My Favorite Split Training Routines

     

  The other day, after writing my recent article “Full-Body Workouts—Variety and Specialization,” I received an email that went something like this: “Okay, coach, I get it.  You like, and I mean really like, full-body workouts.  But let’s say that you could only do split workouts for the rest of your life instead of full-body training.  What split workouts would you use?  I guess I’m asking, and really just want to know, what are your favorite bodypart splits?”  That is, I admit, paraphrasing the email, but it captures the essence and tone of my questioner.  Also, there was a lot more to the email than just those few sentences, but for the sake of what I want to write about here, that covers it.

     I replied to the email and then didn’t think about it until a couple days ago, when I was in the middle of my current full-body routine and thought it might actually be a good subject for an essay.  I guess I didn’t think of writing about it at first because, well, I have quite a few programs here on the blog that cover a wide array of different split routines.  Despite my reader’s question, I actually—as I pointed out to him—have written just as many split programs as I have full-body routines.  Probably more, to be honest.  But since I often write about the same stuff over-and-over, and simply tackle the subject(s) from different angles, there’s no reason I can’t do the same thing here.  Also, this will cover my personal favorite programs, ones that I prefer as much because I enjoy doing them than for any other reason, but I do have specific reasons why I favor them, too, and I think those reasons might apply to some of you reading this.

     Before we proceed any further, I must add one caveat (one that would probably annoy my questioner that precipitated this essay) and then we’ll proceed.  If you’re new to training, you should not start with a split training routine of any type.  But once you’ve spent some time building strength and/or muscle with full-body workouts, a split program is perfectly fine.  How long should you utilize full-body routines before moving to split workouts?  I think, at the minimum, 6 months.  You can train for years, of course (or, hell, forever), if you want on full-body programs, but you need at least half a year training your whole body at one time before you attempt any of the recommendations below.

2-Way Split Routines

     When you first move on from full-body workouts to bodypart splits (or “lift” splits—more on that shortly), you should start with 2-way split routines.  I suppose you could attempt a 3-way split.  The most popular form of that form of split training is probably a “push/pull/legs” program, but I think you should only move to multi-bodypart split routines once you’ve spent 6 months or so on some sort of 2-way split, probably longer.  I think a year on different 2-way splits is probably ideal before moving on to “bigger” programs.

     Here are my favorite 2-way split programs:

Full-Body Split

     The idea of full-body splits might sound a bit oxymoronic, but hear me out.

     One of the benefits of full-body workouts is that the more muscles you can train at one time, the better.  There is simply something “anabolic” about working all of your body in one session.  A full-body workout consisting of an assortment of squats, deadlifts, overhead presses, bench presses, chins, rows, and curls stimulates full-body growth much better than, say, a workout that consists of nothing more than a variety of curling movements.  But you can take advantage of training your entire body, even when on a split program, if you do a split where each workout still contains upper body movements and lower body exercises.

     One of the best ways to use full-body split workouts is to focus on movements over muscle groups.  Squats, bench presses, and chins on one training day, followed by deadlifts, overhead presses, and barbell curls the next is a good example of what you could use.

     For a variety of reasons—I won’t get into those here, since I’ve written quite a bit about it in recent essays and articles—I prefer high-frequency training (HFT) over low-frequency (training a lift or muscle once every 5 to 7 days) or even moderate frequency (training a lift or muscle 2x per week).  There are exceptions, which we’ll cover later in this essay, but HFT is generally my preference.  My favorite way to do this with a full-body split is to train 5 days per week on a 3-on, 1-off, 2-on, 1-off rotation.  Do 3 to 5 lifts per session, keeping reps in the 10-15 range on each lift.  This means such set/rep schemes as 3x5,3,2, 3x2,3,5, 3x4, 4x3, 5x3, 5x2, and 6x3,2,1,3,2,1 (among others) will all work well.  The volume you use on each lift should depend on both how well you respond to more (or less) work and how many lifts you do at each session.

