100x better than more plates more dates. ..."Reaction", in which he takes 1 confirmation bias study to support what he thinks is right....usually half the time wrong.
I find my self talking in the comments like he and I are having an actual conversation. It's like Eisenhowers fireside talks, I feel like he's talking directly to me.
Im 50 and have been training for 35 years and have won a few natural shows without ever writing a single workout down. No weight log, no rep log just instinctively training. I couldn’t tell you what exercise combos I do cus it changes every workout. Simple rule, if its sore rest it, if its still sore after 4 days maybe pull back on volume/intensity. Key elements are great form, great diet and enough sleep. John love your channel pal
This is a beautiful comment and i do the same. I wish ppl would listen learn then innovate. I believe everybody is diff n should train as such. Ps.. i never competed but ppl at my gym ask me am i gettn rdy 4 a show,lol
I'm 29 and have been training for about 13 years. I've put so much effort into trying to perfect a "split" and optimizing the frequency and volume I hit each muscle group. Reading your comment just made me sit back and think "You know, I'm really over-thinking this aren't I".
DarkSpartan343 in my opinion it is easy to over complicate matters and sticking to a routine for the routine’s sake will be counterproductive. Not saying what you are doing is wrong, it may work well for you. im just saying your body has a voice that doesn’t get heard sometimes
I have my training mapped out with weight/reps 3-4months in advance. I have to know what reps/weights I have to hit to progress or else all workouts will be highrep failure and zero progression but that's somthing that works for me, since my battle is mostly in my mind not my body. Also I can't hit back or chest twice a week that would overtrain my arms, I just train a few sets a month on arms and I still feel they are on the limit to overtraining. But ofcourse this is not static and as my streangth and size changes so does training and recovery for me atleast. I do 5/3/1 by the way.
This guy gives the most down to earth, rational and relevant bodybuilding related advise I've seen in the industry , now i see why this industry speaks so highly of John.
Three day split twice a week, day 1 (chest, shoulder, triceps ) day 2 ( back, bicep's ) day 3 ( legs ) repeat or take a day off and repeat. I just change from heavy lifting to high reps depending on what my body is telling me and always focusing on my intensity, this split has had the best results for me now that i'm in my 40's.
I like lower/upper/rest split for naturals. Gives you better frequency per muscle group than a bro split, allows you to do higher volume than full body 3x a week, and is easy to recover from.
how long does a session take for you guys? im also following an upper lower program and im at the gym for 2 whole hours, thats the only thing i hate about upper/lower. And i cant fit in ab work nor any decent shoulder work. If i would fit in ab work + all 3 parts of the delts, i would be at the gym for over 2 hours, fuck that. Any tips? Following the PHUL program
@@SIideAway for myself, I am following a upper/lower program, 3 to 4 times a week. To cut the time,on one of the sessions of the upper body, I focus on the chest and the next upper one, I focus on the back. For example, a day will be a full chest workout then I add, for the back, say, a lot of bent-over rows (6 to 10 sets, not too heavy (except 2 lasts sets) but rest periods no more than 90 seconds, 60 if I am able) and that's that, if I am short in time (otherwise I would add meadows rows). Then, next upper workout, a lot more back plus some chest in lower volume but I try to pick exercices that are a bit out of my routine so to not get bored and keep the body alert. I focus on the compound movements and a bit less on isolation, it helps in reducing the number of exercices. On leg day, I add some biceps and triceps in the end of the session, bis and tris are already worked on in the compound movements, it is an extra to get the look and pump. That's my trick. 1h30 max per session, 1h15 may be possible. You get the idea. For me, it allows all the body parts to see action often and not get to sleep too long, I can have variety and time.
Favourite channel for me. So down to earth, honest and knowlegable. I train 4 times a week. Monday, chest, back, shoulders. Tuesday, Legs, calves, abs Wednesday, rest Thursday, chest, back, shoulders Friday, rest Saturday, Deadlift, legs, calves Sunday, rest. I throw in biceps, triceps and more abs where I feel like it.
Push/Legs/Pull has been my go to routine for over 4 decades. It allows consistent progression and gains and has never failed to deliver for myself and all those I have trained ... since (gulp) 1978.
I like it too, but cannot do legs twice per week when it round up, i am doing 4 times per week atm push pull leg, what to do at that third week when i get to do legs twice per week?
@@Markzy_DM ...for myself, and others I help, legs every 10-14 days is ideal! Being such large muscles, they take a LOT out of anyone, plus they need sufficient time to bounce back...bigger and stronger.
@@nadeemhamid7556 ... no problems. Due to being bigger and stronger (I'm nearly 260#) I'm do 1) Dips, Press, 2) Calf Raise, Leg Press alt Toe Press (every 2 weeks), 3) Pulldowns, High Pull,. It's ALL about effort, not volume...the harder you train, the less you can do and recuperate from. I hope that helps?
RIP John!! You are missed but never forgotten!! I will watch your videos for the rest of my life!! Who ever is in charge of John's channel please do not let the channel expire. John has changed my life for the better and I have changed my physique by implementing the knowledge from his videos!!
John, ive been lifting for years as a powerlifter and ive looked everywhere for advice on how to keep going without injury. truth be told you have been the only path that reiterates your logic and reasoning. i appriciate your knowledge! youre a great teacher.
Good general rules that combine the science we have and anecdotal evidence from experience, but still emphasizes the n=1 factor that tends to get lost. Love the content you are putting out!
@@dude2410 it's a term from research for a single subject study, basically. In this context it means that everyone is different so the "optimal" or general best practice may not be the best for you based on different personal factors. Keep in mind that you can be the 1% for something that applies to 99% of people.
I go 7 days a week natty. 1. Deadlift-back-bi 2. chest-light shoulder-tri 3. heavy legs-bi 4. abs-heavy tri 5. Back-bi 6. Shoulders-light chest-tri 7. Light legs-bi 8. Heavy abs-tri. I have found great success with this routine over the last 6mos, but i don’t plan on continuing it. I think it’s been great for fat burning but i probably need more rest to grow.
I found that this split works amazingly for me Chest, Back , Traps day1 Quads , Hams , calves, Biceps day2 Shoulders , Triceps day 3 Day 4 off. 6 to 9 sets per body part And they get worked 2x every 8 days
The best advice given so far! I’ve realized how important is the recovery of the musce after training like a horse for 4-5 years and i wasn’t progressing at all! Naturals should consider this : it’s not the muscle tht fails, it’s your central nerve system! If it fails it won’t give signals to muscle to recover and grow! And you end up being tired all the time! I bet you all have had days when u felt lazy asf and skipped gym, or went to the gym but did a shitty workout! That’s becouse of cns!
Natural lifter Monday: chest and tris Tuesday: back and bis Wednesday: shoulders Thursday: legs Friday: bis and tris supersets. Typical "bro split" but I find that it works for recovery and have gotten stronger since doing this.
I used to do those routines bodybuilders enhanced routine n i still made good gains even though im a natural bodybuilder, but as a natural u gain more muscle by doing less volume more frequency work outs.
I’m 40, been lifting for 2 years. Natural. I have workout A and workout B...I do each twice a week. I add in a workout C to make up any volume deficits. Workout A is chest, triceps, biceps. Workout B is shoulders, back, legs. Workout C is miscellaneous volume involving a combination of A and B. I essentially adhere to MAV...minimum and maximums of volume while still being able to recover. I keep a daily log of my workouts, too. I’m still learning, and have found Mr. Meadows to be extremely helpful. Thanks 👍🏻
A push, pull, legs has worked best for me as a natural builder. I do push and pull 2x a week, then try fit in legs 1x a week- as they are naturally good.
MajkL definitely, training them twice a week makes a huge difference over time in my opinion. Your body is usually healed within 48-72hrs, I’ve always stuck with twice a week, you could possibly go 3x a week but through research there was no real difference in results. But yeah, at least twice a week, unless your training like Dorian Yates lol
The amount of knowledge Ive gained from listening to John Meadows and how, much he has unknowingly affected my life is astounding. I miss you John! I'll keep watching, and I'll keep learning!
