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Pre-fatigue or keep the weight up


Cameron_R

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I started lifting at the same time I joined this forum, about 5 years ago. I've basically been following 1 main split that whole time:

 

Old Split

Day 1: Chest + Tris

Day 2: Legs

Day 3: Shoulders + Abs

Day 4: Back + Bis 

 

Over the 5 years I've also learned some basics about nutrition from all of you muppets, and generally I'm happy with the results. Slowly but surely I've put on muscle and dropped body fat. Gym life is not even my 3rd hobby, so taking my time, and getting some slow results works great for me.

 

I've decided that I want to add in some cardio due to non-lifting goals in my life, and I completely munted my ankle in May this year.  The ankle is almost good again now - but I need to start running on it to make sure I don't end up in another 5 year without it fully recuperated because I never made it flexible again!

The other thing I'm was thinking is that I should keep it to a 4 day split because that works for me in terms of the number of days a week I actually get to the gym. I'm not keen for one cycle through the split to take longer than a week, and if I have a 5 day split, chance are it will run over.

So what are your thoughts on this split?

 

New Split

Day 1: Run 

Day 2: Chest + Bis + Shoulders + Traps

Day 3: Legs

Day 4: Back + Tris + Abs

 

I actually tried Day 2 today. I usually start Shoulder day with dumbbell press of 20kgs (yes, after 5 years, I'm still a pip squeak), but after chest, I could barely lift 15s! So I spat the dummy and didn't do shoulders.

 

Would you say that the 'pre-fatigue' factor would be worth keeping new split, even when I have to drop the weight so much!?

 

 
If pre-fatigue is not the way to go, because I'd get more benefit from lifting as heavy as I can, then I could go to a 5 day split, including a day of running, and just suck up the fact that one cycle through the split will often take more than one calendar week?

 

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A couple of thoughts...

 

1) If you've been training on much the same routine all this time, it's probably long overdue for a bit of a change. If nothing else, this new split means more volume in each day's workout - and maybe more intensity too.

 

2) It's to be expected that you'll be weaker on shoulders if you've just trained chest. But that doesn't mean your shoulder workout is not effective (I think? Someone can confirm/correct this for me...)

 

I'd stick with the new split for a few weeks, then reassess.

 

Alternatively, rather than dedicating an entire day for a run, you could always try improving ankle mobility by just doing your squats on a swiss ball? (I'm kidding... please don't do this!)

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Running slowly - jogging really. Building up to about an hour. I'll run anywhere around the streets where I live.

 

My goal is to build up endurance, so breaking it up would defeat the purpose.

 

 

 

 

2) It's to be expected that you'll be weaker on shoulders if you've just trained chest. But that doesn't mean your shoulder workout is not effective (I think? Someone can confirm/correct this for me...)

 

 

I'd be keen to hear what people think of this because I guess this is the point of my question.

 

Do I loose effectiveness? 

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Regarding shoulders after chest. I have not had a shoulder day for over 2 years now. I used to get really bad rotator cuffs with overhead work. I only do some lateral raises and maybe some light overhead presses after doing chest work. I still have decent delt development which I think comes from just bench pressing. Training chest also trains the anterior deltoids and rows train the posterior deltoid so all you really need to do is the medial deltoid. I find that for me, 4 sets of lateral raises with really good form is enough to keep them in proportion.

 

That may just be me though

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  • 1 month later...

+ 1 for what Leeroid said. If you are doing bench and rows your shoulders will already be getting a good workout.

Same with your traps if you are doing deadlift. If you feel like they aren't getting hit hard enough doing those you can always polish them off with some light hypertrophy work, but it's natural they will be weaker on those days because you will have already hit them hard.

If you want to target your medial delt lateral raises are a good idea, just make sure your form is good so that you don't injure yourself. Athlean-X does a good video on it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5sNYB1Q6a

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