How to Build a Split Workout Routine

Strength training is critical to a complete exercise program regardless of your fitness goals. For many people, a comprehensive total body strength training workout two to three times per week is enough to provide benefits like improved heart health and stronger bones.

When your strength training goals include gaining muscle (hypertrophy) or increasing strength, you will need to consider a more specialized program. A split training routine that divides weekly workouts to focus on different areas of your body on alternate days is one way to meet your goals.

Split Workouts

Setting up a weekly schedule that splits your training may seem overwhelming initially, but it's easier than you think. The types of split workout routines include:

• Full-body split: Work all muscle groups during each training session
• Push-pull split: Work push and pull muscles on separate days
• Three-day split: Work push and pull muscle groups on two days, legs on a third
• Body part split: Work one muscle group on each training day

Whole Body vs. Split Workout Routines

Many people start with a total-body program when they begin lifting weights. A full-body strength-training session works all major muscles during one workout.

For example, a total-body workout might have two exercises each to target the quads, hamstrings, glutes, chest, back, shoulders, arms, and core. Total workout time might range from 45 minutes to an hour or more.

Split training routines work differently with each session having a different focus or goal. For instance, one day might be a leg day during which you perform exercises that only target your leg muscles. You may still spend 45 minutes to an hour at the gym, but you'll only do exercises that work the hamstrings, quads, glutes, and lower legs.

Split training works best for people who plan to spend more time in the weight room. Since each workout only targets one or two areas of the body, you need to spend more total time in the gym to work all major muscle groups.

Benefits of Split Training Routines

Total-body workouts help you get used to lifting weights. They also prepare your body for more strenuous work. However, if you've been doing full-body workouts for a while, you may have noticed that you've hit a plateau in the results you're seeing. This is normal when you keep doing the same workouts for too long.

When you're working all your muscle groups at once, you don't have the time or energy to focus on each muscle group as closely as you would if you split your workouts. Split workout routines allow you to do more exercises and more sets using heavier weights, which may yield better results.

Higher Training Volume

Recent studies suggest total training volume (rather than frequency or training style) matters most when building muscle. Training volume refers to the total number of reps, sets, and weights you lift.

If you are doing two or three total-body sessions per week, your total volume is likely to be less than someone who does split training daily. In fact, some studies have shown that split training routines may be more beneficial for stimulating muscle growth.

Better Recovery

Split training routines allow for greater training volume that narrows focus and allows for more efficient recovery. Since you're only working one area of your body, you can work out every day—while your legs are recovering, you can do an upper-body workout, for example. Total-body training requires a rest day in between sessions.

How to Split Your Workouts

There is no right or wrong way to split your weekly workout routine. Listen to your body and do what feels right. Devise your variations on these common routines.

Upper and Lower Body

Divide your weekly workout into upper and lower body days to alternate your workouts and lift two, three, or four times each week.

Push-Pull Exercises

Another way to create your split workout routine is to make push exercise days and pull exercise days. Pushing exercises typically involve your quads, calves, chest, shoulders, and triceps (squats, calf raises, bench presses, overhead presses, and dips, for example).

Pulling exercises often involve your back, hamstrings, shoulders, biceps, and abs. These could include lat pulldowns, hamstring curls, upright rows, biceps curls, and crunches.

Three-Day Split

For three-day split workout routines, divide upper body work into a push/pull routine over two days and work your lower body on a separate day. A typical three-day split would include chest and triceps work (push exercises) on Day 1, back and biceps (pull exercises) on Day 2, and legs on Day 3.

One Group Per Day

Lift weights for one muscle group per day by working the chest, back, shoulders, arms, and legs each on different days.

Sample Muscle Group Workout Routine

To focus on one muscle group daily, consider this weekly schedule. For each muscle group, pick three exercises from the lists.

Monday: Chest Day

• Bench press
• Chest fly
• Close-grip chest press
• Dumbbell chest press
• Dumbbell pullover
• Incline chest press
• Push-up

Tuesday: Back Day

• Barbell deadlift
• Barbell high row
• Face pull
• Lat pulldown
• Pull-up
• Seated cable row
• Renegade row

Wednesday: Shoulder Day

• Barbell shoulder press
• Clean and press
• Dumbbell overhead press
• Dumbbell front raise
• Jammer
  
• Lateral raise

Thursday: Arm Day

• Biceps curl
• Biceps cable curl
• Hammer curl
• Reverse biceps curl
• Skull crusher
• Triceps extension
• Triceps dip

Friday: Leg Day

• Basic squat
• Bulgarian split squat
• Front squat
• Goblet squat
• Lunge
• Thruster
  

Integrate Cardio Exercise

Your workout routine should also include cardio exercises to elevate your heart rate. It's best to keep your strength and cardio workouts separate, either on different days or at different times of the day. But if you're pressed for time, performing cardio and strength training in the same workout is acceptable.

A Word From Verywell

Experiment with different split workout routines and exercise combinations to find what works for you, and don't be afraid to change things up. Your body and mind will welcome the challenge of taking on a new exercise routine.