When you first dive into the world of strength training, it can feel like you're in the middle of a sea of differing opinions about how to split up your workouts. Why should you split up your muscle groups? and why do so many trainers seem to have different opinions?
Don't worry, we'll sort out this chaos and give you clear direction.
1. Choose Your Coach
First rule: Stop trying to follow everyone. Instead, find a trainer or coach you trust and stick to their advice for at least 2-3 months. If you see results, keep going with the winning concept. No confusion, no training ADHD!
2. Why Split Muscles?
Let’s talk about why muscle splitting is so important. Think of your muscles as little construction workers who need time to repair after a hard day’s work (or workout, in this case). They need about 48 hours to do this, which is why you should split your workouts. Otherwise, your muscles will get tired, sad, and refuse to cooperate with you. This can lead to overtraining, injuries, and a weakened immune system = Sick!
3. Not All Or Nothing
If you focus more on strength, you don't need to go to failure every set, then you usually load heavier, you do fewer exercises, more sets per exercise and you usually follow a strength program where you constantly go at X number of % of your 1RM (1 Rep Max), that is, your maximum weight you can lift.
4. “Body Toning” – What Is It?
It's important to understand that weight loss and weight gain are all about diet. If you eat fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. If you eat more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. Most people want to build muscle and burn fat at the same time, which is called "toning."
5. Girls, Don't Worry About "Bulk"
Many girls are afraid that weight training will make them bulky. Don't worry, it won't happen! If you feel like you're getting bulky, it's probably because you're not in a calorie deficit and you're retaining more fluid in your muscles once you start weight training. This is completely normal and nothing to worry about.
6. Calorie Deficit and Muscle Building
To build muscle and burn fat at the same time, you need to be in a calorie deficit while also giving your body the nutrients it needs to build muscle. It's a fine balance, but it's possible if you do it right.
7. Number of Reps
Try to stay somewhere between 6-14 reps. Start with a heavy weight that you can do 6-8 reps with. Use the same weight for all sets and always go to failure, which means you can't do any more reps in that set. Continue with the same weight until you can do 12-14 reps with it. Then increase the weight until you can only do 6-8 reps again. This is called progressive weight gain. Also, remember to listen to your body; sometimes you may feel exhausted, and in such cases you need 2 days of rest. This is especially true if you train more than 4 times a week. If you train 3-4 times a week, you already have 3-4 days of rest, so make sure to make the most of each workout.
8. So, How Do You Break Up Your Workout?
Now that we've clarified some basic concepts, let's look at how you can break up your workouts:
3 Sessions Per Week:
Workout 1 – Push (Chest / shoulders / triceps)
- 4 sets Bench press
- 4 sets Incline dumbbell press
- 4 sets Shoulder press with dumbbells
- 3 sets Dumbbell side raises
- 3 sets of Tricep pushdowns
- 3 sets of Crunch
- 3 sets of Jack Knives
Session 2 – Pull (Back / Biceps)
- 4 sets Lat pull-ups
- 4 sets Barbell Rowing
- 3 sets Seated wide rowing machine
- 3 sets of Face Pulls
- 3 sets of barbell curls
- 3 sets of Hammer Curls
Workout 3 – Legs (legs / abs)
- 4 sets Squats
- 4 sets Romanian deadlifts
- 4 sets Thigh curls
- 3 sets of leg kicks
- 4 sets Calf press
4 Sessions Per Week:
Workout 1 – Back / Biceps
- 4 sets Deadlift
- 4 sets of Pull-ups
- 3 sets Seated odd
- 4 sets Reverse flyes
- 3 sets Dumbbell curls
Workout 2 – Chest / Triceps
- 4 sets Bench press
- 3 sets Cable fly down
- 3 sets Skull Crusher
- 3 sets of Pushdowns
- 3 sets of Triceps push down reps
Workout 3 – Shoulders, abs
- 4 sets Shoulder press
- 3 sets Dumbbell front raises
- 3 sets Side lift machine
- 3 sets Pull to the chin bar
- 4 sets Knee raises
Workout 4 – Thighs / Calves
- 4 sets Squats
- 4 sets Romanian deadlift
- 3 sets Lying thigh curl
- 3 sets of leg kicks
- 4 sets Standing Calf Press
5 Sessions Per Week:
Workout 1 – Chest / Shoulders / Triceps / Abs
- 4 sets Dumbbell press
- 3 sets Incline dumbbell press – Dumbbell side lift straight arms
- 3 sets Chest Press Down – Dumbbell Raise to the Side with Bent Arms
- 3 sets of Skull cruncher bars
- 3 sets One arm triceps press cable
- 3 sets Russian twist
- 3 sets Knee raises
Session 2 – Legs / Calves (Focus Hamstrings / Glutes)
- 4 sets Squats
- 3 sets Sumo deadlift
- 3 sets Hip lift
- 3 sets Hip stretching cable (Pull through)
- 3 sets Seated leg curl
- 4 sets Seated Calf Press
Workout 3 – Back / Biceps
- 4 sets Lat pull-ups supinated grip
- 3 sets Seated wide grip rowing
- 3 sets T-bar rowing narrow grip
- 4 sets Reverse flyes cable
- 3 sets Dumbbell curl incline bench
- 3 sets Standing hammer curl dumbbells
- 4 sets of Crunch on incline bench
- 3 sets of Jack knives
Workout 4 – Legs/Abs (focus Quads and Glutes)
- 4 sets Elevated (heel) Narrow Squats
- 3 sets of Backward Lunges
- 4 sets Leg Press
- 3 sets Seated Abductor Press
- 3 sets of leg kicks
- 4 sets Standing Calf Press
Workout 5 – Back / Chest / Shoulders
- 4 sets Lat pull-ups behind the head – Push-ups
- 4 sets Lat pull straight arms rope – Cable Flyes
- 3 sets Fly machine chest – Reverse flyes machine
- 4 sets Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Finally, remember to give your training program time. Do each set for at least 6 weeks before switching exercises. And don't forget to listen to your body - sometimes it needs a little extra rest. So, now is the time to stop the confusion and start building the body of your dreams!
Also remember that you can shorten your workouts by removing one set per exercise. If you remove one set of 4 exercises, you will save about 10-15 minutes of your workout. It is better to remove one set per exercise than to skip an exercise completely. Just make sure to go really hard on your work sets so that you exhaust yourself.
Now we're off! Good luck!
