is a 5 day split bad for a beginner

DavPul

1. this is a 4 day split, not a 5 day. cardio day no count
2. i'm sort of surprised at how much people can debate this with absolutely no set/rep/intensity information.

personally, i like to hit each body part 2x per week. 1x per week is usually good for really advanced lifters, older lifters, or people just trying to maintain while they pursue other goals (i.e. marathon training.

phjorg1

phjorg, i don't know you... but sara has forgetten more about lifting than you will ever know.

yes i noticed. she forgot how 5/3/1 works.

Mock_Turtle

Personally I think this is wasteful for a beginner. I'm not saying you won't see results, rather, this is inefficient.

You're better off doing total body workouts and sticking to compound movements. Or, a push/pull split so you do each bodypart 2x per week.

JustJennie1

When it comes to lifting there are more questions than answers. I think experimentation, doing what you want, and listening to your body is key.

humans are not unique snowflakes in this regard. doing what you want is really about the worst way to train when you have so many excellent programs avail from elite trainers. you have to be a fool to ignore them and think you can do better

I do what I want and it's been working fine. Not only that but two body builder friends of mine do the same workout I do. Oh, and my athlete friend has no issues with it either. I don't need to open a book and read about the latest and greatest craze that you just HAVE to do to know what works for me and yes. I AM a "special snowflake" because contrary to popular belife there is no one size fits all. What works for you and what you like might not work for me. I don't need to read a book to know this because i have figured it out through trial and error.

Luis2787

i made my decsion

mon - chest/tris/shoulders
Tues - legs/abs
weds - back/biceps
thurs - rest
Fri-chest/tris/shoulders
sat-legs/abs
sun-rest

DavPul

i would train back with legs to make sure i hit it 2x a week, but that's me.

Luis2787

each week i was going to switch back and legs doing them twice a week

DavPul

Legs, followed by back, are the two largest muscle groups on your body. You get your legs and back growing and you will find that everything else comes along for the ride. I've never met a guy with strong legs but weak arms. Legs and back aren't the places you want to skimp.

ChrisLindsay9

i want to start doing a 5 day split for weightlifting but i was told it was bad for beginners.

Mon chest/tris
Tues Legs/Abs
Weds back/biceps
Thurs shoulder/abs
Fri cardio

yeah back day after legs stood out to me. Especially if your leg day includes both squats and deadlifts. But even if it's just squats, you may want to have another day in between - just to give that lower back a bit of rest? Other than that, looks pretty solid to me.

grantdumas7

i want to start doing a 5 day split for weightlifting but i was told it was bad for beginners.

Mon chest/tris
Tues Legs/Abs
Weds back/biceps
Thurs shoulder/abs
Fri cardio

yeah back day after legs stood out to me. Especially if your leg day includes both squats and deadlifts. But even if it's just squats, you may want to have another day in between - just to give that lower back a bit of rest? Other than that, looks pretty solid to me.

I am doing an upper/lower split so I do work back the day before legs but when I work my back I use movements that take the lower back out it such as seated hammer rows or chest supported rows. My lower body day hasn't suffered at all and I do both squats and deads on lower body day.