Best workout split if you are Natural

[@dsquared2586]

Still miss this guy. I’ve been working out for 45 years and a good portion of how I train now I learned from this man. RIP sir.

[@IAmRickMagic]

🙏

[@stoneeh]

So, who runs this channel now and cashes in the ad revenue?

[@JustSomeDude31]

@@stoneeh His wife or children most likely. And well deserved at that in my opinion. I'm glad they keep his legacy alive.

[@Oculed1]

No one cares dude

[@speedy_fast]

@@Oculed1everyone cares but you apparently, you left comments angery at people for showing respect to a dead guy, put the phone down and smell the roses friend

[@davidlloyd2594]

I would add, as a natural lifter of 32 years experience, that you can vary loads and volume workout to workout, so if you do train everything twice per week, you can have a heavier lower volume day, and then a lighter higher volume day. For example, on my first back workout, I often do heavy deadlifts, followed by heavy barbell rows, 8 sets total. That's it. Then on my second back day, I'll do Pullovers, Chest supported wide dumbbell rows, and Lat Pulldowns, all going for higher rep range, for a total of 12 sets. By doing this, you balance volume against resistance, stimulate the muscles in different ways, and also retain your ability to recover. Great insight as always from John. RIP 😞

[@mirzaljubovic4227]

Good point, hitting the same body parts with different exercises is, by my opinion, the best possible option for correct stimulation and more complete development.... So what do you prefer for weaker body parts, forcing them more often with lower intensity?

[@davidlloyd2594]

@@mirzaljubovic4227 I don't agree that increasing volume and frequency equates to bringing up lagging body parts- it's normally a question of working out why they aren't being stimulated in your biomechanics within a balanced routine. For example, I know that my back is lat dominant, so when I train back, I begin my workout with movements that intentionally target my rear delts and rhomboids, when I am at my freshest and can give them my full energy. This also means that when I move on to rows and movements that are lat dominant, my middle back and scapulae retractors are primed and better engaged to act as secondary agonists, in those movements.

[@tareaws.8548]

What about chest ? And shoulders please

[@ayda2876]

That's not realty how it works tho..if you have bas genetics on your biceps if you do them twice a week in many cases they won't grow. You have to do more sometimes ​@@davidlloyd2594

[@SyNc26K]

HSP TRAINING (Heavy,Stretch,Pump) Full Body 3X A Week Made By Team 3D Alpha!

[@juggles5474]

Took me a long time to deprogram myself from the starting strength cult mindset of full-body only workouts. Splits are so much more fun and when you’re having fun, it’s so much easier to get into the gym. “Optimal” doesn’t matter if you’re dreading your workouts

[@sh0ckwavex]

Sounds like you got caught in the trap of romanticizing the theoretical side without actually enjoying it or excelling at it. If you do it properly, you're done in 3-4(5 at most) months. Plenty of their programs after SS are not full body. I'd agree though. Squatting 3 times a week gets old quick. Plus, only doing 5 reps and aiming to increase the weight every workout gets technically demanding very quickly. Without a coach, many people find the weights increase too fast before they know wtf they're doing. Vs PPL or a bro split. Playing around with volume. Not worrying about forcing the weight up so fast you're crushing yourself before you've got the hang of it. 0-2 technically demanding exercises per session. Followed by stuff that's easy to get 90% the hang of after a couple of times and then you can just have fun getting better at your own pace.

[@ContentUniverse2024]

@@sh0ckwavex 'not worrying about forcing the weight up' bro needs to learn the term progressive overload lmfao

[@sh0ckwavex]

@ContentUniverse2024 you ever done starting strength bud?

[@justins3686]

Fly High John ❤

[@OfficialEricElemen]

🙏

[@walter7335]

Agree with dssquared.. i miss his knowledge his personality and demeanour. I learned a lot from john. You're missed my friend

[@myouounoanjii]

I never get tired of listening to John. Never forgotten 💪❤

[@MrTmenzo]

Thanks John. As a natty this makes me feel better and will tone it down a bit. I knew it wasn't normal for me to feel exhausted 24/7 and trying to max out every time.