     Here’s the kind of program I enjoy training with:

Monday

• Squats: 5x3

• Bench presses: 3x5,3,2

• Wide-grip chins: 5x3

• Farmer walks: 2 sets, moderately hard

Tuesday

• Deadlifts: 5x3,3,2,2,1

• Military presses: 3x5,3,2

• Barbell curls: 3x5

• Ab wheel: 1x8

Wednesday

• Front squats: 3x5,3,2

• Weighted dips: 3x5

• Close-grip underhand chins: 5x3

• Sled drag: 1-2 sets, moderately hard

Thursday: Off

Friday

• Power cleans: 6x3,2,1,3,2,1

• One-arm dumbbell overhead presses: 5x3 (each arm)

• Reverse barbell curls: 3x5

• Steep incline weighted situps: 2x6-8

Saturday

• Double kettlebell front squats: 5x4

• Incline barbell bench presses: 3x5,3,2

• Neutral grip chins: 5x3

• Sandbag carries: 1-2 sets, moderately hard

     On the following week, you would have 3 days of pulls, overhead, and curl work and only 2 days of squatting, bench pressing, and chins.

Legs and Back/Chest, Shoulders, and Arms

     Along with full-body splits, my other favorite 2-way split routine is one where one day is legs and back and the other day is chest, shoulders, and arms.  I realize this is not the typical 2-way routine—hell, it’s probably not on the radar of almost any bodybuilder these days.

     I first came across this specific split in an article from Gene Mozee (from the April ‘92 issue of IronMan magazine) entitled “Power/Pump Training: Build Mass that Lasts.”  (I liked that article so much that I even wrote my own “sequel” to it for IronMan.)  Mozee’s reasoning for the split was simple.  It had to do with enjoyment as much as anything else.  He knew, and things haven’t changed, by the way, that bodybuilders enjoy training their chest, shoulders, and arms for the pump.  He also knew that the legs and back muscles were not muscle groups that most lifters enjoyed training, so it only made sense, in his mind, to train those muscles together in a workout.

     I like Mozee’s reasoning.  When I use this split, I enjoy training legs and back for power and chest, shoulders, and arms for a “heavy pump”—to paraphrase Pavel, when you get a pump with heavy weights, you get stronger and bigger.  Here’s an example of how I like to program this one:

Day One - Legs and Back

• Squats: Ramps of 5,3,1.  For your first exercise, select some sort of squats.  It can be the barbell back squat, obviously, but you could also use front squats, bottom-position squats, or a non-barbell movement such as dumbbell goblet squats or (my personal favorite) the double kettlebell front squat.  If you’re not familiar with how ramps work, do sets of 5, slowly adding weight on each set, until they get really tough, then go to triples.  Do progressively heavier triples until they too get really hard, then switch over to singles.  Work up to a near max single and then call it a day on the squats.

• Sumo deficit deadlifts: Ramps of 5,3,1.  I have written several times on the blog that this is my 2nd favorite exercise after the squat for building a combination of mass and power.  For taller lifters and athletes, this might actually be the best exercise.  (Let’s admit it, most great squatters aren’t over 6 feet tall, with a few exceptions.)  Do the ramps here the same as the squats.

• Power cleans or power snatches: Ramps of 3 and 1.  Rotate between these two exercises from workout to workout.  Unlike the deads and squats, I like to keep the reps lower here throughout the sets.  But the same principle on the ramps applies here.  Start with triples, using nothing but the Olympic bar, and do triples until they get hard then switch over to singles.

• Weighted chins: 5 to 8 sets of 3 to 5 reps.  On this exercise, do straight sets, using the same weight (which could be just your bodyweight).  Stop once the sets get tough.

• Loaded carries of your choice: 2 to 3 hard sets.  I like to rotate between sled drags and some sort of carry such as farmer walks or sandbag carries from workout to workout.

Day Two - Chest, Shoulders, and Arms

• Bench presses: 4 to 5 sets of 6-8 reps.  After warm-ups, do these as straight sets.  Select a weight where only the last set is really tough.

• Military presses: 4 to 5 sets of 6-8 reps

• Barbell curls: 4 to 5 sets of 10-12 reps

• Skull crushers: 4 to 5 sets of 10-12 reps

• Ab work of your choice: 1 to 2 sets

     If I’m using the above workout, or something very similar volume-wise, then I like a 2-on, 1-off, 1-on, 1-off split.

