Post: #1

Note: My overall philosophy is exercise-to-live, not live-to-exercise. That is, my workouts are a means to help me enjoy my overall life more by looking and feeling good, but I don't want them to be a large part of my life.

I've found that the 1-day-ON, 1-day-OFF schedule is the best method. In fact, I would argue that the 1-ON, 1-OFF method is the best and most sustainable schedule. not just from a physical perspective, but from a psychological perspective.

Let me clarify, when I say 1-ON, 1-OFF

Monday - heavy lifing
Tuesday - OFF
Wed - heavy lifting
Thu - OFF
Fri - Sprinting/heavy cardio
Sat - OFF
Sunday - heavy lifting
Monday - OFF
Tue - Yoga
Wed - OFF
and so on....

Physical benefits of 1-ON, 1-OFF
1. A full day off gives the body time to recover and prevents overtraining
2. A full day recovery should also help prevent injuries, as muscles aren't pre-weakened from last day's workout

But I think where the method really shines is from a psychological/life-balance perspective

First off, it's super simple. 1-ON, 1-OFF, you don't really have to think about it much. And the less we need to think about routine tasks, the better.

The true power of the OFF day is that it gives us a day where we don't think about exercise whatsoever, and instead we can dedicate our time and mental energy to fulfilling other aspects of our lives such as spending quality time w/ friends & loved ones, exploring hobbies/interests, advancing our careers, discovering new recipes, gaming chicks, playing with our kids etc.

Having a guaranteed OFF day every other day prevents us from getting burnt out with exercise. Getting burnt out can lead to taking long breaks from exercise, which is no good all. It also prevents you from half-assing a workout because you're still worn out from the previous day's workout. Instead, the OFF day allows us to recover our energy (physical & mental), so on the ON day we can really focus on kicking ass and going hard, thus getting the best value from our time spent exercising.

Lets face it -- incorporating exercise into our already-full lives is taxing. Sure, you might just spend 30-60 mins in the gym. But what about the other time you spend
- getting dressed for the gym
- preworkout nutrition/meal planning
- transportation to/from the gym
- mentally preparing yourself for heavy lifts
- thinking about your exercises, form, types of sets, etc
- post-workout nutrition/meal
- showering/clean-up
- decompression

Even though your gym time was just 30-60mins, you probably spent over 2 hours when factoring the other tasks.

The point is, it's hard to just "squeeze in" a workout, because it disrupts the rest of your day.

The OFF-day is the release valve, when we don't need to think about any of that stuff. We can turn off the "need to exercise" hamster in our brain and focus 100% on the other things in our life. Then on our ON days, we can fully focus on them, knowing that an OFF day is just around the corner.

This is not to say the OFF-day needs to be devoid of exercise. Go ahead and squeeze in a couple sets of push-ups/pull-ups, go for a jog or bike ride, play some pick-up basketball. But don't go too hard. Leave that for your ON-days.

If you're looking for a solid exercise schedule, try out the 1-ON 1-OFF. Thoughts?

Post: #2

If it works for you, great.

That's all that matters at the end of the day.

Post: #3

Why is it better than 3 days a week of lifting + cardio in between?

Post: #4

(06-26-2016 12:27 PM)youngblazer Wrote:  Lets face it -- incorporating exercise into our already-full lives is taxing. Sure, you might just spend 30-60 mins in the gym. But what about the other time you spend
- getting dressed for the gym
- preworkout nutrition/meal planning
- transportation to/from the gym
- mentally preparing yourself for heavy lifts
- thinking about your exercises, form, types of sets, etc
- post-workout nutrition/meal
- showering/clean-up
- decompression

This is why I have equipment at home. I still go to the gym here and there (deadlifts, etc), but having equipment at home gives you at least an extra half hour a day.

I've also been biking for my errands because the weather is nice. This eliminates special trips to the gym or pointlessly running around outside for cardio. I have a hard time just sitting there and watching TV while biking and I can't stand running. Biking outside is the best of both worlds because you have to dodge traffic, pedestrians, potholes, etc but it's also fast enough to feel like you're really going somewhere, at least in town.

Post: #5

The PPL split I'm doing now follows an on-off schedule. A rest day between every lifting day. Low volume. I'm cutting now therefore not building any new muscle so not much point to high frequency and volume.

Post: #6

I think taking at least one day off in between workouts will be a good fit for most people who have a philosophy of "exercise-to-live, not live-to-exercise".

One exception could be someone who sits at a desk for long periods and doesn't do well with a sedentary lifestyle. Someone like that may want to workout more often especially during the work week. They could want to workout more because of the mental benefits of exercise rather than the physical benefits. Walking on off-days can also be helpful.

Post: #7

(06-27-2016 01:53 PM)XXL Wrote:  Why is it better than 3 days a week of lifting + cardio in between?

Well, I guess first we need to define "cardio". With intense cardio (sprints and such), I would personally want a day to recover before going back in the gym.

With more traditional cardio ie jogging a few miles, recovery is probably not as big a factor, and you could probably do this on an OFF day. But you are still missing the psychological benefit of having a full day where you don't think about exercise and put that focus towards other things.

Post: #8

Overtraining is by and large a myth. Why is it pro athletes train 4-6 hours a day nearly every day but then the rec gym goer uses the excuse that more than 60 minutes 3x a week leads to overtraining? And the pros are training much more intensely than the recreational athlete.

