How to Split Your Workouts
Training Splits: What They Are, the Most Common Ones, and Which One You Should be Doing.
The article was written by Shilo Wilson from Mesa Fitness Grand Junction.
One fitness topic that is...
→ never talked about enough,
→ has too many conflicting opinions,
→ and can simply get too overwhelming...
is the training split you should be sticking to.
A training split is the practice of “splitting” your workouts over several days to target different muscles on different days.
Typical training splits tend to look like one of the following:
Upper & lower body
Push-pull-legs (the “bro” split)
Full-body workouts, etc.
All ranging from 2 to 6 times per week.
Surely there must be some reasoning behind all these splits, right?
Or is one “better” than all others, the superior split?
Like so many other answers in life, there is (generally) no one-size-fits-all.
Everyone is on a unique journey, with different goals, starting points, challenges, and circumstances.
With that in mind, there can be a time and a place for nearly every training program (except one with no rest/recovery days and de-load weeks programmed in, which is a surefire way toward burnout or injury).
Let’s break down the most common training splits.
Push, Pull, Legs (aka PPL) Split
This standard split should theoretically go over your whole body over a week.
Here's how it works:
Day 1: Push Day
Push day focuses on pushing motions and centers around chest, triceps, and shoulder movements.
Day 2: Pull Day
Pull day focuses on pulling motions, centered around back and bicep movements.
Day 3: Leg Day
Leg day centers around all movements that train the muscles of your legs (e.g., squats, hamstring curls, calf raises).
Typically, this split is done once throughout the week or can be repeated twice in a six-day cycle, followed by a rest day.
Typical weekly setup:
Often, you'll find this used 2x per week in the following setup:
Monday: Push
Tuesday: Pull
Wednesday: Legs
Thursday: Push
Friday: Pull
Saturday: Legs
Sunday: Rest Day
Pros of this split:
✔ Balanced training approach
✔ Allows for higher training frequency
✔ Ideal for Strength AND Hypertrophy
✔ Efficient recovery
✔ Focuses on compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, and presses.
Potential Challenges:
❌ Requires 4-6 Days Per Week
❌ Fatigue Accumulates
❌ Leg Days can be brutal OR not be enough
❌ Not Ideal for Beginners
My thoughts:
This is a great way to get into the gym and provides a solid 3-day training guideline.
But, when you train with this volume, you tend to neglect your legs.
Only 1 day for 50% of your body is realistically not the best way to divide the volume of the exercises.
Even though there may be fewer muscles in your legs that you want to target than your upper body, decreasing the volume isn't the answer to achieving the physique you’re looking for.
Upper & Lower Split
This is not a bad approach, especially if you have a limited schedule for the gym.
Here's how it works:
Day 1: Upper Body
Upper body day focuses on your upper body muscles (weird, right?). This centers on workouts involving your chest, triceps, biceps, shoulders, and back.
Day 2: Lower Body
Lower body day focuses on your lower body muscles. This centers on workouts involving your quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves, etc.
Typical weekly setup:
Typically, you'll find this used 2x per week in the following setup:
Monday: Upper Body
Tuesday: Lower Body
Wednesday: Rest Day
Thursday: Upper Body
Friday: Lower Body
Sat & Sun: Rest Days
However, you can change that to fit your schedule best!
Pros of this split:
✔ Only 4 Days per week
✔ Can be structured for powerlifting, bodybuilding, or general fitness.
✔Muscle groups have adequate rest between sessions.
✔ Flexible for different schedules
✔ Works well for beginners and advanced lifters.
Potential Challenges:
❌ May not provide enough volume for advanced lifters
❌ Leg Days can be fatiguing.
❌ Missed workouts can cause imbalances
❌ Typically longer workout sessions
My thoughts:
If you consistently miss a couple of days or find yourself less motivated as the week goes on, this split could result in an imbalance.
However, sticking to compound lifts and targeting the upper and lower body on different days can still yield great results.
Body-Part Specific Split
This training split focuses on individual muscle groups each day.
This split is typically more advanced and ideal for those who can commit to more frequent gym sessions and want to target each muscle group in depth.
Here's how it works:
Day 1: Chest
Focus on chest exercises such as bench presses, dumbbell presses, and flies.
Day 2: Back
Target back muscles with rows, pull-ups, and pulldowns.
Day 3: Shoulders
Dedicate this day to shoulder presses, lateral raises, and rear delt work.
Day 4: Legs
Emphasize your quads, hamstrings, and glutes with squats, lunges, and leg presses.
Day 5: Arms
Split into biceps and triceps exercises like curls, triceps extensions, and dips.
Day 6: Core & Optional Accessory Work
Work your abs, obliques, and lower back; you can also include light cardio or focus on any lagging areas.
Day 7: Rest or Active Recovery
Allow your body time to recuperate with complete rest or active recovery like stretching or yoga.
Typical weekly setup:
Monday: Chest
Tuesday: Back
Wednesday: Shoulders
Thursday: Legs
Friday: Arms
Saturday: Core & Accessory Work
Sunday: Rest/Active Recovery
Pros of this split:
✔ Maximizes focus and volume on each muscle group.
✔ Great for hypertrophy and muscle definition.
✔ Easier recovery between workouts since muscle groups don’t overlap much.
Potential Challenges:
❌ Typically requires training six days per week
❌ Requires sufficient recovery and proper nutrition to support each muscle growth.
❌ Scheduling Flexibility - If you miss a session, you might have to rearrange the order of muscle groups to avoid imbalances.
