I stopped doing
body part split workouts and lately do more crossfit type workouts and full body circuits.
I do not recommend doing
body part split routines like Max OT when cutting.
I started on a conventional
body part split back in the 80s, tried double split training, Arnold - style training, HIT, Heavy Duty, full body workouts, upper lower splits, and so on.
If you are performing
a body part split workout, it's quite easy.
To maximise hypertrophy train in
a body part split fashion.
While most people who follow designated
body part split workouts tend to perform deadlifts on leg day, I actually like adding them to my back day so I can focus my training around one compound lift every day of the week.
In fact, I would argue that the typical single -
body part split routines are focusing 80 % of energy on the exercises that cause only 20 % of the results — which is the exact OPPOSITE of what you should be doing.
Deciding between doing
body part split workouts or full body workouts can be a tricky decision for most people starting a fitness program.
A training plan that follows
a body part split focuses on training just one major body part per session, e.g. chest on Monday, back on Tuesday etc... You may also bolt on a smaller muscle group to those workouts; combining chest with triceps and back with biceps is fairly common (if your not sure what a training split is check out this article: Training Splits Explained).
A body part split will not be very effective unless you have already built a solid foundation of muscle over a number of years.
Hitting legs twice a week also means you're performing big lifts more often, which will boost testosterone, build more muscle and burn more fat than a traditional
body part split.
[1] Here's why
a body part split is ineffective for building muscle & burning fat:
Forget about the 6 - day a week
body part split muscle building routines that emphasize a different body part every day of the week.
Brad did
a body part split where he would only work one muscle group a day.
I made the switch from a typical
body part split to an upper / lower split years ago and won't be switching back any time soon.
or «I have a subscription to a bunch of bodybuilding / fitness magazines and every routine the pros or trainers ever recommend is always in the form of
a body part split similar to what you just mentioned.»
Unfortunately, at the end of the article describing his high volume
body part split, they leave out the disclaimer that should say «Oh, and don't forget to use a ton of drugs like this dude did.»
Your next thought may be something along the lines of «But bodybuilder so - and - so uses a similar
body part split, and he's huge!»
The body part split is not ideal for about 90 % of the population.
Does that mean
the body part split mentioned above (or anything similar) doesn't work unless you have super duper genetics or are using some form of «assistance?»
I'd argue that the vast majority of people should follow an upper / lower body split, even those bodybuilders who tend to prefer
a body part split (back day, arm day, etc).
Another workout programming change to consider making is swapping out
your body part split workout for a full body plan instead.
It's really simple: the regular
body part split training program doesn't make the best use of your real muscle - building potential.
A body part split refers to a training plan that focuses on training one specific major group of muscles per session.
Body part split routines are a thing of the bodybuilding past that don't develop functional muscle and ultimately lead to injuries in most folks.
Remember, only advanced lifters benefit from standard
body part split routines — after they spend a lot of time building a solid muscle foundation, they progress to perfecting their physique with the help of targeted development.
I personally program an ideal 5x / week with a movement and
body part split that has been popularized in my 12 - Week Functional Hypertrophy Training program.
Many people are using
body part split workouts, yet they don't understand that they are still putting enormous stress on the CNS (Central Nervous System) every time they workout.
Of course, not all people are that clueless, however, your average recreational lifter still thinks that the optimal methods to build muscle and lose fat are by doing the standard bodybuilding
body part split routines, increasing time under tension and using food supplements.
In fact, skip
the body part splits altogether, and focus on whole - body, compound lifts.
Lifting weights a few times a week is also a must — you don't need complicated
body part splits, either.
While single
body part splits can work (giving a body part its own dedicated day), research has shown that natural lifters respond best when hitting a muscle group multiple times per week.
They are not supposed to do endless amounts of sets of isolation exercises and
body part splits.
Avoid
body part splits like the plague.
Here's who
body part splits tend to work the best for... drug users and those with well above average genetics.
However, some guys swear by
body part splits such as Max OT, which involve training each muscle 1x / week with an entire workout dedicated to obliterating each major muscle group.
Body part splits involve hitting one or two muscle groups per workout, 5 + days per week.
Not exact matches
How do you know that this wasn't
part of God's judgment for
splitting up the Christian
body through denominations, creating structures that we call «church» and creating doctrine that isn't even biblical?
Much more recently Eldridge Cleaver has pointed out that the
splitting tendency in American culture, which we have traced back to the early Puritans, tended to make the white man a mind without a
body and the black man a
body without a mind.20 Only when the white man comes to respect his own
body, to accept it as
part of himself, will he be able to accept the black man's mind and treat him as something other than the living symbol of what he has rejected in himself.
Given our love affair with technology and the mind /
body split that is
part of health in the United States and birth in particular, it's little wonder that our C - section rate is now a whopping 33 percent.
With this method, you
split up the training of different
body parts on different days during the week.
I also suggest performing low repetition sets of the
split squats as often as you can — for example sets of five between upper
body exercises or as
part of your warm up.
For my own workouts, I prefer following a
body -
part split and then having days on which I'll go on a long run at a moderate pace or do intervals on the stair mill.
Now, in hope to reap those perks, some people use a training
split system, believing that it provides with the best chance to train each
body part with all the attention it requires to grow.
Traditionally, bodybuilders use training
splits to target each
body part with all the love it needs to grow.
To indemnify against days on the sideline, try
splitting workouts between
body parts.
Simply put,
split training allows you to divide workouts up between different
body parts on different days.
Adding in cardio / bootcamp / sprinting are also important and must be taken into consideration when creating
splits but if your goal is to grow in a «physique like manner» you must focus on specific
body parts and isolate.
This routine is not a
split routine, which means you will work all
body parts at one time.
If it's once or twice a week, go with a full
body routine because you need to maximise your workouts in the limited time you will be there.If you go 3 or more times a week,
split your workouts because it will give your
body time to recover while allowing you to train other
body parts.If you
split your routines and don't workout enough, you might only be working
part of your
body once a week and that's not enough to see gains.Full
body workouts are great for building functional strength, mimicking real life movements and having a cardio workout at the same time.