have been about 7 months now). im a fan of a higher frequency; i think its better to train every muscle two times a week - both, as a natty and as a geared athlete as well. with juice you are just able to make your workouts more intense and still recover quite good. of course the progress (optical and and also strength-wise) is speeded up. but beside that, i dont see thaaaaat much of a difference between natty/enhanced.
dont know why most pro‘s train each muscle only once per week; imo its better for your joints, if you split your volume from one to two days and reduce the impact on your joints and cns.
but i think everyone should do what he loves the most. if you have no fun during your workouts, you will never achieve your goals
For me it's the once a week bro split , tried hitting it twice but lost strength and didint enjoy it or recovered enough
I just want to say i really enjoy your videos. Thank you.
I've hit brick walls several times over the past few months and slept all day at some point, but keep getting stronger.
*Monday*
Back chest biceps
*Tuesday*
Quads calves shoulders triceps
*Wednesday*
Rest
*Thursday*
Chest back biceps
*Friday*
Quads calves shoulders triceps
Sometimes I'll add forearms and abs depends on my mood
One week I'll alternate heavy weights low reps, higher reps less weight
Recently i started to do one powerlifting week where I do deadlifts squats shoulder press and bench heavy weight more sets less reps.
I've done it all the first few years training but... Once a week training for me is best. Just suits my lifestyle and recovery. I'm the strongest in my gym, naturally too (it's a university gym) not bragging, but I put it down to 15 years of consistency and focus on complete recovery. Hard for some to grasp though.
@the Donn I've been going to the same gym for 15 years, a university gym, I know all the staff and management (I have family that work there) and the staff and the members themselves tell me. Many of whom I've trained with also. Do you want me to put up some numbers? When I trained at Dorian's Original Temple gym in my early twenties sporadically on leg days with my long time training partner, the staff that worked there told us that the only other trainers that they saw using the kind of poundages on the hack squat was Dorian. You don't have to believe me, but that's okay.
Great info. I love the Holy Grail and perfect split comparison. So true.
Love the video!thanks for your knowledge john.
Each body part 2x a week. 12x sets each so total 24 sets a week.... for each.. then take a week off every 6 weeks as a natural
Right. For the next three weeks it's push every other day!
Very good and informative video. Thank you both!
Rafiki is back boys !!!!!
Old video, however.....Here's an interesting thought around the 5:45-6:00 mark where Eugene is talking about over reaching regarding leg training, then taking a couple of weeks off to realize said gains from over reaching. When I hear things like that, it makes me wonder if that is a similar reason to why people are able to make "bro" splits work they way they do. On paper, it would appear that they are less than "optimal" unless volume is equated, however, there's something to hammering a muscles and then letting it recover for a week, even for natty's. I've done it myself in the past and seen many others make it work. Sort of like a mini version of overreaching each training day on the 1 or 2 muscles you're working, then letting the gains be "realized" over the course of the week. I've since moved on to upper/lower and PPL type of splits, but there's something to be said for the "bro" split, even for us mere mortals.
Brilliant!
Another great video.
I always thought best approach was built around what body parts are lacking to others as time goes on you’ll see certain parts grow faster then others so just base it all around what isn’t growing fast is what your split should be based on and of course never train a muscle till it’s recovered but if it’s lacking over training the stubborn muscle is bound to happen just keep confusing what lacks with different things
smart man!
Where could I get some gear
I'm a physiotherapist but kind of getting into bodybuilding. I'm big on longevity as i want to be active even at 80 years old, I was thinking if during a leg workout, it could be beneficial to do isolation exercises for hams, quads and glutes before hitting the squats? It would force me to use less weight, but it could probably help me also improve muscle control as I can't seem to get sore from squatting in any muscle. Just thinking if it would hinder my hypertrophy gains, I don't really care about strength as I think squatting 140kg is well enough for everyday function...
Great videos, you're a cool dude, greetings from Finland
smart!!!