I train everyday for my mind. 45 minutes of training in the morning wakes me up both mentally and physically in a way that all the caffeine cannot. Otherwise I'm depressed all day.

Post: #9

(06-28-2016 06:36 PM)monster Wrote:  Overtraining is by and large a myth. Why is it pro athletes train 4-6 hours a day nearly every day but then the rec gym goer uses the excuse that more than 60 minutes 3x a week leads to overtraining? And the pros are training much more intensely than the recreational athlete.

I train everyday for my mind. 45 minutes of training in the morning wakes me up both mentally and physically in a way that all the caffeine cannot. Otherwise I'm depressed all day.

I guess it depends on what you do in the gym, but if you focus heavy compound lifts (squats, deads) til failure, I feel that a day off is a good idea for most people. Pro-athletes are made of sturdier stuff and more acclimated to going harder, and also have their nutrition/supplement game in check.

If you aren't getting burnt out on training every day, then keep at it. But let me ask you this...do you think it's good to be so dependent on exercise to where missing one day makes you depressed?

Post: #10

^ There are many variables involved in athletes training that much.... age, genetics, nutrition, sleep, lifestyle, etc.

But it takes time (or drugs) to build up to a level where you can train that much. This is why the same coach who has elite athletes training 8 or more sessions per week will tell beginners to do a 3 day per week program and milk it for all it's worth before switching to 4 days per week.

Post: #11

You know the routine when it comes to weight loss there are many guidelines most significant, you have to take proper diet and exercise to burn calories. There are many advice will allow you to decrease body weight quickly, just visit our website: http://www.angelmeds.com/blog/best-weigh...-help.html

Post: #12

If It works then go at it, but I am always wary of heavy lifting too often, especially with running thrown in the mix.

I typically train 3-4 times a week, but not super heavy every session. I am more of a volume trainer at this stage. It just suits my goals better. I do take my rest days very seriously.

I'm not winning any medals, so I feel no need to really "push it."

I know some guys are really strong adherents of intense training, but I just focus on really hitting the muscle. if I walk out of the gym with muscles full of blood I feel like it was a good session. That said, I don't train for athleticism, but for aesthetics.

Post: #13

(06-28-2016 06:36 PM)monster Wrote:  Overtraining is by and large a myth. Why is it pro athletes train 4-6 hours a day nearly every day but then the rec gym goer uses the excuse that more than 60 minutes 3x a week leads to overtraining? And the pros are training much more intensely than the recreational athlete.

They're on roids.

Post: #14

All depends on your goals. Taking 1 day off inbetween every workout will certainly allow for a lot of recovery (and more free time), but depending on your fitness goals it may give you very slow progress.

My opinion is, if you are just hitting the gym to "stay in shape" and not atrophy into some inactive weakling with tiny muscles and excess fat, then you could probably even cut back more than that. One could probably get by with 1 day a week in the gym doing serious weights multiple movements for maintenance, then doing exercise at home/cardio other days during the week.

Post: #15

I like MWF for full body workouts. Eventually those get draining as the weight increases and personally I found it easier to focus on one big lift per day.

I find upper body stuff less taxing so it makes sense to do Upper/Lower/Rest/Upper/Lower/Weekend

You can even move back exercises to the lower day which gives you more time to focus on arms/chest/shoulders on the upper body days.

Practical Programming by Rippetoe is a good book for reading more about this.

Post: #16

During certain times of the year I'll just lift twice a week.
There was a training schedule bumping around the internet about a saturday/sunday/wednesday schedule but I have no idea what that entailed. It would probably be something like this.

Saturday : Lower
Sunday : Upper
Wednesday : Full Body

Post: #17

I had been a long fan of the Push day, rest day, pull day, rest day formula.

Just recently I started going Push day, Pull day, rest. I haven't noticed any extra muscle soreness. Would have never guessed it would work but seems to be just fine. Im also seeing good results in my chest and back from this, but my legs (squats/leg press/deadlift) are not making much gains in strength.

Its good to have a program, but its also good to try something new once in a while. At least for me, its been good and Im happily surprised at the results.

Post: #18

Squats gains really seem to benefit from higher frequency in my experience.

One option is to alternate lower body workouts, so one is a heavy squat day and the other is a deadlift plus lighter squat day.

Post: #19

Push, Pull, Legs, Push, Pull, Legs, rest is what a good week looks like for me.

However I started gainzing with a another forum member here starting last week and he does Chest, Back, Legs, Shoulders, Arms am rest on the weekend. So I kind of been trying this out. Variety is the spice of life

Gainz are life

Post: #20

I'm willing to try on/off with PPL split non stop instead of doing one PPL cycle per week. So..

Mon - push
Tue - off
Wed - pull
Thu - off
Fri - legs
Sat - off
Sun - push

Next week..

Mon - off
Tue - pull
Wed - off
Thu - legs
Fri - off
Sat - push
Sun - off

etc etc..

Post: #21

Tried one week of on/off and I feel pretty good. I feel rested where as usually i'm carrying over DOMS into the next day affecting my lifts a little bit.
Going to try it for a little while see how it goes.

Post: #22

Do what works for you.

Some guys can't lift/run 6 days a week while some guys can.