[@carlodonn8983]

You do realise john died about 2 years ago ?

[@MrTmenzo]

@@carlodonn8983 yes

[@GerrySkeptic]

day on day off works best for us natties long term, if your too bored on your day off, go for a 30min run or swim.

[@westfieldartworks8188]

I grew, particularly in the smaller muscle groups: Shoulders, Triceps, when I stopped hitting them so much. I also train to near failure twice per month only. Mike Mentzer talked about this overtraining problem quite a lot.

[@Nightowl7982]

@@carlodonn8983 you do notice he posted this 2 weeks ago right?

[@shenz7400]

We miss you John! Thank you to who is posting on this channel ❤

[@89jmcfar]

Thank you John. Time rolls on and John’s training principles are still the bedrock of my training.

[@JesusOnlySavesEternally]

I’ve been getting back into serious training as a natural forty year old, and this type of talk on training theory is like water in a desert. Much needed, and appreciated distillation of old school bodybuilding training.

[@spontaneousbootay]

this right here is why everyone loves him. theres no better advice than this, simple and straightforward.

[@andrew.b-d4o]

Still great to watch and learn from this no.1 guy, still so sad that he's gone 😢.... Massive cheers to the people that's putting these posts together ! RIP big man. UK 🇬🇧

[@Oculed1]

"Durr durr durrr tea durrr innit durrr" -andrewbarnes

[@AnabolicGeek]

Simple, straightforward and always respectful and kind. RIP John Meadows ❤

[@lifeandoptions]

Only just found this guy recently and miss him already. Wish I found him earlier in my training. Super down to earth too.

[@pmas1357]

Never-ever have I heard of a guy so emphatically focus on the fun you can have in the gymnasium. Meadows is a GOAT, miss this man!

[@basfinnis]

Still so strange seeing this very nice chap. Great tips and information is such a friendly way. Very much missed.

[@akapabs108]

As always thank you John (family/friends).. I'm still bangin out full body 3 times a week with active days off in between as a newb.. but I always store away the knowledge John gives us and implement as much as I can as far as technique and execution. Thanks! 🙌

[@eezy251able]

Full body 3x a week is over kill in my opinion. 2x is enough when done properly.

[@YourPalAl-f3n]

I've been trying to figure out the best way to split my workouts, and this video really breaks it down nicely. Thanks for the tips.

[@yanwain9454]

This was always one of my favorite clips of John. Love the "inject" line

[@MrGuelot]

Pull Push AB routine is great! 1 exercise for each bodypart( some exceptions: 2 back, 2 for quads, or chest, in 4 sets, 4-20 reps, 1min/1:30 rest. More frequency, less exercices...

[@drzitbag06]

"optimal" does not mean "obligatory". youll be fine training your muscles once a week. you ll get there in 4 years instead of 3. dont miss out the life or neglect your responsibilities for the sake of muscles.

[@bigoofinthechat5496]

Facts. You’ll be good training your whole body three times a week. It may take you 6 years but don’t miss out on responsibilities for the sake of muscles.

[@ThugWaffle351]

@@bigoofinthechat5496yep that’s exactly what he said lol

[@bigoofinthechat5496]

@@ThugWaffle351 Yep and I was agreeing with another example 👍

[@karamelflan]

@hattaraporsas it is importantest to muscles, and also life. Moral lesson: Chase women at night. Fulfilling activity for the whole family

[@drzitbag06]

@rxw5520 it should be "importantest"

[@Bevzthejcs]

Solid solid advice as always! god this man is missed but so happy we have so much content to fall back on. RIP mate.

[@MariaLopez-w5p7z]

Even now this great man. Giving out priceless advice when it comes to fitness. Thank you John. I know your looking in on all our work outs now. Rest in peace sir.

[@brunogssouza1]

I got to know you from another channel, but this guy was the best. Solid advices and no BS. He did it for the knowledge, not for the content likes

[@demetriuscooksey7147]

I can attest to that recovery variability. My old training partner could train body parts again in half the time it took me to recover. He was basically hitting everything twice as often as me and improving in every workout. It didn't take long and he left me in the dust.

