Want mass? Cut down your training plan 

It’s not a secret that average natural trainees read the articles with pics of big guys, who have got their 22 inch biceps in amazingly short period of time, like science fiction. Who has had a good physique before his the very first workout? Surely, nobody has had. Who has succeeded in gaining a whole inch to his own biceps in one month (without steroids)? See the above-mentioned answer. Therefore it’s not worth to think that having started a new routine, taken from the leading bodybuilding magazine, titled “Mr. O recommends” you will achieve incredible results. Let’s go down to earth.  Most likely you’ll overtrain up to the state when the sight of iron will make you sick. (I have experienced such a state and not just once).  But it does not mean that you have to bury your cherished dream to become sometime Mr. Olympia (I can not give it up either) or at least to place first on local contest. 

All the methods and routines are good IF THEY DO NOT HARM TO YOU. Such a simple thing as overtraining could sound harmless. But it can be followed with an injury for a long time depriving you of a possibility to train. And you have to aspire to your dream by means of careful consideration and revision of routines and methods which seem to you great on the first sight. 

So, it is scientifically proved that for maximum muscles growth each body part needs from 6 to 8 days to recuperate between workouts. Just imagine – to pump your arms only 3-4 times a month! It could seem at least strange and for many trainees it’s equivalent to transition to maintenance of the physique achieved in fights with iron. And having heard about it for the first time I thought that either they are crazy or something is wrong with the world. Yeah, it’s really hard to comprehend  if your usual split is “3 days on one day off” and each body part is totally pumped twice a week. But I could not understand the reason why my muscles did not grow and why I felt exhausted very often . Some times I’ve injured my forearms, back, shoulders and neck. Under the pressure of a pain I was compelled to reduce my trainings days up to 2 -3 times a week. 

Sometimes I saw a guy in the gym.  And every time I saw him I noticed that he became bigger. Not significantly but he did! In 2-3 months he had added in mass so appreciably that I have decided to ask him this way: 

T.M. – Listen Dan, what kind of ‘roids do you swallow? 
Dan (surprised) - Nothing at all! 
T.M. - But in two months you’ve become just a bulk and I won’t believe that you’re clean! So how much time a week do you go to the gym? Five or six? 
Dan – What are you talking about? I’ve got no time to work out more than 1.5 hours once or at least twice a week. 
T.M. – Twice a week??? You’re kidding! How it is possible? I spend here almost all the time I have and you wanna tell me that you can do all the workout I do in just two days? 
Dan – Certainly not.  I do only a pair of sets for each of the body parts. Sometimes I’ve got no time to do what I would like to. But biceps and triceps I can’t pass. 
T.M. – So how do you pump your arms? 
Dan – 1-2 sets of barbell curls, 1 set of preacher curls and a couple of sets of lying french press. And that’s all. I just have no time for more.

Now when my primary goal is to gain mass I work out two times a week.  And it really works. 

Here is my usual training split for mass and strength: 

Day 1: 
Legs: squats – 1 set x 20 reps, 1 x 10 and 1 x 6 
Chest: barbell press – 1 x 15, 1 x 8, 1 x 6 
          incline or flat dumbbell flyes – 1 x 8 
Back: narrow grip front pulldowns – 1 x 15, 1 x 12, 1 x 8 
         T-bar rows – 1 x 12, 1 x 8 
Biceps: standing barbell curls – 1 x 20, 2 x 7 
         preacher curls – 2 x 7 
         concentration curls – 1 x 7 
Calves: standing calve raises – 2 x 25 
Abs: any of 2-3 exercises x 150-200  total reps.

Day 2:
Legs:  leg press – 1 x 20, 2 x 10 
Hamstrings: stiff-legged deadlifts 1 x 15, 2 x 10 
Shoulders: military press 1 x 15, 1 x 10, 1 x 8 
         standing dumbbell flyes 2 x 10 
         bent over dumbbell flyes 1 x 10 
Triceps: lying french press 1 x 15, 2 x 7 
         cable pushdowns 1 x 25, 1 x 15, 1 x 10 
Abs: any of 2-3 exercises x 150-200 total reps .