Off-season training

Off-season training is the time when a bodybuilder builds a new physique rather than polishing the last detail of stage condition. The focus is on muscle mass, strength, recovery and a training program that genuinely allows body parts to grow.

Author Janar Rückenberg approached this topic from the perspective of the mass-building phase. Below, the same idea is rewritten more simply and with a clearer structure, so that the principles suit intermediate and advanced lifters.

Why is training in the mass-building phase a topic of its own?

In bodybuilding, preparation is generally divided into two cycles. One is the mass-building phase, the other is the pre-contest period. Each has its own goal. That’s why the training can’t be exactly the same either.

In the pre-contest period, nutrition and aerobic work become more important. The gym remains essential, but it is no longer the only centre of attention. In the off-season, the picture is different. This is when people usually talk about classic gym work: heavy exercises, the weekly plan, recovery, the muscle group split and gradual progress.

A simple truth: mass doesn’t come by accident. If chest, back, thighs or shoulders are scheduled at random, the muscles start getting in each other’s way. One heavy workout can ruin the next day’s session if no room has been left for recovery.

After the competitions, a new preparation cycle begins. The first task is to set the training plan. Usually the next competitions are taken as a reference point, but the weekly microcycle must also take into account the athlete’s level, weak points and daily rhythm.

Four aspects matter when building the plan:

1. Muscle size and the overlap between the functions of different muscles.
2. Developing lagging body parts.
3. Recovery time between workouts.
4. The athlete’s level and individual factors.

These four points don’t exist in isolation. If, for example, the triceps are weak but chest is scheduled for the day after a heavy triceps workout, chest day suffers immediately. The same logic applies to back and biceps, legs and deadlifts, and shoulders and traps.

Training and how to place muscle groups across the week

The weekly plan often starts with a large muscle or a large muscle group. This could be chest, back, thighs or, less often, the deltoids. The reason is simple: a large muscle demands more energy. When the body is rested, that muscle can be trained harder.

The main muscles around which the weekly microcycle is built are the following:

1. Pectoralis major, the large chest muscle (m. pectoralis major).
2. Lats (m. latissimus dorsi).
3. Quadriceps (m. quadriceps femoris).
4. Hamstrings (m. biceps femoris).
5. Deltoids (m. deltoideus).
6. Trapezius (m. trapezius).
7. Triceps, i.e. the three-headed muscle of the upper arm (m. triceps brachii).
8. Biceps, i.e. the two-headed muscle of the upper arm (m. biceps brachii).
9. Erector spinae (m. erector spinae).
10. Calf muscles, gastrocnemius and soleus (m. gastrocnemius and m. soleus).
11. Rectus abdominis (m. rectus abdominis).

The hardest part isn’t naming the muscles but arranging them so that the next workout doesn’t suffer because of the previous one. There are four combinations where this problem shows up especially clearly:

1. Chest, shoulders, triceps.
2. Lats, biceps.
3. Lower back, legs.
4. Shoulders, lats, traps.

Chest, shoulders and triceps work together in all the major pressing movements. When the triceps are fatigued, pressing from the chest is hard. If the shoulder hasn’t recovered, a chest workout can become uncomfortable or simply weak.

The link between lats and biceps follows the same logic. Most pulling exercises involve the biceps. That’s why it’s a bad idea to do heavy biceps work right before back day. The back should be doing the main work, not suffering because the arms give out first.

The lower back and legs clash especially around the deadlift. It makes no sense to deadlift right after leg training or to schedule heavy deadlifts one day before leg day. The deadlift demands a lot of energy, and the legs are working hard in it.

When it comes to shoulders, lats and traps, the question is when to train the traps. Some people do it on shoulder day, others on back day. Both options make sense. The choice depends on the athlete, the exercise selection and which body part needs more attention.

Chest, shoulders and triceps need especially good timing

In practice, the chest, deltoids and triceps affect each other more than any other muscles. A solid rule of thumb: don’t train triceps hard 1 – 2 days before a chest or shoulder workout. It’s also not a good idea to train shoulders 1 – 2 days before a chest workout.

If you ignore this, your chest workout can easily go to waste. Even worse, your shoulders and triceps may not recover properly. Over the long term, this can lead to overtraining, pain and injuries. And most importantly: you won’t build mass as well if your body can’t recover from the work you’ve done.

If your shoulders or triceps are a lagging body part, it’s worth giving them a day of their own. The further that day is from your last chest workout, the better. If these muscles aren’t weak points, you can also train them at the end of chest day as the second muscle, or on the day after your chest workout.

How do you build your training around recovery?

