Off-season is the time period where muscle gains take place. The pre-contest is nothing more than a phase of “lose most of your body fat while retaining as much muscle as humanly possible”. It is in the off-season that bodybuilders grow.

There are a set of standard rules for off-season growth that all bodybuilders should follow. Consume an additional 500 calories each day. Keep cardiovascular training to a minimum. Make sure you receive adequate sleep each evening, and a nap each day if possible. Never go more than 3 hours without protein. Training should be hard and heavy. Use compound movements. Train four days per week at best. Find new ways to surprise your body parts into growth. This rule applies especially for intermediate or advanced bodybuilders who have spent the last 5 or ten years following the same body part splits. If you’re looking for ways to change up your days, you’re in the right place. Here are few unique body part splits.

This workout is a standard bodybuilding off-season mass building split. If you haven’t been using it, give it a shot. If you have been, then move down and check out some other splits.

• Monday = Chest & Triceps

• Tuesday = Back & Biceps

• Wednesday = Off

• Thursday = Shoulders & Traps

• Friday =  Quadriceps, Hamstrings & Calves

• Saturday = Off

• Sunday = Off

Here is a routine which lets you emphasize the chest, shoulders and triceps. Taking on a workout like this would require the belief that your back, biceps, and legs needed less emphasis than the chest, shoulders and triceps.

• Monday = Chest & Calves

• Tuesday = Triceps & Shoulders

• Wednesday = Off

• Thursday =  Back & Biceps

• Friday = Quadriceps, Hamstrings & Calves

• Saturday = Off

• Sunday = Off

This is a routine which places a great deal of emphasis upon the legs. They receive two days of rest beforehand, and a single day of rest afterwards. If your legs are lacking, this gives them the resources to grow, assuming you are training them hard enough. High-volume is definitely the way to go when giving the legs this much recovery time.

• Monday = Quadriceps, Hamstrings & Calves

• Tuesday = Off

• Wednesday = Chest & Back

• Thursday = Shoulders

• Friday = Biceps & Triceps

• Saturday = Off

• Sunday = Off

This workout is designed for those with poor arms. You have the option of training them twice per week with this routine. Just as with the above routine, you are given two days of rest before training the arms, and one day following the training day. Therefore, high volume training is preferable.

• Monday = Biceps & Triceps

• Tuesday = Off

• Wednesday = Quadriceps, Hamstrings & Calves

• Thursday = Chest (and biceps & triceps, optional)

• Friday = Back, shoulders

• Saturday = Off

• Sunday = Off

The routine below emphasizes overall mass gains. If you’re looking to add body weight, then giving chest, back and legs – the largest groups of muscles – their own day is certainly preferable.

• Monday = Chest

• Tuesday = Back

• Wednesday = Off

• Thursday = Legs

• Friday = Shoulders, Biceps & Triceps

• Saturday = Off

• Sunday = Off

On all of these routines, Abs and Forearms should be trained two to three times per week as you choose.

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