LIFT
TRAINING STYLES
BY GREG MERRITT
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU TRAIN THE SAME
BODY PART TWICE IN ONE DAY?
LET’S BREAK
a rule. One training
tenet that seems
sacrosanct is to allow
at least two days
before hitting the same
body part again. Most
bo dybuilders more than
double this minimal
recommendation, and
many work muscles
only once weekly. Such
splits allow for ample
time for recovering and
growth. But what
happens if you hit the
body part twice per day
and then give it time to
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FLEX | MARCH ’18
grow? As a short-term
strategy, such rule
breaking can boost
growth and recharge
your workouts.
RULE BREAKING
When it comes to
training frequency and
style, there’s no rule
that can’t be broken—
on occasion. That
caveat is the key
because you can not
only sometimes rep
outside the box but also
should, at least at the
advanced level. For
example, if you’ve stuck
to eight to 12 reps per
set for the past year, a
workout filled with 50-
to 100-rep endurance
tests can shock
complacent muscles.
But if you do it day after
day, your gains will likely
stall. Break rules, but
only occasionally.
This is especially
true for doubling up on
the same body part in
a single day. Repeating
regularly and intensely
can generate the
dreaded overtraining,
Work the
same body part
twice in the
same day.
Separate
the workouts
by at least
three hours
but no more
than eight.
In order to
stress the same
muscle fibers,
do the same
exercises in
both workouts.
Keep reps in
the 12-to-20
range to
maximize
glycogen-
loading pumps.
DAILY DOUBLE