Recovery is the foundation of a mass phase. Your training and nutrition can be perfect, but if your body doesn’t recover, the work you do in the gym won’t pay off. Growth doesn’t happen during the set. It happens after the workout, during rest.

Intermediate and advanced bodybuilders usually train each muscle or muscle group once a week. There should be at least 72 hours between workouts for large muscles. Depending on the training load, up to 120 hours (5 days) may be needed. Some authors have even recommended seven days.

Honestly, a plan on paper is only the beginning. One person recovers faster, another more slowly. Work stress, sleep, eating and your overall daily load all affect whether your next workout goes well or not.

That’s why experienced lifters often use organized irregularity. It means you have a plan, but you don’t follow it blindly. If leg day left you drained, you take a rest day. If a split stops working, you swap it for another one.

It’s quite common to train 5 – 6 days in a row and then rest for a day or two. You also don’t have to combine muscles in exactly the same way every month. In one phase, chest can be paired with shoulders, in the next with triceps. In a third workout, shoulders may come with triceps instead.

Examples of possible five-day training programs:

1. Mon. Chest, shoulders; in the second option Mon. Back, traps.
2. Tue. Back, traps; in the second option Tue. Chest, shoulders.
3. Wed. Triceps, abs; in the second option Wed. Triceps, abs.
4. Thu. Thighs, calves; in the second option Thu. rest day.
5. Fri. Biceps, abs; in the second option Fri. Thighs, calves.
6. Sat. rest day; in the second option Sat. Biceps, abs.
7. Sun. rest day; in the second option Sun. rest day.

Four-day training programs can look like this:

1. Mon. Thighs, calves; in the second option Mon. Chest, triceps.
2. Tue. Shoulders, triceps; in the second option Tue. Thighs, calves.
3. Wed. rest day; in the second option Wed. rest day.
4. Thu. Back, traps; in the second option Thu. Back, biceps.
5. Fri. Chest, biceps; in the second option Fri. Shoulders, traps.
6. Sat. rest day; in the second option rest day.
7. Sun. rest day; in the second option rest day.

For a long time, the article author’s two favorite splits were as follows:

1. Day Deadlift, traps, rear delts, biceps.
2. Day – Shoulders (middle and front), triceps.
3. Day Quads and hamstrings.
4. Day Lats.
5. Day Chest.
6. Day – Calves, abs, forearms.
7. Day Rest.

N.B. It’s quite common for me to take a rest day after a leg workout too, especially when I feel fatigued!

And the second option:

1. Day – Thighs, calves.
2. Day – Lats, biceps (light).
3. Day – Chest, front delts, triceps (light).
4. Day Rest (Abs).
5. Day – Deadlift, traps, rear delts.
6. Day – Biceps, triceps.
7. Day rest (Abs).

These examples aren’t mandatory for everyone. They show the mindset: hard work, enough rest in between and deliberately bringing up weak points.

Training with free weights and machines

In the mass phase, the main focus is on heavy compound exercises: the deadlift, squat, presses and other movements that work many muscles at once. Free weights are a very powerful tool here, because on top of the prime mover, your body also has to stabilize its position and the implement.

In the barbell bench press, for example, it isn’t only the chest that works. The deltoids, triceps and many of the upper-back muscles are involved as well. When you do the same movement on a machine, your body is more fixed in place and there is less stabilizing work.

That doesn’t make machines bad. On the contrary, they have their place. A machine helps you isolate a muscle, often keeps the training load more even throughout the repetition, and can be safer when you train alone or are recovering from an injury.

The advantage of free weights is more natural movement and greater muscle involvement. The advantage of machines is more precise targeting and easier control. You don’t have to choose just one for ideal development. Smart training uses both.

In practice, a good rule of thumb is that two out of three exercises are compound exercises, often with free weights. Machines can be used at the end, especially when you need to bring up a lagging part of a muscle or muscle group.

The legendary Arnold Schwarzenegger also preferred free weights. The same preference was well known in 8 x Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman. That doesn’t mean every lifter has to train the same way, but in the mass phase the squat and deadlift are irreplaceable exercises for good reason.

FAQ: training between competitions

Do you have to train every muscle exactly once a week?

No. Once a week is a common approach for intermediate and advanced bodybuilders, but recovery is what decides. If a muscle isn’t ready, another hard workout won’t give you good results.

Are free weights always better than machines?

No. Free weights are great for building strength and mass, because more muscles go to work. Machines, on the other hand, help you isolate, maintain tension and train in a more controlled way.

When should you change your plan?

If progress stalls, fatigue builds up or a muscle group keeps lagging behind, it’s worth changing your split. The plan has to serve your body’s development, not the other way around.

Author: Janar Rückenberg

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