When programming your training there are endless routines and variables to consider, which can make choosing the right one a daunting experience for most people. There is a phrase ‘The best programme is the one you’re not doing’, which tends to lead to programme hopping and consequently stagnation in progress. It is important to note that as with nutrition there is no singular ‘best’ approach for everyone so over time we’ll take a look at some of the most popular choices.
First up it’s Body part splits which focus on targeting individual muscle groups on different days, rather than working the whole body. Each of the exercises are grouped by body part ie (chest/back/legs), and in general when doing this you would follow up with some accessory exercises that would complement the compound of choice whether it be bench/squat or even deadlift.
First up it’s Body part splits which focus on targeting individual muscle groups on different days, rather than working the whole body. Each of the exercises are grouped by body part ie (chest/back/legs), and in general when doing this you would follow up with some accessory exercises that would complement the compound of choice whether it be bench/squat or even deadlift.
SOME BODY PART SPLITS WILL HAVE YOU TRAINING EACH MUSCLE GROUP ONLY ONCE A WEEK, BUT THAT IS NOT TO SAY THAT YOU CANNOT TRAIN THE SAME MUSCLE GROUP TWICE. IT REALLY DEPENDS ON HOW WELL YOU RECOVER, WHAT EXERCISES YOU CHOOSE, THE VOLUME AND INTENSITY USED AND YOUR TRAINING EXPERIENCE.
LARGER MUSCLE GROUPS ARE TYPICALLY WORKED USING 2 TO 5 EXERCISES PER SESSION AND GENERALLY START WITH HEAVIER COMPOUND MOVEMENTS .IE (BENCH/SQUAT/DEADLIFT), AND THEN MOVING ON TO LESS TAXING COMPOUND MOVEMENTS, MACHINE AND ISOLATION EXERCISES AS YOU FATIGUE.
COMMON BODY PART GROUPINGS INCLUDE:
CHEST AND TRICEPS
BACK AND BICEPS
SHOULDERS AND LATS
QUADS, HAMSTRINGS AND CALVES
THE PUSH AND PULL ROUTINES ARE VERY POPULAR 3 DAY SPLIT ROUTINES. A TYPICAL TRAINING WEEK CAN USUALLY LOOK SOMETHING LIKE THIS:
CHEST, SHOULDERS AND TRICEPS (PUSH WORKOUT)
BACK, TRAPS AND BICEPS (PULL WORKOUT)
BACK AND SHOULDERS (PUSH AND PULL)
BASED ON A 3 DAY SPLIT
MONDAY – CHEST, SHOULDERS AND TRICEPS
WEDNESDAY – BACK, TRAPS AND BICEPS
FRIDAY – QUADS, HAMSTRINGS AND CALVES
WHILE THERE ARE MANY POPULAR 4 DAY SPLITS, THE FOLLOWING ROUTINE IS TYPICAL:
MONDAY – CHEST, TRICEPS AND ABS
TUESDAY – BACK, BICEPS AND FOREARMS
THURSDAY – SHOULDERS, TRAPS AND ABS
FRIDAY – QUADS, HAMSTRINGS AND CALVES
3 DAY SPLIT PUSH PULL LEGS SPECIFIC
DAY 1 – CHEST, SHOULDERS AND TRICEPS (PUSH)
DAY 2 – OFF
DAY 3 – QUADS, HAMSTRINGS AND CALVES (LEGS)
DAY 4 – OFF
DAY 5 – BACK, BICEPS AND TRAPS (PULL)
DAY 6 – OFF
DAY 7 – OFF
AS I HAD MENTIONED YOU WOULD IDEALLY ALWAYS START OFF YOUR ROUTINE HITTING A COMPOUND EXERCISE DEPENDING ON WHAT MUSCLE GROUP YOU ARE AIMING TO TRAIN. FOR EXAMPLE YOU MAY BE AIMING TO WORK CHEST AND TRICEPS WHICH MIGHT SOMETHING LIKE:
A1) FLAT BARBELL BENCH PRESS (PRIORITY EXERCISE)
B1) INCLINE DB PRESS
B2) CABLE FLYS
B3) TRICEP CABLE PUSHDOWNS
C1) HANGING LEG RAISES
A QUICK NOTE TO FOLLOW WHEN READING A PROGRAM, WELL IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED ONE FROM ME ANYWAY.
