The 5 All-Time Best Workout Splits (With Full Routines)

Deciding on the best split to run on your training can sometimes be a difficult task. Check with five different people about what workout split is one of the best and also you are more likely to get five different splits. 

Furthermore, workout splits aren’t free from fads. As times change, it seems what workout splits are “one of the best” does too.

The reality is…nearly any split can work if applied appropriately and done in a progressive manner.

Still, some splits are drained and true, backed by a few years of results and proven studies.

This text will take you thru probably the most effective training splits you could do. It’s an extended one, so buckle up.

Table of Contents:

• Workout splits explained
• Why workout splits are necessary
• How you can select a workout split that is best for you
• The 5 best workout splits (workout plans included)
• Workout Split FAQs

WHAT IS A WORKOUT SPLIT?

A workout split refers to the way you break up which areas of the body you might be training on different days of the week. It is basically an in depth, systematic weekly training schedule that you’re going to repeat week after week for an prolonged time period (i.e. 4-12 weeks).

In probably the most basic sense, a workout split can be created based on:

• What number of days per week you’ll train (i.e. 3, 4 or 5 days per week)
• Targeted muscles for every workout session (i.e. chest, shoulders and triceps for one in every of the workout days)
• (Often) specific exercises that you’re going to do for every of those workouts.

But, we’re sure you already know what a workout split is…You’re here to seek out out what’s one of the best split for YOU!

Thankfully, by the point you finish reading this, you should have all the information you might want to select a training split that matches your demands.

WHY ARE WORKOUT SPLITS IMPORTANT?

Workout splits are great because they offer you a transparent path toward a particular goal.

While you’ll be able to go to the gym and workout with none training plan (just doing whatever you are feeling like every day), deciding on a workout split and sticking with it should offer you one of the best possible results.

The primary good thing about doing a workout split is that it helps you divide and conquer your body in a way where you exhaust specific muscles after which allow them to get better when you train other muscle groups. It’s a calculated approach that means that you can maximize the intensity, training volume, training frequency, and recovery time of all of your muscles.

What’s more, workout splits enable you to trace progress and deal with purposeful goals similar to constructing muscle, strength, endurance and/or athleticism. Without following a plan, it’s extremely hard to realize positive results. The truth is, we highly recommend when determining your plan using the FITT principle guidelines, so you’ll be able to discover what your goals are and the way often you will have the ability to work on them. This all plays into picking the proper split for you.

Overall, workout splits are necessary, which is why everyone knows they ought to be doing one. Nonetheless, not all workout splits are “created equal”. There are so many alternative sorts of workout splits and different splits can be higher for various people.

To start out, let’s go over what aspects you might want to consider when selecting a workout split.

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT WORKOUT SPLIT?

There are several things you might want to consider when deciding on a workout split.

1. Training Experience

The fitting training split for a beginner will look so much different than one for a more advanced lifter. While the general strategy and goal could be similar, the workout splits training frequency, volume and intensity will differ based in your training experience and fitness level.

Note: In case you are a real beginner, like brand recent to figuring out, you’ll all the time be really useful to do full body workouts.

2. Goals

People’s fitness goals vary. From establishing a solid foundation and baseline of fitness to maintaining muscle to constructing muscle to improving strength to improving endurance to improving athleticism, etc., what goal you are attempting to realize will determine each your split and the finer details of it.

The workout split you select ought to be influenced by whatever your end goal is. A workout split for somebody who desires to strictly construct muscle will look so much different than someone who desires to lose fat.

3. Availability

Not everyone has a schedule that enables them to workout each time the want. It’s good to determine what number of days of the week you’ll be able to actual commit to figuring out as that can be a giant factor on what workout split it’s best to select. For instance, for those who can only guarantee a commitment of three days per week, then your workout split will should be designed so that you simply hit all muscle groups and an important movements in those three days.

So, what number of days you workout per week just isn’t just selected your fitness level, but additionally your availability. A 3 or 4 day workout split could be effective for even probably the most experience lifter if designed appropriately.

It’s very necessary that you simply truly take into consideration your availability because sticking to your plan to the T offers you very best results.

4. Rest & Recovery Needs

This relates back to your training experience but it surely also includes things like your job, lifestyle, and age. It’s not only beginners who might have more recovery time between workouts. For instance, older people and other people who’ve trouble getting loads of sleep will likely require a workout split that provides them more recovery time.

Don’t underestimate rest and recovery! It’s just as necessary because the workouts. Remember, your growth will happen outside of the gym in consequence of fine nutrition and sleep. The very last thing you would like is to be on a split that is just too demanding for you and you might be consistently training sore muscles. That could be a recipe for disaster, or in other words, overtraining.

So, select a split that you are feeling offers you the recovery time that your age, fitness level, and lifestyle needs, and if you’ve got loads of energy on a rest day, then do one other activity like a sport, mountain climbing, cycling or whatever you want. Consider it as lively recovery.

5. Weaknesses

If you’ve got certain weaknesses that you would like to emphasize then select a workout split or structure one in a way that means that you can improve upon those weaknesses to the fullest potential.

For instance, for those who feel your legs are way behind, then ensure you might be doing legs on days that you’re going to definitely be fresh and stuffed with energy or select a split that means that you can hit legs twice or simply legs during one workout session.

Note: Simply because you’ve got a weak area doesn’t mean that’s all it’s best to deal with. Your training ought to be well-rounded. But, you’ll be able to make sure that your split is designed to tackle that weakness.

All in all, your workout split ought to be dictated by your goals, training experience, lifestyle, age, availability and weaknesses, which is why there isn’t any one size suits all on the planet of fitness.

THE 5 BEST WORKOUT SPLITS:

There are actually countless ways you could organize a workout split. Nonetheless, to maintain things easy, we’re going to cover the preferred, tried and true workout splits.

With the below splits, you just can’t go improper.

Listed here are the 5 workout splits we’ll go over:

1. Full Body Split
2. Upper Lower Split
3. Push Pull Leg Split
4. Push Pull Split
5. Bro/Classic Bodybuilding Split

Beginners should start with the primary option, but other lifters can pick from any of the five. Just consider the above aspects we discussed and the benefits and downsides of the workout splits below and all can be stellar.

Note: Depending in your level, the exercises, intensity, and volume could be adjusted, but the general protocol can be the identical.

1. FULL BODY WORKOUT SPLIT

A full body split involves workouts that focus on each your upper and lower body each training session…or in other words, full body workouts!

Nonetheless, you aren’t going to be targeting every single muscle in your body each session.

Somewhat, you can be performing compound movements that work multiple muscle groups at the identical time and help you hit your major muscle groups each session.

For instance…

One full body workout may entail squats, bench press, overhead press, and pull ups, while one other has deadlifts, dips, farmer’s walks, and hanging leg raises.

This can be a simplified example, but as you’ll be able to see, you aren’t necessarily specifically targeting each muscle group each workout, but you might be working your full body. Over the course of the week, it’s best to do not less than one or two exercises that does specifically goal a muscle group. i.e. it’s best to have squats in one in every of your workouts to focus on your quads, bench press on your chest, overhead press on your shoulders, and so forth.

2, 3 or 4 days Per Week

Full body workout splits are best done on a 2, 3 or 4 day schedule.

With full body workouts, it’s best to have a rest day in-between sessions, as you can be training all of your major muscle groups each session. You have to these rest days so you could bring good energy and intensity to every workout. Full body workouts are taxing on the general nervous system, even for beginners who aren’t lifting heavy.

No matter whether you choose on 2, 3 or 4 days, it’s necessary that you simply hit all major muscle groups each week. Split up your workouts so that you simply are doing all of the primary compound lifts throughout the week.

