Hi, I've recently changed my workout routine to working one part of the body per day, instead of doing all parts every other day. Basically one day I do arms, the next day chest, the next day shoulders then the next day trunk. I do an intense workout lasting at least 30 mins each day.

Do you approve of this? Will this gain muscle faster than my former workout routine?

All feedback is greatly appreciated.

Hi ಠ_ಠ,

Because there are various types of workout routines out there all claiming to be the best and most efficient and also because individuals will respond differently to different exercises and routines based on genetics and other factors, I will not be able to provide you with a straightforward answer. I will say, however, that the routine you described above seems to be one of the best to be considered, although there are also several others recommended by reputable trainers that suggests that only whole-body exercises (i.e. bench press, squat, and power clean) should be incorporated in a workout. As long as you're doing the exercises properly and not overtraining, then there will definitely be benefits. Therefore, it may not hurt for you to switch from one routine to another to see if you can tell which ones work for you best. Who knows, you might actually get the best workout this way as you will be implementing the concept of muscle confusion.

Another thing to consider, however, is that exercise and nutrition go hand-in-hand when it comes to building lean tissue, because you must do a lot of resistance training (progressively) but also consume a lot of calories at the same time. The extra calories that you consume are to supply the energy for your workouts as well as to replace and build lean tissue. To gain one pound of lean tissue, you must consume 2,500 extra calories. Therefore, to gain one or two pounds of lean tissue a week, you will need to consume about 350 or 700 extra calories daily, respectively. You must also do a lot of resistance training so that the extra calories consumed are used for gaining muscle mass and supplying needed energy, and not to be stored as fat. Since muscle tissue is more protein than fat or glycogen, it is suggested that you consume about 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily (if the protein is plant-based, more is required). Any extra calories that still needs to be made up after considering the protein requirements can be done with higher calorie foods.

If you are not used to resistance training, you must start slow and gradually build up. It is not necessary to consume the recommended amount of proteins and calories stated above when you first start out, as you will not be lifting much and all the extra calories will not be used up to supply fuel for the workouts or replace and build lean tissue, causing your body to store much of the extra calories as fat. Also, make sure your body can adapt to the progression rate and gradually be accustomed to heavier loads. Then, increase your calorie and protein uptake as you increase your resistance training duration, frequency, and intensity. But again, you must take care to not overtrain, as this will lean to adverse training effects, including decrease of lean muscle mass.

As for the workout itself, high-intensity low-volume workouts are usually better for bulking up. This means that the sets should be near maximal (you should only be able to do about 3-6 reps per set) and consequently, you will not be able to do as many reps or sets as with a low-intensity workout.

Hope this helps!

-Alvin