Walk into any weight room in just about any gym in the world on a Monday, and chances are you will find every flat bench taken. Perhaps at some point in time the gods of Olympia decreed that chest exercises were to be done on the first day of the week. If it wasn't by Zeus' hand, maybe it's just because so many peoples' training schedules are based on the same weekly calendar. Whatever the case may be, the fact remains that far too much reliance is placed upon what is considered to be convention when it comes to working out. There are seven days in a week, which is why so many workouts are based on this unassailable truth. However, without trying to get all Plato on you, are there really seven days in a week? Or could it be that there are no true days, weeks or even months – at least, as not as far as your body knows? At the risk of turning the routine world in which we live into a land of confusion, try the following split routine resistance training workout, which is based on ... oooh, are you ready? Eight days a week.
TRY BEING A CAVEMAN
Your body has no idea what a week is. In fact, it doesn't even know who you are. The collection and storage of knowledge are all functions of the brain. While the brain is of course part of your body, it can sometimes be your worst enemy when it comes to working out. Cro-Magnon, Australopithecus, and Neanderthal were all men ... real men, with strong arms and small brains. If for some odd reason you were ever in a room with any of these evolutionary rest stops and asked them what the date is, they would likely club you nearly to death and then pee on you. But you will have learned a valuable lesson from these troglodytes, and that is: you shouldn't be focused on days or weeks, and should instead be more concerned with getting fitter and stronger. This somewhat traditional split routine is designed to make you think with your body and not with your brain, much like your hairier ancestors. It's very simple to follow; you'll split your workout to focus on two different muscle groups each day, while briefly revisiting the two muscle group you targeted two workouts ago. What's more, you'll find that you'll almost never have to vie for a flat bench again.