THE LETTER (A) IS YOUR PRIORITY EXERCISES, (B) IS SECONDARY AND SO ON. FEEL FREE TO ASK ME IF YOU HAVE ANY QUERIES ON DIFFERENT PROGRAM FORMATS THAT MIGHT SUIT YOUR TRAINING GOALS.
LARGER MUSCLE GROUPS ARE TYPICALLY WORKED USING 2 TO 5 EXERCISES PER SESSION AND GENERALLY START WITH HEAVIER COMPOUND MOVEMENTS .IE (BENCH/SQUAT/DEADLIFT), AND THEN MOVING ON TO LESS TAXING COMPOUND MOVEMENTS, MACHINE AND ISOLATION EXERCISES AS YOU FATIGUE.
COMMON BODY PART GROUPINGS INCLUDE:
CHEST AND TRICEPS
BACK AND BICEPS
SHOULDERS AND LATS
QUADS, HAMSTRINGS AND CALVES
THE PUSH AND PULL ROUTINES ARE VERY POPULAR 3 DAY SPLIT ROUTINES. A TYPICAL TRAINING WEEK CAN USUALLY LOOK SOMETHING LIKE THIS:
CHEST, SHOULDERS AND TRICEPS (PUSH WORKOUT)
BACK, TRAPS AND BICEPS (PULL WORKOUT)
BACK AND SHOULDERS (PUSH AND PULL)
BASED ON A 3 DAY SPLIT
MONDAY – CHEST, SHOULDERS AND TRICEPS
WEDNESDAY – BACK, TRAPS AND BICEPS
FRIDAY – QUADS, HAMSTRINGS AND CALVES
WHILE THERE ARE MANY POPULAR 4 DAY SPLITS, THE FOLLOWING ROUTINE IS TYPICAL:
MONDAY – CHEST, TRICEPS AND ABS
TUESDAY – BACK, BICEPS AND FOREARMS
THURSDAY – SHOULDERS, TRAPS AND ABS
FRIDAY – QUADS, HAMSTRINGS AND CALVES
3 DAY SPLIT PUSH PULL LEGS SPECIFIC
DAY 1 – CHEST, SHOULDERS AND TRICEPS (PUSH)
DAY 2 – OFF
DAY 3 – QUADS, HAMSTRINGS AND CALVES (LEGS)
DAY 4 – OFF
DAY 5 – BACK, BICEPS AND TRAPS (PULL)
DAY 6 – OFF
DAY 7 – OFF
AS I HAD MENTIONED YOU WOULD IDEALLY ALWAYS START OFF YOUR ROUTINE HITTING A COMPOUND EXERCISE DEPENDING ON WHAT MUSCLE GROUP YOU ARE AIMING TO TRAIN. FOR EXAMPLE YOU MAY BE AIMING TO WORK CHEST AND TRICEPS WHICH MIGHT SOMETHING LIKE:
A1) FLAT BARBELL BENCH PRESS (PRIORITY EXERCISE)
B1) INCLINE DB PRESS
B2) CABLE FLYS
B3) TRICEP CABLE PUSHDOWNS
C1) HANGING LEG RAISES
A QUICK NOTE TO FOLLOW WHEN READING A PROGRAM, WELL IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED ONE FROM ME ANYWAY.
THE LETTER (A) IS YOUR PRIORITY EXERCISES, (B) IS SECONDARY AND SO ON. FEEL FREE TO ASK ME IF YOU HAVE ANY QUERIES ON DIFFERENT PROGRAM FORMATS THAT MIGHT SUIT YOUR TRAINING GOALS.
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