Q: I was stuck on the “bro split” for years without any new muscle gains. Training each muscle only once a week just doesn’t work for me. I was glad to see your discussion on the study showing that training each muscle three days a week can produce more muscle. I’m ready to try the Size Surge workout, but I notice that shoulders don’t get any work on Wednesday. Should I add some if my delts suck?
First, the three-days-per-week Size Surge program isn’t set in stone. You can alter it. In fact, in a recent newsletter we suggested using close-grip bench presses for tri’s and undergrip pulldowns for bi’s on Wednesday so you get chest and back work midweek as well as Monday and Friday.
We also suggest including lateral raises on Wednesday. That will provide direct shoulder work as well as some upper-trap stimulation.
For those who missed it, here is the original Size Surge split…
Monday: legs, chest, back, delts
Wednesday: deadlifts, calves, arms, abs
Friday: legs, chest, back, delts
It may look like a lot at each workout, but you only do two to three sets per exercise, and only one or two exercises per muscle.
And while it may not look like you’re training everything three times a week, consider indirect work. For example, your bi’s and tri’s are getting trained on Monday and Wednesday when you do bench presses, pulldowns and rows.
Old School Training, New Muscle Gaining
We believe the above is one of the best splits for winter mass training and new muscle gaining. Remember, the 10-week Size Surge program is what Jonathan used to pack on 20 pounds of muscle in a little over two months. Yes, he was regaining some of that, but it’ still an incredible achievement (see his before and after pics on the cover below).
Oh, and the study you mentioned helps verify the mass-building power of three-days-per-week training. For the uninitiated…
Brad Schoenfeld, Ph.D., compared a workout program that trained each target muscle once a week and the less popular full-body workout performed on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. He made sure that the trainees were doing the SAME VOLUME of work for each muscle every week…
In other words, if the once-a-week-per-muscle group did 12 sets for chest, the three-times-per-week group did 4 sets for chest at each workout–still 12 total sets but over three workouts instead of at one. After 12 week…
The group that trained each target muscle three times a week (full-body) got better muscle gains than the group that trained each muscle only once a week. That’s right, doing less volume PER MUSCLE at each workout but with more frequent sessions produced better size gains. Oh, and these were experienced lifters, not beginners…
To be fair, Schoenfeld said that the better gains could have been the result of simply introducing a new stimulus–the three-times-per-week group may not have been used to that higher frequency of work, so they grew bigger faster, a.k.a. change to gain.
So why not give it a go to accelerate freaky growth this winter.
Note: For variations as well as the original program Jonathan used to pack on 20 pounds of muscle in 10 weeks, grab a copy of The X-traordinary Size Surge Workout 2.0–and prepare for hyper-growth this winter. Available HERE.
Till next time, train hard–and smart–for BIG results.
–Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
www.X-Rep.com