split myth

[syntekz]

2. "Yesterday was Arm Day, today is Leg Day and tomorrow is Chest Day."

Kernel of truth: Splitting a routine results in less demand of the body's recovery capacity. OK, splitting a routine helps, but that help is wasted when you train too often. Remember this: Every day is kidney day. Every day is pancreas day. It's not just your muscles that recover...your organs do the work of recovery and they can be overworked too. What difference does it make to your kidneys that yesterday was leg day and today is triceps day? It's all the same to your kidneys. If you want steady progress (you do, don't you?) you need to FULLY recover before you try to stimulate more growth from any muscle on your body.
- Pete Sisco


What you guys/girls think about that?

[kaleido]

That statement is a tad offbeat. Obviously everyday is "kidney day" as that guy puts it. And obviously a good split will allow the body to recover, but obviously I can do arms one day and call it arm day. Sounds like he was just shooting to start an argument.

[Chris Rodgers]

I kinda agree with the author.

[ElPietro]

But your internal organs aren't being stressed as your muscles are. They aren't going into a state of recovery. Sure they are working to keep your body running, perhaps at a higher level, but by eating more you are giving your body the added fuel it needs to keep it's various systems running so I don't see how this is true. As long as you aren't adding anything into your system that may be damaging these organs it shouldn't have very much bearing. I would say, if anything that a break on your internal organs would be cutting out many of the crap supps that you see ppl taking, not lifting.

[Paul Stagg]

Systemic recovery is extremely important.

The author's point is valid.

[chris mason]

The author is both right and wrong. Right in the general sense of his argument, but wrong in his specific examples. Training with weights does not place an inordinate load on the kidneys, as far as they go, one could train every day. As for the system, if the author was correct that one must be totally recovered systemically before the next training session, trainees would need to wait at least 2 weeks between sessions. As I noted in a previous post, an article I had read recently, and agree with, noted a study which demonstrated that the nervous system requires that long or longer to complete the recovery process. As for his statement about steady progress, if it was accurate, then I, and many others have broken his "law" consistently, with steady progress as a result. Now, in the general sense, the thought that recovery is a very important component is accurate.

[syntekz]

Yeah, it'd be interesting to see what kind of training routine the author follows.

[mesmall]

The author is a static contraction advicate. His books a based on holding a weight in position for 20 to 30 seconds then lowering it slowly. If you you can hold it longer, raise the weight next session. This must be done with a stopwatch to see if you are progressing.

[chris mason]

Right, Power Factor training, which is the worst training method ever advocated. Now, before anyone gets excited and asks if I have tried it, yes I have. As a matter of fact, I used it exclusively for at least 3 months. I lost both size and strength. Further evidence that the author of that statement should not be listened to.

[Alex.V]

Originally posted by chris mason
The author is both right and wrong. Right in the general sense of his argument, but wrong in his specific examples. Training with weights does not place an inordinate load on the kidneys, as far as they go, one could train every day. As for the system, if the author was correct that one must be totally recovered systemically before the next training session, trainees would need to wait at least 2 weeks between sessions. As I noted in a previous post, an article I had read recently, and agree with, noted a study which demonstrated that the nervous system requires that long or longer to complete the recovery process. As for his statement about steady progress, if it was accurate, then I, and many others have broken his "law" consistently, with steady progress as a result. Now, in the general sense, the thought that recovery is a very important component is accurate.

I agree. The major point here is that I DO know of some people who split their routine excessively... and feel that as long as each muscle is getting time off, they won't overtrain... But lifting IS a full body experience. Not just the internal organs (err...like the kidneys. lol), but especially the nervous system like Chris said. Every system is taxed, and needs quite a bit of complete rest to operate optimally again. But no, you don't need to "fully" recover before you can head back into the gym... if you fully recover, the detraining effect will take place, IMO. If your body's no longer being forced to adapt to stress, then it will simply stop growing/adapting. The body's not as fragile as some of these authors seem to suggest... it's MEANT to handle environmental stress and adapt to the demands you put on it...

[body]

Originally posted by syntekz
2. "Yesterday was Arm Day, today is Leg Day and tomorrow is Chest Day."

Kernel of truth: . Remember this: Every day is kidney day. Every day is pancreas day. It's not just your muscles that recover...your organs do the work of recovery and they can be overworked too. What difference does it make to your kidneys that yesterday was leg day and today is triceps day? It's all the same to your kidneys. If you want steady progress (you do, don't you?) you need to FULLY recover before you try to stimulate more growth from any muscle on your body.
- Pete Sisco


What you guys/girls think about that?

if has data to support his cliams - do you think the people he used would have been drinking ALCOHOL? which is probably far more stressful on the liver than training is espcially for the chest and bicep gang.