Split Routine and Increasing Muscle Mass
“Difficulties
mastered are opportunities won.” Winston Churchill
“Disciplining yourself to do what you know is right and importance, although difficult, is the highroad to pride, self-esteem, and personal satisfaction.” Margaret Thatcher
“The designing of your Strength Training routine is a lot like the making a Treacle Sponge Cake” Ross Edgley
Now all three are good quotes, but for this article I want to mainly focus on the most important of the three, that being the one regarding the making of a Treacle Sponge Cake. You see there is no denying it, everyone loves a good treacle sponge cake but not everyone knows how to successfully craft this most exceptional pudding. Much like creating the best strength training routine for yourself, in theory it seems very easy, however the reality is very different. Permit me to share with you, what I consider to be the key factors to achieving both an IMPRESSIVE Treacle Sponge Cake and creating the very best strength training routine for you:
Ingredients of the Treacle Sponge Cake & Components of your strength training routine.
Split Routine - Noun ( pl. ~ ine • s)
This refers to a program whereby you divide your workouts between certain body parts rather than doing all body parts in one session.
Etymology ~ From the Ancient Greek word Splitakus Routinus, which is believed to have been invented by Hercules, since he believed it better aided his strength and size gains which greatly helped him when fighting all those evil monsters (Note: This is just me guessing, etymology and history may be somewhat inaccurate)
Below are a few of the most common split routines used by Hercules:
Split Routine #1-
Two days on, one day off
day 1 - workout
day 2 - workout
day 3 - off
day 4 - workout
day 5 - workout
day 6 - off
day 7 - repeat cycle from day one
Split Routine #2-
Three days on, two days off
day 1 - workout
day 2 - workout
day 3 - workout
day 4 - off
day 5 - off
day 6 - repeat cycle from day one
Split Routine #3-
Two days on, two days off
day 1 - workout
day 2 - workout
day 3 - off
day 4 - off
day 5 - repeat cycle from day one
Split Routine #4-
Five days on, two days off
day 1 - workout
day 2 - workout
day 3 - workout
day 4 - workout
day 5 - workout
day 6 - off
day 7 - off
*** repeat cycle starting with day one
As well as the split routine itself, there are certain elements (or ingredients) you must incorporate:
- Work at least all major body parts: Chest (Pectoralis Major) Shoulders (Deltoids) Triceps (tricep brachii) Legs (Vastus medialis, Vastus lateralis, Rectus Femoris, Bicep femoris, Gluteus maximus, Gastrocnemius) Abdominals (Rectus Abdominis) Back (Latissumus Dorsi) Biceps (Bicep Brachii) traps (Trapezius) Deadlift (erector spine)
So important yet a lot of people neglect it, you wouldn’t try and make a treacle sponge without the sponge… you’d just be eating treacle off a plate you weirdo. So don’t miss out muscle groups in your strength training work out (mainly addressing all you people who believe walking up the stairs to bed is an adequate leg work out, you know who you are.)
Regarding the strength training session itself:
- Perform between 1-4 sets per body part: Since studies show 1 set is as good as 3 when training for strength and size gains but over 4 sets can be detrimental since the muscle is over trained.
- Perform between 6-10 repetitions per set: Since this is optimal for gaining mass, any less and it becomes more about strength and any more and it becomes about muscular endurance.
- Rest between 90-120 seconds between sets: Considered to be adequate time to rest yet not too much that the intensity of the session is lost.
These last 3 points are simple and quite obvious yet worth stressing, just like when making a treacle sponge cake you wouldn’t use beef mince, peanut butter and broccoli … well not unless you’re the same nutter who eats treacle off a plate, haha.
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How Ryan Reynolds added 20 pounds of muscle,
Spartan Workout
Routine from the Movie 300
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