How to set up a bodybuilding split program?
The split program is a type of training you really need to know about. If you're a beginner and have opted for full body or half body, you've made the right choice. However, after a few months' practice, it will certainly be preferable to switch to a split routine in order to continue building muscle. Find out everything you need to know about this method, as well as a number of useful tips. program examples.
Contents
The split method in bodybuilding: what is it?
Split" is an English word that translates as "divided" or "separated".
Applied to the world of bodybuilding, this notion is used to designate a training method.
A split program consists of soliciting one or two muscle groups (sometimes three) during a single strength training session.
In concrete terms, for a person whose bodybuilding practice revolves around 4 sessions per week, here's what a split routine might look like:
- Session 1 (Monday): pectorals and triceps
- Session 2 (Tuesday): back and biceps
- Session 3 (Thursday): legs and abdominals
- Session 4 (Friday): shoulders and trapezius
After each training session, the muscle group in question is rested for one hour. full week. In this way, he can recover optimally.
The split method is best reserved for practitioners with several months or years of experience in weight room.
For the beginnersHowever, the principles of this muscle group-based training program are proving to be far too intense. In fact, one muscle is targeted by several basic exercises and isolation during the same training session.
Split program vs. full body program?
There are many different approaches to fitness and weight training. But there's no such thing as one that's better than the other, because it all depends on various parameters: experience, target, weekly training volume and so on.
A novice practitioner will naturally tend to choose a full body programIt's perfect for a training schedule of 2 to 3 workouts a week. It's also an excellent way of discovering the different exercises for the upper and lower body, and learning to master the techniques involved.
On the other hand, the full body has a number of limitations. On the one hand, it's no longer suitable if you start training more than 3 times a weekOn the one hand, it's hard on the muscles, because they don't have time to recover between sessions. On the other hand, the sequence of exercises causes fatigue, making the end of training less effective.
So when should you go for the split?
Simply when your full-body or half-body program no longer allows you to progress and to gain muscle. If you've been stagnating for a while on exercises like the bench press, deadlift or squat, it's definitely time to switch to a split program.
Another alternative might be to prefer the PPL, for Push Pull Legs. A method I suggest you discover in this other blog post.
Is split training effective?
Today, this training method is used by the vast majority of advanced bodybuilders and bodybuilders. This is because it greatly promotes muscle growth. There are several reasons for this.
The benefits of the split program
First of all, split training allows you to focus on every muscleYou can include isolation exercises, alternate between different movements, and vary the grips to get the most out of your entire body. It's possible to include isolation exercises, alternate between different movements and vary the grips to recruit the whole body as effectively as possible. muscle fibres.
This approach also offers the possibility of giving 100 % during each split session. The aim of the split is to continue until you're completely unable to continue an exercise with correct movements. This is known astechnical failure. But with careful organization and planning, these failures won't have a detrimental effect on the rest of the training or program.
This allows you to place multi-joint exercises at the beginning of the session, then isolation movements at the end. This is not possible with a full-body approach, in which the basic exercises follow one another, causing a gradual drop in intensity.
Once all the exercises have been completed, your muscles will have plenty of time to recover before tackling the following week's session.
This intensity undoubtedly helps to increase the metabolism. This is a significant advantage if you're in a weight loss phase.
Finally, a split workout enables you to work a muscle group from very different angles. Thanks to this practice, it's easy to rectify an imbalance or a muscle imbalance. weak point at the silhouette level. In fact, you can accentuate the hypertrophy of an underdeveloped part of your body.
In general, the hardest parts to build up are the calves, legs and forearms. Of course, this depends on the individual.
Can the split be responsible for overtraining?
No, no more than any other training technique.
There are many factors that can lead toovertraining.
But as far as your workouts are concerned, if you don't argue and you respect your rest periods, they shouldn't last more than a few minutes.an hour and a half (including warm-up).
As we have seen, the split method offers sufficient time to recover before the new training series the following week. This makes it easier to build muscle mass, provided you're organized and pragmatic when planning your sessions and distributing your exercises.
On the other hand, it would be counter-productive to do sessions that are too long, thinking that the more you work a muscle, the bigger it will get.
The secrets of a successful split program
Good overall organization
The session planning is a key factor in the success of a split program. In fact, it's important to spread out the exercises to be performed over the course of a week.
