Split It Up!

Not everyone has enough time every day to do a full-body workout. The solution: Split training - working on different muscles on different days.

Pretty obvious, right? Well, it's not as simple as it sounds. Because muscles need at least 48 hours of rest between workouts, you have to plan your split workouts accordingly. Add the fact that certain exercises work more than one muscle, and it becomes even more complicated.

Well, no need to fret, here are two of our favourite split routines that will make your life much easier. To choose exercises for these splits, you can check out one of our favourite websites: exrx.net.

1. Upper Body / Lower Body Split - This is the easiest split. Simply do all your upper body exercises one day and your lower body exercises the next day. You can add a rest day if you want, but it's not needed. The only drawback to this split is that it still requires quite a bit of time, especially on upper body days, when you easily have at least 5 different body parts. If you choose this split, try to find exercises that work more than one muscle - such as the bench press, which works the chest and triceps at the same time.

2. Push / Pull split - This split involves working your pushing muscles one day and your pulling muscles the next. You call also do your legs on the same day as your pull muscles or add a third day for abs and legs, which I prefer.
The split would look like this:
Day 1: Chest, shoulders, triceps
Day 2: Back and biceps
Day 3: Legs and abs - or abs can be added to day 1 and legs can be added to day 2 so that Day 3 becomes a rest day.
Again, be sure that the exercises you choose do not work muscles that you will be working out the following day.

Of course there are other splits as well but the more you isolate the muscles in your workout, the longer it takes for you to work it out again. And what you want is efficient workouts that you can do more often. If you turn to 3, 4 or 5 day splits that require rest days as well, you could end up waiting a week between workouts for each muscle, which will slow your progress.

In any case, as long as your hitting the weights and allowing proper rest between workouts, then any split that works for you is a good one. Don't be afraid to experiment and sooner or later you'll find one that's perfect for your body and your lifestyle!