2 Day

Day 1: Full Body Workout
Day 2: Rest
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Full Body Workout
Day 5-7: Rest

3 Day

Day 1: Full Body Workout
Day 2: Rest
Day 3: Full Body Workout
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Full Body Workout
Day 6 & 7: Rest

4 Day

Day 1: Full Body Workout
Day 2: Rest
Day 3: Full Body Workout
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Full Body Workout
Day 6: Rest
Day 7: Full Body Workout
Day 8: Rest

For a 2 and three day split, each workout can be different. So, that’ll be 2 or 3 different workouts. For a 4 day split, you’ll be able to either have 2 different workouts that you simply do twice per week or 4 different workouts. Then you definitely repeat those self same 2, 3 or 4 workouts each week throughout your training cycle.

While it’s best to keep your workouts consistent each week, it’s OK to modify up the order of the exercises on any given day. So, you’ll be doing the identical exercises, but in a unique order. You should have probably the most energy on the primary exercise, so this can help keep every little thing even.

PROS OF A FULL BODY SPLIT:

Full body splits emphasize a high frequency of muscle stimulation (you can be hitting each muscle group multiple times per week), which is great for hypertrophy and strength, especially for beginners.

This split can also be great for fat loss as you can be doing mostly compound exercises, which burn probably the most calories and boost metabolism. Not to say, keeps testosterone levels higher.

One other wonderful thing about full body splits are that after per week or so, you actually won’t get sore since the frequency is high and the general volume per muscle group is low. As such, you shouldn’t have any trouble recovering fully between workouts.

Full body splits typically involve big compound movements which train your body to work as a single unit. That is great for improving athleticism. Also, constantly practicing these movements helps you construct these functional movement skills quicker. 

There’s also less time commitment, which is great for individuals with busy schedules. A full body workout split will often involve just a number of big exercises per workout and there’ll all the time be a rest day in-between workout sessions. There is basically no “fluff” in terms of full body splits. You can get all you would like from figuring out with three or 4 30-45 minute workouts per week. 

Finally, for those who were to miss a workout it’s not going to throw off your routine like it might with a body part split because regardless you might be still training your entire body that week. 

CONS OF A FULL BODY SPLIT:

The largest downfall of the total body split is the limited exercise variety and low overall volume per muscle group. This could lead you to neglect certain functional movement patterns or smaller muscles (i.e. middle delts, biceps, triceps). Furthermore, there’s less wiggle room for personalization of reps schemes, sets, and so forth. That is the downside of minimizing your workout schedule. 

Note: Beginners won’t have to worry in regards to the smaller muscle groups as big compound lifts will provide enough stimulation for growth. 

Regarding more advanced lifters, your intensity will likely be too high to do multiple big compound lifts each workout. For instance, for those who are squatting heavy then it’s going to be hard to deadlift heavy or bench press heavy that very same workout. And as a sophisticated trainee, you will have to have the high intensity for every of those exercises if you would like to construct muscle and strength. Overall, this will make full body workouts difficult to get better from and/or not effective for constructing muscle and strength. 

WHO SHOULD DO FULL BODY SPLITS?

Full body splits are best for beginners and anyone who just desires to simply keep fit. Also they are great for individuals with busy schedules and people who wish to lose fat. A full body split is just not ideal for more advanced, serious lifters seeking to construct muscle. 

So, for those who are a beginner or you only wish to workout to maintain healthy, lean and fit and never have your life completely revolve around fitness, then a full body split is unquestionably one of the best alternative. With that understanding, most individuals should actually consider a full body split, not less than for a portion of the 12 months. 

2 Day Full Body Split: 

With a 2 day full body split, your workouts will should be a bit longer as you might want to fit all an important exercises that you might want to do each week into 2 workouts. That said, it’s not like you might be squeezing in what you’ll have done in 3 workouts into 2. With a 2 day split, your exercise variety and total volume can be lower than a 3 or 4 day full body split.

Workout 1:

1. Squats: 4 sets x 6-12 reps
2. Bench Press: 4 sets x 6-12 reps
3. Seated DB Shoulder Press: 3 sets x 10-15 reps
4. Rows: 3 sets x 8-15 reps
5. Hanging Leg Raises: 3 sets x 6-12 reps

Workout 2:

1. Deadlifts: 4 sets x 6-10 reps
2. Overhead Press: 4 sets x 8-12 reps
3. Pull Ups: 3 sets x max reps
4. DB incline Press: 3 sets x 10-15 reps
5. Planks: 3 sets x 30-60 second holds

3 Day Full Body Split:

A 3 day full body split will help you unfolded the primary compound lifts a bit more and add a bit more movement variety to your workouts.

Workout 1:

1. Squats: 4 sets x 6-12 reps
2. Overhead Press: 4 sets x 6-12 reps
3. Rows: 3 sets x 10-15 reps
4. Dips: 3 sets x 8-15 reps

Workout 2:

1. Bench Press: 4 sets x 6-12 reps
2. Pull Ups: 3 sets x max reps
3. Split Squats: 3 sets x 8-12 reps both sides
4. Planks: 3 sets x 30-60 second holds

Workout 3:

1. Deadlifts: 4 sets x 6-10 reps
2. Seated DB Overhead Press: 4 sets x 10-15 reps
3. Push Ups: 3 sets x 15-20+ reps
4. Hanging Leg Raises: 3 sets x 8-12 reps

4 Day Full Body Split:

The 4 day split means that you can get much more volume and variety into your training, but it should require the next level of recovery (you’ll have to sleep well and have good nutrition). You too can keep your workouts a bit shorter with a 4 day split. 

Workout 1:

1. Standing Overhead Press: 4 sets x 6-12 reps
2. Hip Thrusts: 3 sets x 8-15 reps
3. Pull Ups: 4 sets x Max reps
4. Dips: 3 sets x 10-15 reps

Workout 2:

1. Squats: 4 sets x 6-12 reps
2. Incline DB Bench Press: 3 sets x 10-15 reps
3. Seated Rows: 3 sets x 10-15 reps
4. Leg Raises: 3 sets x 8-12 reps 

Workout 3:

1. Bench Press: 4 sets x 6-12 reps
2. Bent Over Barbell Row: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
3. Split Squats: 3 sets x 8-12 reps both sides
4. Bicep Curl x Tricep Extension: 2 sets x 10-20 reps each

Workout 4:

1. Deadlifts: 4 sets x 6-10 reps
2. Seated DB Overhead Press: 3 sets x 10-15 reps
3. Chest Fly or DB Pull Overs: 3 sets x 10-15 reps
4. Planks: 3 sets x 30-60 second holds

2. UPPER LOWER WORKOUT SPLIT

An upper lower split involves splitting up your workouts by upper body days and lower body days.

So, on upper body days, you’ll hit all your major upper body muscles and on lower body days you’ll hit all your major lower body muscles. 

Upper Body Muscles: Chest, Shoulders, Back, Triceps, Biceps

Lower Body Muscles: Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, Calves

What about core? You’ll be able to do one or two core exercises each workout or add them to either your lower body or upper body days. Although your core is a component of your upper body, most individuals select so as to add core to their lower body days since the lower body has less muscle groups to hit.

Just like a full body routine, your workouts will mainly deal with big compound movements as they offers you the most important bang on your buck when needing to hit many muscles each workout. This is especially true for the upper body. Nonetheless, some accessory exercises could be thrown into the combination to make sure you aren’t neglecting smaller muscle groups just like the triceps, biceps, and calves.

2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 Days Per Week

An upper lower split could be done 2, 3, 4, and even 5 or 6 days per week. It’s very flexible. 

Nonetheless, probably the most common upper lower workout split is 4 days. Upper and lower body workouts can be taxing if using the best intensity so those three days of rest are crucial. 

4 Day

Day 1: Upper Workout
Day 2: Lower Workout
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Upper Workout
Day 5: Lower Workout
Day 6-7: Rest

There are various ways to structure your upper body and lower body workouts by way of what exercises you select, what number of sets and reps, protocols like supersets and circuits, and so forth. It really will depend on your goal. 

