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View Full Version : is it ok to seperate chest/back days?



PoutineEh
08-24-2005, 08:27 PM
here is my routine:
chest/back:
bench - 4 sets; 3-6 reps
incline dumbells - " "
pullovers - " "
______
assisted chin-ups (50 total reps, usually 5 sets of 10 reps)
bent-over rows - 4 sets; 3-6 reps
deadlifts 3/10,6,4 to failure

im having a real tough time fitting this all in one workout session because
a. takes about 15 mins just to drive to my gym
b. i usually rest for about 2 mins in between sets so resting alone takes up about 1 hour
c. by the time i get down with chest and go to back, im quite fatigued

as of late, i have tried doing an a.m. and p.m. session; chest then back. did this for about a week and got alittle sick of going to the gym so much and i wont probably be able to do this when school starts.
now i usually do chest on monday, then back the following day. i am still gaining which is nice.

just wanted people's opinion to see if its ok that im cutting my chest/back routine into two seperate sessions. should i change my routine so i can fit it all in one day? or possibly really time my resting periods and then cut them down to like a minute?

my shoulders/arms follows the same principal as chest/back, where i do shoulders one day, then biceps and triceps the other

Joe Black
08-25-2005, 05:42 AM
You should be able to do that routine in about an hour.

If you are worried about time perhaps reduce the volume a touch.

Or consider training chest and back with a smaller bodypart taking less time.

I.e chest and triceps
back and biceps?

Sensei
08-25-2005, 06:10 AM
I know a lot of really strong people do bent-over barbell rows and deadlifts in the same session, but I can't - my lower back is fried if I do.

Of course you can split your back and chest into separate sessions...

If it were me, I would just drop one of the exercises.

rmani
08-26-2005, 09:58 AM
I almost always split chest and back apart. It's too much work for 1 day, and making my back sore requires a lot of sets, which is time consuming. I like doing chest alone anyway since I can mentally focus all of my energy into the pressing movements.

Minotaur
08-26-2005, 10:20 AM
Absolutely. It's a classic push/pull split. For me, there is no way I can do two body parts in one session, unless it's chest and tris or shoulders and tris or back and bis. To do chest and back on the same day would tire me out to the point of injury risk.

IdaMAN
08-26-2005, 10:32 AM
I love doing back and chest on the same day. Not sure why really. It gives me a good pump that is for sure.

muscleup
08-26-2005, 10:59 AM
I love doing back and chest on the same day. Not sure why really. It gives me a good pump that is for sure.
heh you just started doing deads again though. Still going to keep them on the same day? You gots to be tired as hell.

IdaMAN
08-26-2005, 11:16 AM
I do deads on my leg and arm day.

Double D
08-26-2005, 01:23 PM
If you're worried about conserving time try suppersetting chest and back. Start with a set of bench presses, rest for a minute or so, then do a set of pullups, rest for another minute or so then back to bench. This will cut down the time but still give 2 minutes at least between sets for each exercise, and time for that muscle to recover before the next set. It will still be a lot of work to do chest and back togethor in one workout but at least when you wont be exhausted by the time you start back.

BG5150
08-26-2005, 04:04 PM
You may also want to cut back on the total # of reps for the pullups. Do 3x10 but use less assist.

And you do Deads LAST? Sounds like you're setting yourself up for an injury. Especially going to failure. Deads is one exercise I don't go to failure on.

DNL
08-26-2005, 04:17 PM
When i workout alone, I usually finish my chest/back session in less than an hour.

PoutineEh
08-28-2005, 10:10 PM
good points all. i think i will stick with splitting my chest/back days into seperate sessions.
ill give doing deadlifts first a try as everyone seems to rave about the gains involved. thanks for everyones post