Traditional training split or push pull legs for bodybuilding? Poll!

[Evom1]

Purely for bodybuilding purposes, strength not being a concern just purely focused on building the most muscle possible.

Which would you prefer and have you tried both? I'm trying to decide for an upcoming blast which I want to utilize and I'm torn.

Going to tag some of our resident monsters here as well
@Mac11wildcat @fodsod @rutman @HIGHRISK @ickyrica

 

[fodsod]

I'm going to split the topic right off and say that both have pluses and minuses but it depends on you personally and your build.

I think push, pull, legs is great if you have great arms and delts already since they get worked but not to the level they would in a traditional split where they would get their own days with total focus.

I'd probably build an off season program that included room for both to be used if the individual didn't have any legitimate experience/success with either. Maybe 12-16 weeks of push pull legs then a transition to a split with a focus on on lagging body parts for 10-12 weeks or longer then back into a push pull legs set up for the remainder of the off season unless more attention was needed for weaker body parts then round 2 of a split protocol.

The possibilities are endless.

 

[rutman]

I’ve tried every type of split you can think of over the years. And I still try differ ones every now and then just to see how my body will react....and it never lasts long. Maybe a month, then I always go back to my one body part a day split, with hitting legs twice a week (ham day, and a quad day). I think you really have to train balls to wall every workout to make progress though. Lots of intensity and volume every day.

My split is currently like this

Monday-back
Tuesday-shoulders
Wednesday- hams
Thursday- chest
Friday-arms
Saturday-quads

Some weeks I’ll throw bi’s in with back, and tri’s ok with chest just to give my body an extra rest day during the week.

 

[Evom1]

@rutman @fodsod
Thanks guys, I was really hoping you both would chime in. I've been watching so much Dorian Yates stuff it's had me debating which route to go

 

[AlwaysHungry]

@rutman @fodsod
Thanks guys, I was really hoping you both would chime in. I've been watching so much Dorian Yates stuff it's had me debating which route to go

Yates route to go. I've tried so many programs I always gi back to this and I always make progress on this simple very effective once a week body part balls to the walls minimal exercises I throw in some hypertrophy work here and there. I think if you read carefully DC training and Yates and you combine them no other program can stand next to it.
From DC I kept one thing that is crucial I keep a notebook. Every training season I increase the load or the reps. This is steady progress combine with some rest and pause and some drop sets. I doubt think you need or you want to do something else after that.

 

[ickyrica]

Had a great time with a legit pull push legs setup recently, but I've also had amazing experiences with traditional splits as well.

I feel like the best growth I have shown was in a pull push legs setup, however i haven't run anything traditional since i ventured into anabolics. Might have figured out my next few months in the gym...

 

[Jankauskas]

I'm going to split the topic right off and say that both have pluses and minuses but it depends on you personally and your build.

I think push, pull, legs is great if you have great arms and delts already since they get worked but not to the level they would in a traditional split where they would get their own days with total focus.

I'd probably build an off season program that included room for both to be used if the individual didn't have any legitimate experience/success with either. Maybe 12-16 weeks of push pull legs then a transition to a split with a focus on on lagging body parts for 10-12 weeks or longer then back into a push pull legs set up for the remainder of the off season unless more attention was needed for weaker body parts then round 2 of a split protocol.

The possibilities are endless.

So if someone had lagging shoulders and arms, you recommend a pro split?

 

[Evom1]

Had a great time with a legit pull push legs setup recently, but I've also had amazing experiences with traditional splits as well

Considering you're absolutely massive, this is encouraging. Being tall I'm always concerned of my arms lagging, but I need to pack on some serious size

 

[fodsod]

So if someone had lagging shoulders and arms, you recommend a pro split?

Just depends on the individual. The amount the body part is lagging, how they’ve been training, what they’ve tried in the past and so on.

Most of the time, more direct work, higher intensity and pushing someone into an uncomfortable training zone works awesome. Push hard then back off some then push again.

Although, more work isn’t always the answer. I’ve seen some guys actually systematically over training their delts weekly for years because they have terrible form when working their chest. Correct the chest issue and lower the delt work to allow recovery and then they grow.

 

[ickyrica]

Considering you're absolutely massive, this is encouraging.

lol, always in a growth phase my friend.

