People say that the ABCDE training is a thing of the past. The usual now is train the same muscle several times during the week, but with less volume, with the pretext that this is the best - and according to some - the only way to natural athletes build muscle.
Regardless of all this mess about high frequency training, it is still possible to train naturally using a 5 day split, but it's necessary to emphasize some points that most people forget when starting a ABCDE workout :
- Training aiming a muscle a day isn't for beginners. These people are not yet prepared to train to the point of extracting the maximum of the muscles in a single day.
- ABCDE training is no excuse to spend 3 hours in the gym or destroy muscle with hundreds of series using dozens of exercises. This is the biggest mistake of people who want results using this type of routine.
- Practice ABCDE isn't "just" training a muscle a day during the week, you end up training the same muscles either directly or indirectly. If the fact that training a muscle once a week was what amazed you, maybe you should rethink about this.
Important notes to properly execute the workout:
- The rest between sets should be at least 2 minutes to ensure maximum strength between series.
- Weight progress is even more important in the ABCDE as you train one muscle group once a week. It's easy to lose control of progress, so, be sure to take some notes about your progression.
- Do all exercises obeying the rest time between sets.
- Missing workouts on a ABCDE routine is extremely harmful, just don't do it.
- Don't invent. Do the training in the way that is illustrated and with the same exercises (unless you have a problem that prevents you from doing something), otherwise you will not be doing the same workout. It will be something you create.
Monday: Triceps, Biceps, Abs
Triceps:
- Close-Grip Bench Press - 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- Seated Triceps Press - 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- Dips - 4 sets to failure
Biceps:
- Barbell Curl - 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- Alternate Dumbell Curl - 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- Reverse Barbell Curl - 3 sets of 6-8 reps
Abs:
- Cable Crunch - 3 sets of 10 reps
- Sit-ups with weight - 3 sets of 10 reps
Why start the week with arms?
Because you will be able to focus in your arms at the maximum, something that doesn't happen if you leave this workout for the end of the week after training chest/back. On the next day you should do legs, so you can rest your arms.
- Close-Grip Bench Press - 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- Seated Triceps Press - 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- Dips - 4 sets to failure
Biceps:
- Barbell Curl - 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- Alternate Dumbell Curl - 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- Reverse Barbell Curl - 3 sets of 6-8 reps
Abs:
- Cable Crunch - 3 sets of 10 reps
- Sit-ups with weight - 3 sets of 10 reps
Why start the week with arms?
Because you will be able to focus in your arms at the maximum, something that doesn't happen if you leave this workout for the end of the week after training chest/back. On the next day you should do legs, so you can rest your arms.
Tuesday: Legs and Calves
Legs:
- Squat - 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- Legpress - 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- Lunges - 4 sets of 8 reps
- Leg Extension - 3 sets of 10
- Lying Leg Curls - 3 sets of 10
Calves:
- Seated calf raise - 4 sets of 10
- Calf raise on legpress - 4 sets of 10
Wednesday: Shoulders and Trap
Shoulders:
- Shoulder Press with Barbell - 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- Shoulder Press Behind the Neck - 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- Lateral Raise - 4 sets of 10 reps
Trap:
- Barbell Shrug - 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- Dumbell Shrug - 4 sets of 6-8 reps
Thursday: Back and Calves
Back:
- Deadlift - 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- Bent Over Barbell Rows - 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- One Arm Dumbell Row - 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- Seated Cable Row - 4 sets of 10 reps
Calves:
- Seated calf raise - 4 sets of 10
- Calf raise on legpress - 4 sets of 10
Friday: Chest
- Barbell Bench Press - 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- Barbell Incline Bench Press - 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- Dips - 4 sets to failure
- Incline/Flat Dumbell Flyes - 4 sets of 10 reps
Final Notes:
Try this workout for a while, changing it constantly is not the best way to build muscle, you should focus on weight progression for this workout and keep your diet!
Legs:
- Squat - 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- Legpress - 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- Lunges - 4 sets of 8 reps
- Leg Extension - 3 sets of 10
- Lying Leg Curls - 3 sets of 10
Calves:
- Seated calf raise - 4 sets of 10
- Calf raise on legpress - 4 sets of 10
Wednesday: Shoulders and Trap
Shoulders:
- Shoulder Press with Barbell - 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- Shoulder Press Behind the Neck - 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- Lateral Raise - 4 sets of 10 reps
Trap:
- Barbell Shrug - 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- Dumbell Shrug - 4 sets of 6-8 reps
Thursday: Back and Calves
Back:
- Deadlift - 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- Bent Over Barbell Rows - 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- One Arm Dumbell Row - 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- Seated Cable Row - 4 sets of 10 reps
Calves:
- Seated calf raise - 4 sets of 10
- Calf raise on legpress - 4 sets of 10
Friday: Chest
- Barbell Bench Press - 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- Barbell Incline Bench Press - 4 sets of 6-8 reps
- Dips - 4 sets to failure
- Incline/Flat Dumbell Flyes - 4 sets of 10 reps
Final Notes:
Try this workout for a while, changing it constantly is not the best way to build muscle, you should focus on weight progression for this workout and keep your diet!