Nonetheless, it’s best to include several primary lifts…

For upper body days:

• Upper Body Pushes: Bench Press and Standing Overhead Press
• Upper Body Pulls: Bent Over Rows, Pull Ups

For lower body days:

• Lower Body Pushes: Squats
• Lower Body Pulls: Deadlifts, Hip Thrusts

Besides that, you’ll be able to mix in another great compound movements like… 

Upper Body Assistance Compound Lifts:

• Incline DB Bench Press
• Dips
• Seated DB Press
• Upright Rows
• Trap Raises or Farmer’s Walks
• Variations of Rows 

Lower Body Assistance Compound Lifts:

• Split Squat or Lunges
• Stiff-Leg Deadlifts or RDLs
• Leg Press
• Good Mornings

If you’ve got time for isolation exercises, you’ll be able to add them to the top of your workouts. 

The hierarchy of your workouts should all the time be:

1. Primary Lift(s)
2. Assistance Lifts
3. Isolation Exercises

PROS OF UPPER LOWER SPLIT: 

The upper lower split is highly regarded since it is so versatile. It’s just like the middle ground between full body workouts and body part splits.

Where full body workouts maximize frequency and body part splits maximize volume, the upper lower split is like the proper mixture of the 2.

You’ll have the ability to do barely enough volume each workout to exhaust your muscles and also you get to hit your muscles groups twice per week.

Studies show that hitting your muscle groups twice per week is best for hypertrophy.

The upper lower split is especially effective for constructing your legs for this reason, as you’ve got less muscle groups to deal with comparing to upper body days so you’ll be able to really hammer your legs each lower body day. 

A lower body workout on this split is basically similar to a body part split’s “leg day” so that you can be doing 2 leg days each week!

The upper lower split also allows for lots of recovery time between sessions too, even with the upper frequency. For instance, you hit your upper body on day 1 and also you won’t should hit it again until day 4, in order that’s 2 full days of rest, which should mean you might be coming into each workout with energy charged to 100%. 

What’s more, upper lower splits are easy to administer. Again, most individuals do the 4 day upper lower split. It’s each manageable and effective enough to construct muscle and strength.

Like full body workouts, the main focus of every workout are a pair big compound movements. That is great for movement skill and keeping androgen levels high. You’ll also burn loads of calories each workout attributable to performing mostly compound lifts. With that, it’s easier to maintain fat off as you’re employed to enhance strength and size.

Overall, it’s flexible by way of what you’ll be able to do. As you might be training opposing muscle groups (like chest and back) you’ll be able to do loads of supersets to maintain workout times shorter and more metabolic.

If we needed to sum it up, the upper lower split is great since it optimizes each volume and frequency as best as possible.

CONS OF UPPER LOWER SPLIT:

Upper body workout days could be on the longer side. There’s your chest, back, shoulders, biceps, triceps, and that’s not considering core. That could make for an extended workout. For this reason, you could find yourself neglecting certain smaller muscles which might be under stimulated along with your big compound lifts or necessary exercises just to save lots of time.

Note: There may be a fix for this, which you will notice in our upper lower split workout plan below.

WHO SHOULD AN UPPER LOWER SPLIT? 

The upper lower split is a incredible alternative for many intermediate lifters. It is because it means that you can hit your muscle groups twice per week with just 4 workouts per week (super doable). Total volume per upper body muscle group will not be as much as a classic bodybuilder split, but you might be hitting them twice per week, which is shown to be simpler for constructing muscle. With that, it’s best to see great results with an upper lower split.

It’s also an excellent split for advanced bodybuilders who try to get shredded (cutting phases) and advanced powerlifters who’re doing a 5/3/1 workout plan for strength. The upper lower split works thoroughly for strength training as you’ll be able to just deal with big lifts without concern of accessory exercises for aesthetics on upper body days. 

As for beginners, if you’ve got an excellent foundation of fitness, then the upper lower split is great. Let’s say you were brand recent to figuring out and also you began with a full body split for 3 months. The upper lower split can be a fantastic split to try next. 

4 DAY UPPER LOWER SPLIT ROUTINE

The next 4 day upper lower split is great since it spreads out your primary movements over the 4 days. It is going to help you deal with a pair primary lifts after which some accessory movements that bring up the quantity of your workouts and make sure you aren’t neglecting any muscles.

• Day 1: Upper Workout #1
• Day 2: Lower Workout #1
• Day 3: Rest
• Day 4: Upper Workout #2
• Day 5: Lower Workout #2
• Day 6-7: Rest

Workout #1 – Upper Body:

• Primary movements (Strength) – Upper Pushing
• Accessory movements (Hypertrophy) – Upper Pulling

Workout #2 – Lower Body

• Primary Movements (Strength) – Lower Pushing
• Accessory Movements (Hypertrophy) – Lower Pulling

Workout #3 – Upper Body

• Primary movements (Strength) – Upper Pulling
• Accessory movements (Hypertrophy) – Upper Pushing

Workout #4 – Lower Body

• Primary Movements (Strength) – Lower Pulling
• Accessory Movements (Hypertrophy) – Lower Pushing 

**Note: This does include any style of isolation movements which is all the time done at the top of the session.

Your strength training movements will consist of your big compound movements working in a rep range of 3-6 with 3-5 sets and using a great deal of about 85-90% of your 1RM.

To your “smaller” compound movements and a few isolation work, you’ll work in a rep range of 8-12+ with 2-3 sets using a great deal of about 70-80% of your 1RM. 

• Upper Body Pushing Movements: These movements will train your chest, shoulders, and triceps. Exercises include the bench press, shoulder press, dips, and skull crushers 
• Upper Body Pulling Movements: These movements will train your entire back, posterior deltoids (the shoulder muscle on the back), and biceps. These exercises include rows, chin-ups, and bicep curls. 
• Lower Body Pushing Movements: These movements are primarily going be your quad-dominant movements and calf exercises. Exercises include Back Squats, Front Squats, Lunges, Leg Extensions.
• Lower Body Pulling Movement: These movements are going to focus on your glutes and hamstrings. Exercises include deadlift, Romanian Deadlift, Barbell Hip Thrust, Leg Curls.

Here’s how the workouts should look… 

Sample Upper Body Workout #1

1. Bench Press: 3-5 sets x 3-6 reps
2. Overhead Press: 3-5 sets x 5-8 reps
3. Rear Delt Fly: 2-3 sets x 10-15 reps
4. Trap Raises: 2-3 sets x 8-12+ reps
5. Bicep Curls: 2-3 sets x 8-15 reps

Sample Lower Body Workout #1

1. Squats: 5 sets x 3-6 reps
2. Split Squats: 2-3 sets x 8-12 reps
3. Hip Thrust: 2-3 sets x 8-12+ reps
4. Leg Curls: 2-3 sets x 10-20 reps
5. Calf Raises: 2-3 sets x 10-20 reps
6. Core Work: 2-3 sets 

Sample Upper Body Workout #2

1. Bent Over Barbell Row: 3-5 x 3-6 reps
2. Weight Pull Ups: 3-5 sets x 5-10 reps
3. Incline DB Bench Press: 2-3 sets x 10-15 reps
4. Seated Arnold Press: 2-3 sets x 10-15 reps
5. Lateral Raises: 2-3 sets x 10-20 reps
6. Tricep Kickbacks: 2-3 sets x 10-20 reps

Sample Lower Body Workout #2

1. Deadlifts: 5 sets x 3-6 reps
2. Good Mornings: 2-3 sets x 8-12 reps
3. Leg Press: 2-3 sets x 10-20 reps
4. Stiff-Leg Deadlift: 2-3 sets x 8-12 reps
5. Leg Extensions: 2-3 sets x 10-20 reps
6. Core Work: 2-3 sets

…OR… 

Here’s one other simplified example of what an upper and lower body split could appear like: 

Upper Body Workout #1:

Bench Press, Bent Over Rows, Lateral Raises, Pull Ups, Bicep Curls 

Lower Body Workout #1:

Back Squat, Hip Thrusts, Lunges, Standing Calf Raises, Planks

Upper Body Workout #2:

Overhead Press, Chin Ups, Dips, Shrugs, Tricep Extensions 

Lower Body Workout #2:

Deadlifts, Split Squats, Good Mornings, Seated Calf Raises, Side Planks

3. PUSH PULL LEGS WORKOUT SPLIT

The push pull leg split breaks your training days into push days, pull days and leg days. 

