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3-day and 4-day SPLIT training – how best to create a plan?

When we consider the first stage of training at the gym to be completed and we are doing most exercises quite well, and we are getting bored with Full Body Workout training, it's time to introduce a SPLIT training method. That is, dividing the training. Imagine that!


What is SPLIT?

According to the origin of the name SPLIT, it involves dividing training units according to the muscle groups that we plan to train on a given day. This means that on a given day we no longer exercise all the muscles "a little bit” but focus on selected ones. So, what benefit does this give us?

Training provides maximum stimulation and gives extra time for regeneration of a given muscle group because it the interval between training sessions increases.

A larger number of exercises and repetitions allows you to really target and tire your muscles, but also a focus on technique, using different types of grips, and feeling the difference between the effects of individual exercises.

A single training unit includes fewer groups, so - even though we increase the number of exercises, repetitions, and series - the training should not be longer than the previously used general development training.

It is certainly a more interesting training plan because the training units are different from each other.


How do we go about planning like this?

The most important issue is the connection between muscle groups, taking into account the cooperation of individual muscles. For example, by training the chest, we activate the triceps and deltoids (front deltoid). And during back training, the biceps are heavily involved. This connection is worth taking advantage of. Tired during triceps exercises? You no longer need many dedicated exercises for them due to the additional fatigue from supported exercises. Also, the training is equally effective, but often shorter.


3-DAY SPLIT

If we do 3 workouts a week, the division of muscle groups should be roughly as follows.

Day 1: Chest + front and side of shoulders + triceps

Day 2: Back + back of shoulders (possibly trapezius) + biceps

Day 3: Legs (also buttocks, calves) + belly

Regeneration is important in this split - on no day do we engage the muscles that are exercised in the next training session. This means that for each muscle group the rest period is much longer than it would otherwise be, which in turn allows you to train harder.


4-DAY SPLIT

If we can afford 4 evenly spaced training sessions a week, we can divide our training even further, making it more precise and not making each session longer. It is important that there are breaks between training days, i.e. our plan should not be based on intensive training from Monday to Thursday and then three days off. Here is a suggested breakdown of muscle groups:

Day 1: Back

Day 2: Shoulders and triceps

Day 3: Legs (including buttocks and calves)

Day 4: Chest and biceps

We can do abdominal exercises twice a week (for example, on the 2nd and 4th day).

Is this arrangement better? It depends. If there is a possibility that training may not take place (due to work, family, other responsibilities), it is better to stick to the 3-day SPLIT.


A break from training? Make up or continue with the same rhythm?

What if I missed training on a given day? The answer is simple - we do the one that should have been done last. This means we exercise the muscles that have rested the longest. Unfortunately, this sometimes shifts the entire schedule we have become accustomed to (e.g.: Monday is chest day and Friday is leg day). This is the price of split training.


Longer summer break – return to SPLITS or general development?

If we go on holiday or get sick and as a result, haven't trained at all for a dozen or more days, it is better to return to the FBW-type plan for a week or two and evenly exercise all the muscles during several training sessions. And then we can jump into SPLIT again.

Tags: helpful exercise