I’m 47 just got back into working out. I’m doing a 3 on 1 off, 2 on 1 off split. I’ve back at it for few months. Day one chest shoulders. Day 2 back and legs. Day 3 bi tris and forearms and abs. Day 4 off and just stretch and relax. Day 5 Entire body hi reps, short time between sets lower weight but get full contract and squeeze. Day 6 same but different workouts then previous day. Day 7 rest. I’m eating very healthy and feel fantastic. Love your videos they are inspirational.
Mon-Legs, abs, glutes, and lower back Tues-Push (Chest, triceps, front/medial delts) Wed-Pull (upper/mid back, biceps, rear delts) Thurs-Push again Fri-Pull again Sat/Sun-rest cardio after random workouts about once or twice a week. Kettlebell swings on Mon, farmer's walks Wed and Fri.
I do a push pull workout currently three times a week. tues: 9 sets chest, 9 sets shoulders, 9 sets triceps. thurs: 9 sets back, 9 sets legs, 9 sets biceps sat: 9 sets shoulders, 9 sets chest, 9 sets triceps tues: 9 sets legs, 9 sets back, 9 sets bicep etc etc This way each muscle group gets 4 days rest and im hitting each every 4 days with a total volume per week (or 8 days) of 18 sets per bodypart. Im doing this more focusing on frequency right now to get a good level of mass back before i start splitting the muscle groups up hitting them with more volume per session in a more 'bro' split manner. I trained for many years and have always been natural (not that such matters, antty/gear/ etc) I got really big and way past my goals size wise but after many years stopped in 05. ive been back at it now for the past 7 months age 40 and loving it once again and seeing my gains come back in size and strength. I mention such just to point out that I know what WORKS FOR ME as everyone is different. no one split is any better than any other but depends more on the person and their goals. of course, there are set perimeters but so much flexibility within them to suit us all depending on how our bodies react differently. sorry bit of a long rambling post haha
@@yndrop1751 It is alot. At that time I had only been back at the gym for 7 months after a lay off of just over ten years. The 18 sets I could only maintain for about three weeks before I starting hitting early overtraining symptoms (trouble sleeping, irritability) so would have to pull back to 12 sets to failure a week for a week then bump it up to 16 which is pretty much i found my limit of which i can maintain a constant (16 sets to failure per muscle group per week) That said since then Ive found when training frequency (push pull) in terms of recovery hitting each muscle group twice a week with a weekly volume of 14 sets seems to be the sweetspot for me. whereas when doing a more bro split and hitting each muscle group on its own day once per week i can push the volume a little more to 16 hard sets per workout. That said I still think its good from time to time to throw in a week of 18 sets then back off back down to 12-16 right before overtraining symptoms strike. just a case of listening to your body and trial and error
@@papaspaulding for me 10 sets to failure are plenty however i do sets that are not taken to failure but I dont count them... But it really depends on how we define failure
@@yndrop1751 Im the same in that I only count the sets i take to failure. anything other that to me are warm up sets. but i know everyone is different on what sets they counts etc. One persons 4 sets is another persons (warm up to one working set) I go to the point i cant do another rep with form on compounds and then on isolation movements i go all out to complete failure. I wish 10 straight sets were enough for me. I would have to throw in drop sets and partials or other intensity techniques on many of those sets to make that volume work for me progressively
@@papaspaulding I just know that some exercises are great for me and i stick to those for example Chest : crossovers , bench press And incline flys are all I do
I'm 59 and natural, I've squatted 560 for 3 reps and do T-bar Rows with 8 plates( I have done bent rows with 385 lbs. for 6 reps). The Reason I'm writing is the split: I do 1 on 2 off always now, so the whole body is trained once every 9 days. I have to do back and chest before legs because squats ruin my shoulders. Shoulders and arms are essentially to rehab the shoulders and I work hard on biceps, medium on tris because my shoulders wont let me do much. I've made gains on this and have tried the every other day and 2 off after the body is completed its course, but even that leaves for soreness and incomplete recovery. Hence the 9 day which is working. It's frustrating as a natty because I find when I really hit the gym and all cylinders are firing for a great workout I feel lethargic in a good way, good soreness in the muscles, good sleep but zero appetite. Tough to eat the whole 2 days between workouts. I also find many good workouts are left in the gym floor because your body wants to shut you down, makes you sleepy, no appetite and ill sometimes. I use shakes and patience. Just takes longer to reach your goals. I'm aiming for a 650 squat when i'm 60 below parallel, and 405 bent row for 5 reps. I can't bench much because of shoulder injuries so I do high rep dumbbell benches. I've benched 335 for a couple reps before I started getting hurt.
@AVXVA Being dumb. Trying to see what my max bench is. The thing is I needed more warm-up. I was going for a 315 on the bench and got hurt at 280 only. This was so stupid. I've done 330 for a couple reps before and was just beginning an assault on 345 or so and ended up hurting my shoulder. Been bothering me a little but mostly good. No more heavy weights for awhile.
For me what worked best was doing a 4 day split. Day 1 legs and biceps, squats and lunges, concentration curls and hammer curls. Day 2 chest flat, incline, dips/pull overs. Day 3 back deadlifts, rows, and pull ups. Day 4 shoulders and triceps standing military press, lateral raises, bent over lateral raises, wide grip upright rows, close grip bench press, cable tricep extension. Rest on Sunday. Continue workout split on monday
I alternate between full upper and full lower body routines. I train an average of 6 days a week. I've been lifting for 8 years as a natural who recently transitioned into upper/lower splits, and I'm loving it.
We had a total of maybe 3-5 videos of Coach Arnold training. And then every one thinks that's true or right. Nope you need to see his complete regimen then you might know a little compared to his teachers.
i missed u so bad john..,u dont have any idea how impacted our lives in all norm of as to how person be conducting themselvs i cant begin to speak how i reap knowledge from u u were truly genuine n humble with outstanding guru i ever came across within the fitness community…what do we do now who is going to be our teacher…
Full Body workouts works best for me, because I realized that even when I go 7 days per week training, i get better results in strength and muscle mass. And just for notice, I'm a natural lifter.
Current split as 38yo male natural. Lift on Sat, Mon, & Wed. Linear progression using only the 5s-day from 5/3/1 %s. Adding 5 lbs to the training max each workout. BB bench each day; squat 2 days; DL 1 day. 3-5 downsets on bench. 0-3 downsets on squat. 0-2 downsets on DL. Superset with banded face-pulls (or something similar for back & delts). Sometimes lat pull down & cable rows.
i just work out 5 days a week, consisting of pull, push, legs, pull, push. maybe 1-1.5 hour every session. Never going to fatigue on for example biceps twice the same week. No strict plans, just work hard and having fun. :)
I'm 6ft went from 140lbs to 205lbs in 2 years training each body part twice a week. As far as back mostly pull ups! Nature! Lots of Milk Oatmeal Peanut butter and Ramon noodles. Prison diet reformed and doing well love and appreciate your videos
I am all the way in South Africa and find John blogs to be the best. From other bodybuilders( all great bt not so detailed n comprehensive). You are a gem in the iron community John ! Thank you
I just back into weight training after a 15 year absence. I'm 47 and natural and for the last 5 months I was doing a 3 day split push/pull which was this: Chest/Shoulders/Tri's Legs Back/Bi's But just last week I switched to a 4 days split which is: Chest/Tri's Legs OFF 3-4 mile run Shoulders Back/Bi's OFF 3-4 mile run I like the idea of training shoulders alone and felt they needed more time and attention. Going into week 2 with this 4 day split I really love it. I like the more recovery time, with the 3 day I split was hitting body parts twice a day.
If i Train a 5 day Split i fell sore for the whole week, sometimes i cant train properly other groups because i trained till im done, feel good so, also i love the Bodybuilding Style, you feel a Pump, the variety for example a Back day: Pullover cable or Dumbledore Latpulldown variations t bar rows, barbell rows or dumbell rows Machine rows or one Hand rowing Hyper Extensions Some calves Big smile and thx to you John Meadows:)
Using the split principle is how to maintain symmetry.... muscles don't grow at the same rate... changing your split routine to bring up the lagging Body Parts!
my lord more people need to see this video. this applies to so much more with fitness too, where people think they have to exactly program anything and never find out how to train and eat by feeling their body
Im a natural lifter. Currently I'm doing a pull/push/legs split. I recover well so I work out 6 days a week. I recently moved to Ohio and have been hitting the gym in Pickerington so maybe I'll run into ya.
