A/B split-help

rosse8615

New Member
I've only done a total of three cycles of hst, so i am relativley new to weightlifting and hst. I am seeing some gains but want to add on muscle and have more strength. an example of my last cycle is below. I also done two more before this with working about the same muscle groups but different exercises. I want to know if i should do a A/B split, and if so what that would consist of. someone could give me some examples and explain it. Also help on what i should do or change for each cycle after. I eat pretty well and only take vitamins and whey, thinking about other supplements for this next cycle. I want results, if anyone can help me out on that. Thanks for any help.
squat
leg ext
inc bench
pull-ups
barbell row
shrugs
military press
dips
 
My advice for beginning weight-lifters is too focus all your effort on properly learning good form in your exercise and in increasing your strength.
So since you already have done 3 cycles of HST, I will assume you have made some decent strength and mass increases and have nailed down your exercise form.
      If your results are still not satisfying enough, I would suggest you focus on a linear progression, where you try to increase the weight each workout by a small amount at a time, and continue that progression indefinitely until strength gains plateau.
      Once you have plateaued in this linear strength progression (which all of us naturally do after the first 6 months or so of weight-lifting), only then would I suggest doing a typical HST cycle with submaximal weights, etc.  That is just my personal opinion, and many here will recommend doing regular HST from the beginning.
     Have you read "Starting Strength" by rippetoe and kilgore?  That is the program I would start anyone on for the first year, including myself had I known it when I started training.  Basically do squats, bench presses and power cleans one day, and then the next training day do squats, deadlifts and standing presses.  Do approx. 3 work sets of 5 reps after warm-up sets.  Alternate between these three times/week, trying to increase the load at least a little each workout.
    I don't believe there is any program out there which is better designed for a beginner trying to improve overall muscular strength and mass as rapidly as possible.
Of course eventually your strength and hypertrophy gains will plateau on this program and then I would recommend doing standard HST (or max-stim) with more exercise variety if your goal is overall muscle hypertrophy.  It helps to add some more isolations and lat movements doing HST.  So you could start doing chins and rows instead of power-cleans, many of us do shrugs for traps, curls for biceps, laterals for deltoids, skullcrushers for triceps, etc... isolations are great, but I wouldn't bother much with them with a beginner until he/she had firstly developed some decent base strength and mass using compounds as described in Starting  Strength type programs.
      In answer about the split:
Try doing squats, bench presses, barbell rows and shrugs for workout A.
Then do deadlifts, dips, pull-ups and military press for workout B.
If it turns out to be too much, you could even drop the dips and shrugs and you have a starting strength program, only with rows instead of cleans!
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p.s.- the reason I substituted deadlifts instead of your listed leg extensions is simple.  You will get all the quadricep work you need in squats so leg extensions are not important, especially at your stage.  Deadlifts will really work your quads  also along with hamstrings, glutes, lower back, trapezius, forearms....need I say more?
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  All the largest muscles in your body will get worked along with more than half of your total musculature.
 
The answers to your PM to me are in Sci's post above; I can't add much to that. Don't miss workouts unless you have to, or sleep, or meals.
As for your supplement questions, you are fine as is. You could add creatine eventually, glutamine and/or arginine, but in reality, supplements help after you've made your new gains, and those can go on for years on end. Taking supps before you've run out your growth spurt and come near your genetic limits is usually a waste of money. Guys don't grow for the reasons listed in the second sentence above. Get dialed in and stay with it first, or the supps will just waste your money, and won't really do anything.
Same for steroids: they aren't a magic muscle maker, and won't do squat unless you are dialed in, from all I've read. Also be patient, along with consistent. The house is built brick (workout) by brick, not a wall at a time. Miss workouts and bricks fall off.
How old are you anyway?
 
I am 21. before my three cycles of hst i've done a basic core workout program 3 times a week, then went to working out major muscle groups once a week for a year, then i started HST. so i have forms down and strength. just looking on suggestions what i should do for the next step to start focusing on adding muscle. for the a/b split do i do a workout on monday, b workout on wenesday, then a workout on friday?
 
I can't speak for splits much, as I'm a total bod guy myself. Otherwise, I'd say you have a lot of growth in the tank, and I'll say this before brutha Tot says it:
Eat.
 
<div>
(quadancer @ Dec. 31 2007,19:15)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I can't speak for splits much, as I'm a total bod guy myself. Otherwise, I'd say you have a lot of growth in the tank, and I'll say this before brutha Tot says it:
Eat.</div>
what he said.


ive never done an a/b split yet.


just learn as much as you can about your body, keep lifting the iron and eat like a horse and you will have no problems.
 
I know getting in a good amount of calories and protein is the key.  I do that pretty well on my own and eating food provide by a service. I get healthy protein quality meals in. Usually eat 6 meals a day avg 300-500 calories each, also protein shakes. Wondering if anyone out there can provide some advice on simple, healthy weightlifting food items, that are inexpensive, easy to make or ready to eat. At the point tired of eating some food items over again, i know if i want to see results then i suck it up. Also what do you guys eat for snacks between meals.
 
yeah, protein food really isn't as close as cheap as carb food is... and that's sucks! still, I think eggs and milk will do very good
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But I love milk and I'm a lucky guy to drink all milk I want without any problems.
 
thanks guys, really it doesn't have to be too cheap mostly easy, away at school and if i don't have to focus too much time with it making it...i will eat it.
 
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