I’ll share some ideas on how to put together a weekly plan and split up your training days to optimize performance and recovery.
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In today’s post, We’re going to talk about splitting up your training days and how to do it strategically. I’m a big fan of splitting up my training programs throughout the week, as it allows me to strengthen different parts of my body (especially my leg training days), gives me enough recovery time and gives me more control over how I train. Today I’d like to share some practical tips to help my reader friends split their training days and get the most out of their training sessions.
(Please note that while I am a certified personal trainer, I am providing general information for educational purposes. This is not medical advice. Always seek the help of your physician before starting or modifying any training routine.)
How to split your training days
Whole body division
This type of full-body split routine works your entire body every time you workout. The benefits of this type of training are that you can use compound movements that are more complex and fun; you work several major muscle groups at the same time; and because it’s peripheral movement training, your heart rate will be higher, potentially burning more calories during your workout. I prefer to work the whole body with my beginner clients (who will focus on bodyweight-only exercises at first) and those who are aiming for significant weight loss.
The downside to this type of training is that it can be difficult to achieve muscle fatigue, which stimulates muscle growth, and ideally you shouldn’t train your whole body two days in a row. It’s better to alternate full-body training with rest days and cardio.
Top/bottom split
This is when you train your upper body (back, shoulders, chest, triceps, biceps) on one day and your lower body (hamstrings, glutes, core, calves) on another day. The benefits of this type of training are that it allows you to train strength on consecutive days (upper body on day one, lower body on the next) and it’s easy to add volume and load to specific muscle groups, which promotes muscle development, which is the “lean and trim” look that many people desire.
My personal favorite way to split my training is to do upper body one day, lower body the next, and full body circuit training another day, which is also how I do most of the Fit Team workouts.
4-day split
There are a few different ways to split the four days.
Upper body, lower body, whole body 2 days
Training antagonistic or synergistic muscles.
Antagonist muscles
With this type of training, you work opposing muscle groups four days per week – for example, chest and back one day, biceps and triceps, hamstrings and calves, shoulders and calves (each trained separately) the next. This is particularly effective for superset style training, as you can go directly from one set to the next, giving opposing muscle groups a rest (when one antagonist muscle is contracting, the opposing muscle is lengthening).
The main benefit of this type of training is its ability to build serious muscle, so if you want to build muscle, give this type of training a try.
Synergistic muscle groups
This is when you use your agonist muscles (the muscles that work together to perform a movement). An example would be:
Shoulders, chest, triceps, legs, core, back, biceps.
This is one of my favorite ways to train and another great way to build muscle, and I would recommend this type of training to any friends who want to gain muscle definition, improve their metabolism, or do strength training 3 days each week.
Workout Split Sample
Your training distribution will depend on a variety of factors, including the equipment you have available, your current training level, what you like to do (!), and your fitness goals. The key here is to decide how many days per week you will do strength training. I try to train each muscle group at least twice a week (on non-consulting days or within the same workout), with at least 1-2 days of complete rest each week. Everyone has different needs, interests, and end goals, so I highly encourage you to consider what these look like for you and decide what your ideal week would look like.
Need help planning your training for the week? Join the Fit Team! You can also find a free PDF here on how to create a training schedule and set up a plan. If you are looking for a personalized training plan, Sign up for 1:1 coaching here.
For more information on fitness and creating the perfect training plan, check out my post on whether you should do strength training or cardio first.
Have a lovely morning and see you soon!
Kiss
Gina