Full body workouts for me.. 3 days a week.. Mon. Wed. Fri or Sat.. 2 exercises per body part. 4 sets each. 8-10 reps. Plenty of frequency and fully recovered by the next workout... Old School, Leroy Colbert style....
joe proctor my favourite type of training too. But I do lower reps and higher sets. 5x5 for me is gold. Usually only one exercise per bodypart with low set isolations to finish
I like full body any style Emir, I mean how else can you get 4 full rest days.. Plus all that frequency.. I just got done doing 31 days straight, of leg days. My quads were pumped every day all day long.. Team3dalpha style. Im doing Nucleus Overload... Check those videos out.. I saw you liked Alpha Destiny. He does a lot of things that Migan from Team3DAlpha talks about..
joe proctor Same here bro, I do add a few more sets/reps to lacking body parts for me tho, but I feel like full body is the way to go for natty lifters, been trading for 7 and a half years, but for the past year in a half I've been doing full body and it's definitely better for longevity, I don't have to keep pounding and stressing my body days in a row like a bro split would.
PushinSince93 Yeah man, i am 51 years old and came back to full body 3 years ago. Nothing better than 4 rest days and almost No Soreness. 6 months of heavy lifting ahead before i do my cut for summer.
Thank you for this, Been lifitng for a year and a half at the age of 31 now and I've just moved to push/pull/ legs with a few movements for each the first weeks. Plan to up the intensity or volume after I get the feel for this and I really feel it will help me progess. The days things are ready to go I'll need to start utilizing a bit more. Father of 4 with a full time job and boy do I love this journey/Lifestyle
I've found excellent progress simply doing two full-body workouts a week. Tuesday and Friday (sometimes Saturday). It's about two hours in the gym each time, but totally worth it. Everything recovers properly and I am improving all of my lifts overtime without injury. Depending on which body parts I want to focus most heavily on, I'll do those early. Sometimes I focus on back, sometimes chest, sometimes shoulders... and then keep moving them around.
How many sets per exercise do you do and how close to failure do you take each set? Just curious, because I do full body, 3 sets per exercise (7 different exercises in total). It's really battered my CNS and joints, been so fatigued, foggy, sore muscles, couldn't recover, so I just took 6 days off because I decided to listen to my body and rest. I swear to god some of my muscles actually look a little bigger now, all I've done is just get steps in most days. I'm wondering if I stick to 3x or 2x and put more days of recovery between them, if that would work out better for me.
Push/Pull/Legs+Core 4EVAH. I alternate between 5x5 and 3x10, usually leaving one rep in the tank. Rest days are unscheduled and taken only when needed. Lifting typically 6 days a week in the a.m. w/ cardio in the p.m. and 2 of those sessions are HIIT cardio on a bike. I also stretch and do soft tissue work. Currently have my diet structured for body recomp.
I find for me push, pull leg splits work best in terms of frequency, however i do understand the body part prioritization is key in bodybuilding like you mentioned!! great simple video, there is no need to over complicate it - frequency is key!
Infinite john meadows'! This is exactly how I set up my split, it's the most logical by far. Sun:rest Mon: legs (squats) Tues:back(pulls) / chest Weds:cardio Thurs: legs (deadlifts) Fri: shoulders/back (Rows) Sat: arms Weak bps are back/legs Training back in the two different workouts gives a totally different feel each time, it's working well for now
As a natural lifter I always found an every-other-day split optimal. Mon (legs, back, biceps)...Wed(chest, triceps, shoulders)...Friday(repeat Monday's)...Sunday(repeat Wednesday's)...continue every other day.
@@jdx4582 It can be. That's why I only focus on one of the 3 body parts doing more sets and exercises for example back and one maintenance exercise for the other two. I switch focus every 4-6 weeks. But I agree you can't really train 3 body parts hard in one session.
I was genuinely expecting this to be the standard BS "do this if you're natural" video / channel but I was pleasantly surprized at how good your information was. Keep it up, mate.
Sun: Push Mon: Pull Tue: Legs Wed: Push Thur: Pull Fri: Legs Sat: Rest or cardio Been working good for me using a 8x2-3 on my compound lifts 100% natural
My split is 3 days heavy weights, with 3 sets of rest pause at the end of each exercise, and 3 days lighter weights, higher reps and a few drop sets at the end of each exercise. There are some weeks that I feel better than others but overall my body can take it if I get sufficient sleep (having a son and full time job makes it hard at times)
I try every type of workout, but since I drink 40g bcaa,20g glutamine and 5g creatine through a workout...I feel I can train full body every single day! Recovery is amazing from this bcaa-glutamine mix!!!
I started two on one off. Chest back the legs arms. Weekends? Off Saturday Cardio on Sunday. Cardio also on other off day Wednesday. Couple hours of Fun intense Mountain biking is my cardio. My frequency is moderate which means the body never gets used to it and it’s enough of a frequency that I don’t hurt myself. Gained 32 pounds of muscle in first 36 weeks of this technique at age 50. Best plan I e done in 30 years of Natty training. Strong AF too
3 days per week full body. 20 sets per muscle group. No issue recovering from 3 days Fits my schedule and allows consistency. I've been growing more on this than upper/lower, LPP, and traditional bro split.
RIP John💪🏼 What works best for me is a body part split, 3-4 days a week with 3 rest days Day 1 - Chest and shoulders (weakest parts) Day 2 - Legs and cardio Day 3 rest Day 4 - Arms Day 5 - Back Day 6 - Rest Day 7 - Rest Typically I am doing 18 - 24 sets including warm up sets, per day. Each workout will take me between 70 - 90 minutes to complete including warm ups. Each workout I will either run or cycle for 15 minutes as warmup/cardio
After watching this, going to try Chest and Legs, Rest, Arms, Rest, Back and Legs, Chest and Shoulders, finally Arms again. Thank you for the great info again John!
I train each body part every 6 days.. 16 sets each body part. 2 weeks heavy high intesity 1 week light 12-15 reps.. to get big naturally you need to get strong- 4 - 8 reps
Monday: Quads/Hamstring/Calfs Tuesday:Shoulders/Arms/Calfs Wednesday: Chest/Back Thursday: Quads/Hamstring/Calfs Friday: Shoulders/Arms/Calfs Saturday: Chest/Back Sunday: Off I too am a big fan off getting a pump. So I always superset my exercises. Have my clients programs set up the same to get more 'work done' in less time and keep the intensity up.
I am doing the same thing - emphasize my weak parts legs, calves, and back and basically maintain the rest. I don't even have to specifically work my shoulders chest and arms they grow anyway.
Push/Pull. Push with legs added (Squat and focus on Quads and the anterior muscles), Pull with deadlift added (focus on hamstrings and posterior chain involved). I combine this with whole body workouts due to time constrain where I have to work for two full days without being able to train at a gym. These full body workouts is done in an alternating manner where antagonists are trained back and forth. For example. Chins and military press. Flat dumbbell benchpress and Barbell rows and so on. I choose either to deadlift or do the Squat, not both on a full body workout. I may also do just 1 set for body parts that are already good and keep doing 3-4 sets for the ones lacking in the full body routine.
I’m currently trying for body building M:Upper horizontal T:Quad focus W:Rest T: Upper vertical F: Hamstring focus S:Arms & lagging part S: rest But I’m considering trying adding high frequency while keeping track of my intensity. M:push, quads (a) about 4 exercises (4-5sets) T:Pull, hamstring (b) about 4 too W:A T:B F:A S:B S: rest Splits are always fun to make. ;)
Simple and easy to understand. I train 4 days a week and for me push, pull split works for me best. My weakest parts are chest and shoulders so watching your video I think I'm going to make sure I do a couple more excercises twice a week and drop a few sets from my leg excercises
I use a daily undulating periodization program with emphasis on incline bench press, seated overhead press, deadlift and squat. It rotates intensity between 60-90% of 1RM and varies volume/tempo to focus on hypertrophy, strength, or power. I train this Mon-Thurs and Saturday (5x/wk). Example: Mon power 75% OHP, Tues hypertrophy 65% Squats, Wed strength 85% Incline BP, Thurs power 60% Deadlifts, and Sat hypertrophy 70% OHP etc. Legs are basic - squats, deadlifts, split squats, calf raises and more accessory work for upper body.