Push days seek advice from upper body pushing muscles, that are your chest, shoulders and triceps. 

Pull days seek advice from upper body pulling muscles, that are your back muscles and biceps. 

Leg days seek advice from all of your leg muscles, which incorporates your glutes, hamstrings, quads and calves.

As your core is worked during compound lifts, you’ll be able to throw in some accessory core exercises like planks, hanging leg raises, and wood choppers every other workout session and even one core exercise at the top of your workout each training session. 

3 or 6 days Per Week

The push pull leg split is best done either 3 or 6 days per week. Nonetheless, you’ll be able to do it with a 4 or 5 day schedule as well by just picking up on the day you left off each week.

A 3 day push pull leg split is best done with at some point rest in-between workout days. i.e. M, W, F or Tu, Th, Sa. 

A 6 day push pull leg split will involve 3 days on, one break day. This ought to be saved for individuals who are advanced. 

With 4 and 5 day PPLs, you might be essentially adding rest days where needed (some people prefer to take the weekends off – i.e. Push, Pull, Legs, Push, Pull, Rest, Rest, Legs, Push, etc.). 

PROS OF A PPL SPLIT: 

The PPL means that you can train every muscle group in only three days and with an excellent amount of coaching volume. This makes it great for constructing muscle and strength.

You simply should commit to a few days of coaching each week and It’s almost just as focused as a bro split, but much more efficient.

If far left side of the spectrum is full body, and the far right side is the bro split, then the PPL is middle right.

In case you are advanced and have great recovery, you’ll be able to do 5 or 6 day PPLs that help you hit each muscle group twice per week (or roughly twice per week). This implies you get much more volume than an upper lower and the identical high frequency.

What’s more, you get loads of rest days between sessions, even with 5 and 6 day PPLs. As you might be hitting opposing muscle groups, there won’t be any conflict with sore muscles. 

Overall, the PPL is straightforward to plan. You shouldn’t have any trouble hitting all of your muscle groups effectively and there ought to be no reason for any neglected muscles or exercises. 

CONS OF A PPL SPLIT:

In case you are doing a 3 day PPL, which is most typical, you then will only be hitting each muscle group once per week.

Note: In case you choose a 3 day PPL, you’ll be able to structure it in various ways, similar to M, Tu, W, then 2 days off, and repeat. It will essentially be a 5 day PPL, which is able to help you increase the frequency. You don’t HAVE to do rest days in-between each workout in case your recovery is sweet. 

It could get a bit confusing for those who do a 4 or 5 day PPL as you will have to recollect where you left off each week. Not an actual con, but some people may find this unorganized.

In case you are doing a 3 day PPL and aesthetics are one in every of your top goals, your workouts could also be a bit long as you will have to find time for isolation exercises to hit the muscles that aren’t being sufficiently exhausted during greater lifts.

In case you are doing only a 3 day split, you could find yourself having to do squats and deadlifts on the identical day, or bench press and overhead press, which could be difficult for some people as these are each taxing lifts. For this reason, some people go for one or the opposite and miss out on the advantages of certain big lifts. The fix is to only switch which one comes first each week.

A 6 day PPL is taxing and would require superb ability to get better.

WHO SHOULD DO A PPL SPLIT?

A 3 day PPL is definitely a greater option for a beginner than a 4 day upper lower split, although each could be good once a solid foundation of exercising has been made. 

Besides that, a PPL split is great for all levels because it is customizable for various training frequencies and intensities. A beginner can go for a 3 day PPL, an intermediate lifter can go for a 4 or 5 day PPL and a sophisticated lifter can go for a 5 or 6 day PPL. At 5 and 6 days, you get the advantage of each volume and frequency, which suggests you’ll be able to pack on muscle and construct strength efficiently, as long as recovery is on point.

All in all, anyone with a busy schedule who can only find time for 3 days of figuring out per week and that desires to construct each muscle and strength will do well with a PPL split because it allows for the best volume for every muscle group in only 3 days.

SAMPLE PPL WORKOUT SPLIT ROUTINES

Being that 3 and 6 day PPLs are the preferred, we offers you sample routines for just these two. Nonetheless, a 4 and 5 day PPL could be similar to the 6 day PPL, just with more rest days, or a 3 day PPL with less rest days.

Before we get into the routines, we’d like to quickly go over the six movement patterns that have to be included in your PPL workouts. 

• Vertical Pushing Exercises (i.e. overhead press)
• Horizontal Pushing Exercises (i.e. bench press, push ups)
• Vertical Pulling Exercises (i.e. pull ups, chin ups)
• Horizontal Pulling Exercises (i.e. dumbbell rows, bent over rows)
• Hip Hinge Exercises (i.e. deadlifts, hip thrusts)
• Squat Exercises (i.e. back squat, front squat, split squat) 

The above are musts.

3 Day PPL Workout Split Routine:

For a 3 day PPL, you should have a rest day between push and pull, and pull and legs, and two rest days after legs. You’ll be able to select any day of the week to begin, but assuming you might be starting on a Monday, it’ll appear like this:

Monday: Push
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: Pull
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Legs
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Rest

Sample Push Workout:

1. Bench Press: 3 sets x 6-10 reps
2. Standing Overhead Press: 3 sets x 6-10 reps
3. Parallel Dips: 3 sets x 8-15 reps
4. Dumbbell Fly: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
5. Lateral DB Raises: 3 sets x 10-15 reps
6. Tricep Extensions: 3 sets x 15-20 reps
7. Core work: 2-3 sets

Note:

• Switch exercise 1 and a pair of with one another each week. So, week 2 can be overhead press first, then bench press second.
• You’ll be able to alter the exercises for 3-7 for those who like as these are accessory lifts. For instance, week 2, you’ll be able to go for incline bench fairly than parallel dips, skull crushers fairly than tricep cable extensions, etc. Overall, aim to do 2-3 chest focused and 2-3 shoulder focused exercises.
• Be happy to combine up your rep scheme for the accessory lifts and remember to employ progressive overload on your primary lifts.

Sample Pull Workout:

1. Pull Ups or Chin Ups: 3 sets x max reps (full range of motion)
2. Bent Over Rows: 3 sets x 6-12 reps
3. T-Bar Rows: 3 sets x 8-15 reps
4. Rear Delt Flys: 3 sets x 12-20 reps
5. Shrugs: 3 sets x 12-20 reps
6. Bicep Curls: 3 sets x 15-20 reps
7. Core work: 2-3 sets

Note:

• Switch exercise 1 and a pair of with one another each week. So, week 2 can be bent over rows first, then pull ups second.
• You’ll be able to alter the exercises for 3-7 for those who like as these are accessory lifts and isolation exercises. For instance, week 2, you’ll be able to go for seated close grip rows fairly than T-bar rows, hammer curls fairly than for normal curls, etc. Overall, ensure you focus one big lift on horizontal pulling and one big lift on vertical pulling each week, then the remaining of the pulling exercises you’ll be able to mix it up to make sure you are hitting your back and biceps from all angles.
• Be happy to combine up your rep scheme for the accessory lifts and remember to employ progressive overload on your primary lifts. 

