Split training refers to dividing weekly workout sessions or the volume of exercises into separate days to focus on individual elements. Some examples include full-body or push/pull/leg splits.
Workout splits often organize workouts by different muscle groups or regions to maximize the energy, output, and strength of a certain muscle.
When it comes to weight training, the major muscle groups are:
- Upper body: chest, back, shoulders, and abdominals
- Lower body: quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves
Exercises can target the smaller muscles within these major muscle groups, but trainers will often use these groups to build a structured workout split. This may include the full-body split and the upper/lower body split.
Another common workout split is the push/pull/legs split. This organizes workouts by muscle movement patterns rather than by specific muscles.
Regardless of the workout split you choose, it’s important to eat a balanced diet and give your muscles enough time to recover between each workout. This could help prevent injury and maximize your weight training efforts.
Keep reading to learn more about the benefits of workout splits and the most common types, so you can choose one to try based on your own goals and experience.
Splitting up your training throughout the week has several benefits, including maximizing strength and hypertrophy while minimizing your risk of injury.
Rest and recovery
A key aspect of split workout routines is giving your muscles enough time to recover.
Experts recommend allowing muscles to recover for 48 hours between each workout. So, if you train one muscle group on Monday evening, it’s best to wait until Wednesday evening to train it again.
The most common workout splits factor in this 48-hour rest period, but in different ways.
For example, the full-body split focuses on training all muscle groups in one session. If you do a workout on Monday, then you can do it again on Wednesday, then Friday, and so on.
The upper/lower split focuses on training the upper body and lower body muscles in separate workouts. If you train your upper body on a Monday, the muscles will rest during your lower body workout the following day.
Maximize strength during your workout
A split workout could help you better target certain muscles or movements when you feel fresh and energized at the beginning of a workout.
Research shows that exercise order affects performance over multiple sets. This means you might not be able to train a second movement as hard as your first one.
For example, if you squat before bench pressing, you may not get the most out of your bench press.
If you want to maximize full-body strength, try different exercises on separate days. Instead of doing a bench press following a squat on the same day, do the bench press first on one day and the squat first on a different day.
Exercise variety
A workout split routine can allow you to incorporate different exercises during the week that target a specific body part. For example, if you train biceps twice weekly, you can do hammer curls one day and preacher curls the other.
This may add variety to your weekly sessions while helping you target different parts of a muscle and increase your range of motion.
Sticking to a weekly routine
Having a workout split is a great way to incorporate exercise into your weekly routine and, most importantly, to stick with it.
For instance, if you have 30 minutes of exercise time on 4 to 7 days weekly, you might consider training your upper body on 2 days and your lower body on 2 days.
On the other hand, if you only have 2 or 3 days to exercise but longer periods, then a full-body split might be the best option for you.
Whichever option works for you, you’re likely to see results, so long as you stay consistent.
This is the simplest split. It involves training all your muscles 2 or 3 days per week, with at least 1 full day of recovery between each workout.
A full-body split may be a good option for you if:
- you’re new to weightlifting
- you only have a few days a week to lift weights
- you’re supplementing other types of exercise (like playing sports) with one or two weekly weightlifting sessions
Hitting your whole body several times per week with compound exercises that work multiple muscles at a time can be both taxing and strengthening.
A
PRO LIST
- introduces you to the habit of working out for a few days weekly and creating consistency
- helps you pick a few compound exercises and focus on improving them
- less likely to have major muscle imbalances if you miss or postpone a day
- great for people looking to work out 2 or 3 days per week
CON LIST
- harder to add more exercises or sets per muscle group, as you risk extending the workout time or adding too much volume
- harder to prioritize any one muscle group, while also trying to target everything with broad strokes
- you may want to train more than one to three times per week, which might not allow enough time for recovery
Example:
3-day split
Perform 1 movement per body part with 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps.
- Day 1: full body routine
- Day 2: rest
- Day 3: full body routine
- Day 4: rest
- Day 5: full body routine
- Day 6: rest
- Day 7: rest
If you’re on a time crunch, consider trying supersets. These involve performing one set of two exercises back to back before taking a rest. So, one set of bench press followed by one set of split squats creates one superset.
Supersets can help you achieve similar strength and hypertrophy gains as single-exercise sets, while spending less time in the gym.
With this split, you train your upper body on one day, followed by your lower body the next time you train. Then, you repeat the process.
This can be a 4-day split where you take a rest day in between cycles. Or, you can make it a 6-day split where you repeat upper and lower sessions before taking a rest day.
PRO LIST
- may be more effective if you have less time to work out per session
- may lead to less fatigue than a full-body split
- has the simplicity of a full-body split, but allows you to train more frequently
- allows you to include more volume and targeted exercises per session, if you wish
- a flexible split that allows you to make it a 2, 4, or 6 days-per-week routine, depending on your exercise and recovery needs
CON LIST
- You may not have enough time to fully stimulate all the muscles in your upper or lower body in each session, and you may also have a hard time recovering. This is especially likely if you choose a 6-day version.
4-day split
Perform two movements per body part for 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 reps.
- Day 1: upper body routine
- Day 2: lower body routine
- Day 3: rest
- Day 4: upper body routine
- Day 5: lower body routine
- Day 6: rest
- Day 7: rest
6-day split
Perform two movements per body part for 3 sets of 6 to 12 reps.