[@steelphantom9105]

Genetics plays a big role in recovery from training.

[@demetriuscooksey7147]

@steelphantom9105 100% My buddy was genetically gifted for bodybuilding, not only in recovery but how he was built as well.

[@microondasletal]

This is great advice! Something I'd add, however, is that tendons don't recover nearly as fast as muscles do, even if this too may vary between individuals. I tried all kinda frequencies and mix them from time to time. Once per week with a really high intensity workout (not to be confused with Mentzer's HIT) works the best for me. Every single time I've reduced my frequency I've gotten bigger; an upper-lower split made my foundation and it worked, but I got injured several times because I just wanted to do it all in every workout, which was obviously a bad idea. Intensity+volume+frequency will kill anybody's joints and tendons. You must either sacrifice one or tune all of those down a bit to get results without injuring yourself. Currently the only part I work twice per week are my arms, as biceps are a genetically weak spot of mine (pretty big, but the insertion is the opposite of Arnolds', so I need to grow it more to actually get the great peak I'm looking for). RIP John Meadows, you'll be remembered for a long time in this community.

[@anthonyalfieri8271]

I am a 63 year old natty. Wasn't always. I noticed my recovery takes longer than ever now and have to take a day between workouts. I still train as hard as I can but I'm fatigued the next day. I really don't know what to do anymore. So, I'm taking a break for a short time, maybe 2 weeks, then I'll start again from the beginning and monitor my recovery. I can't stop forever, not after 48 years.

[@YouHateLogic]

I hope all is well how is life going?

[@steelphantom9105]

61 here, I had to go to every other day because of recovery. So I went with a 2 day split Day 1 Quads,Chest,Shoulders,Triceps, Day 2 Hamstrings,Back,Biceps. It gives me 96 hours between hitting those muscle groups which seems to be the sweet spot for me.

[@weebsarecringe2102]

You're 64 by now, you should consider your age and not just train as hard as you can, train as smart as you can.

[@barrybarnett731]

at that age you DO NOT !have you train beyond failure! just when your form breaks down , I'm 65 and still train hard but sensibly recovery is even more important at our age you do not have to destroy your cns ive found 3 days a week is more than enough

[@danielleng7070]

Really enjoyed your advices, a lot of knowledge and healthy common sense approach. TX John. R. I . P

[@jishani1]

His healthy common sense approach didn't seem to help him. But hey, I'm sure it'll be better for you, right? 😂

[@kkevinj1]

Took me a lil while to learn this and apply. It is working, watched this one a few months ago an didnt 100% get it right away, He was a damn good teacher!!!

[@CaptainCowboy476]

Best answer to this question hands down

[@charleshill1906]

While I like the pump, 5x5 has been the most fun I've had lifting. Recovery for body parts is spot on. Not every part is the same. My calves take a week to recover after even mild sets, but I can blast my quads, hamstrings, glutes and pretty much anything on my back side and I'm good the next day. Chest takes a couple of days, biceps and grip I can do every day, abs are once a week. That's also not even consistent either. Because some times my entire posterior chain will crap out on me and I'll be down for days at a time doing a regular day at the gym. So it's important to know how each body part recovers.

[@aaronlinton-chambers]

I miss John so much,sending prayers to his family and friends.

[@johndenny4057]

Just came across this. One of the best!

[@Sir.DavidBruce]

I often train too much and it impacts my recovery and strenght sometimes. It is very hard to handle and a science for sure. Good video

[@louislamonte334]

Thanks so much, Dog!! You're always an inspiration to me!!

[@jlogan2228]

i split it as chest/bis, legs/glutes, shoulders/tris, back/traps, that way my shoulders and arms are getting stimulated twice a week. Once as a by product of the main muscle group then once with a focus. If you are going hard on the bigger muscles once a week is MORE than rnough to grow and get stronger

[@rutniktrainer]

I always liked John's personality. I still enjoy watching these videos today. RIP John.

[@markojovanov4524]

solid shit, he was a great human

[@AndrewHeffernan]

A guy who actually acknowledges the fun factor! Good on him. I miss this guy.