I've been doing a 3 day cycle lately, with a rest day after 2 cycles, so basically 2 W/Os a week, but I've discovered that what seems to work is to go hard for 2 or 3 weeks, then back off and sort of slack a little, throw in extra rest days and reduce overall volume for about a week, then get back at it. It seems like I fill out and actually make visible gains during the slack period, then I can usually come back with good strength. Could be because I'm over 50, but I've actually made gains recently comparable to any time in my lifting life, outside of the 1st year or 2, or the first weeks after extended layoffs.
I've had great results with a higher split as a natty. For an example my shoulders have always been stubborn, but once i devoted a day to only training shoulder good things began happenning. I used to do them with chest & triceps, but couldn't give them the volume they needed this way.
I do a 3 day split mon: chest + tri's, tue: back + shoulders, wed: legs + biceps, thurs: rest, fri: chest + tri's, sat: back + shoulders, sun: legs + biceps, rinse repeat, so 3 days of training in a row, and then each split being separated by one rest day, and I have 1-3 different workout samples with different exercises I focus on switching between and I also try my best to alternate between strength training and volume training
I have been doing a upper/lower program for 2 years, since coming off Bro spilts. I had been doing Bro splits for years with minimal to zero results. I train Monday and Tuesday, then Thur and Fri, and at last I have started seeing results. Just discovered your channel, and have found it really interesting.
Ive done them all over the last 20 years but the one that I favor as an older trainee with a high training age is the once weekly push, pull, legs with a total volume of 5-25 sets per workout. This pretty much the only split that my body will tolerate over the long term and it is the split that keeps me strong, lean and all around healthy while still having ambition outside the gym. Thanks for all the excellent content BTW, John.
1. Shoulders/Tri's and a bit of Chest 2. Back/Bi's 3. Chest/Tri's and a bit of Shoulders 4. Legs/Bi's 5. Off 6. Super high intensity workout(a lot of drop sets/isometrics) on whatever I muscle group I feel like doing that day OR a full body workout 7. Off Do a bit of ab training pretty much every day. My goal with this split was really beefing out my armor(chest, delts, arms) and it's been working great for me so far.
Hi mountaindog1, I too am an "older"(52) lifter. I've recently got back into lifting but not using plate weights. Please don't judge me, but I've recently gotten access to a bowflex machine and I find it's incredible. A little different pump then old school plates, but still a good workout. I just wanted to thank you as your advise on workouts and nutrition also apply when working with the bowflex. I also do the full body workouts with the bowflex, every 3 days, Tues, Thurs, and Sat. Which of course gives me that extra day for the recovery. As I said, your suggestions are common sense and I've taken to them by dropping the weight and concentrating on technique and strict form with attempting to get that pinch at the top of each compression. It truly works wonders and I just want to thank you and say I'm glad you are here and that I've found your channel. You have made a difference in my training!!!
I have been training naturally for years and it all comes down to nutrition. If you don't feed growth. Then it won't happen. But I been using a Dorian Yates style H.I.T. split Back/biceps, chest/triceps, shoulders/abs, leg day.
I just figured it out!!!,after three years of fumbling around different splits,Mountaindog1,you have opened my eyes,my chest and shoulders are lagging due to shoulder surgeries,so this is what I came up with.... Monday-chest/shoulders,Tuesday-back,Wednesday-legs,Thursday-shoulders/chest,Friday-bi’s-tri’s,my back,legs and arms are big, I just need to bring up my chest and shoulders,thanks dude
I'm on week 4 of a 4 day split . I'm doing Push/Legs/Pull/Legs. My rest days have been to just go light on every second leg day. This is on the back of a 12 week,4 day split I finished of Push/Pull/Leg/Rest. I am 100% over-trained at the moment but that didn't happen until mid last week. I'm fixing this as we speak. Recently, I saw a few of your videos that helped me understand I am not being lazy but I am exhibiting classic signs of over training. No significant injuries, just classic burn out/soreness and low quality workouts. I am 37, 208lbs. Work a physical job, 1/2hr- 1hr/day of dedicated walking and eat 2370 kcal/day (200-230g protein). I am an lower limb amputee and I have an artificial knee and hip. I am natural at the moment but want to take a cycle and/or some HGH so bad. I feel "this is my time" and I want to hit my peak before I inevitably need another surgery down the line. Anyway, you have such great advice. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and passion! You have helped me so much in my fitness journey and I'm just some guy. Thanks again John!
as a 60 yr old lifetime natty pro, my one rule is never do legs and back on simultaneous days. Either throw arms in there or take the day off completely. You grow when you recover.
RIP John…. You have made such an impact on my life. God bless, praying for you and your family.
He will be missed greatly. RIP big man
just found this guy... 😔🙏
Wtf man
100x better than more plates more dates. ..."Reaction", in which he takes 1 confirmation bias study to support what he thinks is right....usually half the time wrong.
wait he dead?
This is like having a friend or family member who has tons of experience and knowledge just having a conversation, sharing the wisdom. Dope channel!!
thank you!!!!
I find my self talking in the comments like he and I are having an actual conversation. It's like Eisenhowers fireside talks, I feel like he's talking directly to me.
Well said!I feel the same
@@papatacticz I know you are but what am i
Man... he is gone now , RIP
When you can't decide whether or not to show of the upper arms. Do both.
His bicep on his right arm does that on its own, its unintentional
@@PULAG mine do the same (albeit i'm not the same size as buff skywalker)
Im 50 and have been training for 35 years and have won a few natural shows without ever writing a single workout down. No weight log, no rep log just instinctively training. I couldn’t tell you what exercise combos I do cus it changes every workout.
Simple rule, if its sore rest it, if its still sore after 4 days maybe pull back on volume/intensity.
Key elements are great form, great diet and enough sleep.
John love your channel pal
This is a beautiful comment and i do the same. I wish ppl would listen learn then innovate. I believe everybody is diff n should train as such. Ps.. i never competed but ppl at my gym ask me am i gettn rdy 4 a show,lol
Thanks Steve, sadly ppl are looking for the magic bullet, it exists, it’s consistency.
Sounds like you in great shape, good on ya mate😃
I'm 29 and have been training for about 13 years. I've put so much effort into trying to perfect a "split" and optimizing the frequency and volume I hit each muscle group. Reading your comment just made me sit back and think "You know, I'm really over-thinking this aren't I".
DarkSpartan343 in my opinion it is easy to over complicate matters and sticking to a routine for the routine’s sake will be counterproductive. Not saying what you are doing is wrong, it may work well for you.
im just saying your body has a voice that doesn’t get heard sometimes
I have my training mapped out with weight/reps 3-4months in advance. I have to know what reps/weights I have to hit to progress or else all workouts will be highrep failure and zero progression but that's somthing that works for me, since my battle is mostly in my mind not my body. Also I can't hit back or chest twice a week that would overtrain my arms, I just train a few sets a month on arms and I still feel they are on the limit to overtraining. But ofcourse this is not static and as my streangth and size changes so does training and recovery for me atleast. I do 5/3/1 by the way.
This guy gives the most down to earth, rational and relevant bodybuilding related advise I've seen in the industry , now i see why this industry speaks so highly of John.
Thank you Deon!
mountaindog1 No problem, you have a new subscriber in me
Rip big dawg
This is probably my favorite channel on youtube these days
thank you!
thank you man the content is great
Many more coming
Good tips...real workout advice. Not base on drugs promotion
agreed! John is the best !
Three day split twice a week, day 1 (chest, shoulder, triceps ) day 2 ( back, bicep's ) day 3 ( legs ) repeat or take a day off and repeat. I just change from heavy lifting to high reps depending on what my body is telling me and always focusing on my intensity, this split has had the best results for me now that i'm in my 40's.
smart man
That's my exact workout schedule for the pst year. Spot on.
I like lower/upper/rest split for naturals. Gives you better frequency per muscle group than a bro split, allows you to do higher volume than full body 3x a week, and is easy to recover from.
