bit of a dilemma (advice for routine?)

[thebob]

here's my situation:

I only have access to a gym and weights/machines once a week. Should I alternate 1-2 body parts each week or try to get all or most of them done in the one day? Should I do push-ups/crunchies/etc. on some of the other days and if so how often, etc.

 

[madgame]

option 1: Enroll at a(nother) gym

option 2: Get a bench, a barbell and enough weights to start with
(so u can either just work out at home or work out at home and work out the muscles u prefer to work at the gym in the one day at the gym)

option 3: Work out all muscles in that one day. Start with few sets and up them during the following weeks. Even though a lot of people say that your workout should be only 45 minutes because of shrinking testosterone levels, its most likely not as important as a lotta people tend to believe. You can definetly get great results from a work out which takes like 2 hours (Im pretty sure almost all bodybuilders work out at least for 2 hours..and Ive gotten great results with a routine of which 2 workouts a week took almost 2 hours also.). Another possibility might be to go to the gym in the morning (or early afternoon or something if u go to college/whatever) work out your lower body and go there again at night and work out your upper body.

You should definetly not alternate so u work out each muscle every second week. I think this would be a tad bit too long.

 

[Alpha male Female Catcher]

Like I've said before I've been only working out once a week now (in a 3 - 3.5hr workout) for at least 5 years now and been getting good results.

(There was a myth going around - which still rears its ugly head from time to time - that your muscles start to atrophy after 48hr of not being worked out but as anyone who only works out once a week can attest this is simply not true).

Yes you can make gains on a once a week workout. Two weeks are likely to be too long a rest period, if you need more than a week to recover then you are probably over training (though from time to time a two week break can be good if you have been over training).

Bottom line is you should do fine on your once a week work out (eat plenty of food - carbs - the day before and in the morning so your muscles have the energy they need to perfom at their best - and the day after too).



PS: The other advantage of a once a week workout is that when you want to cut you can carb deplete (3-4 days a week which will make you weaker but thats OK because your not training on those days - and then carb load the other 3 days for your training session and recovery in which you regain the muscle lost on the 4 dieting days - or so the theory goes). Though if you want a net gain in muscle mass don't diet at all (I'm talking about how to preserve muscle tissue while dieting). Once a week workout is still good for gaining mass too.