Choosing the Right Workout Split for YOU

Throughout my journey, I've tried many different workouts, mainly focusing on weightlifting, so that's what I'll be talking on now. I will go into other types of workouts in future posts, but I have to start somewhere, so let's get to it.

First, let's talk a bit about the terminology I'll be using in this article. If you're experienced and already know about these, feel free to skip down below. Weightlifting programs are often called "splits." Splits are essentially the kind of workout plan you use to focus on the body parts you want, depending on your goals. There are many different kinds of splits, but I'll get more into that later. Once you've decided on your split, you'll need to split it up into different exercises, and there we can talk about volume. Volume is how much of each exercise you're doing, split into sets and repetitions. Repetitions, or "reps" is how many times you perform a given exercise, in a single set. A "set" is one group of reps you perform of that exercise.

Alright, now that we have that out of the way, let's get into the main point. There are so many different workout splits, such as Push Pull Legs, the "Bro" split, Upper/Lower, etc. It can certainly become overwhelming with all of this information just being thrown at you. I prefer a mix of two, but we'll get into that at the end. First, let me explain some of the most popular splits online.

Starting with Push Pull Legs, also known as PPL, this is a solid start for any beginner, as it covers every muscle group in just three days a week. Push refers to the muscles you use to push, so your chest, triceps, and shoulders. Pull also refers to what you pull with, being your back, biceps, and forearms. Legs should be self explanatory. PPL is widely accepted as one of the best, as it's very customizable to fit your needs. Want to focus on your upper body more? Make it a five-day split, push, pull, legs, push, pull. Want to focus on your lower body more? Push, pull, legs, rest, legs. PPL is a part of my personal split, and I highly recommend it. It's what I started with, and I imagine I'll be at least implementing it into all of my splits from here on.

Another common one is the "Bro" split. Bro split focuses on one muscle group per day, allowing you to really push that specific group to the absolute limits. A common set up is chest, then back, then arms, then shoulders, then legs. If you wish to focus more on legs, you could also split legs into two separate days. For example, do a more quad-focused leg day at the beginning of the week, then a more glute-focused leg day sometime later. It's a common opinion that the Bro split doesn't allow you enough volume per muscle group, experts saying it's better to hit each muscle group at least twice per week. If you only have 30-45 minutes to get into the gym, Bro split could be right for you, but I've personally never tried this one.

Next is the Upper/Lower split, which is also self explanatory given the name. On Upper day, you focus on your upper body, cramming more muscle groups into a single day than most other splits. On Lower day, you obviously focus on your lower body, or your legs and glutes. This is a solid choice, given research that suggests lower volume higher intensity is better for muscle growth anyway. Upper Lower is also highly customizable, allowing you to potentially doing two,four, or even six workouts per week, although I'd suggest keeping it at four or below, as six days a week, especially starting out, can lead to burn out. Upper Lower is also a part of my personal split, and is especially useful to those who can only make it to the gym two times per week.

Another popular one that has similar benefits to Upper/Lower, is the Full Body split. This involves working every muscle group in one day, multiple times throughout the week. The main benefit of this one is that it reduces the amount of times you really need to go to the gym on a weekly basis, many people only going two or three times per week. It's a solid option for those with very busy schedules, but maybe not the best if you're chasing a bodybuilder's physique. Not to say you won't see gains using this split, but dividing your focus to every muscle group every workout is bound to have lacking results on the muscles you hit last, as you've already spent a lot of energy earlier in the workout.

There are even more you can find online, and if none of these feel right for you, I implore you to do your own research and find something that fits best. This all depends on your goals. If you want the most science-based, excruciatingly precise workout split, this is the wrong place for you. If you do want that, I suggest watching Jeff Nippard's videos on YouTube. He is an excellent source of information, and makes entertaining videos on top of that.

Now, as I promised, I'll go further into detail about my own personal workout split, and can provide an even more in depth view if you need. Feel free to shoot me an email from the bottom of the page, and I can get you a spreadsheet with my entire workout split, exercises, sets, and reps included. As I mentioned before, my split is a mix of PPL and Upper/Lower, a 5 day split. It goes as follows: Push, Pull, Legs, rest, Upper, Lower, rest. This split works for me personally, allowing me to get decent volume for all my muscle groups, and fits the time I have available during the week. It won't work for everyone, but I urge you to try out mixing different splits, just play with it until you have something that's right for you.