Doing something is better than nothing. This is a true statement when it comes to ones fitness. Walking around the block is always going to be better than sitting on the couch. Going to the gym even twice a week is better than nothing at all. In an ideal, perfect world we are all being active to some degree every single day. But life isn’t always perfect and our time is limited between work, family, and other obligations. A busy life shouldn’t mean we give up on our fitness altogether. It’s important to make the most of our situation. There is no one magic way to workout, or super special routine that works better than all others. The best workouts are the ones you can do consistently. I always recommend starting with a fitness program you can stick with time and frequency wise versus over committing and getting burned out. Then as the results start coming and motivation rises you can always increase your activity. Consistency is more important then trying to go all out and do everything perfectly. It doesn’t matter if you workout six times a week at an hour each session for 3 months then quit. I’d rather see you workout three times a week at 30 minutes for the rest of your life.
When it comes to working out and deciding what parts of the body to work and on what days, there are lots of options. This concept of working specific muscle groups on certain days is called a ‘Split’. You are splitting up the body into either upper body, lower body, or even more specifically like chest, back, or arms. I am going to share some of the most common types of splits as well as a few of my personal favorites. It’s a good idea to change your ‘Split’ up every now and then for variety. I have the splits arranged by how many days you are able to workout in a week. These are definitely not all the possibilities. There really are no rules to designing splits, but do allow for muscle groups to rest and then find what works best for your body.
Two Days: If you are only able to workout two days a week options are limited and I would suggest doing full body workouts. Concentrate on the bigger muscle groups like legs, chest, and back to get the most out of your time. Try and add a third day if possible as soon as possible. It would be best to space these two workouts throughout the week. Try to do some basic cardio on other days if possible.
Day 1: Full Body
Day 2: Full Body
Three Days: Try to do some cardio on a few more days if possible.
Option 1: Continue working the full body each session. Have a rest day between each workout.
Day 1: Full Body
Day 2: Full Body
Day 3: Full Body
Option 2: We can do a basic split and spend more time with specific parts of the body. These workouts can be done with a rest day between them, but also back to back since they are working different parts of the body.
Day 1: Legs (full lower body)
Day 2: Push (chest, triceps, shoulders)
Day 3: Pull (back, biceps)
Four Days:
Option 1:
Day 1: Upper Body
Day 2: Lower Body
Day 3: Upper Body
Day 4: Lower Body
Option 2:
Day 1: Chest & Biceps
Day 2: Legs
Day 3: Back, Traps, Abs
Day 4: Shoulders & Triceps
Option 3:
Day 1: Chest & Back
Day 2: Legs
Day 3: Triceps & Biceps
Day 4: Shoulders, Traps, Abs
Five Days:
Option 1:
Day 1: Legs (quad focus)
Day 2: Back & Biceps
Day 3: Chest, Shoulders, Abs
Day 4: Legs (hamstring and calves focus)
Day 5: Back & Triceps
Option 2:
Day 1: Back & ‘Weak Point Training”*
Day 2: Chest & Abs
Day 3: Legs
Day 4: Shoulders & abs
Day 5: Arms & ‘Weak Point Training’*
*Focus on lagging or weak muscle groups.
Option 3:
Day 1: Chest & Abs
Day 2: Back & Forearms
Day 3: Legs
Day 4: Shoulders, Traps, Abs
Day 5: Biceps & Triceps
Six Days:
Option 1: This is a highly popular Legs/Push/Pull split
Day 1: Legs
Day 2: Push (Chest, Triceps, Shoulders)
Day 3: Pull (Back & Biceps)
Day 4: Legs
Day 5: Push (Chest, Triceps, Shoulders)
Day 6: Pull (Back & Biceps)
Day 7: Rest
Option 2: This is a variation of Option 1.
Day 1: Back, Triceps, Shoulders
Day 2: Chest & Biceps
Day 3: Legs
Day 4: Back, Triceps, Shoulders
Day 5: Chest & Biceps
Day 6: Legs
Day 7: Rest
*All five day splits above and then add a 6th Home Abs & HIIT cardio workout.
Tips to choosing the best split for you:
- Consistency: Consider what days and time frames that would enable you to be most consistent.
- Weak Areas: Design your split to work your personal weak areas early in the week and first in the
line-up of muscle groups. Hit that weak area when you are most focused and have energy. - Recovery: Whatever split you choose be sure each muscle group and your body in general has time to recover and heal.
- Change When Necessary: If you find yourself running out of gas with more work to do consider moving that muscle group that gets left behind to another day.
Michael Wittig, ISSA CPT
IPE Natural Pro 3x Champ
Master World Champion
Fitmark Athlete
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