Sample Leg Workout:

1. Back Squats: 3 sets x 5-10 reps
2. Deadlifts: 3 sets x 5-10 reps
3. Split Squats: 3 sets x 8-12 reps both sides
4. Hip Thrusts: 3 sets x 8-15 reps
5. Calf raises: 3 sets x 12-20 reps
6. Core work: 2-3 sets

Note:

• Switch exercise 1 and a pair of with one another each week. So, week 2 can be deadlifts first, then squats second.
• You’ll be able to alter the exercises for 3-5 for those who like as these are assistance lifts. Other good exercises are good mornings, stiff-legged deadlifts, lunges, leg press, Bulgarian split squat.
• Be happy to combine up your rep scheme for the accessory lifts and remember to employ progressive overload on your primary lifts. 

6 Day PPL Split Routine:

A 6 day PPL split will appear like this:

Day 1: Push
Day 2: Pull
Day 3: Legs
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Push
Day 6: Pull
Day 7: Legs
Day 8: Rest day
Repeat

Since you’ve got two push, pull and leg days each week, the workouts will look different. 

You’ll be able to do one hypertrophy focused day and one strength focused day, i.e.

Day 1: Push Strength
Day 2: Pull Strength
Day 3: Legs Strength
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Push Hypertrophy
Day 6: Pull Hypertrophy
Day 7: Legs Hypertrophy
Day 8: Rest day
Repeat

For strength days, you’ll deal with just 2-3 big lifts, for 4-5 sets, and work in a low rep range (3-8 reps) with 70-85% of your 1RM.

For hypertrophy days, you’ll deal with various assistance/accessory lifts like split squats, leg press, stiff-legged deadlifts, for 2-3 sets, and work in the next rep range (10-20 reps) with about 60% of your 1RM. 

OR 

The more common way is to have A & B workouts, which can be designed for each strength and hypertrophy (in the identical workout) based on the rep scheme (use an appropriate load)

For instance: 

Day 1: Push A
Day 2: Pull A
Day 3: Legs A
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Push B
Day 6: Pull B
Day 7: Legs B
Day 8: Rest day
Repeat 

Essentially Push A’s primary focus is a Horizontal Pushing Exercise and Push B’s primary focus is a Vertical Pushing Exercise, Pull A’s primary focus is a Horizontal Pulling Exercise and Pull B’s primary focus is a Vertical Pulling Exercise, and Leg A’s primary focus is a Squat and Leg B’s primary focus is a Hip Hinge Exercise.

So, it’ll look something like this…

Push A:

1. Bench Press: 4 sets x 6-10 reps
2. Seated DB Press: 3 sets x 8-15 reps
3. Dips: 3 sets x 8-15 reps
4. Incline Fly: 3 sets x 8-15 reps
5. Lateral Raise: 3 sets x 10-15 reps
6. Skull Crushers: 3 sets x 10-15 reps

Pull A:

1. Bent Over Barbell Row: 4 sets x 6-10 reps
2. Lat Pull Down: 3 sets x 8-15 reps
3. Seated Close Grip Row: 3 sets x 10-15 reps
4. Shrugs: 3 sets x 12-20 reps
5. Rear Delt Fly: 3 sets x 15-20 reps
6. Bicep Curls: 3 sets x 15-20 reps

Leg A:

1. Back Squat: 4 sets x 6-10 reps
2. Stiff-legged Deadlift: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
3. Split Squat: 3 sets x 8-12 reps both sides
4. Leg Curl: 3 sets x 10-20 reps
5. Standing Calf Raises: 3 sets x 10-20 reps
6. Core Work: 3 sets

Push B:

1. Standing Overhead Barbell Press: 4 sets x 6-10 reps
2. DB Incline Bench: 3 sets x 8-15 reps
3. Upright Rows: 3 sets x 8-15 reps
4. DB Front Raises : 3 sets x 8-15 reps
5. Push Ups: 3 sets x 20+ reps
6. Tricep Pressdown: 3 sets x 10-15 reps 

Pull B:

1. Pull Ups: 4 sets x max reps (or weighted pull ups for 6-10 reps)
2. Neutral Grip Pull Ups: 3 sets x max reps
3. Seated Wide Grip Rows: 3 sets x 10-15 reps
4. Seated Close Grip Rows: 3 sets x 12-20 reps
5. Face Pulls: 3 sets x 15-20 reps
6. Hammer Curls: 3 sets x 15-20 reps

Leg B:

1. Deadlifts: 4 sets x 5-8 reps
2. Hip Thrusts: 3 sets x 8-15 reps
3. Leg Press or Lunges: 3 sets x 10-20 reps both sides
4. Leg Extensions: 3 sets x 10-20 reps
5. Seated Calf Raises: 3 sets x 10-20 reps
6. Core Work: 3 sets 

In fact, that is all flexible, but the purpose is, A and B day can have a unique big lift to deal with for strength and far of the remaining of the workout is a mixture of strength and hypertrophy. The advantage of doing big compound lifts for low reps and heavy weight is that when you can be specializing in strength, you can even construct muscle as compound lifts can construct pure size in any rep range.

4. PUSH PULL WORKOUT SPLIT

The Push Pull Split breaks your workouts into Push Days and Pull Days.

Unlike a push pull leg split, the push days and pull days will include lower body pushing exercises and lower body pulling exercises, respectively.

Pushing Exercises:

• Horizontal Pushes (i.e. Push Ups, Bench Press)
• Vertical Pushes (i.e. Overhead Press)
• Lower Body Pushes (i.e. all Squat variations, calf raises)

Chest, Shoulders, Triceps, Quads/Glutes/Calves

Pulling Exercises

• Horizontal Pulls (i.e. Rows)
• Vertical Pulls (i.e. Pull Ups, Pulldowns)
• Lower Body Pulls (i.e. Deadlifts and all hip hinge exercises) 

Back, Biceps, Hamstrings/Glutes 

Like the opposite splits, core work is to be thrown in at your discretion as big compound lifts do an excellent job of working your core through most planes of motion (except the transverse plane). 

2, 4 or 6 Days Per Week

The Push Pull split could be done 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 days per week, but 2, 4 and 6 days will keep things even and arranged each week as your full body can be trained every 2 workouts. 

Essentially the most common frequency for a Push Pull split is 4 days, similar to it’s for an Upper Lower split. It just works best for each maximizing the frequency of hitting your muscles and recovery. 

2 days can work for beginners, and 6 days for individuals who are advanced. 

As for 3 and 5 days, you’d just have to begin each recent week where you left off on the previous week. For instance, week 1 can be push pull push then week 2 is pull push pull.

Since 4 days is one of the best for a Push Pull, we’ll just discuss this split based on that. 

PROS OF A PUSH PULL SPLIT:

Essentially, the push pull split gives you each the identical advantages of the upper lower split and the total body split. You get an excellent mixture of frequency and volume, so you’ll be able to hit your muscle groups twice per week with a good amount of volume. And you might be training each your upper and lower body each workout which is great for enhancing test levels and burning calories. It’s a fantastic workout split for movement skill acquisition and constructing lean muscle, getting shredded, and improving strength.

CONS OF A PUSH PULL SPLIT:

Just like the upper and lower split, the workout sessions could be long if you would like to get the next total weekly volume per muscle group and if you would like to deal with smaller muscle groups that weren’t sufficiently stimulated in the course of the big compound movements.

Furthermore, it could possibly be taxing for more advanced individuals who train with high intensity as Push Days and Pull Days will involve many big lifts (i.e. a push day can include each bench press, overhead press and squats) 

WHO SHOULD DO A PUSH PULL SPLIT? 

