gruntjc

hi all,

I know everyone is busy so i'll ty to keep this short.

I recently switched to a 4 day DC routine from a 3 day 2-way split.

The two way split was:

Mon - CH/BACK/SH/TRI/BI's (one exercise each, except for chest, where i was doing decline bench AND flyes (1RP set each)... primarily because i wanted to give my chest some extra attention).
Wed - LEGS/HAMS/CALVES
Friday - same as monday (but perhaps 1 chest and 2 back exercises).

I dont do any cardio but I thought i would benefit from doing Dante's 3 way split, done 4 times a week. I rationalised that this way my workouts can be shorter and more intense (ie. I can give more to each set).

My objective was to have the workouts finished in 30-45 mins. Sometimes, they go a little over however.

I have taken to doing 3 exercises for each MAJOR muscle on my new split.
So Back day would be - Lat Pull (1RP set), Deadlifts (2 straight sets), BB Row (1-2 straight sets). Biceps would be 2 straight sets or 1 RP set. I've added the extra volume, as I didnt believe 1RP set would be enough at this frequency (ie. bodyparts are being hit less frequently than the traditional M/W/F split).

My question: has anyone tried both the 3 wya and 4 way split... AND does it really make that much difference which you choose.

I admit the day of rest inbetween training days on the M/W/F was great, but i'm wondering if the M/T/T/F is any better/worse?????

Might be worth mentioning that I'm still a natty but wont be for much longer.

And... I've been training for about 12 years (3 seriously though).

95kg at about 18-20% BF.

Cheers
JC

beavesmx44

What you were doing before and what you want to do are not dc. The original 2 way is chest/shoulders/tri's/back width/back thickness. Then in another workout bi's/forearms/calves/hams/quads in that order. If it's not done in that order it's not dc. Secondly you only do one working set of one exercise on any given day. For example you are doing all 3 back exercises in one workout you would split those over 3 workouts. Not sure why you straight set everything as most exercises are rest-paused. Go to intense muscle . c o m and search before you ask any more questions.

gruntjc

i realise my routine isnt true DC... if you read my original post, you'll see why I dont do the traditional DC routine (ie. not enough volume at the training frequency of M/T/T/F).

that said, i understand and respect your opinion.

can you explain to me why anyone on the face of this earth with a logical bone in their body would do bicep curls and other NON-COMOUND movements BEFORE a large movement like SQUATS???? How does that make sense??? Doing frigging wrist curls BEFORE SQUATS???

Oh.... ok, you're probably going to tell me that once you've done squats, you're toast and therefore have no energy for the other movements???? ok, so even if that's the case, what's wrong with that?

2 hard sets of squats is better than a few bicep curls, followed by a less-intense effort on one of the hardest movements you can do.

beavesmx44

I didn't mean to come off harshly. Unless you are really strong and using lots of weight you should be fine with the 2 way. Do you feel as though you can't mantain intensity over the course of the workout? I just feel you should try the original 2 way and see what happens. Results are results whether you feel it is logical or not. I felt the same way you do about the non-traditional exercise order when I started this. Then again what about dc is traditional. When you get to quads and your widowmaker you realize it's your last set and after that it's all over. This helps most people truly go all out. Wrist curls aren't a very effective exercise to continually gain on. Try reverse curls, hammer curls, and pinwheel curls. The purpose of dc is to do the least amount of work to cause a growth response so you don't cut into recovery. That is why I don't understand the edition of extra work.

Long post I know, I threw some ?'s in there somewhere.