How often to hit the same muscle group ?

I have always lifted this way- KILL a muscle group on say- monday. give that muscle group til next week to recover. hit that muscle group again the following monday. kill a different muscle group wednesday and give it a full week to recover. hit that the next wednesday. I would do 9-12 sets or whatever it took to burn that muscle out. I have retard strength in my biceps, so i can do 7-8 sets of curls then finish off with full sets of hammer curls at 65-75 pounds in each arm. but my arms arent "huge"

To gain more size, A friend of mine just suggested that it would be better to hit a specific muscle group- 3 SHORT but heavy workouts per week. so instead of doing 10 sets of tricep extensions on monday, do tricep extensions 3X per week, just a few heavy sets.

anyone else believe in this? BTW- I just spotted this guy on a 495 pound bench press earlier this week

So how frequently should you work one muscle group when trying to build size ??

It will vary based on the guidelines that youre following, but the most Ive seen would be every 4 days (72 hours of rest), especially if youre lifting heavy (as in for strength or power). If youre lifting for hypertrophy I would say 3 would probably be ok unless youre still sore from the previous workout.

Dear Captain Curls,

Depending on your lifting history...

The best way to gain size is heavy lifts... Squat, Deadlift, Bench, Overhead Press. Do these one lift/day/wk... follow Starting Strength or 531...

there is a major reason that the vast majority of pro body builders started out as powerlifters. Laying down a VERY solid core of strength in the major lifts builds a solid framework on which to build stacks of muscles.

Diet and recovery is 90% of size gains... Eat a large surplus of calories and protein and you'll gain...

Besides what's cooler... bragging about 'spotting that guy who benched 495'... or BEING that guy who benched 495.

haha thanks darktide. that last line is very true!

I do deadlifts ( started again after a torn ab muscle )

I do overhead press

started bench press again ( bercitis ? in my right shoulder, and maybe a slight rotator cuff tear from work ) my friend who put up 495 the other day showed me proper bench press form, after months, maybe half a year, of not benching, my first workout i was doing sets of 225 without any shoulder pain due to this form he showed me.

So i am getting back to the big things, i have to ease into the squats i need to learn perfect form first.

I upped my protein shakes / chicken / intake / cut sugar etc.

Im not gaining size fast right now- but i am also doing cardio- yes, im screwing up trying to get LEAN AND BIG at the same time.... I have a goal of how i want to look and im honestly pulling out all the stops, 7 days a week.... i just need to learn the right methods. and im REALLY stubborn so... its hard to break old routines or habits.

I just feel like my arms need to catch up to the size of my chest / shoulders back. maybe im wrong or just being too critical

pull out the stops and serve one master... lean or big.... then switch when ur big enough or are tired of being a scrawny curler

Im bouncing back and forth every 4 weeks between hitting upper/lower body twice a week to hitting upper body 4 times a week. That means sometimes I bench 4 times a week. And I am getting stronger and also loosing weight at the same time, although loosing weight at a snails pace. Sometimes you have to ask yourself "What would a pussy do? Ok, I will do the oposite." Admitidly you have to back this mantra up with a bit of intelligence but my point is belief will outdo pure brosience any day of the week. And generally frequency and volume is the cure for a lot of what ails you.

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