Weight Training Splits
What are Weight Training Splits ?
A training split is a relatively simple concept. A training split is
how you partition your workouts to exercise different body parts for work on different days.
You can also split your workouts with regards to
sets and reps. You can perform high
reps for a certain body part one day and low reps the other day, etc.
Why are Weight Training Splits Important ?
Splits Help Allow Body Parts Time to Recovery while you Exercise
Others
Rest is very important to your training program. If you do not allow your
muscles sufficient time to recover, you will not make constant and noticeable
improvements in your strength, stamina or body composition.
If You Exercise on Consecutive Days the Proper Weight Training Split is a Must
Training the same muscle group on consecutive days is counter productive as you
will break down your body faster than the recovery process which builds it back
up. A training split will allow you to have a weight training session on
consecutive days without overtraining a muscle.
Proper Splits Allow you to Work Out More Times Per Week
If you are one of the select few who spends 5 or 6 days in the gym every week a
training split is the only way you can train your body hard for 5 or 6 days
without overtraining.
Decrease Your chances of Injury
Some muscles are part of multiple muscle groups. For example if you
perform a bunch of shoulder exercises on Monday, Tuesday would be a horrible day
to do chest, since shoulder exercises use the triceps, and anterior deltoids
which assist in most chest exercises. Avoiding instances such as this
example can reduce your risk of overuse and traumatic injuries.
The proper training split can also help you improve your posture and avoid
posture problems. This is
because you will strengthen weak muscles and avoid overuse of tight muscles.
How do You Know which Weight Training Split to Use ?
To Determine Your Best Training Split you Have to Look at Your Schedule
Most people do not live, nor want to live in the gym. Sometimes it is very
difficult to get to the gym 3 times per week if you have a busy schedule.
Your training schedule dictates which weight training split is best for your
goals. You have many options for a Monday, Wednesday, Friday 3 days a week
training split. If you train 2 consecutive days a week, say Saturday and
Sunday you have less options.
Your Weight Training Split Must be Consistent with Your Goals
If you are a guy who really wants to build your chest a full body workout 3
times per week will not be the best training split. If you are a woman
looking to lose 30 pounds and work out 3 times per week, a day solely dedicated
to arms is not going to help you very much.
When do You Change Your
Weight Training Split ?
After a Major Schedule Change
If your schedule suddenly changes you should adjust your training split
accordingly.
For example, you used have a training split of full body workouts Monday and
Thursday. Your meetings were changed Tuesday to Thursday so now the only
days you have available to hit the gym is Monday and Tuesday.
Since you have to work out on consecutive days, a full body workout will not
work because your muscles will not have sufficient time to recover. You
need to change your weight training split to accommodate for your schedule.
A basic split would be upper body on Monday and Lower body on Tuesday but you
have many options.
After Vacation or Periods of Inactivity
After a vacation or an active rest period of training is a good time to adjust
your weight training split. It is not necessary but will rejuvenate you by
making your workouts seem new and interesting.
Your Workouts are getting Boring
A home gym or membership cannot help you if you don't use it. If you
easily get bored with your workouts it may be a good idea to change your training splits every so often just to keep it fresh.
Where can You Find Examples of Specific Weight Training
Splits you can Use ?Here are a Few Examples of Training Splits for
Specific Goals and Schedules
These are just basic examples. You can build your own training split
but remember to avoid training muscles 2 days in a row.
Weight Loss
5 Days Per Week
Day 1: Legs / Chest / Triceps
Day 2: Back / Core / Biceps
Day 3: Legs / Shoulders
Day 4: Back / Biceps
Day 5: Legs / Shoulders / Arms
Muscle Toning
5 Days Per Week
Day 1: Heavy Chest / Light Back
Day 2: Legs / Core
Day 3: Shoulders / Arms
Day 4: Legs / Core
Day 5: Light Chest / Light Back
Muscle Building
5 Days Per Week
Day 1: Lower Chest / Biceps
Day 2: Back / Triceps
Day 3: Quads / Shoulder Isolation
Day 4: Back / Hamstrings
Day 5: Upper Chest / Shoulder Press / Arms
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Weight Loss
3 Non Consecutive Days per Week
Day 1: Upper / Lower
Day 2: Upper / Lower
Day 3: Upper / Lower
3 Consecutive Days per Week
Day 1: Quads / Chest / Triceps
Day 2: Hamstrings / Back / Biceps
Day 3: Quads / Glutes / Shoulders
Muscle Toning
3 Non Consecutive Days per Week
Day 1: Heavy Quads / Light Chest / Heavy Back
Day 2: Hamstrings / Core / Lower Back / Arms
Day 3: Light Quads / Heavy Shoulders / Light Back
3 Consecutive Days Per Week
Day 1: Chest / Abs / Lower Back
Day 2: Lower Body / Core / Back
Day 3: Lower Body / Shoulders / Triceps
Muscle Building
3 Non Consecutive Days Per Week
Day 1: Light Back / Heavy Chest / Arms
Day 2: Legs / Core / Lower back
Day 3: Heavy Back / Light Chest / Shoulders
3 Consecutive Days per Week
Day 1: Chest / Biceps
Day 2: Legs
Day 3: Back / Shoulders / Triceps
Are You Looking for a Custom Weight Training Program ?
Ask The
Trainer
You train 5 days a week? Get custom
weight training splits or workout programs designed to accomplish your goals based
on your provided information.
Exercise Information
Click on any body part on an anatomy chart to
find the best exercises to use for your weight training split.
Weight Training Volume
Do you think you are training sufficiently?
Make sure you train enough to cause your body to adapt by either gaining muscle
or losing weight.
Sets and
Reps
You have a good weight training split, but how
many sets and reps for each exercise?
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