Introduction
When people first start training, one of the things they often think about, question, and experiment with is the notion of a training split. Whilst most people will ask ‘what is the best training split?’ whilst seeking a generic, one size fits all approach, what they should be asking is ‘what is the best training split for my goals/schedule/fitness level’. A well structured split is one which optimises workouts based on time available, whilst also maximising gains and minimising risk of injury. This article will present everything you need to know about resistance training splits, and break down some of the things to consider when choosing the right one for you.
What is a Training Split?
A training split refers to how you divide up your workouts throughout the week. This division can be based on muscle groups, exercises, or movement patterns. Training splits generally mean that you train everything you want/need to within one week, whilst allowing your body to recover adequately between sessions. Some common examples of training splits include full body, upper/lower, and anterior/posterior splits.
Ultimately, the best training split for you is the one that you can consistently follow, with consistency being the central factor for progress in any fitness routine. Selecting a split which fits your lifestyle is always better than one which is deemed ‘more optimal’ by general fitness standards, but is unsustainable to stay consistent at for you as an individual.
Things to Consider When Choosing a Training Split
Training Experience
If you’re a beginner, you may benefit more from lower volume and intensity, but more frequency to get you used to training more often and form good habits. More advanced lifters may benefit more from higher volumes and intensities per session, with lower weekly frequency.
Your Fitness Goals
Your goals will play a decisive role in what the best split is for you. Whether you’re looking to build general fitness, strength, muscle size, or looking for more sports specific athletic performance gains.
Schedule & Time Available
Quite often, a key limiting factor in many people’s fitness routine is their schedule and available time. Be realistic about how many days per week you can dedicate to training. This will greatly influence your choice of training split.
Recovery Time
Depending on age and health, you should be realistic about how much recovery you need and guide the intensity and frequency of your workouts according to this.
Training Split Types
Pattern Based Splits
Pattern based splits are those which are organised around fundamental movement patterns such as squats, hinges, lunges, pushes and core work. This approach is especially beneficial for improving functional strength and efficiency, as it often involves training many muscle groups within a single session. It is advantageous for athletes or individuals looking to improve sports specific fitness.
Day 1: Squat, Pull, Hinge, Push, Core
Day 2: Hinge, Push, Squat, Pull, Lunge
Muscle Based Splits
Muscle bases splits focus more on a specific muscle group or groups in each session, which allow for a more targeted training approach. As a result, this approach is more favoured for bodybuilding.
Monday: Chest & Triceps
Tuesday: Back & Biceps
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Legs & Core
Friday: Shoulders & Arms
Popular Training Splits
Full Body
All major muscle groups are trained within each session, which makes it ideal for beginners or those with limited time. The main benefit of a full body split is that with just 2 or 3 sessions per week, you can target every muscle group 2-3 times.
Upper/Lower Body Split
This split separates the upper body and the lower body, training each on different days. It allows for a more focused session than full body, whilst also having flexibility with time, ensuring that just training twice per week will hit every body part at least once.
Anterior/Posterior Split
This split focuses on separating the anterior (front of the body) and posterior (back of the body) chains in different sessions. It’ll mean that one day you could be training hamstrings, glutes, back, shoulders and triceps, whilst on another day you’ll be directly targeting chest, biceps, quads and abs. This split is designed to promote ‘balance’ in the body. It does also mean though that if you are working compound lifts, you may inadvertently target secondary muscles which aren’t on the agenda that day. E.g. whilst a low bar squat may focus on hamstrings and glutes, there is still a high degree of quad activation.
Conclusion
Choosing the ‘right’ split for you is highly individual; it depends on your goals, lifestyle and specific needs. Additionally though, you don’t need to be ‘married’ to your split. Feel free to experiment and test different splits and see what works best for you. Always remember that the best training split for you is the one that you can be consistent with. If you love training and you want to learn more, then be sure to check out our level 3 personal trainer course, CPT. The gold standard in professional fitness coaching.