weight training methodology

i have never been much of a weight lifter but i have done a little over the years and i have been presented with different workout ideas. i have a friend that does a workout that is

leg days (ham string, quad, calf, aductor, abductor, glutes), arm days (bis, tris, forarms, shoulder), back days (lats, traps, middle back and lower back), and chest days and he also mixes abs in so that he is doing them every other workout and cardio on the days he isn't mixing in abs. he gets good results from this it seems.

but i have always been told by a lit of people the best way is to do groups like back and bis, chest and tris, etc.

and then i was reading in mens health the other day that says to do full body workouts each time you work out.

so what do you all think? is it all just different means to the same end? is one methodology more efficient than another? does it depend on the individual? or is one workout better than another depending on how many times a week you get to the gym?

What are your goals ?

i was asking more as a general question and not necessarily in regards to myself. i was hoping to see if there was a much of differnece between the workouts concepts.

butsince you asked,

i am trying to just build up more lean muscle. i am not trying to get any bigger. so i do high rep and low weight and have been doing the back/bicep, chest/tricep style of workout. and i do a lot of running and elipticaling(?).

the goal dictates the methodology. from a bodybuilding perspective, I can work a lot of those muscles in isolation - curls, pressdowns, presses, lat pull downs, leg curls, leg raises, calf raises, etc.

from a strength and MA perspective, I don't want isolation, as my muscles work in conjunction with one another. I want things like deads, cleans, snatches, kettlebell work, squats, chins, etc.

if my goa is size, I want a moderate number of reps and sets. for strength only, low sets and low reps with maximal weights. For endurance, high reps and high sets, etc.

If I have a fight coming up, I may want to emphasize explosiveness and power, so I could add plyos.

How many days per week I work which body part is also dictated by what my goals are.

nothing you said is wrong and pretty much anything you do will work. however, becoming skilled at matching your meathods to your goals will make it work much faster.

seven speaks truths.

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i am trying to just build up more lean muscle. i am not trying to get any bigger. so i do high rep and low weight and have been doing the back/bicep, chest/tricep style of workout. and i do a lot of running and elipticaling(?).

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if you just want to get stronger and denser stick with the big compound lifts. go heavy and go home. leave the rest to diet, cardio, and your other training. high rep work outs are actually what you want to get bigger. that said ill warn you that once you start putting on a little muscle its hard not to get bit by the builder bug .... want those big guns or that big back.

I'm not hating, but please do not get any info in regards to lifting from mens health. There are just simply better periodicals out there for that type of information.

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Originally Posted by GunnedDownAtrocity

if you just want to get stronger and denser stick with the big compound lifts. go heavy and go home. leave the rest to diet, cardio, and your other training. high rep work outs are actually what you want to get bigger.

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Yep, this is pretty much right.

Lift big, 3-5 reps for strength.
Lift slightly smaller, 5-12 reps for size.
Lift slightly smaller still, 10+ reps for endurance.

Some people's reps advice will vary but that's a good general guide.

Justin, who was?

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Originally Posted by BruceSteveRoy

and then i was reading in mens health the other day that says to do full body workouts each time you work out.

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ST is pretty simple and no matter which program you choose, if building strenght is your goal then the one point that MUST be focuses on is PROGRESSIVE RESISTENCE.

Whatever program you choose and works best for you, you get stronger by lifting more, by progressively increasing the resistence being used.