Sample Splits
So everyone is always looking for a good new workout schedule to follow because they’re either board with their own, or don’t know what to do, so they figure they’ll ask someone else. I figured I would share some splits that I have either used myself, or have seen other people use in the past with some success. Keep in mind that not everyone can follow these for different reasons – so go ahead and test them out, but remember to listen to what your body is trying to tell you.
The first example below is a pretty classic example of what many guys do in the gym, though the twist here is that most have a dedicated day for just arms – which is alright I suppose if you’re trying to be a body builder. Some may argue that your triceps will be cheated out of a good workout after using them for chest, and your biceps maybe cheated out of a good workout after doing back. Use trial and error to see how you progress while using this sample routine and adjust where and when needed:
Monday – chest and triceps
Tuesday – back and Biceps
Wednesday – rest
Thursday – legs and abs
Friday – shoulders
This next routine is based on the premise that your work week begins on Monday, and you always want to get the worst of the days out of the way in the gym first, so you decide to do legs – the most dreaded muscle group – first. I recommend putting a day of rest in between legs and abs simply because your core can be quite weak after doing both of those muscle groups in one day. By giving your body a day of rest, you lessen the chances of over-training and injuring yourself. Here’s the breakdown:
Monday – legs and abs
Tuesday – rest
Wednesday – chest and triceps
Thursday – back and biceps
Friday – shoulders
Here’s a classic power lifting routine that promotes lots of rest in between heavy training days. Accessory work can be worked in on pretty much any off day. Obviously you’re not going to be doing triceps the day before benching, or doing hamstring work on the night before squatting:
Monday – Off
Tuesday – Off
Wednesday – legs (squat)
Thursday – off
Friday – back (dead lift)
Saturday – off
Sunday – chest (bench)
Finally, here’s an example of a five day split that you may see in a magazine designed for people with full time 9 to 5 jobs who still want to get into the gym everyday:
Monday – chest and abs
Tuesday – biceps and triceps
Wednesday – legs and abs
Thursday – upper and lower back
Friday – shoulders and abs
Normally I don’t really encourage this type of thing. It’s important for the gym-goer to be able to monitor their progress and listen to what their bodies are trying to tell them in order for them to achieve the best results. I hope these sample splits will jump start some new ideas in some reader’s heads and allow them to create a program that will work for them.