I done this as well tho had to split and do bi's and triceps different days
how long does a session take for you guys? im also following an upper lower program and im at the gym for 2 whole hours, thats the only thing i hate about upper/lower. And i cant fit in ab work nor any decent shoulder work. If i would fit in ab work + all 3 parts of the delts, i would be at the gym for over 2 hours, fuck that. Any tips? Following the PHUL program
Push, pull ,legs is good also
@@SIideAway for myself, I am following a upper/lower program, 3 to 4 times a week. To cut the time,on one of the sessions of the upper body, I focus on the chest and the next upper one, I focus on the back. For example, a day will be a full chest workout then I add, for the back, say, a lot of bent-over rows (6 to 10 sets, not too heavy (except 2 lasts sets) but rest periods no more than 90 seconds, 60 if I am able) and that's that, if I am short in time (otherwise I would add meadows rows).
Then, next upper workout, a lot more back plus some chest in lower volume but I try to pick exercices that are a bit out of my routine so to not get bored and keep the body alert. I focus on the compound movements and a bit less on isolation, it helps in reducing the number of exercices. On leg day, I add some biceps and triceps in the end of the session, bis and tris are already worked on in the compound movements, it is an extra to get the look and pump. That's my trick. 1h30 max per session, 1h15 may be possible.
You get the idea. For me, it allows all the body parts to see action often and not get to sleep too long, I can have variety and time.
@@normvlqtte6512 thx for The answer , but what about shoulders and abs?
PPL-routine once a week and then focusing on arms 1 day, calves, shoulders + abs another day = 5 days a week. Works amazingly well.
I do ppl combined with Arnold split, works well for me🤝
@@gurra4580 how do u structure it?
@@isaack4046 first 3 days ppl, last 3 days arnold split. Sunday rest day, if thats what u mean?
@@gurra4580 do you only rest 2 day between ur leg sessions?
Favourite channel for me. So down to earth, honest and knowlegable. I train 4 times a week.
Monday, chest, back, shoulders.
Tuesday, Legs, calves, abs
Wednesday, rest
Thursday, chest, back, shoulders
Friday, rest
Saturday, Deadlift, legs, calves
Sunday, rest.
I throw in biceps, triceps and more abs where I feel like it.
I do a 3 days on 1 day off split. My routine is day 1- chest & back, day2- legs, day 3- shoulders & arms, day 4- rest day, and repeat!
same but i do Chest and Biceps and Back, Shoulders and Triceps
Push/Legs/Pull has been my go to routine for over 4 decades. It allows consistent progression and gains and has never failed to deliver for myself and all those I have trained ... since (gulp) 1978.
pics????
I like it too, but cannot do legs twice per week when it round up, i am doing 4 times per week atm push pull leg, what to do at that third week when i get to do legs twice per week?
@@Markzy_DM ...for myself, and others I help, legs every 10-14 days is ideal! Being such large muscles, they take a LOT out of anyone, plus they need sufficient time to bounce back...bigger and stronger.
Can u share with us!
@@nadeemhamid7556 ... no problems. Due to being bigger and stronger (I'm nearly 260#) I'm do 1) Dips, Press, 2) Calf Raise, Leg Press alt Toe Press (every 2 weeks), 3) Pulldowns, High Pull,. It's ALL about effort, not volume...the harder you train, the less you can do and recuperate from. I hope that helps?
So awesome you decided to start a channel John. I really appreciate your wisdom.
I am glad I did, I am enjoying it.
Akuma B.
RIP John!! You are missed but never forgotten!! I will watch your videos for the rest of my life!! Who ever is in charge of John's channel please do not let the channel expire. John has changed my life for the better and I have changed my physique by implementing the knowledge from his videos!!
John, ive been lifting for years as a powerlifter and ive looked everywhere for advice on how to keep going without injury. truth be told you have been the only path that reiterates your logic and reasoning. i appriciate your knowledge! youre a great teacher.
Thank you Anthony!
RIP John. You were one of a kind. I wish I had never taken your videos for granted.
Good general rules that combine the science we have and anecdotal evidence from experience, but still emphasizes the n=1 factor that tends to get lost. Love the content you are putting out!
Thank you Shawn!
What does "n=1" mean?
@@dude2410 it's a term from research for a single subject study, basically. In this context it means that everyone is different so the "optimal" or general best practice may not be the best for you based on different personal factors. Keep in mind that you can be the 1% for something that applies to 99% of people.
@@shawndwyer5458 oh I see, thnx for the explanation bro
Really glad you pointed out the fun factor. People forget that if you need to have fun aswell to keep going
I do a PUSH, LEGS, PULL, DAY OFF, PUSH, LEGS, PULL split. I’m 52, natty, and it works for me.
I go 7 days a week natty. 1. Deadlift-back-bi 2. chest-light shoulder-tri 3. heavy legs-bi 4. abs-heavy tri 5. Back-bi 6. Shoulders-light chest-tri 7. Light legs-bi 8. Heavy abs-tri. I have found great success with this routine over the last 6mos, but i don’t plan on continuing it. I think it’s been great for fat burning but i probably need more rest to grow.
I found that this split works amazingly for me
Chest, Back , Traps day1
Quads , Hams , calves, Biceps day2
Shoulders , Triceps day 3
Day 4 off.
6 to 9 sets per body part
And they get worked 2x every 8 days
Nice split, going to give it a go!
@@Northern85Star it worked ?
The best advice given so far! I’ve realized how important is the recovery of the musce after training like a horse for 4-5 years and i wasn’t progressing at all! Naturals should consider this : it’s not the muscle tht fails, it’s your central nerve system! If it fails it won’t give signals to muscle to recover and grow! And you end up being tired all the time! I bet you all have had days when u felt lazy asf and skipped gym, or went to the gym but did a shitty workout! That’s becouse of cns!
Natural lifter
Monday: chest and tris
Tuesday: back and bis
Wednesday: shoulders
Thursday: legs
Friday: bis and tris supersets.
Typical "bro split" but I find that it works for recovery and have gotten stronger since doing this.
Nop thats enhanced routine it wont work for naturals.
A natural will benefit more on less volume more frequency type of work our to trigger protein synthesis n yes i work out hard for the past 30 years.
I used to do those routines bodybuilders enhanced routine n i still made good gains even though im a natural bodybuilder, but as a natural u gain more muscle by doing less volume more frequency work outs.
I’m 40, been lifting for 2 years. Natural. I have workout A and workout B...I do each twice a week. I add in a workout C to make up any volume deficits.
Workout A is chest, triceps, biceps.
Workout B is shoulders, back, legs.
Workout C is miscellaneous volume involving a combination of A and B.
I essentially adhere to MAV...minimum and maximums of volume while still being able to recover. I keep a daily log of my workouts, too. I’m still learning, and have found Mr. Meadows to be extremely helpful. Thanks 👍🏻
keep up the good work!
mountaindog1 Thanks, and thank you for the awesome information
John, you were the absolute best. A wonderful human being. Your family must be so proud of the man you were 🙏
A push, pull, legs has worked best for me as a natural builder. I do push and pull 2x a week, then try fit in legs 1x a week- as they are naturally good.
If they're naturally good won't you want to do them more?
Wise Wigga just started them 2x a week now like everything else, have noticed a difference. Was wrong.
@@zaviercadorin6244 Do you still do PPL? Did you get better results training muscle 2 times a week?
MajkL definitely, training them twice a week makes a huge difference over time in my opinion. Your body is usually healed within 48-72hrs, I’ve always stuck with twice a week, you could possibly go 3x a week but through research there was no real difference in results. But yeah, at least twice a week, unless your training like Dorian Yates lol
PPL split sounds like a good thing for natural lifter's or a 4 day upper and lower split
The amount of knowledge Ive gained from listening to John Meadows and how, much he has unknowingly affected my life is astounding. I miss you John! I'll keep watching, and I'll keep learning!
I lift 6-7 days a week drug free for almost two years. At first my recovery was slow but I feel great everyday now!
Seeing this 3 years late but oh well. The honesty is great. Every kid who decides to start lifting needs to see this.
the infinity mirrior reflection is how I see working out just when you get in a good one don't rest on it just keep going and going,,,,,,,,,,,,,
I’m 47 just got back into working out. I’m doing a 3 on 1 off, 2 on 1 off split. I’ve back at it for few months. Day one chest shoulders. Day 2 back and legs. Day 3 bi tris and forearms and abs. Day 4 off and just stretch and relax. Day 5 Entire body hi reps, short time between sets lower weight but get full contract and squeeze. Day 6 same but different workouts then previous day. Day 7 rest. I’m eating very healthy and feel fantastic. Love your videos they are inspirational.