The push pull split is sweet for somebody who wants to enhance their movement skills and get lean and fit, fairly than someone who desires to pack on muscle and strength. So, it could possibly be good for intermediate to advanced lifters, but not in the event that they try to bulk. If attempting to use this split to construct muscle when you find yourself already muscular, it should likely be too difficult to get better from taxing workouts that involve many big lifts. 

Additionally it is good for beginners, because it is analogous to a full body split. Beginners won’t be lifting with a lot intensity so recovery ought to be no problem. That is an excellent split for beginners who wish to train 4 times per week and construct a solid foundation of movement skill and strength. 

On the entire, it’s a fantastic split for overall fitness for all levels.

4 Day Push Pull Workout Split Routine:

A 4 day Push Pull Split could be arrange in two ways. 

Option 1:

Day 1: Push
Day 2: Pull
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Push
Day 5: Pull
Day 6-7: Rest 

OR 

Option 2:

Day 1: Push
Day 2: Rest
Day 3: Pull
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Push
Day 6: Rest
Day 7: Pull
Day 8: Rest
Repeat

Somewhat than doing 2 of the identical exact push and pull days each week, it’s best to do a Push A and Push B and Pull A and Pull B workout.

i.e.

Day 1: Push A
Day 2: Pull A
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Push B
Day 5: Pull B
Day 6-7: Rest 

There are numerous ways to go about differing your A & B workouts. It’ll depend upon your goals.

If you would like to construct each strength and muscle, your A workouts could be strength focused and your B workouts could be hypertrophy focused OR your A workouts can emphasize lower body movements and B workouts can emphasize upper body movements. 

In case you wish to simply construct movement skill and a solid foundation, you’ll be able to just change up the exercises in your workouts. For instance, for those who do squats, bench press, and seated Arnold presses on Push A, you then can do standing overhead presses, push ups, and split squats on Push B. 

Because we prefer separating Strength and Hypertrophy Days, we’ll break it up like that.

Sample Push A Workout (Strength):

1. Squats: 5 sets x 5 reps
2. Bench Press: 5 sets x 5 reps
3. Standing Overhead Press: 5 sets x 5-10 reps 

Change the order of the exercises each week

Sample Pull A Workout (Strength):

1. Deadlifts: 5 sets x 5 reps
2. Bent Over Rows: 5 sets x 5 reps
3. Pull Ups or Chin Ups: 5 sets x max reps

Change the order of the exercises each week

Sample Push B Workout (Hypertrophy):

1. Seated DB Overhead Press: 2-3 sets x 8-16 reps
2. Incline DB Bench Press: 2-3 sets x 8-16 reps
3. Leg Press: 2-3 sets x 8-15 reps
4. Split Squats: 2-3 sets x 8-12 reps both sides
5. DB lateral Raises x Incline Fly (superset): 2-3 sets x 10-20 reps
6. Close Grip Push Ups x Tricep Overhead Extensions (superset): 2-3 sets x 10-20 reps 

Can do different variations each week 

Sample Pull B Workout (Hypertrophy: 

1. Seated Rows: 2-3 sets x 8-16 reps
2. Lat Pull Downs: 2-3 sets x 8-16 reps
3. Stiff-Leg Deadlifts: 2-3 sets x 8-12 reps
4. Hip Thrusts: 2-3 sets x 8-12 reps
5. Rear Delt Fly x Shrugs (superset): 2-3 sets x 10-20 reps
6. Bicep Curl x Hammer Curl (superset): 2-3 sets x 10-20 reps

Can do different variations each week

Core work: Throw in a 2-3 sets of core each workout or for 2 of the workouts each week.

The opposite method to go about it’s like this….

Sample Push A:

• Major Upper Body Push Exercise: 3 sets x 6-12 reps
• Major Lower Body Push Exercise: 3 sets x 6-12 reps
• Minor Lower Body Push Exercise: 3 sets x 8-16 reps
• Minor Upper Body Push Exercise: 3 sets x 8-16 reps

Sample Pull A:

• Major Lower Body Pull Exercise: 3 sets x 6-12 reps
• Major Upper Body Pull Exercise: 3 sets x 6-12 reps
• Minor Upper Body Pull Exercise: 3 sets x 8-16 reps
• Minor Lower Body Pull Exercise: 3 sets x 8-16 reps 

Sample Push B:

• Major Lower Body Push Exercise: 3 sets x 6-12 reps
• Major Upper Body Push Exercise: 3 sets x 6-12 reps
• Minor Upper Body Push Exercise: 3 sets x 8-16 reps
• Minor Lower Body Push Exercise: 3 sets x 8-16 reps 

Sample Pull A:

• Major Upper Body Pull Exercise: 3 sets x 6-12 reps
• Major Lower Body Pull Exercise: 3 sets x 6-12 reps
• Minor Lower Body Pull Exercise: 3 sets x 8-16 reps
• Minor Upper Body Pull Exercise: 3 sets x 8-16 reps 

Major vs Minor Lifts:

• Major Upper Body Push: Barbell Bench Press, Barbell Overhead Press
• Minor Upper Body Push: Lateral Raises, Incline DB Bench, Arnold Press, Upright Rows, Tricep Extensions
• Major Lower Body Push: Back Squats, Front Squats
• Minor Lower Body Push: Step Ups, Lunges, Split Squats, Leg Press, Leg Extensions
• Major Upper Body Pull: Bent Over Barbell Rows, Pull Ups, Rack Pulls
• Minor Upper Body Pull: Row Variations, Lat Pull Downs, Rear Delt Fly, Shrugs, Curls
• Major Lower Body Pulls: Deadlifts, Hip Thrusts
• Minor Lower Body Pulls: Stiff-leg Deadlifts, Single Leg Deadlifts, Good Mornings, Leg Curls 

What about 2 day Push Pull Splits?

In case you are doing a 2 day Push Pull Split, you then just select an important compound exercises and fit them into your workouts (i.e. squats, horizontal presses, vertical presses, deadlifts/hip hinge, and horizontal pulls and vertical pulls).

Related: Full Guide to Push-Pull Workout Splits

5. BODY PART WORKOUT SPLIT (aka BRO SPLIT)

The body part split, otherwise generally known as the BRO SPLIT, is a classic bodybuilding workout split. It’s arguably the preferred training split there’s. 

You’ve most actually heard people say “don’t skip leg day”.  That’s referring to 1 workout in a body part split – Leg Day…then there’s Back Day, Chest Day, and so forth…

So, a body part split breaks your workouts into muscle groups or body parts. So, you mainly train one major muscle group or body part per workout. 

Nonetheless, there are slight variances to how the muscle groups could be separated based on what number of day per week you’ll train, which is normally 4, 5 or 6 days per week.

Before the mid-Twentieth century, full body workouts were customary. Then the body part split got here to prominence and from the Nineteen Sixties on it just about reigned supreme. 

Nonetheless, lately loads of persons are shifting away from the body part split as studies are showing that hitting muscle groups twice per week results in more growth potential and skilled trainers are really pushing this M.O.

Be that as it might, the bro split remains to be probably the most common split amongst gym rats, bodybuilders, and people who aspire to be bodybuilders do. And it definitely does have it’s merits.

4, 5 or 6 Days Per Week

The body part split can easily be worked into 4, 5 or 6 days.

Here’s how it should search for each. 

4 Day Body Part Split:

Day 1: Chest
Day 2: Back
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Shoulders & Arms
Day 5: Legs
Day 6-7: Rest 

5 Day Body Part Split:

Day 1: Legs
Day 2: Chest
Day 3: Back
Day 4: Shoulders
Day 5: Arms & Abs
Day 6-7: Rest 

The above is probably the most common. It gives the weekends off! 

6 Day Body Part Split: 

Day 1: Chest
Day 2: Back
Day 3: Core
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Biceps & Triceps
Day 6: Shoulders
Day 7: Legs
Day 8: Rest
Repeat 

The order of which day you hit each body part could be modified, but it can be crucial to separate certain days as some muscle groups are synergists with others. 

