When it comes to putting together a program there’s lots of things to consider.
For that reason, there’s not a ‘best’ way to do it.
We have to find the best way to do it for you and your lifestyle.
When speaking purely from an adaptation point of view, here’s something worth considering.
Let’s say Monday you train Quadriceps.
4 exercises 8 reps / exercise
The next day your quads are shot.
So the following day you train Chest
4 exercises 8 reps / exercise.
Next day your chest is shot.
This continues until you hit quads again the following Monday.
This program works.
But it might not be the most efficient.
Depending on a host of other considerations of course.
Here’s why:
Training causes damage to the muscle tissue, from which we need recovery.
In the trained community (those that have been training for sometime) we need about 48h.
Not 168 hours.
The second thing to consider if fatigue. The intensity you put into exercise number 1 vs the 4th is going to diminish.
As Dorian Yates explained in his dynamite analogy.
You can tap a stick of dynamite with 4 times lightly and the “dynamite never goes off”
The muscle isn’t’ fully stimulated, growth signal isn’t maximized, the body isn’t forced to adapt.
OR
You can hit it HARD once and it explodes!
Working with this idea – what if we did one quad exercise with 100% intensity & then moved onto chest in the same session?
Rested 48 h
Then repeated the process?
Now you’ve hit the muscle groups hard enough to create a Muscle Protein Synthesis response. Not once, but potentially 3 x in just one week!
Food for thought.
It also is beneficial for those short on time to realise this option is available.
You don’t have to spend hours in the gym provided the right intensity is used.