Switch Up Your Workout Style! – The Guide to Split Training

The idea of planning your fitness routines can seem long and complicated…luckily, there are training methods which can help to add a clear structure to your workout approach, without the compromise of not targeting your whole body!

A great example of a training style that offers structure whilst allowing you to effectively target all body parts is “split training’.

Let’s take a look at what it actually is, how it can be useful for you and how you can incorporate it into your fitness lifestyle!

A Rundown On The Basics

Split training is a resistance-based training style which breaks up workouts by movement patterns or muscle groups with selected movements and muscles being trained on separate days.

For example, an upper body pull day could consist of a back and biceps workout since these muscle groups work together to perform pull movements.

Split training routines commonly look at your fitness regime from a week-long or month long viewpoint.

Each workout day usually has a primary focus whereby a large muscle group is targeted (E.g., chest, back, legs) and a secondary focus which involves focusing on the smaller muscle groups (E.g., tri’s, bi’s, abs) that support the movements for the primary focus exercises - this is a great way to maximise your training through targeting muscles that work together!

Alternatively, split training can also consist of training days focusing solely on one body part, such as a workout consisting of exercises targeting only the various heads of the shoulders.

The Blueprint For Boosted Recovery

Full body workouts can be a great way to activate the whole body, however, for those of us wanting to really sculpt and target certain body parts individually, split training may just be the way forward!

Split training elevates the focus directed on a certain body part in multiple ways!

It lets us spend more time and focus on an individual area, allowing for greater activation of the muscles in that area. This means that the way a certain body part is targeted during a split routine is a lot more concentrated and intensive in comparison to hitting that same body area during a full-body routine!

Another super element of split training is that it can noticeably enhance recovery processes! Though split workouts can lead to a body area enduring greater fatigue, their structure also supports more days of recovery before that part of the body is worked on again. Having a sufficient amount of recovery time after a high intensity workout is truly one of the best ways that you can stimulate muscle repair, strength development and muscular growth!

Split training can be easily aligned to your body sculpting goals, whether they involve toning up, building muscle or losing weight. Your dreams of toning up can be supported through workouts consisting of lower weights and higher reps, whereas for those us looking to pack on some muscle, higher weights and lower reps are our recipe for progression.

And what about weight loss?

Strength training is a great way to shred the fat off your body! In comparison to cardio, the direct activation of body parts, especially through intense split training workout sessions can actually burn more calories! - making it a fantastic fat burner. Additionally, the impact of a good resistance training session can involve your body continuing to burn fat throughout the day!

Adding Split Training To Your Fitness Approach

If you wish to absorb the world of benefits that split training has on offer, then pay attention!

Split training comes in many different forms! Some great approaches and examples are provided below:

Upper/Lower-Body Split

This involves designating workout days to the 2 separate halves of your body with ideally a minimum of 48-72 hours in between training muscle groups again. An upper body push day may consist of chest, shoulder and triceps exercises whereas a lower body pull day may involve working on the hamstrings and hip flexors.

Day 1: Upper body pull (Back, Bi’s, Forearms)

Day 2: Lower-body push (Quads, Calves)

Day 3: Rest

Day 4: Upper-body push (Shoulder, Chest, Shoulders)

Day 5: Lower body pull (Hamstrings)

Day 6: Rest

Day 6: Rest

3/4/5-Day Splits

Based on how many workout days you wish to have throughout the week, you can design a varied split types. Below are some examples of a 3,4 and 5-day workout split schedule for a week!

Be Fit, Try a Split!

Split workouts are a great way to effectively structure your training routine with focus on hitting each body part and muscle group with intensity! With countless ways to create a split training routine that suits your needs and availability, it’s a truly fantastic and accessible training style for us all!