Deciding on an Exercise Split

RBillard · April 2015

Hi folks,

I'm currently attempting body recomposition by building as much lean mass as i can via lifting heavy weights. What would be the best split to accomplish this without sabotaging myself? I'm currently using a 2 day split with Push/Pull on Mondays and Tuesdays, then repeated on Thursdays and Fridays. I had planned to change this over to an Upper/Lower Split on the same schedule as i'd like to lump lower back (deadlifts) in with my leg exercises (squats).

Current Routine:

Push (45 mins)
**************
Squats x4
Calf Raises x3
Bench Presses x4
Military Presses x3
Bench Dips x3

Pull (45 mins)
**************
Barbell Deadlifts x4
Barbell Bent Rows x4
Dumbbell Rows x3
Barbell Upright Rows x3
Seated Dumbbell Curls x3

I'd like to work some Pull-ups into my backworkout as well, and another squat variation (maybe front squats) also. Would it be better for me to work a 3-day split over 6 days instead?

Thanks,
Robert

sakibihabibi · April 2015

I feel like a 5 day split is better than a 4 or 3. If you lump in most of your compound exercises in 1 day, your heavy lifts after the first one will be impaired. You will not be able to lift as heavy as possible (80% of 1RM) for that 6 rep range for all subsequent lifts. As a result you will not be able to benefit the most from your workouts

This is my training split:
Day 1: chest and calves
Day 2: back and abs
Day 3: shoulders and calves
Day 4: upper body and abs
Day 5: legs and shoulders

For day 4 upper body, I do some more bench pressing in the 8 to 10 rep range. After that it's all bicep and tricep workouts.

For Day 5, the extra shoulder workout is side and rear deltoid isolation exercises since those parts are lacking usually. I got this split from muscleforlife.com

cajuntank · April 2015

OP, are you saying you are running all of the exercises you listed on Monday, then again on Tuesday, then again on Thursday, and Friday?

RBillard · April 2015

sakibihabibi: I try to do my heavier compund movements (squats/deadlifts/benches) as early in the workout as possible to have the most energy for them. I do like the idea of a split that only has me work a bodypart once a week (ie. Mon-Upper Push, Wed - Lower Body, Fri - Upper Pull). I'd be able to hit a muscle group from more angles and more intensely.

cajuntank: no I do the Push workout on Monday and Thursday, and the Pull workout on Tuesday and Friday.

Upstate_Dunadan · April 2015

Robert,

For a 2-day split, you're hitting the best of the best, but I'd make one change. On Pull day, I'd ditch the BB upright rows since that's hitting your shoulders, which already got hit on Push day. I'd add in, like you mentioned, either pull-ups or chin-ups.

My current routine (posted on another thread recently, but it's applicable to your question) is a 6 day split (3-day split x 2), with a rest day in between the two split groups (sometimes). This week I'm feeling too good to skip a day after the first 3-day split, so I just moved on the the second. Each day also has 1 exercise super-set with speed jump rope (as many reps as possible in time noted). I go from exercise to jump rope with as much rest as it takes to walk back and forth from equipment to aerobics room (about 30 seconds) and back. It makes a nice 15 minute or so giant super-set. All days but legs take 60 minutes. Leg days take about 1 hour and 15 mins.

For me, there are just too many great exercises to squeeze them all into a 2-day or normal 3-day split. If you weren't big on adding in the HIIT cardio from jump rope, you could skip that, but that's the love/hate part of my workout

Day 1 - Chest/Triceps 1

Dumbbell Incline Bench Press, 4x10
Dumbbell One Arm Bench Press, 3x10
Smith Machine Close Grip Bench, 3x10
Cable Triceps Pushdown, 4x12 [Superset]
HIIT Jump Rope, 4 x 2min/45 sec [Superset]
Dumbbell Incline Fly, 3x10
Cable Rope Crunch, 3x20

Day 2 - Back/Bicep 1

Barbell Bent Over Row, 4x10
Close Grip Chin Up, 4x10 [Superset]
HIIT Jump Rope, 4 x 2min/45 sec [Superset]
Dumbbell One Arm Row, 3x10
Dumbbell Incline Curl, 3x10
Dumbbell Incline Hammer Curls, 3x10
Abdominal Wheel, 4x8

Day 3 - Legs/Shoulders 1

Barbell Front Squat, 5x5 [Supeset]
Barbell Stiff-Legged Deadlift, 5x5 [Supeset]
Dumbbell Walking Lunges, 5x5 [Supeset]
Seated Calf Raise, 3x10
Dumbbell Shoulder Press, 4x6
Dumbbell Lateral Raise, 4x15 [Supeset]
HIIT Jump Rope, 4 x 2min/45 sec [Superset]
Dumbbell Shoulder Shrug, 3x15

Day 4 - Rest (sometimes)

Day 5 - Chest/Triceps 2

Dumbbell Bench Press, 4x10
Dumbbell Incline One Arm Press, 3x10
Weighted Tricep Dips, 3x12
Dumbbell Seated Triceps Press, 4x12 [Supeset]
HIIT Jump Rope, 4 x 2min/45 sec [Superset]
Cable Mid Chest Crossovers, 3x12
Hanging Leg Raise, 3x15

Day 6 - Back/Bicep 2

Barbell Deadlift, 4x 6-10
Weighted Pull Ups, 4x10
HIIT Jump Rope, 4 x 2min/45 sec [Superset]
Barbell (Land-mine) Bent Over Two Arm Row, 3x10
Barbell Spider Curl, 3x10
Cable Standing Curl, 3x10

Day 7 - Legs/Shoulders 2

Barbell Squat, 4x 6-8
Bulgarian Split Squat, 4x10 [Supeset]
HIIT Jump Rope, 4 x 2min/45 sec [Superset]
Standing Calf Raises, 3x10
Barbell Shoulder Press, 4x10
Dumbbell Seated Bent Over Reverse Fly, 3x10
Cable Rope Face Pull, 3x10
Barbell Shrug, 3x10

Day 8 - Rest

Repeat

Upstate_Dunadan · April 2015

p.s. I'm working on the same thing you are - body re-composition. I'm currently at 197 lbs. Progress is slow, but that's too be expected. I'm also 45.

Also, I purposely keep squat and deadlift on different days. To me, deadlift is a back exercise, so it goes on back days. Doing both on the same day, to me, would be asking for injury since squats hit your lower back as well.

cajuntank · April 2015

5/3/1 sounds like it might be a fit for you.

Deciding on an Exercise Split

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