Is it enough to hit major muscle groups once a week?

[Jane P.]

For those of you who do three day splits, is hitting the major muscle groups once a week enough? Do you do pure cardio on the inbetween days? I really need to slim down my lower half, and worry that once a week is not often enough to hit those muscle groups.

I do find that when I do total body workouts, my cardio suffers because my leg muscles need recovery time.

I really have never found the ideal balance between weights and cardio. I've never done a long term rotation doing 3 day splits so I'm not sure how it would work out.

[Taiga]

Originally Posted by Jane P.

For those of you who do three day splits, is hitting the major muscle groups once a week enough? Do you do pure cardio on the inbetween days? I really need to slim down my lower half, and worry that once a week is not often enough to hit those muscle groups.

I do find that when I do total body workouts, my cardio suffers because my leg muscles need recovery time.

I really have never found the ideal balance between weights and cardio. I've never done a long term rotation doing 3 day splits so I'm not sure how it would work out.

It definitely is for me. If I devote 1 good hour per week to lower body training, I get some of my best results. The full recovery lets me do other activities and still leaves room for my best effort for that single session.

By results I mean strong and lean. I like the leg workouts from Cathe's STS or Edge Booty Xtreme but I mix it up regularly (KB, Body Beast, Hammer & Chisel, Tony Horton One on One etc)

[ncl]

I can make progress with once a week. I also find I need the recovery time.

[Kitten]

This is really timely conversation for me, as I am starting a three day split program next week. I am planning on doing at least one cardio day and possibly a core day.

Right now my rotation is:
Monday ~ standing abs/balance work
Tuesday ~ short upper body
Wednesday ~ short lower body
Thursday ~ short cardio
Friday ~ long total body
Saturday ~ long cardio
Sunday ~ active rest day

I add abs/stretch/yoga on later in the day if I feel up to it. I definitely have gotten stronger. For lower body, kickboxing leaned me out like nothing else, YMMV

[laurajhawk]

I think it is enough if you're doing "serious" workouts - like an hour of light weights or a half hour of heavy weights per muscle group. The cardio in between is useful if you're trying to slim down b/c working the muscle group strengthens it, but doesn't slim it (there's no "spot reducing"). Of course the weight work also increases metabolism, shapes the body, and does all good things. I like 3-day splits.

[bjones]

I've gotten my best results with 3 day splits-especially Cathe's STS program. If you train for an hour each of those days, you will definitely get results and you'll need that full 7 days before you hit the body part again. I see you are trying to to UB-LB-TB but I recommend doing chest-shoulders-triceps one day. back biceps another day, and legs only one day a week. You'll work your legs on other days with cardio especially if you do step.

[buffmama]

Legs with the largest muscle groups I think need to be worked more - but you could do that a variety of ways ie. cardio, metabolic, step..

[Jane P.]

Thanks for replies everyone. I don't own STS (too much money, too many discs) so I can't go with that, but I do have quite a few of Cathe's 3 day split weight workout sets.

I do have exercise ADD so I don't know how long I can stick with it. I was doing Pilates and it really made my abs stronger, but I felt I needed to do more for the lower body so that's why I'm contemplating more traditional weight work. I like to keep reps in the 10 to 12 range. I lose patience otherwise.