In particular, we need to take into account the intervention of assistance muscles. Even if they're not directly targeted, they're involved when you're working other muscles. This applies, for example, to the shoulders or triceps when you're looking to develop your pectoral muscles. Similarly, if you want to focus on the muscular tissues of the back, you need to involve the biceps and posterior deltoids.
If you're working pectorals in the first workout of the week, it's not advisable to focus on shoulders and triceps in the following two days. You'll need to explore other possibilities, targeting legs, back or biceps.
Working the support muscles is an aspect often neglected by bodybuilders. Yet it is an important factor in bulk up faster.
Naturally, I also recommend that you don't use two major muscle groups (legs and pectorals, for example) in the same workout, so as not to use up too much energy.
Strategically placed rest days
To optimize the effectiveness of your physical exercise, it's best to plan your workouts in advance. days off the day after training sessions targeting leg muscle tissue. As a general rule, leg workouts leave their mark, between fatigue and aches and pains.
In such circumstances, it becomes more difficult to pay attention to the technique of movement execution, which increases the risk of injury.
However, you may want to consider an abdominal workout or engage in low-intensity physical activity (walking, cycling, swimming, etc.).
Technical failure rather than muscular failure
With every bodybuilding exercise, it's essential to work as hard as possible, sometimes to the point of exhaustion.
This is what we call muscular failure.
Be careful, however, to focus on execution rather than loads. In concrete terms, whatever the number of repetitions When you've done this, consider that you've reached the end of your series as soon as you feel that your technique is deteriorating.
This tip will help you limit the risk of injury, which would considerably slow down your progress. Remember, if you want to achieve your bodybuilding goals, it's essential to be in it for the long haul!
Examples of split bodybuilding programs
Now that you know all about the split method, let's take a look. 3 program examples based on this approach:
- An example of a program on 3 days training per week
- An example of a program on 4 days training per week
- An example of a program on 5 days training per week
Of course, every session must begin with a good muscle and joint warm-up.
Example of a 3-day split program
Session 1 (Monday): pectorals, biceps and abdominals
- Barbell bench press: 4 x 8 repetitions
- Dumbbell bench press: 4 x 8 repetitions
- Face-to-face pulley splits: 4 x 12 repetitions
- Dumbbell curl: 4 x 10 repetitions
- Hammer grip curl: 4 x 10 repetitions
- Curl at desk: 4 x 8 repetitions
- Pulley crunches: 4 x 15 repetitions
Session 2 (Wednesday): quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and calves
- Squat: 5 x 8 repetitions
- Leg curl: 4 x 10 repetitions
- Leg extension: 4 x 12 repetitions
- Straight leg deadlift: 4 x 8 repetitions
- Standing calf raises: 4 x 15 repetitions
- Seated calf raises: 4 x 15 repetitions
Session 3 (Friday): back, shoulders and triceps
- Vertical pull: 4 x 8 repetitions
- Horizontal pull: 4 x 8 repetitions
- Military bench press: 4 x 10 repetitions
- Dumbbell Rowing: 4 x 10 repetitions
- Shrug: 3 x 12 repetitions
- Lateral raises: 4 x 12 repetitions
- Front bar: 4 x 12 repetitions
- High pulley extensions: 3 x 12 repetitions
Example of a 4-day split program
Session 1 (Monday): pectorals and triceps
- Barbell bench press: 4 x 8 repetitions
- Dumbbell bench press: 4 x 8 repetitions
- Face-to-face pulley splits: 4 x 12 repetitions
- Front bar: 4 x 12 repetitions
- High pulley extensions: 3 x 12 repetitions
- Tight grip push-ups: 4 x 15 repetitions
Session 2 (Tuesday): back and biceps
- Vertical pull: 4 x 8 repetitions
- Horizontal pull: 4 x 8 repetitions
- Dumbbell Rowing: 4 x 10 repetitions
- Dumbbell curl: 4 x 10 repetitions
- Hammer grip curl: 4 x 10 repetitions
- Curl at desk: 4 x 8 repetitions
- Pull-ups: 4 x 10 repetitions
Session 3 (Thursday): shoulders, trapezius and abdominals
- Military bench press: 4 x 10 repetitions