[@ahmadfarrall2097]

He is a legend and still my go to person for my training

[@alirezaalavi1504]

My man will always be alive

[@djsubliminalreeve]

upper lower repeat for me works so well. legs mon, upper Tues, legs thurs and then upper fri. not all body parts are the same either for me certain muscles high volume and others high intensity.

[@EICHist]

I do an upper lower split with a designated arm day in between. I am also one of those who rarely gets sore aside from my legs.

[@michaelmonster]

Is that optimal? I do upper lower 4 times a week. Do you add a 5 day to arm day?

[@AronHallan]

You're gifted, i get sore on the bro split and i don't do insane volume, 3 chest exercices and 3 tricep exercices for example it cooks me. Legs? the hack squat alone with the 4th set being a drop with rest pauses gets me sore from tuesday till sunday in some days.

[@EICHist]

@michaelmonster i do between 12-15 sets per week per muscle group. As long as I keep increasing weight/reps I will continue with it.

[@EICHist]

@AronHallan I will feel some soreness with legs, but nothing that's terrible. I have friends, however , who seem to go into severe doms by looking at a barbell, haha.

[@waynesmith4589]

RIP, love listening to this dude.

[@TylerS44]

I’ve done pretty much all the different splits but the one that I enjoy most is whole body. I love seeing my whole body pumped at once and is a real motivator. But if I am doing just push muscles that day I wish I could have a bicep and trap pump too hahaha

[@bcc1876]

Is full body working good for you after 2 years of lifting??because i do it for 2 years now and after the first i started notice and especially after the first and a half that i stopped growing much and then a friend of mine that is working out for 15years told me that i should change my workout to split and now i think its going better and i feel more tired in specific muscles

[@captainforty573]

Mountain Dog is in my top 3 KZbin guys that I would've wanted to workout with the most. I believe that he would've been compassionate towards my scrawny build.

[@DG-nb6fe]

A. Chest Back Shoulders B. Legs Arms Mon Wed Fri Rotate A and B those 3 days week, every muscle is worked 3x in 2 weeks. Good balance of frequency and volume for intermediate and advanced lifters. Total Body workouts 3x week past the beginner stage is too much work when doing 2-3 exercises per muscle group and 2-4 sets per muscle. Workouts can be 2-2.5 hours long. A and B splits 3x week can balance volume and frequency nicely for bodybuilding, allowing ample stimulation in a reasonable amount of time like 45-75 minutes per workout. 🤷‍♂️

[@steelphantom9105]

Thanks for your program advice.👍

[@Tershula]

Where did you get the idea to do 3 exercises per muscle group while doing full body workouts? No wonder it takes you 2.5 hours. If you're going to do 3 exercises per muscle, then you need to be doing a PPL split, Bro split, Upper / Lower, or something along those lines. 9 sets per muscle group times 10 muscle groups is 90 sets per workout!!!! There's no one in the world that could do 90 high intensity sets in 1 workout. That's about 70 sets of junk volume per workout. I'm glad to see that you do a more sensible A B split 3 times a week.

[@rickgutierrez7509]

Thanks mate. Perfect.

[@chasenicholson3927]

He was the best workout instructor. Was a good man

[@gohardorgohome7687]

John thank you for your hard work i will keep watching your videos and i will keep learning .We miss you brother ❤😢🙏

[@cvetanvelinov4404]

Thank you sir. A real professional advice!

[@andythousand345]

He was my favorite to watch and learn from.

[@jamesnathapong7284]

I like clips with subtitles like this.

[@famcantor5]

Hey John! Thanks for the tips

[@scatdaddy3790]

The world misses you John

[@OBZ3EN]

Great video. Thanks 👍

[@BLS1976PACHAPTER]

I have followed this advice recently by splitting my routine into a push pull legs three days a week. I thrown in the Mike mentzer philosophy of 2 maybe 3 set warmup then hit it on one working set to failure. Training more than 4 days a week doesnt fit in my. schedule.

