The Weight Lifting Routine That Works

While there is no single best weight lifting routine to suit everybody, I have found the four-day split to be the most beneficial in building muscle. Some weight lifting routines don't allow for enough muscle recovery time, and others allow too much time between working the same body part again. The four-day split is a good compromise, typically allowing six or seven days for major muscle groups to recover.

Beginners may want to start out on a full-body weight lifting routine. This type of routine involves working every muscle group during each session, and performing three sessions per week with at least one day of rest in between each workout. One exercise per body part is sufficient for this type of routine.

Why is this a good routine for beginners? Well for one, it is easier to learn 8 exercises (one per body part: chest, shoulders, back, triceps, biceps, quadriceps, calves, hamstrings, and abs) at a time than it is to learn 16-20 required for a split routine.

Also, this type of weight lifting routine lets the body adapt to weight training because it doesn't put as much stress on the body as a split. Once you're ready to move on from the full-body workout, it's time to go for the four-day split!

So how does the four-day split work? Well there are a variety of different muscle group combinations that can compose a four-day split. For instance, some like to work the biceps on the same day as the back, while others prefer to work the biceps on shoulder or chest day. The routine I've found works best is as follows:

Monday: Shoulders, Triceps, and Abs

Tuesday: Back and Calves

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: Chest, Biceps, and Abs

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Quads and Hamstrings

Sunday: Rest

A lot of people like to work their chest and triceps on the same day, and back and biceps on the same day. The reason I disagree with this is because the triceps are being used while working the chest, and this causes the triceps to partially fatigue before working them. This can contribute to a less-than-100% effort while working the triceps.

This is the same concept for back and bicep. Because the biceps are worked indirectly while doing back exercises, they become fatigued and cannot be worked as vigorously when the time comes to work them.

The above weight lifting routine allows for maximum effort to be given to all muscle groups, and allows for enough recovery time for each group. The abs are a smaller muscle group and are composed of a different kind of muscle fibers, so they can be worked more frequently than other body parts.

So if you are have some experience with weight training, I advise you set up a 4-day split weight lifting routine for maximum muscle growth and allowed muscle recovery.

Tim Adams is an experienced bodybuilder and freelance writer. Want more info on how to set up your weight training routine? To check out more of Tim's articles and blogs, Click Here! [http://www.lose-the-fat-naturally.com]