Upper Body/Lower Body Split

     This is probably the most popular form of 2-way split training.  It’s also one of my personal favorites.  With the two options that I started this article with, I pretty much like to train in the exact way that I’ve recommended, with slight alterations here or there.  But with an upper/lower split, I like to use a myriad of different exercise, set, and rep selections.  As with full-body workouts, the options with an upper/lower split are virtually limitless.  For some reason, however, I do prefer this split for hypertrophy workouts as opposed to more strength/power regimens.  In other words, I like training a little different from the kind of workouts I’ve already discussed above.  But even when you only train for hypertrophy, you have a plethora of set/rep combos and exercise selections.

     I generally like, and suggest for lifters, hypertrophy programs where you utilize only 1 or 2 exercises per bodypart.  This is the “old-school” way.  Silver era bodybuilders in particular were fond in the off-season of using only 1, perhaps 2, exercises for a muscle group when they were attempting to build mass and then using multiple exercises per muscle group for pre-contest training in order to “shape” the mass that was built in the off-season.  And, if you’re not aware, bodybuilders of that era almost always used a 2-way split.  But that’s just a suggestion.  You can certainly do more exercises per muscle group if you want, but you will need to make sure you’re doing less sets on each exercise if you were to go that route.

     Here’s a program that was recommended by the legendary old-school bodybuilding trainer (and writer) George Turner:

Day One - Lower Body

• Steep incline sit ups: 5x15 reps

• Squats: 6x20, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6 (add weight on each set)

• Sissy squats: 5x20

• Stiff-legged deficit deadlifts: 5x15, 12, 10, 8, 6 (add weight on each set)

• Leg curls: 6x12, 12, 10, 10, 8, 6 (add weight on each set)

• Standing calf raises: 8x10-12

Day Two - Upper Body

• Incline bench presses: 6x8-10

• Flat dumbbell bench presses: 5x12, 12, 10, 10, 8 (add weight on each set)

• Wide-grip chins: 6x near-failure (using bodyweight)

• One-arm dumbbell rows: 5x10 (each arm)

• Bent-over laterals: 5x12, 12, 10, 10, 8 (add weight on each set)

• Seated dumbbell presses: 6x12, 12, 10, 10, 8, 8 (add weight on each set)

• Standing lateral raises: 5x12, 12, 10, 10, 8 (add weight on each set)

• Biceps movement: 6x8

  supersetted w/

• Triceps movement: 6x12

     Turner recommended that you initially do this program by training 4 days per week, say Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.  Once you can handle the work, he then suggested that you train as many days in a row as you want, especially in order to get in good condition, and just take a day off when you feel as if you need it.  I think using a 5 days per week rotation, the same as the full-body splits above, is a good ideal.

     Here’s a very similar routine but one that uses one-exercise-per-bodypart:

Day One - Lower Body

• Squats: 10x10

• Stiff-legged deficit deadlifts: 8x8

• Standing calf raises: 8x20

• Steep incline sit ups: 5x15 reps

Day Two - Upper Body

• Incline bench presses: 10x10

• Wide-grip chins: 8x near-failure (bodyweight or weighted)

• Seated behind-the-neck presses: 10x10

• Biceps movement: 6x8

  supersetted w/

• Triceps movement: 6x12

Multi-Way Split Routines

     Now, let’s look at some routines using multi-bodypart (or multi-lift) splits.  Believe it or not, there are even times when I prefer one of these split programs to either 2-way splits or full-body routines.

3-Way Powerlifting Split

     The great bodybuilding writer Bradley Steiner was a man who abhorred split routines for bodybuilders.  Over and over in the pages of IronMan magazine he extolled full-body programs as the only routines that the natural bodybuilder ever needed to use.  Now, there was his “Rugged Size and Strength Split Routine” but, well, it wasn’t much of a split routine at all.  But aside from that one program, which he also said wasn’t necessary, he never suggested split routines for the readers of IronMan.  With, and this might surprise you if you’re familiar with Steiner, one exception.  If you were only after strength, and not size or shape, then he recommended you focus on one lift for each day.  So, with powerlifters, for instance, he suggested you train your bench press on one day, your squat on another, and your deadlift on a third, with accompanying assistance movements as needed.

     I agree with Steiner.  The benefit of this kind of training is that you don’t gain size, or, at least, you’re less likely to.  Multiple sets of low reps done infrequently is a great way to build neural strength without accompanying weight gain.  This is good for powerlifters who need to stay in a weight class and have trouble doing so.

