Best split for intermediate bodybuilder wanting to gain mass and work on smaller muscles too

Question

I have been doing 3 day full body workouts for almost a year, deloading when necessary and changing reps, exercises, etc.. an example of a day is this:

Chest bench press or shoulder press/incline press

squat/Bulgarian/lunge

deadlift/rdl/sumo dl

pronated row/supinated row/neutral landmine row

pull up/lat bar/

(if there's time for it, an additional core exercise or accessory exercise)

I just finished a cutting routine and I'm wanting to go back to bulking, and I have a lot of muscles I want to work on that don't get a lot of attention, such as lateral deltoids, calves, forearms, core, and I've also got weak hip muscles. With a full body routine I do big compound exercises to hit everything but lack focus. Its 3 times frequency a week. That being said...

Moving to a 4 day workout, I hate the idea of only getting 2 times frequency a week, which will limit my growth. I've also read unless you can bench 300, squat 400, deadlift 500, you should stick to a 3 day workout. I want to get big and get as much strength as I can, while also giving attention to all the little muscles that don't get that much focus, such as adductors, abductors, side hip muscles, core, arms,etc..

I've also tried putting together a 4 day workout but it looks like im just taking my 3 day workout and spreading it out over 4 days. Any ideas to build mass/strength, but also work on all these several little muscles, or should I just focus on getting big, then work on all the small muscles later on?

Edit: I'd like to add that I'm currently at 190 with 10% Bodyfat, and my 6Rm PRs are as follows(I don't powerlift):

Bench: 245

Deadlift: 265

Squat: 215(I know this is weak)

Row(185)

Answer 1

The reason you have so many weak points after one year of training is because you decided those parts of your body were worth ignoring. So if you want to suddenly work on those parts, threat them as if you were a begginer.

You are not looking for an intermediate program but for a begginer for your core, hips,forearm and calves.

You probably wanted to be a bodybuilder but someone convinced you to train like a powerlifter.

Each industry is strong in something, so if you want to be a bodybuilder you are not gonna be a powerlifter but a little of everything.

Best chest : powerlifter

Best legs: oly lifters

Best backs: gymnasts

Best arms: armwrestlers

Best calves: strongmen

Best grip: climbers.

Best necks: wrestlers

I suggest to look into various sports and cherry pick exercises based on their main muscle and mastering them starting from zero.

One does not jump into a 5 by 5 squat twice a week, but first spends some time learning how to squat with good form and good form is decided by the specific sport. A powerlifter squat is a really bad partial repetition in the eyes of a weightlifter...an armwrestler's bicep curl is ridiculous and pathetic in the eyes of a competitive strict curler and lastly a crossfit pull up is seen as ridiculous by everyone, even though it's mechanically most efficient way to get from point A to point B. Therefore you have to use the "correct" form of the sport.

If you picked one handed farmer carries for calf and a bit of core strength, I'd first start from practice sets to get a good feel on how it's done and then implement it as a single set at the end of your normal training.

Don't just add a lot of volume trying to make your weak points catch up with the rest of your body, you will just over-reach and you'll be forced to deload. It's already too late, so just keep focusing on what you are strong with a little of more consciousness for the rest if your body.