I believe that if your effort level is high and consistent in the gym you're full of potential. I made it pretty far without anabolics, and once I started using I had a big jump in strength and size as expected. But, some of my best gains came when i had a trifecta going: consistancy in the gym, a focused nutrition plan and anabolics.

Almost all of my knowledge is from personal experience and isn't as polished as some of the other guys you have posting in this thread. Lots of good insight here.

 

[Mac11wildcat]

My .02 is hit push/pull/legs as long as you can and use the traditional split asa means to switch things up.

I believe the push/pull/legs is superior 1:1 with the bro split due to more chances for progressive overload but a total weekly volume increase as well, but maintaining intensity there can be a challenge. I use it as my default and go to different splits for a break/change.

 

[Xlgx]

On the p/p/l. Are people training each body part 1x week or 2x week or something in between ?

 

[Evom1]

On the p/p/l. Are people training each body part 1x week or 2x week or something in between ?

Every 5 days was the rotation I looked at

Push, legs, rest, pull, rest repeat

 

[fodsod]

I've always felt my delts needed more attention so I've run a push, pull, calves/delts, legs (quad dominate), rest, push, pull, calves/delts, legs (ham dominate) routine with good success.

One could sub in arms instead of delts if needed to put more emphasis on them if required also. There really is no end to the combinations.

 

[Jankauskas]

I've always felt my delts needed more attention so I've run a push, pull, calves/delts, legs (quad dominate), rest, push, pull, calves/delts, legs (ham dominate) routine with good success.

One could sub in arms instead of delts if needed to put more emphasis on them if required also. There really is no end to the combinations.

Interesting split. Right now I need to address upper back, shoulders and arms. I think I’m going to focus on upper back and shoulders first, so here’s this split I have thought of:

Back (rhomboid focused), shoulders (rear/middle delts)
Chest, front delts
Legs, calves,glutes
Off
Traps, shoulders (rear/middle delts)
Arms
Off


Trying to get in 20 sets of both rear/mid delts, and also 20 sets of traps as I haven’t really done any real amount of volume on these body parts over the years. My past training split method brought me great success in terms of development in the past, but now it doesn’t cut it anymore and I need to step it up.

 

[Mac11wildcat]

The great thing aboit something like PPL is it lends well to specializing. @fodsod nailed it.

In my case, I needed chest and arms.

On push days, 2x a week, my chest is the priority, tris get some good work, and delts just some touch up sets.

Bis get hit on back day, and I added an arm day at the end so it’s push/pull/legs/arms/off/repeat

If you’re needing legs, make both leg days full leg days. If you’re not, make one quad dominant and one ham dominant.

Exercise selection becomes a bit more critical if you keep pull and legs next to each other. I did because i still wanted chest to be hit fresh every cycle. But if you don’t need that, pull/push/legs/repeat with whatever focus you need.

 

[Xlgx]

What about training the front and rear of the body on separate days?

Front: shoulders chest biceps abs quads

Rear: back triceps hams calves

 

[fodsod]

The great thing aboit something like PPL is it lends well to specializing. @fodsod nailed it.

In my case, I needed chest and arms.

On push days, 2x a week, my chest is the priority, tris get some good work, and delts just some touch up sets.

Bis get hit on back day, and I added an arm day at the end so it’s push/pull/legs/arms/off/repeat

If you’re needing legs, make both leg days full leg days. If you’re not, make one quad dominant and one ham dominant.

Exercise selection becomes a bit more critical if you keep pull and legs next to each other. I did because i still wanted chest to be hit fresh every cycle. But if you don’t need that, pull/push/legs/repeat with whatever focus you need.

Great that you pointed out the fact that having legs and pull day back to back does factor into the equation in a big way. Many fail to account for the recovery aspect (CNS included) and the amount of shear energy (mental and physical) that's needed to do both with intensity.

Good stuff in this thread. I could discuss advanced training all day.

 

[ickyrica]

On the p/p/l. Are people training each body part 1x week or 2x week or something in between ?

2x

Pull, push, legs, pull, push legs, rest day

I'm not wicked hard core into legs so volume and intensity wasn't full throttle on leg day. A bit more ability to recovery.

 

[Xlgx]

2x

Pull, push, legs, pull, push legs, rest day

I'm not wicked hard core into legs so volume and intensity wasn't full throttle on leg day. A bit more ability to recovery.

You don’t find recovery better with 3 on 1 off instead of 6 on?