     Here’s the program I like for these sort of powerlifters:

Hepburn Style Workout

Day One - Squat

• Squats: 5 to 10 sets of 1 rep.  This is a technique of training inspired by legendary strongman Doug Hepburn.  Take your time to warm-up on this exercise.  I recommend doing ramps of 5s, then 3s, nothing too much to fatigue you, but enough to actually heighten your central nervous system for your “work” sets.  The amount of sets that this will take will depend upon your strength level.  Once you are warmed-up, select a weight where you think you can get at least 5 or 6 singles.  Perform however many singles you can get with this weight.  Once you can get 10 sets of 1 repetition with the weight, add weight at the next squat session.  You will use the same technique on the bench presses and deadlifts below.

• Ab work of your choice: 2 to 3 sets

Day Two - Bench Press

• Bench presses: 5 to 10 sets of 1 rep

• Front delt exercise of your choice (plate raises, barbell front raises, etc.): 2 to 3 sets of 10-12 reps

• Skull crushers or triceps pushdowns: 2 to 3 sets of 10-12 reps

Day Three - Off

Day Four - Deadlift

• Deadlifts (sumo, conventional, or deficit): 5 to 10 sets of 1 rep

Day Five - Off

Day Six - Off

Day Seven - Repeat

     If you want to train on the same day each week, instead of your training days rotating week to week, then simply train squats on Monday, bench presses on Wednesday, and deadlifts on Friday.

     Don’t add extra work to this program.  Remember, this isn’t a bodybuilding or even a “powerbuilding” routine.  This is a routine simply to increase your powerlifts without any weight gain.

The One-Lift-A-Day Program

     When it comes to high-volume, high-intensity, low-frequency training—which is usually my least favorite way to train, it must be said—there is one way of training that I like above all others.  And that’s the one lift a day program.

     I think the last time that I wrote about this program, I received an email question from another reader that went something like this: “Hey, Sloan, if I do bench presses and overhead presses in a workout is that still the one lift a day program?”  I kid you not.  No, I told him, that’s called the 2-lift-a-day program.  And that can be a good way to train, too.  I like it.  But that ain’t one lift a day.

     Here’s how I like to do this one.  Pick 4 or 5 lifts that you want to get strong on.  A good list would be squats (any type you want), bench presses, chins, military presses, and curls.  Another good list might be squats, deadlifts, power cleans, one-arm overhead presses, and snatches.  Train one lift at each workout for an hour.  Repeat as many days in a row as you want before taking a day off.

     You can do low reps, high reps, or something in between.  I like to start with ramps, working up to a heavy set of 5, or a heavy triple or single, then drop back down to a lighter weight and get multiple sets with a certain weight.  Stop training once the hour is up.  Trust me, an hour straight on one exercise, even if you take a bit of rest between sets, and you won’t need anything else for that day.

     Another set/rep scheme that I like here is a 2,3,5,10 workout for a total of 100 reps per lift.  After warm ups, select a weight where 10 reps is damn tough.  Now, do a set of 2 reps with that weight.  Rest briefly and do a set of 3.  Those sets feel really easy, so rest briefly again and do a set of 5.  After that, once again rest briefly and do a set of 10.  Even though the set of 10 is really hard, rest briefly again and start back over—after that last set of 10, a set of 2 will feel like a breeze.  Do 5 rounds of 2,3,5,10.  The beauty of this method is how fast you can train.  In fact, because only the sets of 10 are tough, you will get 100 reps quicker than if you were to attempt a 10x10 session.  To do 10x10, you would have to use a lighter weight.  So, here you can get 100 reps with a heavier weight and do it in a (fairly) quick workout.

     Those are just some suggestions.  Honestly, no matter how you train on a one lift a day program, if you put in a hard hour-workout—or even as little as 30 minutes—then you should get good results.  One lift a day training cuts out a lot of the superfluous nonsense that many lifters engage in, and instead allows you to focus on getting a good, “honest” workout—to use a term from the “Iron Guru” Vince Gironda.

     Well, there you have it.  Those are at least some of my favorite training splits.  If you want more, then, please, spend some time looking through my blog.  I have a myriad of other split programs that might be even better for your particular needs and wants.