[@douglaskeywood]

How did it go for you? Was thinking of this plus a fourth day to hit what needs extra work

[@BLS1976PACHAPTER]

@@douglaskeywood this split and philosophy is good for those like myself who needed a back to basics routine and it helped me achieve the right mind set. Starting this year I went to a push pull total body training four days while adding one more working set the idea is best the last working set rep range. It's a killer

[@Nick-se1fp]

amazing advice... thanks brother

[@VICKYBAVAL]

Woow just amazing knowledge..thanks from oldest and biggest democracy on planet india ...I fallow u ..and I seen awsome results

[@jpbodybuilding5160]

One of the most knowledgeable individuals on the planet-it's unfortunate that he's no longer with us.

[@washout04]

What a legacy he has left. Honest advice without selling anything.

[@nathangoode1089]

I started as a distance runner before lifting. When i still had my distance runner endurance, I could recover crazy fast.

[@nbashighlights]

RIP LEGEND of this sport we love

[@Android-17]

Thank you John🥀

[@nboss968]

Really good advice even though you are generally able to train a muscle again after 48 if you are natural its not really sustainable to blast every body part twice per week with high volume.

[@steelphantom9105]

What training program would you recommend?

[@olti4904]

first!! miss you king❤

[@burtbakerack1110]

Miss you, Mountain Dog!

[@lee4171]

A much-missed gentleman. Gods-speed to you, Sir. From GB.

[@Jcruzinfit]

I needed to see this.

[@cannafarmer]

I use one direct and one indirect day for each part. Then 2 rest days built in. I need the rest or my joints get banged up. My muscles recover but joints don't

[@giancarlo8557]

Spot on!

[@yegor576]

Best is try every main split and in which one you faster adding weights/reps, that is best for you

[@DiskoKDiskoL]

Whole body 4x a week (training every second day). Upper, lower (rest) push, pull, legs. Pick one if you're intermediate or advanced and stick to it forever.

[@evolutionpersonaltraining]

JM was a saint, at least outside of sessions

[@Jafmanz]

I do legs on tuesday. I'm still sore on Friday which means if I train them Saturday I'm still sore tuesday... I just train legs once per week... admittedly it's usually front squats, leg press, ham curls. walking lunges... quite the marathon!

[@adammiller9179]

Do less

[@Jimmy_on_the_sticks]

Still learning from you John. Still so much to take in from your wisdom. Rip buddy

[@makcoaching2144]

FACTS FACTS FACTS. I train my weak points 3x per week. I also incorporate full body workouts but I put a different bias on each one to focus on my weaknesses and goals.

[@shubhamkumar8596]

Rip John u were the master of bodybuilding true champion 💪

[@larrykrakow8927]

Ty

[@SecretMilionaire]

Thanks for explanation

[@nickybjammin7629]

Mountain Dog! 💪🏼💯❤️

[@vivekvibhum8464]

This guy doesn't seem like he is gone, he is still alive for me!!😢

[@JDMillest23]

leg day is the worst for me, take me close to a week and half. so im trying to get my legs more to keep up with my upper.

[@adammiller9179]

Don't hit them so hard. They shouldn't be sore near that long.

[@jameswestfall1641]

Absolutely amazing advice. Will always miss you💪

[@fullyawakeloyah8844]

I don’t just say this cause this great man’s gone but this awesome man was the best out here always kind always trying to share help people with his knowledge not once did I hear him being anyone down always positive always full Of love for us RIP mountain dog your a LEGEND always brother guy like share hi contents go help his family for he gave us all so much for nothing 😊😊😊😊

[@dansites3574]

John was a stud and sooo helpful. I don’t like the AI chopped up version of him and want to only see full length John video.

[@jefersontarifa]

The best! Miss you...

[@samsmith7150]

I WILL ALWAYS MISS JOHN RIP BROTHER!!!

[@phoenixgaming6963]

For how much time should I do the same split but changing the exercises

[@SUPERHUMANNATIONCOACHING]

I wonder if this approach is good while cutting too?

[@adammiller9179]

The approach to recover before hitting a muscle again? Why wouldn't it be??

[@SUPERHUMANNATIONCOACHING]

Just thinking about SFR.

[@s.wilson5675]

Straight talking, no BS. "leg day once a week", so make sure you don't skip it!

