Whether you're trying to tighten up loose ends, cut fat, or hulk out, exercise is the cornerstone of a good fitness program.
To have a chiseled, athletic look takes discipline, hard work and a training regimen that you can stick to.
In fitness and weight training circles you may hear the training schedule referred to as a "training split.
" The training split simply refers to how often you train specific muscle groups in a given period of time.
When you're giving your all in the gym, doing those workout routines to build muscle, which training split is best? Simply put, the best training split is the one that you can maintain week after week, month after month, and year after year.
The Standard Training Split Throughout my years of working out, asking one buff dude after another how to build lean muscle, I've seen some pretty similar training routines.
The most common one that I split I see, is the 3-5 times a week plan that looks a bit like this: MONDAY - Chest, Triceps and Shoulders TUESDAY - Back, Biceps WEDNESDAY- Legs THURSDAY - Rest What happened to Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday? I'm glad you asked.
If a person is really serious about their fitness, they generally repeat this routine after their Thursday rest day.
The makes a whopping six days a week of weight training!! As cool as this may sound, I don't like being in the gym six days a week.
I honestly don't think it's necessary, unless of course you're trying to become an IFBB (International Federation of Bodybuilding) professional...
which I'm not.
The Long Training Split In general splits are planned on a weekly (7-day) basis, but they don't have to be.
I've seen crazy splits that can go ten or even 15 days long.
These kinds of splits allot time for more focused training and I usually don't see the average person following this type of split.
My Split We've looked at two different training splits, but I guess mine is slightly different than these.
I want to be muscular, but I just want to develop strong, functional muscles for kicking and punching, and the endurance for sparring (my training is geared towards karate/martial arts training).
Here's what my regimen looks like: Monday- Chest, Triceps, and Shoulders Tuesday- Back, Biceps, and Abs Wednesday- Karate/Cardio Thursday- Legs and Abs Friday- Spot training *This is the day I hit any areas that need extra work Saturday- Karate/Cardio Sunday- Rest (Despite this being a "rest day" I usually end up doing some kind of karate training & light cardio, though) Changing Your Split Some people get so caught up in a particular routine that they forget they're in complete control of their workouts.
You're not a slave to your split.
You're in charge.
That's one of the things I like about training, you have complete autonomy.
If you think your training split sucks, guess what? You are well within your rights to modify it.
You can adjust, adjust, and adjust again until you have a training schedule that is custom built for your body and for your schedule.
Whether you're trying to figure out the best way to build lean muscle fast or the alchemy behind building bigger calf muscles, remember that most great things start with a plan.
Treat your muscle building and fitness goals in the exact same fashion.
Plan big...
Grow big.
Mike Pow
To have a chiseled, athletic look takes discipline, hard work and a training regimen that you can stick to.
In fitness and weight training circles you may hear the training schedule referred to as a "training split.
" The training split simply refers to how often you train specific muscle groups in a given period of time.
When you're giving your all in the gym, doing those workout routines to build muscle, which training split is best? Simply put, the best training split is the one that you can maintain week after week, month after month, and year after year.
The Standard Training Split Throughout my years of working out, asking one buff dude after another how to build lean muscle, I've seen some pretty similar training routines.
The most common one that I split I see, is the 3-5 times a week plan that looks a bit like this: MONDAY - Chest, Triceps and Shoulders TUESDAY - Back, Biceps WEDNESDAY- Legs THURSDAY - Rest What happened to Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday? I'm glad you asked.
If a person is really serious about their fitness, they generally repeat this routine after their Thursday rest day.
The makes a whopping six days a week of weight training!! As cool as this may sound, I don't like being in the gym six days a week.
I honestly don't think it's necessary, unless of course you're trying to become an IFBB (International Federation of Bodybuilding) professional...
which I'm not.
The Long Training Split In general splits are planned on a weekly (7-day) basis, but they don't have to be.
I've seen crazy splits that can go ten or even 15 days long.
These kinds of splits allot time for more focused training and I usually don't see the average person following this type of split.
My Split We've looked at two different training splits, but I guess mine is slightly different than these.
I want to be muscular, but I just want to develop strong, functional muscles for kicking and punching, and the endurance for sparring (my training is geared towards karate/martial arts training).
Here's what my regimen looks like: Monday- Chest, Triceps, and Shoulders Tuesday- Back, Biceps, and Abs Wednesday- Karate/Cardio Thursday- Legs and Abs Friday- Spot training *This is the day I hit any areas that need extra work Saturday- Karate/Cardio Sunday- Rest (Despite this being a "rest day" I usually end up doing some kind of karate training & light cardio, though) Changing Your Split Some people get so caught up in a particular routine that they forget they're in complete control of their workouts.
You're not a slave to your split.
You're in charge.
That's one of the things I like about training, you have complete autonomy.
If you think your training split sucks, guess what? You are well within your rights to modify it.
You can adjust, adjust, and adjust again until you have a training schedule that is custom built for your body and for your schedule.
Whether you're trying to figure out the best way to build lean muscle fast or the alchemy behind building bigger calf muscles, remember that most great things start with a plan.
Treat your muscle building and fitness goals in the exact same fashion.
Plan big...
Grow big.
Mike Pow