Upper/lower body split question

Kimblesnbits13

For those who lift an upper body day and a lower body day, how many exercises of each upper body part do you do? I know there's different parts of each muscle and all that but if I want to hit back, bis, shoulders, chest and tris in a day how would you do it without spending hours in the gym? Is one lift or exercise per muscle group enough to maintain my mass (heavyish reps 3 sets of 8 to 10?)

usmcmp

I would pick a workout that has a split and see how you like it. There are usually a few different set ups. I wouldn't go about making up my own.

My favorite split is:
Lower (quad focus)
Chest and back
Rest
Lower (hamstring focus)
Chest, shoulders, triceps
Back and biceps

TR0berts

Kimblesnbits13 wrote: »

For those who lift an upper body day and a lower body day, how many exercises of each upper body part do you do? I know there's different parts of each muscle and all that but if I want to hit back, bis, shoulders, chest and tris in a day how would you do it without spending hours in the gym? Is one lift or exercise per muscle group enough to maintain my mass (heavyish reps 3 sets of 8 to 10?)

For back and bis: rows and/or chin/pullups (or lat pulldowns, if you can't do bodyweight)

For shoulders, chest, and tris: bench - flat and/or incline.

Give the programs listed here a look: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

There are some Upper/Lower splits in there, as well as some Full Body routines that'll get you in and out in less than an hour.

JonDrees

Kimblesnbits13 wrote: »

For those who lift an upper body day and a lower body day, how many exercises of each upper body part do you do? I know there's different parts of each muscle and all that but if I want to hit back, bis, shoulders, chest and tris in a day how would you do it without spending hours in the gym? Is one lift or exercise per muscle group enough to maintain my mass (heavyish reps 3 sets of 8 to 10?)

I think it's better to select exercises based on movements, not whether it's targeting a certain muscle.

So you might pick 1-3 exercises that are knee dominate and 1-3 exercises that are hip dominate for your lower body day. For upper body, you would pick 1-3 pushing exercises and 1-3 pulling exercises.

To go a little more in-depth, you would also make sure you are working those motions in different planes (ex: 1-2 horizontal pulling motions, 1-2 vertical pulling motions).

Feel free to message me if you have questions.

AnvilHead

Here's an example of a well-balanced upper/lower split routine (one which I've been running for several months now): http://forums.lylemcdonald.com/showthread.php?t=1696

It's one of the routines listed in the thread linked above by TR0berts and has a good balance of upper/lower, compound/isolation, push/pull and vertical/horizontal plane movements. It also has progression and deloads built in, as a sensible routine should.

[ETA:] I'd echo @usmcmp 's advice to not try building your own routine without a solid understanding of workout routine design. Many people try and they most often come up with routines that are, shall we say, less than optimal.

rybo

Keep the movements grouped. Vertical push, vertical pull, horizontal push, horizontal pull etc. Depending on time, and other factors, there are a lot of different ways you can do it. Best to not try and come up with your own