[@dasun13]

Rip bro 🙏🏽

[@dinodadinosaur]

Is this a repost or timed upload!?

[@SoFCeO]

I train each muscle group twice a week and Abs 3 times. First day is heavy second day is high rep.

[@salemrashed1]

Super wise ❤

[@SUPERHUMANNATIONCOACHING]

Also when he’s saying your weaker muscles.. does he mean the muscles that recover quicker? In terms of upping the frequency?

[@Dirk_van_Tonder]

No, I think he means your personal weak points. Like if you have a big upper body but small legs, hit legs twice as often

[@SUPERHUMANNATIONCOACHING]

@@Dirk_van_Tonder thanks man!

[@jtome84-91]

Gotta feel bad for his family seems like such a good dude .

[@fightwatcher-jd8jk]

Looking at these comments how does anyone have time to train a muscle group more than once a week? I got 4x per week (back, chest/bicep, tris/shoulders & legs) even if I trained the other days there’s not enough rest days to work them all again so are you guys going gym twice a day or just staying there for 2-3 hours to get more body parts targeted, an how is either possible if you have a job or family?

[@jimnorris3227]

upper/lower split works really well with 4 days .. you can hit everything twice a week and still get your rest days .. 2 on 1 off 2 on 2 off

[@YeahTheDuckweed]

um...push/pull/legs splits? hello? am i crazy?

[@Asura.0]

OM Shanti 🙏

[@justinarthur1399]

What about abbs

[@jtbatista]

I misss you so much John, 🕊. I love your methodology in training and it has been one of my favorites to do. Mentzer/Yates/Meadows for life 🙏

[@TheHerbsMCJay74]

I agree about full body workouts.. they just do not do anything for me 👍

[@nikpetrovic3877]

full body is really just a modified PPL that takes into account that 3 days might be good rest for the L portion but that you dont need 3 days to recover from the majority of the PP exercises the only advantage of PPL is it is easier to remember what you are doing that day. otherwise why would you wait for the next pull day if your biceps dont need 3 days off to recover?

[@stevenmanning2436]

I tried PPL one workout, never even got to the second P or L…I immediately didn’t like it. I’ve been doing one body part a week for 26 years and I don’t see a reason to change. Sometimes, waiting the week seems too long, but I’m not doing calculus as far as programming. But, I definitely do calculus as far as mastering the fundamentals.

[@riokinsey2134]

If that was your take away, you need to rewatch it. He is talking about a FUN FACTOR ONLY...GETTING A PUMP. Metabolic fatigue is not and never will be the MAIN factor to growth. That belongs to progressive overload/resistance, which full body / push pull/ upper lower are excellent for. Talk about "reading into something" or "hearing what you want to." I think you completely misinterpreted the message, my friend. He was simply saying 1. YOU CANT HAVE THE FREQUENCY MAXIMIZED FOR ALL BODY PARTS SIMULTANEOUSLY, THEY RECOVER AT DIFFERENT RATES. 2. YOU WONT GET THE SAME DEGREE OF PUMP DOING A FULL BODY ROUTINE. NOTHING MORE

[@carlosfarias6012]

I have been following a fullbody routine for a while now (on and off) and lately I cannot do them at the gym anymore. It is so overcrowded now so I am seriously thinking of breaking it down to a PPL or a bro split. What are your thoughts? Any comments or suggestions are welcome, thanks.

[@TheHerbsMCJay74]

@@carlosfarias6012 yeah try PPL I've got my best gains from it.. I do 3 days on then rest a day then repeat.. I would say put your rear delts on back and biceps day (pull) tho.. as the back movements also hit the rear delts to an extent.. so day 1: chest, shoulders (front/side) and triceps.. day 2: back, rear delts and biceps.. day 3: legs and abs then rest then repeat day 1: but on the repeat days (2nd ppl I change up the exercises for example if I did incline barbell bench on first ppl Id use dumbbells on the 2nd push day.. if that helps and if you used barbell shoulder press on first push day use dumbbell shoulder press on second push day and so on so you get full variety 😁👍