God bless you my friend, you were an awesome person!!! You’ll be missed!!! Rest in paradise!!!🙏🏽🤟🏽✌🏽
Mon-Legs, abs, glutes, and lower back
Tues-Push (Chest, triceps, front/medial delts)
Wed-Pull (upper/mid back, biceps, rear delts)
Thurs-Push again
Fri-Pull again
Sat/Sun-rest
cardio after random workouts about once or twice a week. Kettlebell swings on Mon, farmer's walks Wed and Fri.
nice!
I do a push pull workout currently three times a week.
tues: 9 sets chest, 9 sets shoulders, 9 sets triceps.
thurs: 9 sets back, 9 sets legs, 9 sets biceps
sat: 9 sets shoulders, 9 sets chest, 9 sets triceps
tues: 9 sets legs, 9 sets back, 9 sets bicep
etc etc
This way each muscle group gets 4 days rest and im hitting each every 4 days with a total volume per week (or 8 days) of 18 sets per bodypart. Im doing this more focusing on frequency right now to get a good level of mass back before i start splitting the muscle groups up hitting them with more volume per session in a more 'bro' split manner.
I trained for many years and have always been natural (not that such matters, antty/gear/ etc) I got really big and way past my goals size wise but after many years stopped in 05. ive been back at it now for the past 7 months age 40 and loving it once again and seeing my gains come back in size and strength.
I mention such just to point out that I know what WORKS FOR ME as everyone is different. no one split is any better than any other but depends more on the person and their goals. of course, there are set perimeters but so much flexibility within them to suit us all depending on how our bodies react differently. sorry bit of a long rambling post haha
18 sets to failure are a lot
@@yndrop1751 It is alot. At that time I had only been back at the gym for 7 months after a lay off of just over ten years. The 18 sets I could only maintain for about three weeks before I starting hitting early overtraining symptoms (trouble sleeping, irritability) so would have to pull back to 12 sets to failure a week for a week then bump it up to 16 which is pretty much i found my limit of which i can maintain a constant (16 sets to failure per muscle group per week) That said since then Ive found when training frequency (push pull) in terms of recovery hitting each muscle group twice a week with a weekly volume of 14 sets seems to be the sweetspot for me. whereas when doing a more bro split and hitting each muscle group on its own day once per week i can push the volume a little more to 16 hard sets per workout. That said I still think its good from time to time to throw in a week of 18 sets then back off back down to 12-16 right before overtraining symptoms strike. just a case of listening to your body and trial and error
@@papaspaulding for me 10 sets to failure are plenty however i do sets that are not taken to failure but I dont count them... But it really depends on how we define failure
@@yndrop1751 Im the same in that I only count the sets i take to failure. anything other that to me are warm up sets. but i know everyone is different on what sets they counts etc. One persons 4 sets is another persons (warm up to one working set) I go to the point i cant do another rep with form on compounds and then on isolation movements i go all out to complete failure. I wish 10 straight sets were enough for me. I would have to throw in drop sets and partials or other intensity techniques on many of those sets to make that volume work for me progressively
@@papaspaulding I just know that some exercises are great for me and i stick to those for example
Chest : crossovers , bench press
And incline flys are all I do
Most humble big and educated guy I have ever experienced.
I'm 59 and natural, I've squatted 560 for 3 reps and do T-bar Rows with 8 plates( I have done bent rows with 385 lbs. for 6 reps). The Reason I'm writing is the split: I do 1 on 2 off always now, so the whole body is trained once every 9 days. I have to do back and chest before legs because squats ruin my shoulders. Shoulders and arms are essentially to rehab the shoulders and I work hard on biceps, medium on tris because my shoulders wont let me do much. I've made gains on this and have tried the every other day and 2 off after the body is completed its course, but even that leaves for soreness and incomplete recovery. Hence the 9 day which is working. It's frustrating as a natty because I find when I really hit the gym and all cylinders are firing for a great workout I feel lethargic in a good way, good soreness in the muscles, good sleep but zero appetite. Tough to eat the whole 2 days between workouts. I also find many good workouts are left in the gym floor because your body wants to shut you down, makes you sleepy, no appetite and ill sometimes. I use shakes and patience. Just takes longer to reach your goals. I'm aiming for a 650 squat when i'm 60 below parallel, and 405 bent row for 5 reps. I can't bench much because of shoulder injuries so I do high rep dumbbell benches. I've benched 335 for a couple reps before I started getting hurt.
@AVXVA Being dumb. Trying to see what my max bench is. The thing is I needed more warm-up. I was going for a 315 on the bench and got hurt at 280 only. This was so stupid. I've done 330 for a couple reps before and was just beginning an assault on 345 or so and ended up hurting my shoulder. Been bothering me a little but mostly good. No more heavy weights for awhile.
Miss the knowledge this great man freely parted with. Thank you Mr Meadows
For me what worked best was doing a 4 day split. Day 1 legs and biceps, squats and lunges, concentration curls and hammer curls. Day 2 chest flat, incline, dips/pull overs. Day 3 back deadlifts, rows, and pull ups. Day 4 shoulders and triceps standing military press, lateral raises, bent over lateral raises, wide grip upright rows, close grip bench press, cable tricep extension. Rest on Sunday. Continue workout split on monday
Great advice as always. I do Push, Pull, Legs, rest, Upper, Lower, rest. It’s enough for me at 52.
I alternate between full upper and full lower body routines. I train an average of 6 days a week. I've been lifting for 8 years as a natural who recently transitioned into upper/lower splits, and I'm loving it.
We had a total of maybe 3-5 videos of Coach Arnold training. And then every one thinks that's true or right. Nope you need to see his complete regimen then you might know a little compared to his teachers.
i missed u so bad john..,u dont have any idea how impacted our lives in all norm of as to how person be conducting themselvs i cant begin to speak how i reap knowledge from u u were truly genuine n humble with outstanding guru i ever came across within the fitness community…what do we do now who is going to be our teacher…
Full Body workouts works best for me, because I realized that even when I go 7 days per week training, i get better results in strength and muscle mass. And just for notice, I'm a natural lifter.
How is your routine look like?
Current split as 38yo male natural. Lift on Sat, Mon, & Wed. Linear progression using only the 5s-day from 5/3/1 %s. Adding 5 lbs to the training max each workout.
BB bench each day; squat 2 days; DL 1 day.
3-5 downsets on bench. 0-3 downsets on squat. 0-2 downsets on DL.
Superset with banded face-pulls (or something similar for back & delts).
Sometimes lat pull down & cable rows.
Jim W would be proud!
i just work out 5 days a week, consisting of pull, push, legs, pull, push. maybe 1-1.5 hour every session. Never going to fatigue on for example biceps twice the same week. No strict plans, just work hard and having fun. :)
I was thinking of doing this, but I'm afraid of my Legs legging too much behind
Man im 38 years old over waight and watch your vids are giveing me modivation to pick the waits up again excelent chanel thx man keep them coming
thank you Wayne!
Been training for 3 years and got not bad results
1. Push
2. Pull
3. Legs
4. Rest
5. Push (light exercises)
6. Pull (light exercises )
7. Rest
Not that good.. You're leaving your legs bruh
@@wisewigga7129 Have you seen the video?
You're the guy who skips leg day
I'm 6ft went from 140lbs to 205lbs in 2 years training each body part twice a week. As far as back mostly pull ups! Nature! Lots of Milk Oatmeal Peanut butter and Ramon noodles. Prison diet reformed and doing well love and appreciate your videos
I am all the way in South Africa and find John blogs to be the best. From other bodybuilders( all great bt not so detailed n comprehensive). You are a gem in the iron community John ! Thank you
Been natural for 22 years
Workout split
Monday: back am, arms pm
Tuesday: delts traps am, hams calves pm
Wednesday: chest am, arms pm
Thursday: legs calves am, delts pm
Friday: back am, arms pm
Saturday: chest
Sunday: legs calves
hit calves every day!! haha, I am a calf fanatic
I just back into weight training after a 15 year absence. I'm 47 and natural and for the last 5 months I was doing a 3 day split push/pull which was this:
Chest/Shoulders/Tri's
Legs
Back/Bi's
But just last week I switched to a 4 days split which is:
Chest/Tri's
Legs
OFF 3-4 mile run
Shoulders
Back/Bi's
OFF 3-4 mile run
I like the idea of training shoulders alone and felt they needed more time and attention. Going into week 2 with this 4 day split I really love it. I like the more recovery time, with the 3 day I split was hitting body parts twice a day.