That's actually ideal for those of us that are over 30 and want to stay in the sport for the long game. You can apply that principle to every bodypart (I know I do). For Quads I start with Leg Extensions, for Chest I start with Cable Crossovers, for Back I start with Straight Arm Pulldowns/Rope Pullthroughs, for Shoulders I start with the Reverse Fly Machine, for Triceps I start with Rope Pressdowns, etc. I actually give credit to John for my current tricep workout - I've been doing his workout with Rope Pressdowns to warm up, followed by double-handle pressdowns, then reverse double handle pressdowns, J-Presses(? - the skullcrusher/close grip bench hybrid move), and finish with an overhead rope extension.
Man..... your video on insulin and how to maintain it and using eaa.....big game changer, use to be so sore but now I recover better and burning more fat 👍 plus you gain a subscriber ✌
Thank you!!!!
My current routine is Full Body 3x per week. Light, medium, heavy
Hello.
How much sets by part in your full body?
Is it to failure?
Since I'm doing naturally without roids, I believe you really need to check your electrolyte and muscle tissue level. As MountainDog1 (lol) said, we really need to see if the soreness will be good to workout or would be better to rest. As the same if my body recuperates in two days no need to wait. So I suggest to do 8 week upper lower splits then 4 weeks of Bro splits then 4 weeks of full body and see what suits you best for the next 1 or 3 or 6 months.
Thanks for the great advice, it was very helpful & informative...
Very good factual evidence based info!
Your lifestyle will always dictate your training split whatever you choose stick with it you got this
Great content as always so true things always change change with them adapt
Thanks M Dog for all the help you give us all especially me I'm 41 yrs old and all the help counts I'm as big and strong as any 20 something year old thanks to you please keep on doing what you do
Man, so helpful! Thank you!
That Rafeeki shirts a banger
Thanks for sharing John!! Love to see you channel grow every time I check in. You deserve it.
Always quality video releases and frequent too.
Keep up the good work!
Happy thanksgiving to you John and your family.
you as well!
Watching this video for my new training split because of gyms reopening, great knowledge from both of you guys 💪🏻🙏🏻
Our pleasure!
@@mountaindog1 💪🏻👊🏻
Love this advice!
sidelwork The best routine for recovery is a full body routine every other day doing just One Set for each body part. Chest . Bench Press 20x 1 ,Incline Bech press 20x 1 ,Stand press 20 x 1 ,Upright row 20x1 ,Shrug 20x 1,Flys 20x 1,Pull over 20 x 1,Dips 20x 1 ,Chins 20x 1 ,Dumbbell row 20x 1,Barbell curls 20x 1,Incline curl 20x 1 ,Concentration curl 20x1 ,Narrow grip Bench press 20x1 ,Incline Dumbbell Extension 20x1 ,Reverse Z/Bar Curl 20x 1,Squats 20 x1 ,Calf Raise 20x 1, Deadlift 10 x 1 ,Crunches 100,Leg raise 100,Twists with broom handle 100 . For a warm up do 20 Reps with a light dumbbell or 5-10 lb weight disk 20 x1 .This is a Steve Reeves full body routine and make sure you only use light weights on your first workout so you do not over do it and then you add on weight when you can ,this routine is Brilliant and can be done in an hour to an hour and a half . Mon/Wed/Fri or Tue`s/Thurs/Sat and if you want have a run on off days to help with recovery .This routine works and Steve Reeves is the proof ,forget Split routines and give this routine a try . Make sure you sip on a protein drink when your training for energy or else you will not get through the whole workout ,this is very important ,you will need a pint or 2 pints when training . You will never know unless you give this routine a try
Strictly chest on Monday
Shoulders and tri's on Tuesday
Abs and any touch up shoulders and tri's on Wednesday (very short workout 15-20 minutes)
Back and bi's on Thursday
Abs and touch up bi's on Friday (very short workout 15-20 minutes)
Legs on Saturday
Off Sunday
Every week I change weight, reps, and intensity then every fourth week I do a decent deload with 50% of max weight and do speed work with it. (Shorter than usual workouts)
I rained for 5 months now, I did bro split, but I feel like I can do more. I’m starting today Push/Pull/Legs twice a week, let me know what you think about this routine. Maybe I’ll do Legs only once a week and Saturday I’ll do cardio and be focusing more at my abs. Every opinion is important for me. Thank you 😊
You could try Push pull legs rest upper lower rest. I'm currently doing this coming from a upper lower rest upper lower rest rest routine and i feel great, i can do slightly more volume on the big muscles without recovery being affected
Dan Dan
Hey Dan 👋, I’m kinda new to the gym and I don’t quite understand how upper and lower works. Can you tell me what do you train on your upperbody and on the lower body. Thank you so much for answering, have a good day 😊
@@ivaylokrushkov382 On upper body day you train all your upper body, and lower body day you train legs and usually abs.
