Weekly Fitness Tips, Part 6
What workout split should I follow? You may have heard of many weekly splits like Push/Pull/Legs, Bro Split, Upper/Lower & Full Body, but which one is the best?
Short answer: Whatever one gets you in the door of the gym and that you enjoy enough to stick to.
More nuanced answer: Fitness goes through many trends, and workout splits are not immune to that. Full Body splits where and are quite popular. It’s a good middle ground. Allowing 2-4 days per in the gym, while giving you plenty of rest between sessions. This is ideal for much of the general population, who have families & other commitments.
Upper/Lower is a little more hardcore, yet still quite beginner-friendly, when programmed properly. With 2x Upper body & 2x Lower body days, it will have you in the gym 4 times per week, perfect for people who want to be in the gym a bit more often. Despite the relatively high session frequency, it offers good recovery for your muscles, as each training day has its own focus. E.g. Mon/Upper, Tue/Lower, Wed/Rest, Thu/Lower, Fri/Upper & rest on the weekends as well.
The Bro Split is somewhat looked down upon in the Fitness Industry. It’s a more old-school way of training, with a higher frequency of 4-5 days per week. However, it only hits each muscle group once per week. (e.g arm day, chest day) It’s not the most efficient use of your time, as the other splits will hit each muscle group twice per week, which is ideal for muscle growth. However some people do like it and if you enjoy training this way, then go for it.
Push/Pull/Legs is a 6 day per week split. 2x Push Days, 2x Pull days & 2x Leg days, it hits every muscle group twice per week, however that’s a very high frequency split. It does work and if you can’t wait to go to the gym everyday, it’s great. However it doesn’t offer a lot of rest & recovery, only one day per week. This is the main criticism people give it.
Everyone has a different routine & enjoys different training styles. If you’ve found a split you like, great stuff. If you’re unsure, I hope this has helped you decide.