Love this channel, no drama just wisdom from a lifetime of training
If i Train a 5 day Split i fell sore for the whole week, sometimes i cant train properly other groups because i trained till im done, feel good so, also i love the Bodybuilding Style, you feel a Pump, the variety for example a Back day:
Pullover cable or Dumbledore
Latpulldown variations
t bar rows, barbell rows or dumbell rows
Machine rows or one Hand rowing
Hyper Extensions
Some calves
Big smile and thx to you John Meadows:)
Nathaniel Watkins lmao 😂
Push, pull, legs, arms, restday > Repeat - I love it! Have gotten amazing results this year with a proper diet
ryan rogers yes man, the last day im focusing on lagging bodyparts
Using the split principle is how to maintain symmetry.... muscles don't grow at the same rate... changing your split routine to bring up the lagging Body Parts!
my lord more people need to see this video. this applies to so much more with fitness too, where people think they have to exactly program anything and never find out how to train and eat by feeling their body
YES!!!
Im a natural lifter. Currently I'm doing a pull/push/legs split. I recover well so I work out 6 days a week. I recently moved to Ohio and have been hitting the gym in Pickerington so maybe I'll run into ya.
You explained that in a very simple way. Best channel on TH-cam. Most of all, your English is very understandable for me
thank you!
Full body workouts for me.. 3 days a week.. Mon. Wed. Fri or Sat.. 2 exercises per body part. 4 sets each. 8-10 reps. Plenty of frequency and fully recovered by the next workout... Old School, Leroy Colbert style....
old school!!
joe proctor my favourite type of training too. But I do lower reps and higher sets. 5x5 for me is gold. Usually only one exercise per bodypart with low set isolations to finish
I like full body any style Emir, I mean how else can you get 4 full rest days.. Plus all that frequency.. I just got done doing 31 days straight, of leg days. My quads were pumped every day all day long.. Team3dalpha style. Im doing Nucleus Overload... Check those videos out.. I saw you liked Alpha Destiny. He does a lot of things that Migan from Team3DAlpha talks about..
joe proctor Same here bro, I do add a few more sets/reps to lacking body parts for me tho, but I feel like full body is the way to go for natty lifters, been trading for 7 and a half years, but for the past year in a half I've been doing full body and it's definitely better for longevity, I don't have to keep pounding and stressing my body days in a row like a bro split would.
PushinSince93 Yeah man, i am 51 years old and came back to full body 3 years ago. Nothing better than 4 rest days and almost No Soreness. 6 months of heavy lifting ahead before i do my cut for summer.
My physique is showing tremendous improvement over the last year of learning from this channel. Thank you, John!
awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you for this, Been lifitng for a year and a half at the age of 31 now and I've just moved to push/pull/ legs with a few movements for each the first weeks. Plan to up the intensity or volume after I get the feel for this and I really feel it will help me progess. The days things are ready to go I'll need to start utilizing a bit more. Father of 4 with a full time job and boy do I love this journey/Lifestyle
May u rest in peace John, you was huge inspiration for me and the world. Thank you for that, and god bless your family
I've found excellent progress simply doing two full-body workouts a week. Tuesday and Friday (sometimes Saturday). It's about two hours in the gym each time, but totally worth it. Everything recovers properly and I am improving all of my lifts overtime without injury. Depending on which body parts I want to focus most heavily on, I'll do those early. Sometimes I focus on back, sometimes chest, sometimes shoulders... and then keep moving them around.
🗿
How many sets per exercise do you do and how close to failure do you take each set? Just curious, because I do full body, 3 sets per exercise (7 different exercises in total). It's really battered my CNS and joints, been so fatigued, foggy, sore muscles, couldn't recover, so I just took 6 days off because I decided to listen to my body and rest. I swear to god some of my muscles actually look a little bigger now, all I've done is just get steps in most days. I'm wondering if I stick to 3x or 2x and put more days of recovery between them, if that would work out better for me.
Push/Pull/Legs+Core 4EVAH. I alternate between 5x5 and 3x10, usually leaving one rep in the tank. Rest days are unscheduled and taken only when needed. Lifting typically 6 days a week in the a.m. w/ cardio in the p.m. and 2 of those sessions are HIIT cardio on a bike. I also stretch and do soft tissue work. Currently have my diet structured for body recomp.
I find for me push, pull leg splits work best in terms of frequency, however i do understand the body part prioritization is key in bodybuilding like you mentioned!! great simple video, there is no need to over complicate it - frequency is key!
Infinite john meadows'!
This is exactly how I set up my split, it's the most logical by far.
Sun:rest
Mon: legs (squats)
Tues:back(pulls) / chest
Weds:cardio
Thurs: legs (deadlifts)
Fri: shoulders/back (Rows)
Sat: arms
Weak bps are back/legs
Training back in the two different workouts gives a totally different feel each time, it's working well for now
awesome!
This split seems awesome. I’m gonna give it a go!
Chris Carter what about intensity and volume of same body part in different days ?
As a natural lifter I always found an every-other-day split optimal. Mon (legs, back, biceps)...Wed(chest, triceps, shoulders)...Friday(repeat Monday's)...Sunday(repeat Wednesday's)...continue every other day.
@@jdx4582 It can be. That's why I only focus on one of the 3 body parts doing more sets and exercises for example back and one maintenance exercise for the other two. I switch focus every 4-6 weeks. But I agree you can't really train 3 body parts hard in one session.
Mark Parris that’s a big workout on Monday
I was genuinely expecting this to be the standard BS "do this if you're natural" video / channel but I was pleasantly surprized at how good your information was. Keep it up, mate.
Sun: Push
Mon: Pull
Tue: Legs
Wed: Push
Thur: Pull
Fri: Legs
Sat: Rest or cardio
Been working good for me using a 8x2-3 on my compound lifts 100% natural
JiNxx sT one day of rest? What about your body’s recovery ability?
Matthew G since you are training different muscles each day, your body gets 2 days of rest before training those same muscle again
I've been hitting everything like a mad man and some stuff grows and some just won't. This makes total since to me about why.
My split is 3 days heavy weights, with 3 sets of rest pause at the end of each exercise, and 3 days lighter weights, higher reps and a few drop sets at the end of each exercise. There are some weeks that I feel better than others but overall my body can take it if I get sufficient sleep (having a son and full time job makes it hard at times)
I try every type of workout, but since I drink 40g bcaa,20g glutamine and 5g creatine through a workout...I feel I can train full body every single day! Recovery is amazing from this bcaa-glutamine mix!!!
I do upper-lower-rest-upper-lower-rest-full body-repeat :) and I love it !
I started two on one off. Chest back the legs arms. Weekends? Off Saturday Cardio on Sunday. Cardio also on other off day Wednesday. Couple hours of Fun intense Mountain biking is my cardio. My frequency is moderate which means the body never gets used to it and it’s enough of a frequency that I don’t hurt myself. Gained 32 pounds of muscle in first 36 weeks of this technique at age 50. Best plan I e done in 30 years of Natty training. Strong AF too
3 days per week full body.
20 sets per muscle group.
No issue recovering from 3 days
Fits my schedule and allows consistency.
I've been growing more on this than upper/lower, LPP, and traditional bro split.
Chris Di excellent advice. This will get you very far into your training
@@scottgreen6233 this wasn't advice but rather what works for me as a 35 yr old dad who works 2 jobs. Thanks
Been loving this 3 x week full body routine
RIP John💪🏼
What works best for me is a body part split, 3-4 days a week with 3 rest days
Day 1 - Chest and shoulders (weakest parts)
Day 2 - Legs and cardio
Day 3 rest
Day 4 - Arms
Day 5 - Back
Day 6 - Rest
Day 7 - Rest
Typically I am doing 18 - 24 sets including warm up sets, per day. Each workout will take me between 70 - 90 minutes to complete including warm ups.
