Upper/lower body split question

Kimblesnbits13 · April 2017

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 · April 2017

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 · April 2017

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 · April 2017

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 · April 2017

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 · April 2017

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

Upper/lower body split question

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