For instance, the shoulders are sometimes worked during chest exercises, so that you’d want shoulder and chest days to be separated by a number of days to avoid soreness as that can affect your workouts. 

Mainly, you only don’t want chest and shoulders together and legs and back together (as your low back can be worked during many leg exercises). Muscles like your traps, biceps, and triceps recovery quickly and/or won’t likely get sore from compound movements.

PROS OF A BODY PART SPLIT: 

The primary advantage of the body part split is that it allows for optimum volume for every muscle group. With the body part split, you might be guaranteed to hammer down on each muscle group to full exhaustion. 

One more reason the body part split is sweet is since it gives you a full week of recovery before you’ve got to hit that muscle group again. This is definitely more necessary for individuals who have already got big muscles because greater muscles take longer to recovery. So, this sort of split is best for more advanced bodybuilders. 

What’s more, you’ll actually be training certain muscle groups twice per week. In case you give it some thought, your front delts can be worked on chest day too, in order that’s twice on your shoulders, your biceps can even be worked on back day, in order that’s twice for biceps, and your triceps can be worked on each shoulder and chest day, in order that’s thrice for triceps. The one issue is, your largest muscles groups (legs, chest, and back) only get worked once. So, depending in your physique, this will likely be good or bad for you.

And that’s not all, contrary to people pondering it’s a hypertrophy only split, the body part split is definitely good for constructing strength too. It is because you simply should do one big compound lift each workout, which you’ll do as your first exercise. For this primary exercise, you’ll be able to go heavy and use low reps to construct strength and size. Furthermore, you’ll be able to easily employ progressive overload like this as you won’t should do that lift again for per week, at which point you can be fully recovered. So, each week, it’s best to have the ability to get a bit bit stronger.

Finally, loads of people like going to the gym often, and the body part split means that you can hit the gym effectively for five and even 6 days per week. In comparison with a 6 day PPL, a 6 day body part split is so much easier each mentally and physically.

CONS OF A BODY PART SPLIT:

While the body part split maximizes volume, it does so on the expense of frequency on your legs, chest, back, and other muscles like your side delts. 

For the common person, maximizing frequency is simpler than maximizing volume. The info is obvious at this point.

Protein synthesis (which is a natural process for repairing muscle) levels off at about 48 hours. So by not hitting that muscle group again after protein synthesis levels off, you might be missing out on growth potential.

Related: Training Each Muscle Group Twice a Week

Lastly, with a body part split, you would like an even bigger commitment of time. In case you miss one workout, you then didn’t train a whole muscle group for that week. Furthermore, workouts could be long as they involve a good amount of exercises (big compound lifts, accessory compound lifts and isolation exercises). Most individuals do around 6-8 exercises per workout, whereas a Push Pull or Upper Lower split likely involves 4-6 exercises, and with a body part split, it’s not as convenient to implement protocols like circuits as you’ll be able to’t hit opposing muscle groups.

WHO SHOULD DO A BODY PART SPLIT?

The body part split is best for individuals who wish to be within the gym 5 days per week without mainly killing themselves each workout. Although this just isn’t really an excellent reason to decide on this split, as other 3 or 4 day splits could be just as effective.

Really, this split is best for individuals with big muscles who wish to be or are bodybuilders. It’s also good for intermediate and advanced lifters who wish to hone in on certain muscle groups. For instance, if someone who’s been training for years needs more work on their shoulders, the body part split will ensure their shoulders get the best amount of attention. It will possibly be good to do the body part split for one or two training cycles per 12 months.

Overall, it’s an excellent split for serious lifters who wish to bulk. Nonetheless, the overwhelming majority of individuals should go for a split with higher frequency of coaching each muscle group as they’ll get well results that way.

Nevertheless, if you would like to try a body part split, go for it! Don’t let all of the bro split hate deter you from doing it. We don’t recommend doing all of it 12 months round, but for 2-3 months out of the 12 months for even the common intermediate lifter is effective. You could find yourself seeing great results as you’ll have the ability to maximise volume and your muscles won’t be use to that coming from the next frequency split (because of this we like to modify up splits every couple months). 

5 Day Body Part Split Routine:

While you’ll be able to do a 4 or 6 day body part split, we’re going to indicate you an example of a 5 day body part split since it is the preferred option AND a 4 or 6 day split won’t look much different. This offers you the overall idea of how you might want to structure your workouts either way. 

Day 1: Chest Day
Day 2: Back Day
Day 3: Arms & Abs Day
Day 4: Leg Day
Day 5: Shoulder Day
Day 6-7: Rest

Sample Chest Day Workout:

1. Barbell Bench Press: 3-4 sets x 6-12 reps
2. Incline DB Bench Press: 3 sets x 8-15 reps
3. Cable Fly High to Low: 3 sets x 10-15 reps
4. Cable Fly Low to High: 3 sets x 10-15 reps
5. Dips: 3 sets x 10-20 reps 

60-90 seconds rest between sets & exercises 

Sample Back Day Workout:

1. Deadlifts: 3-4 sets x 5-8 reps
2. Pull Ups: 3 sets x max reps
3. Bent Over Barbell Row: 3 sets x 6-12 reps
4. Seated Close Grip Row: 3 sets x 8-15 reps
5. Kroc Row (aka Single Arm Row): 3 sets x 8-15 reps both sides
6. Rear Delt Fly: 3 sets x 8-15 reps

60-90 seconds rest between sets & exercises

Sample Arm & Abs Day Workout:

1. Barbell Bicep Curl: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
2. Alt. Hammer Curl: 2-3 sets x 10-12 reps each
3. Concentration Curl: 2-3 sets x 8-12 reps both sides
4. Close Grip Bench: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
5. Tricep Overhead Extension: 2-3 sets x 10-15 reps
6. Tricep Kickback: 2-3 sets x 10-15 reps
7. Hanging Leg Raises: 2 sets x 8-12 reps
8. Plank: 2 sets x 30 sec holds
9. Side Plank: 2 sets x 30 sec hold both sides
10. Woodchopper: 2 sets x 10 reps each way

This workout should use minimum rest time. Around 30 seconds each set. To hurry up this workout, you’ll be able to superset bicep exercises with tricep exercises.

Sample Leg Day Workout:

1. Back Squats: 3-4 sets x 5-10 reps
2. Stiff-Leg Deadlifts: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
3. Barbell Hip Thrusts: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
4. Split Squats: 3 sets x 8-12 reps both sides
5. Leg Extensions: 2 sets x 10-20 reps
6. Leg Curls: 2 sets x 10-20 reps
7. Calf Raises: 3 sets x 10-20 reps 

60-90 seconds rest between sets & exercises

Sample Shoulder Day Workout:

1. Standing Overhead Press: 3-4 sets x 6-12 reps
2. Seated Arnold Press: 3 sets x 8-12 reps
3. Lateral Raises: 3 sets x 10-15 reps
4. Front Raises: 3 sets x 10-15 reps
5. Upright Rows: 3 sets x 10-15 reps
6. Shrugs: 3 sets x 12-20 reps 

Note for all workout days: Exercises can change each week, but remember to keep the primary compound lifts.

Related: Full Guide to Bro Splits

HOW MANY DAYS PER WEEK SHOULD YOU TRAIN?

Now that you already know the professionals and cons of every split, you might want to determine what number of days per week you’ll train, as that can assist you to choose the best split. 

Ideally, you would like to train 3-5 days per week. 

Beginners: 3-4 days
Intermediate: 4-5 days
Advanced: 4-6 days

Nobody should train 7 days per week. That’s an overkill. If you could be lively for 7 days, then do something else like a sport or go for a hike! There’s no have to lift weights 7 days per week. In case you are in a position to do this without overtraining, you then aren’t training hard enough.

