Workout Splits – How to Organise Training Sessions Throughout the Week?

What most exercisers who are just starting to achieve their fitness goals are interested in is how to schedule exercises during the week.

Am I allowed to train every day? How to schedule the exercises if I can only go twice a week, and what if I train three times or four times? Should I do upper and lower body on the same day, and can I do legs one day at a time? These are just some of the questions people often look for answers to online. The best way to be sure your training is planned in the best way possible is to work out with a professional personal trainer who will consider your fitness goals, free time, and lifestyle.

What is a Workout Split?

A workout split is a practical way of organizing your training sessions by dividing exercises across different days based on muscle groups, movement patterns, or goals a person is trying to achieve.

Instead of training your entire body in every workout or doing a mix of random exercises every day, a workout split is a perfect solution. It allows you to focus on specific areas each day. Your workouts will become more efficient once you do a well-planned list of exercises for each training day.

It’s easier to recover after training, and your muscles will activate in the right way during each exercise.

Full Body Workout Split

This is a simple workout split for exercisers who don’t have much free time, as well as for beginners. There’s no need for complex training plans with a mix of different exercises, because you will train a bit of every muscle group on the same day.

Here’s an example of how your full-body workout could look if you choose to train three days per week.

Upper-Lower Workout Split

Upper–Lower workout split is a way of organising training where you separate your sessions into two groups: one for the upper body and one for the lower body. Instead of performing each exercise on each training, this split will help you train each muscle group twice a week with fuller focus and faster muscle growth. You will have enough time for the recovery of each muscle group.

Here’s an example of how your full-body workout could look if you choose to train four days per week.

Push Pull Legs (PPL) Splits

Push Pull Legs (PPL)  plan is based on the different types of movement you do in your training. Is it a push, a pull, or a leg activity? This type of training plan is considered to be the best workout splitfor intermediate lifters. If your goal is to gain strength and muscles fast, try PPL splits.

Push Pull Legs workout is usually done three times a week, but of course, if you wish to train harder, you can work out more often, just make sure to have a longer rest between groups of the same muscles. For example, plan one day for the push exercises for the chest, shoulders, and triceps workout : bench press, landmine press, and overhead press.

Another day should be focused on pull exercises for your back  and biceps workout. You can fill this training with deadlifts, pullups, and lat pulldowns.

For leg day, we recommend doing back squats, RDLs, and hip thrusts.

We prepared an example of how your PPL training could look if you choose to train three days per week.

Bro Split (Body Part Split)

Bro split was once a very popular way of organizing training among bodybuilders. They felt that it was best to focus on every muscle group once a week and give their maximum, and then rest the rest of the week.

Today, trainers know that it is important to train more often and with special focus on each muscle if they want to achieve the best results. That’s why we prepared a modern version of it that breaks full-body training into more specific sessions for every muscle group and is made for a 5-day workout routine.

What Workout Split is The Most Effective One?

It’s really difficult to answer this question because it mostly depends on the type of exerciser you are and the goals you’re trying to achieve. If you started lifting for the first time and want to gain strength and be healthy overall, it’s probably best to do a full-body workout and slowly step into the lifting game while training each muscle group in parallel.

On the other hand, for experienced athletes who have a specific goal, for example, growing glutes in a short amount of time, a body part (BRO) split can be a great choice.

What Are the Most Common Workout Split Mistakes?

These are just some of the training mistakes that people often make, and that can slow down progress:

• Training the same muscle on consecutive days – leave them some time to rest
• Too much volume, not enough recovery – don’t overdo your training
• Skipping leg exercises  – many male bodybuilders ignore legs and focus entirely on the upper body, which is wrong and potentially harmful. You need strong legs for overall balance and strength, and risk injuries if you keep skipping a leg day.