There are numerous ways to split up how you train during the week, however, some training splits will be more effective at getting you stronger and building more muscle when compared to others. Thrown around a lot is the typical bodybuilding body part split, where you train a body part only once a week. There is no such thing as the best training split simply because of individual differences, preferences, training experience, etc. However, these three splits are my top three in terms of optimizing muscle stimulation which can lead to more muscle growth and as a result, greater increases in strength because of the simple fact that every body part is being hit twice a week.

Upper-Lower Split

This training split requires the individual to workout 4 days of the week. The split will begin with the individual training either the upper body or lower body the first day and the second day will train whichever wasn’t trained the first day. The third day is a rest day. The fourth and fifth day follow the order of the first and second day, with the sixth/seventh day being rest days. Essentially, the program can look like; Upper Body, Lower Body, Rest, Upper Body, Lower Body, Rest, Rest. This split will be effective because it allows training of each major muscle group twice a week. There is a big focus on compound lifts because you are splitting training into two sections, your lower body and upper body. This training split will be effective for individuals with none to a little bit of training experience because it will focus on compound movements. By focusing on compound lifts, the individual is learning the basic movements needed for exercising and building a foundation of muscle mass. This training split is not optimal for intermediate or advance individuals simply because they need more volume.

Upper-Lower-Push-Pull-Legs

The next training split is a 5-day split, where the individual adds a training day to the previous split, allowing more volume and focus to be applied. An example of this program can be; Upper Body, Lower Body, Rest, Push, Pull, Legs, Rest. The benefit of this split is that it trains each major muscle group twice a week, while having a little bit more flexibility for accessory work due to having an extra day to workout. There is still a big area of focus for the first two days, meaning that those two days will be mostly compound exercises, while the last three training days can incorporate accessory exercises, as well as some isolation movements to target any lagging body parts/weaknesses. The intermediate lifter will benefit from this training method because you are able to incorporate more volume, allowing for more muscle growth and you are able to hone in on any weaknesses, while at the same time working on the compounds. A viable way to utilize this program is to focus on strength training on the first two days since compound movements will make up the majority, if not all of the exercises performed. The other training days can focus on volume work for hypertrophy, since these are the days to add in exercises that will attack any weaknesses. Beginners and advance lifters can get away with this split, however, it is not something I would 100% recommend if you are able to do other training splits, or modify it to adjust to your needs.

Push-Pull-Legs

The last training split is a 6-day split, you are adding another day to the previous training split to increase specificity and do more overall volume for a specific muscle group. Like the other splits, this split allows the individual to train each muscle group twice a week, which is will allow for optimal muscle stimulation. The program can look like; Push, Pull, Legs, Push, Pull, Legs, Rest. The program allows for synergist muscles to be trained on the same days, which allows for the individual to focus on only one or two major muscle groups a day. The benefits of this split are that it allows individuals much more room for exercise selection and different ways to contour their programming. Thus, the first half of the week can be strength training, while the second half can be hypertrophy work, or the first half can all be one specific motion, such as horizontal pushing, horizontal pulling, hip-hinge, and the second half can be vertical pushing, vertical pulling, knee-hinge. This type of split can be utilized by beginners and intermediates, but will be more useful for the advance lifters. However, advance lifters can do a push pull legs split, but will need to adjust the program to account for variation in what works best for them and to their weak points to benefit the most because they will need more volume for certain body parts and less for others. In addition to this, weaknesses can be better attacked in this training split because they can be hit twice a week with more volume for an intermediate lifter.