The Best Split... For You!

 Wherever you look, and whoever you ask, they will all say that there is one workout split that beats all the rest. 

 

Fortunately, this is not true! 

 

The best workout split will depend entirely on you!



What is a split?

 

A split is just a way of deciding what muscles/aspects of fitness you will train on a specific day. You'll likely have heard of leg day - which is just one day in a split when you work legs. And there are all manner of splits out there:

  • Push, Pull, Legs.
  • Chest and Tri's, Back and Bi's. 
  • Chest day, Back day,  Leg day, Arm day, Core day. 

 

And while each split has its own advantages, these are only really realised by more elite athletes (or anyone who goes to the gym about 10 times per week). Who, realistically, has time for that?

 

For most people, myself included, I recommend full body sessions. Full body sessions are perfect for if you are short on time, or have unstable schedules, and they are still extremely versatile. 

Why do I recommend these?

 

Studies have shown that you are more likely to see results if you train each muscle group multiple times per week. And completing three full body sessions each week, you have trained each muscle three times that week.  And, yes, a chest specific day would allow you 4 or 5 exercises on the chest, however these exercises will decrease in quality and intensity as you fatigue, and will often lead to overtraining very quickly. 

 

Which leads us onto recovery periods. A full body session can result in less recovery time before your next session, so your next session can be equally as intense. 

 

A full body session also allows for more versatility and inclusion of other training methods. Perhaps, you could chuck in a circuit session to improve endurance and cardiovascular fitness, or a yoga session to increase strength and flexibility, or a HIIT class to increase cardiovascular fitness and build new relationships with others. 

 

But, one of the best reasons, is balance. Muscular imbalances can be detrimental to posture, and therefore affect your training, lifestyle, and overall health. This means, if you aim to split your workouts into muscle groups, each session must be balanced, with the same amount of exercises and intensity.

So, if you have an off day (who doesn't), or regularly miss a workout for any reason, you could begin to develop muscular imbalances. A full body session means that even if you only train once a week, or just are not feeling your programme that day, you have trained all muscles in a balanced manner.

 

Obviously, this is not for everyone, and if you are able to train a lot more each week, or have specific goals which require more focus on specific body parts or sport specific performance then you may be better off using a different split. 

 



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