This body-part-specific approach allows for a strong focus on each muscle group, but you should adjust the plan according to your schedule and recovery needs.
My thoughts:
As a beginner, odds are you aren’t too concerned with targeting specific body parts.
Splitting training days into body-part-centric days becomes useful once you become competent in most compound movements, have a solid grasp on the concepts of muscle growth and strength, and are looking to push yourself to a more advanced level.
A whole day dedicated to a single body part may seem like an obvious answer. Still, recovery time can get prolonged, odds of injury increase if you’re not used to lifting regularly, and it takes 5-6 days per week to hit a well-rounded split this way. Hence, it’s generally not recommended for beginners.
Full-Body Split
A full-body workout split is an excellent choice for beginners, busy individuals, or anyone who wants to train efficiently without spending too many days in the gym.
This split focuses on working all major muscle groups in each session while allowing enough rest for recovery.
Here's how it works:
Instead of isolating specific muscle groups each day, full-body workouts target multiple muscle groups in a single session with compound movements (like squats, deadlifts, presses and pulls).
Typical weekly setup (3-day workout):
Monday: Full-Body Workout
Squats (Legs)
Bench Press (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps)
Bent-Over Rows (Back, Biceps)
Plank or Core Work
Wednesday: Full-Body Workout
Deadlifts (Back, Legs)
Overhead Press (Shoulders, Triceps)
Pull-Ups or Lat Pulldown (Back, Biceps)
Hanging Leg Raises (Core)
Friday: Full-Body Workout
Lunges or Leg Press (Legs)
Dumbbell Chest Press (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps)
Dumbbell Rows or Seated Cable Rows (Back, Biceps)
Russian Twists (Core)
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday & Sunday: Rest or Active Recovery
Light cardio, stretching, yoga, or mobility work
Pros of this split:
✔ Efficient – Works all major muscle groups in fewer sessions.
✔ Builds a solid strength and movement patterns foundation, making it great for beginners.
✔ Provides a lot of freedom within each workout & is easy to adjust based on your schedule.
✔ Higher frequency per muscle group.
It also allows more chances to work on compound movements, which is generally the best way to get familiar with your body and build a well-rounded physique in the gym.
Potential Challenges:
❌ Workouts can be longer since multiple muscle groups are trained in each session.
❌ Recovery can be challenging if not managed correctly.
❌ May not provide enough volume per muscle group for advanced lifters focused on hypertrophy.
This split is perfect for those with a busy schedule or anyone looking for a well-balanced, effective training plan without spending too much time in the gym.
It also allows more chances to work on compound movements, which is generally the best way to get familiar with your body and build a well-rounded physique in the gym.
Well, like many answers, that depends on where you are in your journey.
If you are a beginner and brand new to the gym, pick a split that you feel will keep you motivated on days you don’t want to come in.
If you hate leg days, and that is the catch in your program that keeps you from coming in, maybe stick to the PPL split. If you want to feel balanced, choose a full-body split 2-3x a week.
Studies demonstrated that the volume at which you hit your muscles is the most important factor.
The equation can be thought of as volume + rest = growth.
You can’t have rest and still get growth, but you also can’t have only volume with no rest programmed in.
According to a study, Full Body and Split-Body programs work about the same.
“Fifty resistance untrained women were pair-matched according to baseline strength and randomized to either a full-body (FB) routine that trained all of the major muscle groups in one session twice per week, or a split-body program (SPLIT) that performed 4 weekly sessions (2 upper body and 2 lower body).
Both groups performed the same exercises and weekly number of sets and repetitions… Study outcomes included maximal strength, muscle mass, jump height and power output… This study did not show any benefits for split-body resistance-training program compared to full-body resistance training program on measures of maximal- and explosive muscle strength and muscle mass.” (Pedersen, H. 2022)
A separate study had similar findings.
“Sixty-seven untrained subjects were randomized to one of two groups: Split Workout Routine… in which muscle groups were trained twice per week in an A/B split consisting of eight sets per session, or Full-Body Workout Routine… in which muscle groups were trained four times per week with four and eight sets per session… Resistance training twice or four times per week has similar effects on neuromuscular adaptation, provided the weekly set volume is equal.” (Evangelista,2021).
On average, a good workout will take no more than 60-75 minutes, including a warm-up.
Consistent time in the gym is the most sure-fire key to success and programming a split is no different when it comes to setting yourself up for success.
No matter what, you do have to commit to showing up:
→ when you don’t want to
→ when schedules conflict
→ when you are just not in it that day.
Whatever training split you end up committing to will require effort and dedication.
At the end of the day, the biggest element that matters is making sure you’re hitting your muscles with enough volume for muscle growth (2-4x per week) and resting in between the volume.
No program should come before what your body tells you.
If you are supposed to do a lower body day, and you’re still insanely sore from a lower body day from earlier in the week, maybe it’s a sign to address your program and taper it back.
No training split should have zero rest days, and any that does is the most likely one that will be headed for injury.
Conclusion:
Beginners may benefit the most from full-body workouts.
As you get more advanced, you can begin to pick and choose how to isolate muscle groups, minimize soreness, and break down what you want to focus on (so comes in the term “bodybuilding” - you get to BUILD your body with the intention and volume you put on your exercises).
Sources:
Evangelista AL, Braz TV, La Scala Teixeira CV, Rica RL, Alonso AC, Barbosa WA, Reis VM, Baker JS, Schoenfeld BJ, Bocalini DS, Greve JMD. Split or full-body workout routine: which is best to increase muscle strength and hypertrophy? Einstein (Sao Paulo). 2021 Aug 30