Each workout I will either run or cycle for 15 minutes as warmup/cardio
Just started following you. Very impressed with your advice and insight! Thanks for the videos!
Thank you Kurtis!
After watching this, going to try Chest and Legs, Rest, Arms, Rest, Back and Legs, Chest and Shoulders, finally Arms again. Thank you for the great info again John!
you bet!
I train each body part every 6 days.. 16 sets each body part. 2 weeks heavy high intesity 1 week light 12-15 reps.. to get big naturally you need to get strong- 4 - 8 reps
Day 1 - Chest, Day 2 - Back, Day 3 - legs, Day 4 - Shoulders traps triceps, Day 5 - biceps + Calves, then rest day and repeat
Monday: Quads/Hamstring/Calfs
Tuesday:Shoulders/Arms/Calfs
Wednesday: Chest/Back
Thursday: Quads/Hamstring/Calfs
Friday: Shoulders/Arms/Calfs
Saturday: Chest/Back
Sunday: Off
I too am a big fan off getting a pump. So I always superset my exercises.
Have my clients programs set up the same to get more 'work done' in less time and keep the intensity up.
I like it!!
I am doing the same thing - emphasize my weak parts legs, calves, and back and basically maintain the rest. I don't even have to specifically work my shoulders chest and arms they grow anyway.
Push/Pull. Push with legs added (Squat and focus on Quads and the anterior muscles), Pull with deadlift added (focus on hamstrings and posterior chain involved).
I combine this with whole body workouts due to time constrain where I have to work for two full days without being able to train at a gym. These full body workouts is done in an alternating manner where antagonists are trained back and forth. For example. Chins and military press. Flat dumbbell benchpress and Barbell rows and so on. I choose either to deadlift or do the Squat, not both on a full body workout. I may also do just 1 set for body parts that are already good and keep doing 3-4 sets for the ones lacking in the full body routine.
Being a natural guy I really found that a push /pull split helps me maximize my time in the gym the 4 or 5 days that I'm able to train
I’m currently trying for body building
M:Upper horizontal
T:Quad focus
W:Rest
T: Upper vertical
F: Hamstring focus
S:Arms & lagging part
S: rest
But I’m considering trying adding high frequency while keeping track of my intensity.
M:push, quads (a) about 4 exercises (4-5sets)
T:Pull, hamstring (b) about 4 too
W:A
T:B
F:A
S:B
S: rest
Splits are always fun to make. ;)
Simple and easy to understand. I train 4 days a week and for me push, pull split works for me best. My weakest parts are chest and shoulders so watching your video I think I'm going to make sure I do a couple more excercises twice a week and drop a few sets from my leg excercises
I use a daily undulating periodization program with emphasis on incline bench press, seated overhead press, deadlift and squat. It rotates intensity between 60-90% of 1RM and varies volume/tempo to focus on hypertrophy, strength, or power. I train this Mon-Thurs and Saturday (5x/wk). Example: Mon power 75% OHP, Tues hypertrophy 65% Squats, Wed strength 85% Incline BP, Thurs power 60% Deadlifts, and Sat hypertrophy 70% OHP etc. Legs are basic - squats, deadlifts, split squats, calf raises and more accessory work for upper body.
I've been doing a 3 day cycle lately, with a rest day after 2 cycles, so basically 2 W/Os a week, but I've discovered that what seems to work is to go hard for 2 or 3 weeks, then back off and sort of slack a little, throw in extra rest days and reduce overall volume for about a week, then get back at it. It seems like I fill out and actually make visible gains during the slack period, then I can usually come back with good strength. Could be because I'm over 50, but I've actually made gains recently comparable to any time in my lifting life, outside of the 1st year or 2, or the first weeks after extended layoffs.
Really miss this man. Truly a legend. Best wishes to his family.
I've had great results with a higher split as a natty. For an example my shoulders have always been stubborn, but once i devoted a day to only training shoulder good things began happenning. I used to do them with chest & triceps, but couldn't give them the volume they needed this way.
I do a 3 day split mon: chest + tri's, tue: back + shoulders, wed: legs + biceps, thurs: rest, fri: chest + tri's, sat: back + shoulders, sun: legs + biceps, rinse repeat, so 3 days of training in a row, and then each split being separated by one rest day, and I have 1-3 different workout samples with different exercises I focus on switching between and I also try my best to alternate between strength training and volume training
I have been doing a upper/lower program for 2 years, since coming off Bro spilts. I had been doing Bro splits for years with minimal to zero results. I train Monday and Tuesday, then Thur and Fri, and at last I have started seeing results. Just discovered your channel, and have found it really interesting.
Thank you!
Ive done them all over the last 20 years but the one that I favor as an older trainee with a high training age is the once weekly push, pull, legs with a total volume of 5-25 sets per workout. This pretty much the only split that my body will tolerate over the long term and it is the split that keeps me strong, lean and all around healthy while still having ambition outside the gym. Thanks for all the excellent content BTW, John.
thank you my brother for watching and contributing!
1. Shoulders/Tri's and a bit of Chest
2. Back/Bi's
3. Chest/Tri's and a bit of Shoulders
4. Legs/Bi's
5. Off
6. Super high intensity workout(a lot of drop sets/isometrics) on whatever I muscle group I feel like doing that day OR a full body workout
7. Off
Do a bit of ab training pretty much every day. My goal with this split was really beefing out my armor(chest, delts, arms) and it's been working great for me so far.
how's your progress with this split been?
Hi mountaindog1, I too am an "older"(52) lifter. I've recently got back into lifting but not using plate weights. Please don't judge me, but I've recently gotten access to a bowflex machine and I find it's incredible. A little different pump then old school plates, but still a good workout. I just wanted to thank you as your advise on workouts and nutrition also apply when working with the bowflex. I also do the full body workouts with the bowflex, every 3 days, Tues, Thurs, and Sat. Which of course gives me that extra day for the recovery. As I said, your suggestions are common sense and I've taken to them by dropping the weight and concentrating on technique and strict form with attempting to get that pinch at the top of each compression. It truly works wonders and I just want to thank you and say I'm glad you are here and that I've found your channel. You have made a difference in my training!!!
thank you!
I have been training naturally for years and it all comes down to nutrition. If you don't feed growth. Then it won't happen. But I been using a Dorian Yates style H.I.T. split Back/biceps, chest/triceps, shoulders/abs, leg day.
thank you!
I just figured it out!!!,after three years of fumbling around different splits,Mountaindog1,you have opened my eyes,my chest and shoulders are lagging due to shoulder surgeries,so this is what I came up with.... Monday-chest/shoulders,Tuesday-back,Wednesday-legs,Thursday-shoulders/chest,Friday-bi’s-tri’s,my back,legs and arms are big, I just need to bring up my chest and shoulders,thanks dude
4 days on 1 off is best for me. Back,rear delts traps - chest/triceps - legs/abs - shoulders/biceps - rest and repeat
that is what I did for YEARS!!!!! :)
So smart and informative... You have been the go to of late... Super entertaining also
Chest, front delts, biceps
Back, side delts, triceps
Off
Chest, front delts, biceps
Back, back delts, triceps
Off
Legs, abs
perfect
Why wouldnt you group chest with triceps and back and biceps
I'm on week 4 of a 4 day split . I'm doing Push/Legs/Pull/Legs. My rest days have been to just go light on every second leg day. This is on the back of a 12 week,4 day split I finished of Push/Pull/Leg/Rest. I am 100% over-trained at the moment but that didn't happen until mid last week. I'm fixing this as we speak. Recently, I saw a few of your videos that helped me understand I am not being lazy but I am exhibiting classic signs of over training. No significant injuries, just classic burn out/soreness and low quality workouts. I am 37, 208lbs. Work a physical job, 1/2hr- 1hr/day of dedicated walking and eat 2370 kcal/day (200-230g protein). I am an lower limb amputee and I have an artificial knee and hip. I am natural at the moment but want to take a cycle and/or some HGH so bad. I feel "this is my time" and I want to hit my peak before I inevitably need another surgery down the line. Anyway, you have such great advice. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and passion! You have helped me so much in my fitness journey and I'm just some guy. Thanks again John!
as a 60 yr old lifetime natty pro, my one rule is never do legs and back on simultaneous days. Either throw arms in there or take the day off completely. You grow when you recover.
totally agree