- Lateral raises: 4 x 12 repetitions
- Front raises: 4 x 12 repetitions
- Shrug: 4 x 12 repetitions
- Inverted butterfly: 4 x 10 repetitions
- Pulley crunches: 4 x 15 repetitions
Session 4 (Friday): legs
- Squat: 4 x 8 repetitions
- Leg curl: 4 x 10 repetitions
- Leg extension: 4 x 12 repetitions
- Straight leg deadlift: 4 x 8 repetitions
- Standing calf raises: 4 x 15 repetitions
- Seated calf raises: 4 x 15 repetitions
Sample 5-day split program
Session 1 (Monday): pectoral muscles
- Barbell bench press: 4 x 8 repetitions
- Dumbbell bench press: 4 x 8 repetitions
- Face-to-face pulley splits: 4 x 12 repetitions
- Pull over: 4 x 10 repetitions
Session 2 (Tuesday): back
- Pull-ups: 4 x 10 repetitions
- Rowing at the T-bar: 4 x 8 repetitions
- Vertical pull: 4 x 8 repetitions
- Horizontal pull: 4 x 8 repetitions
- Dumbbell Rowing: 4 x 10 repetitions
Session 3 (Wednesday): legs
- Squat: 4 x 8 repetitions
- Leg curl: 4 x 10 repetitions
- Leg extension: 4 x 12 repetitions
- Straight leg deadlift: 4 x 8 repetitions
- Standing calf raises: 4 x 15 repetitions
- Seated calf raises: 4 x 15 repetitions
Session 4 (Thursday): biceps and triceps
- Dumbbell curl: 4 x 10 repetitions
- Hammer grip curl: 4 x 10 repetitions
- Curl at desk: 4 x 8 repetitions
- Front bar: 4 x 12 repetitions
- High pulley extensions: 3 x 12 repetitions
- Dips: 4 x 15 repetitions
Session 5 (Friday): shoulders, trapezius and abdominals
- Military bench press: 4 x 10 repetitions
- Lateral raises: 4 x 12 repetitions
- Front raises: 4 x 12 repetitions
- Shrug: 4 x 12 repetitions
- Inverted butterfly: 4 x 10 repetitions
- Pulley crunches: 4 x 15 repetitions
Conclusion
In bodybuilding, the split is an effective method for continuing to build muscle. progress for the long term. Based on well-thought-out workout planning, it offers multiple customization options to suit your own needs.
Read also:
Time under tension: a good progression technique
6 tips to boost your testosterone naturally
How to build muscle successfully? The fundamentals of muscle gain
Tiger Balm for bodybuilding: useful or not?
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If I understand correctly, as soon as we stagnate, we have to change our program
That's actually a solution 😉
Are your weight training programs in split?
great article
I've always done full body or half body for the last year, so I'm going to try the split and see if it suits me
thank you for this useful information
With pleasure Jérome
I think you should not forget to warm up with this kind of program.
I have been training in split for over a year and I can say that I have progressed
the half jjuste during the holidays and the abs every 2 or 3 days
Bravo for all your articles
Thank you Dany
hello julien
a small question for you, free to answer or not but many youtuber coach of the moment say that the split is only for big bodybuilders and not for bodybuilders like us?
What do you think?
It doesn't make sense. I've always done splits since I started bodybuilding more than 24 years ago... The split allows you to give your all to a specific muscle group and let it recover until the following week. The Fullbody is good for beginners but at some point to continue to progress it is necessary to switch to split except if our schedule does not allow it. However the split is interesting when you can go to the gym 5 times a week. If you can only go 3 times, stay on Full body or PPL (Push pull Legs)
a great article that deserves to be shared on facebook. In fact, I'm going to do it
thank you julien
Thanks to you dylan
good evening
My current program is well split since I follow your physique pro mass and I am more than satisfied
crossfit is not bad, have you already tested it?
Yes, I've already tried crossfit but it's not really my thing, especially with my back problems since there's a lot of work with loads on the back or explosive jumps and so on, and it's not compatible with bodybuilding for the purpose of gaining mass.
I'm 67 years old, a lifelong sportsman, I've been doing bodybuilding for 1 1/2 years and I do the Split program 4 or 5 days depending on the amount of time I devote to it. It's the best, with a good diet to help you progress. A great article that confirms my choices. Many thanks to you.