Want maximum results

[Kabeetz]

Why work out 5 days a week doing a routine designed for guys three times the size pumped with three times the testosterone when you can work out 3 days a week and get MAXIMUM results at this stage of your development?

Your friends will be asking you how you did it if you follow the advise given above my friend. Guaranteed.

 

[Cynical Simian]

Alright i have a question. I weight-lift 4 days a week, and i beleive that book or the programs are only 3 days a week. I just assumed that like a monday, tuesday, thursday, and friday schedule is where you kinda wanted to be at. I have also been really curious about 5 days a week, like monday-friday but i would have to check with you guys or someone else to see how that would work out.

Anyways i was just curious on whats best and what i should be doing.

There's nothing magical about the number of days you work out; the important thing is what you do on those days. You could spread the basic lifts over 4 days with two upper-body and two lower-body days or something similar and be fine. By contrast, if going to 4-5 days a week means having "chest", "arms", etc. days and doing a dozen exercises per day, most of them isolation/machine work, it would be a terrible way to train.

If you're just getting started, it doesn't get much better than Rippetoe's 3x5. Looking ahead, you really can't go wrong with a 3 days per week plan with a squat, press and pull on each day. With appropriate modifications along the way (don't worry about these for now), most guys could use a setup like this for the duration of their training careers without shortchanging themselves.

 

[anotherbutters]

Agreed with both the above. Quality over quantity - more times in the gym doesn't mean more development. You're not losing out just because you're not there as often, so long as when you are there, you're doing quality stuff.

You could split things over 4 days as CS said, but why bother making something up when the Rippetoe 3x5 is such a well-trodden path that has proven itself so incredibly effective for beginners?

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