- Day 1: upper body routine
- Day 2: lower body routine
- Day 3: upper body routine
- Day 4: lower body routine
- Day 5: upper body routine
- Day 6: lower body routine
- Day 7: rest
The push/pull/legs split focuses more on upper body movement patterns and the legs, rather than specific muscle groups. For example:
- Push: upper pushing body muscles like the shoulders, chest, and triceps
- Pull: upper body muscles that help with pulling, like the back, biceps, and forearms
- Legs: lower body muscles, including quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves
The push/pull/legs split is a more intermediate to advanced option than the full-body and upper/lower splits.
PRO LIST
- great for people who train 6 days weekly and have enough time to fully recover
- great split for strength athletes who want to work on specific lifts or movement weaknesses
- can really focus on individual muscle groups while being able to train them twice a week
- can add more exercises and volume to upper body workout days
- slightly more time per body part (if you train your push-dominant muscles on a Monday, you have 3 full days of rest until you work them again)
CON LIST
- may not be the best option if you don’t have that much time, or you have a tendency to miss workouts
- high volume and training frequency may be taxing on your body and mind, leading to overall fatigue
Examples:
6-day split
Perform 3 to 4 exercises incorporating the muscles involved for 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 reps.
- Day 1: push — chest, shoulders, triceps
- Day 2: pull — back, biceps, forearms
- Day 3: legs — quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves
- Day 4: push — chest, shoulders, triceps
- Day 5: pull — back, biceps, forearms
- Day 6: legs — quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves
- Day 7: rest
Push/pull split
Some people choose to incorporate specific leg exercises that follow the push/pull movement patterns for more specific full-body workouts. For example:
- Push: include lower-body squat movements like squats, leg extensions, and calf raises
- Pull: include lower-body pulling or hinge movements like deadlifts and hamstring curls
Alternatively, you can split your leg days into squat- and hinge-specific days. Perform 3 to 4 exercises incorporating the muscles involved for 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 reps:
- Day 1: push — chest, shoulders, triceps
- Day 2: squat — quads, calves
- Day 3: pull — back, biceps, forearms
- Day 4: hinge — glutes, hamstrings, abs
- Day 5: rest
With this split, you focus on one or two body parts per day, training them only once per week.
According to the National Academy of Sports Medicine, it’s sometimes referred to as the “bro split.” This means its purported benefits are taken at face value, although the research may not support it.
This program may involve 5 or 6 training days, depending on whether you train legs on one or two days.
This may be great for someone who wants to focus mainly on hypertrophy. A small 2021 study determined that while full-body programs are better at improving strength, a split program like this one was better for stimulating muscle growth.
You can pick a variety of movements and add a lot of volume per session, completely fatiguing specific body parts.
It may also be a great option to correct a specific muscle group imbalance.
PRO LIST
- target specific muscles with as much volume as you need for that group, without the workout taking over an hour
- building muscle size (hypertrophy)
CON LIST
- you can’t miss any workouts, or you risk throwing your training out of balance
- hard to isolate a single muscle, especially with compound movements, as muscles work synergistically (for example, if you train shoulders on Wednesday with pressing movements, you will also activate the triceps, so if you train arms on Thursday, you may not be fully recovered)
Examples:
5-day split
Perform 4 to 5 exercises incorporating the muscles involved for 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 15 reps.
- Day 1: chest
- Day 2: back
- Day 3: shoulders
- Day 4: rest
- Day 5: legs
- Day 6: arms
- Day 7: rest
6-day split
Perform 4 to 5 exercises incorporating the muscles involved, 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 15 reps
- Day 1: chest
- Day 2: quads/calves
- Day 3: back
- Day 4: shoulders
- Day 5: hamstrings/lower back
- Day 6: arms
- Day 7: rest
All of these options can be effective. Yet, the most important thing to consider is which one feels right for you, and which one can you stick with. You may find this out through trial and error.
If you’re newer to lifting weights or only have 2 to 3 days weekly to exercise, consider trying the full-body split.
After that, if you decide to add a few more days in the gym, try out the upper/lower split. Then, if you want to extend it to 6 days, you can incorporate the push/pull/leg routine or the individual body parts split.
A 2018 review concluded that in terms of strength, anywhere between 2 and 5 days per week can provide the same results, so long as the total volume is the same.
So, if your goal is to generally get stronger, the best split is likely the one that fits your schedule.
Here are a few tips to help you design a split routine:
- Recovery: It’s important to recover between sessions. If you’re doing a 4- or 6-day routine and don’t recover a body part before it’s time to train it again, lower your volume per session or switch to a program with more rest between training the same muscle.
- Strength: If you want to focus on strength, try either the full-body split or the push/pull/legs split to get lots of exposure to compound movements.
- Legs: If you often forget to train legs — or purposely skip them — try doing the full-body routine to make sure you consistently hit all body parts.
- Abs: If you want to add abdominal-specific training into your split, aim to add it to whichever day is the least fatiguing for the rest of your body.
- Seek guidance: If you’re unsure how to get started or which program may best suit your lifestyle, preferences, and goals, consider seeking professional guidance from a personal trainer.
Split routines are a type of comprehensive strength training program that targets all the muscles in your body.
There are lots of great ways to split up your routine.
Choose the one that fits your schedule and that you enjoy the most. For instance, if you like training 6 days a week and can properly recover from that stimulus, go for it.
On the flip side, if you only have 2 or 3 days to hit the gym, that can work equally well by doing a full-body split.
No matter which option you choose, consistency over time is the primary driver of long-term results from your training program.