WHAT IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE WORKOUT SPLIT FOR YOU?

The very best workout split for you’ll depend upon your goals, your fitness level, your availability and whether or not you might be figuring out with free weights.

To sum up every little thing above as concise as possible: 

• Full Body Split – Maximizes Training Frequency 
• Bro/Classic Split – Maximizes Training Volume
• Upper Lower, PPL, Push Pull – Good Mixture of Each Training Frequency & Volume

For beginners, frequency of hitting your muscles will result in one of the best results.

For advanced bodybuilders with large muscles, volume is an important.

For everybody else, one of the best results will come from optimizing each frequency and volume.

There are many other splits on the market. For instance, the Upper Lower Push Pull Legs split, the PHAT workout split, the PHUL workout split. But, unless you are attempting to be a powerlifter or what not, then we recommend sticking to one in every of the 5 workout splits we’ve went over.

Workout Split FAQs: 

How Often Should You Change Your Workout Split?

If a workout split is working for you and you might be seeing good results, you’ll be able to persist with it. Nonetheless, it’s good to modify up your training split every 2-3 months. In case you are noticing that your results and workouts have plateaued, that’s an excellent time to modify splits.

What Is The Best Workout Split For Beginners?

The best possible split for a real beginner is a 3 day full body split. This offers you enough training stimulus in addition to recovery days. 

Focus most of your time on big compound movements and as you progress through your plan, work to extend the frequency (add one other day per week) and volume of your workouts (more sets and/or exercises). Also, increase the load load or decrease rest time. These are methods of progressive overload. Progressive overload have to be employed to see the outcomes you would like and to proceed pushing forward toward your goals.

What’s one of the best 2 day split? 

In case you are going to workout 2 days per week, you’ll be able to select a Full Body Split, Push Pull Split or Upper Lower Split. The very best bet is the total body split though due to higher frequency per muscle group.

What’s one of the best 3 day split? 

In case you are going to workout 3 days per week, one of the best option is the Push Pull Leg Split.

For beginners, we recommend a 3 Day Full Body Split.

What’s one of the best 4 day split?

If you would like to workout 4 days per week, one of the best option is either the Push Pull or Upper Lower split for individuals who have general fitness goals like improving strength and muscle and keeping fit. 

In case you are an even bigger person at an intermediate to advanced level and also you wish to construct muscle, then a 4 day bro split is sweet.

Beginners should do a 4 day full body split, or an upper lower or push pull split.

What’s one of the best 5 day split?

In case you are intermediate to advanced and you would like to construct muscle and get stronger, then a 5 day body part split is sweet. It’s easier to administer than other 5 day splits. You’ll be able to train hard each workout without overtraining. 

In case you wish to get shredded, then do a 4 Day Upper Lower or Push Pull split with a fifth day of HIIT OR a 3 day PPL with two days of HIIT. OR a 5 day PPL where you choose up each week where you finished on the previous week.

One other good option is the Upper Lower Push Pull Split. You’ll be able to examine this in our 5 day workout split guide (which also covers the 5 day bro split more in depth). We also really like this 5-Day Hypertrophy Workout Plan.

What’s one of the best 6 day split? 

We only recommend advanced trainees to workout 6 days per week. Remember, this may be very taxing on the body. In case you are fearful about overtraining, then a 6 day body part split can be the best to handle or a 5 day body part split with a sixth day of cardio or HIIT works too. 

In case you are really a beast at recovery, then a 6 Day Upper Lower or Push Pull or PPL could be good. But you shouldn’t do that 12 months round. Do that for a number of months out of the 12 months at most. It’ll be tough. 

What’s one of the best 7 day split? 

There are none. We will’t recommend people to coach 7 days per week. Sometimes, less is more.

7 days per week could be effective in case your workouts are short and mostly body weight exercises.

Should I Train Full Body Or Split?

A full body split can be best for beginners or individuals with specific goals like maintenance or cutting.

When you get to an intermediate or advanced level, a full body split can have diminishing returns, especially for those who do all of it 12 months round.

Note: Even for individuals who are intermediate and advance, a full body split could be good to do for one training cycle per 12 months.

Apart from that, most intermediate and advanced will do best with one in every of the splits that optimizes each volume and frequency, just like the upper lower, push pull, or push pull leg splits.

Is The Bro Split Workout Good? 

For bodybuilders, yes. Otherwise, it’s not probably the most efficient split, especially for beginners.

In case you are have already got loads of muscle, then a bro split could be good as your muscles will need more time to get better and having per week between big lifts is sweet for continuing progressive overload at some extent when you find yourself already lifting fairly heavy.

What Is The Best Workout Split For Fat Loss?

The total body split is arguably one of the best for fat loss since it consists mainly of compound exercises, so that you will burn loads of calories. Nonetheless, you’ll be able to get the identical results with a push pull or upper lower split as well, as they can even mainly involve big compound movements.

Note: You’ll be able to lose fat with any split. Remember, fat loss is just about consuming less calories than you burn. The more muscle you’ve got, the more calories you’ll burn every day while resting. 

What’s the Best Split For Constructing Muscle?

You’ll be able to gain muscle with the entire splits so long as you might be using the principle of progressive overload and you might be weight-reduction plan and sleeping appropriately.

Nonetheless, one of the best splits for constructing muscle can be the Push Pull Legs or Body Part split because they supply probably the most volume, which can be needed as your muscles get greater. 

What is the Best Split for Strength?

The very best splits for strength are typically the PPL, Upper Lower, and full body split. Nonetheless, loads of strength training programs are complex and unique in order that they cannot just be categorized by one in every of the splits mentioned on this post. If you would like to construct strength, it is vital that you simply follow a well-planned program that takes progressive overload and periodization into consideration.

What’s the Best Split For Athletes?

Splits that involve doing functional compound movements like squats and deadlifts more often can be best for athletes. Furthermore, you would like to do a split that isn’t too time consuming as you will have time on your sport specific workouts and training. So, we recommend a 3 day PPL or 3 day full body split for athletes. The PPL will probably be best for intermediate to advance and the total body for beginners, but intermediate and advanced also can do the total body split.

How Long Should A Workout Last?

Your workouts should last now not than 60 minutes. Ideally, try to be out and in in 30-45 minutes, especially for those who are doing a 4-6 day split. In case you are taking too long figuring out, then you might want to improve your workout efficiency, because the 45 minute range is best for metabolic health and constructing muscle. After 45-50 minutes, cortisol levels begin to rise (which just isn’t the great hormone, it’s the fat producing hormone). Short and sweet (30-45 mins of intense training) is all the time best. 

When Should I Do Cardio? 

Cardio is optional. If you would like to improve your cardiovascular health, we recommend doing it in your off days…or if you’ve got the energy, on mornings or after your workout 2-3 times per week.

Cardio just isn’t one of the best for losing fat. Weight loss plan and constructing muscle is one of the best. Consider cardio as cardiovascular health, not fat loss. 

That said, you’ll burn more calories during a cardio session than even an intense weightlifting session – nevertheless, it’s still negligible for those who aren’t weight-reduction plan right – food regimen is every little thing and the more muscle you’ve got, the more calories you burn. 

Is It Higher To Workout 4 Or 5 Times A Week?

For most individuals, 4 times per week is plenty. In case you are a busy skilled, 4 days is ideal.

If you’ve got the time and you might be in a position to get better, then 5 days can also be good. 

But any greater than that ought to be saved for probably the most advanced. In some unspecified time in the future, less is more.  You really want to have the ability to get better well to lift weights 6 days per week.

CONCLUSION:

We hope this guide through one of the best workout splits has been informative for you. While selecting a split that works best on your goals, experience and availability is very important, probably the most crucial element of all is that you simply train hard and stick with your plan. It’s all about consistency. Consistent exertions will certainly result in success.