Is good to have a mix between push pull legs and upper lower because you train 5 days per week instead of the 6 required for a double push pull leg routine, allowing for more rest and recovery. It's an intelligent split and one of the best ways to maximize volume when you feel that you can handle it.
So basically it would look something like this:
MON : push day
TUE: pull day + abs
WED: legs day
THU: rest
FRI: upper body day
SAT: lower body day + abs
SUN: rest
So you can hit every muscle group twice per week without sacrificing recovery. You could vary your training intensity, for example talking about chest you could use lower reps, compound movements, and higher weight in your push day, and use lighter weights and more reps with some complementary exercise in your upper body day.
IE: Chest Workout - push day
Bench press: 3×6-8
Inclined dumbbell press: 3×8-10
Dips: 3×10-12
Chest workout - upper body day
Flat dumbbell bench press: 3×8-10
Cable flyes: 2×12-15
Hope this helps. Have a great one!
Issue with push is you're not gonna be able to max on tricep and shoulders.
Chest tri, back bi, shoulders and 1 tri, legs and 1 bi, and rest and do small muscles. 6 sets by 3 excerices for each muscle group guys
I train in the AM and I use steroids. Weekly massage is in the PM. Working well for me at the moment.
Mon: Legs
Tues: Pull
Wed: Push
Thur: Legs (deep tissue massage)
Fri: day off
Sat: Pull
Sun: Push
Do more videos from the muscle activation series guys, it is nice
Great video. Not just great' brilliant 🔥💪
Rip.
Such a great topic!
I'm currently on your arm program! holy hell it's good John :D
thank you!
Link for the arm program
@@spiderman4440 Not OP but here are some of John's Arm vids: th-cam.com/video/9uYWDTMAIRk/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/SZUF6h_uv14/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/JgJ7AK0du7k/w-d-xo.html
Awsome video MD just what i needed to hear. 💪👍🇺🇸
I like to do chest/back -off- quads/hams/calf’s-off-delts/traps/arms-off-then train day1=chest day 2=back day3=hams/calf’s day4=quads day5=delts/traps day6=arms day7=off then day1= back/bis day2=chest/tris day3=off day4=quads/hams/calf’s day5=delts/traps day6=arms day7=off then repeat program. I do this for 8/10weeks then go day 1=pull day2=push day3=legs day4=off then repeat.also do this for about 8/10weeks. When preparing for competition I do 30/60mins fasted cardio every morning. And if needed 30/60mins in the evening 💪👌👍🏴🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
I train legs twice a week, but only once for chest and back.
My benching is not the best. Would it be more beneficial to do chest twice a week, lighter weight with more reps, or, heavy and still once a week?
once every 4 days and hammer it
mountaindog1, roger that. Thank you.
As usual great video !!!!!
Question. Where can I get a mountain dog T-shirt?.
we need to relaunch
mountaindog1 ok. Will be waiting for the relaunch in the meantime I’ll keep watching your great videos. Keep up the great work brother. Inspiration
If you would train a bodypart every day for a few weeks, how much volume would it be per day? How many exercises? Just squat or leg press for 5-10 sets? Im very curious how to set that up the correct way.
Thanks I’m in a recovery right now and was wanting to get to it 🤘💪🏼🇺🇸