Full Body? Body Part split? Upper/Lower?
What are the training splits:
Body Part Split-
This the most common bodybuilding/ strength training split you will see in most gyms. The idea here is to train a body part once a day, for example chest day/back day/arm day. The idea behind this is to hammer each body part..give it 7 days to recover and hammer it again. This is usually fine if your body is ALWAYS anabolic and the muscle building signal is constant. however for the average lifter it doesn't provide many results. hammering the muscle may cause it to be sore but your body will then focus on repair and healing rather than growth and strength.
Whole Body:
Less common place but more effective! This split involves training your whole body 2 to 3 times a week. WHY IS IT MORE EFFECTIVE?
Research shows when you train a body part, protein synthesis is only elevated for 36 hours (48 max) then returns back to base levels. This means you will only grow during this protein synthesis "window". If you're using a body part split you will keep that signal alive for first 2 days (potentially) and keeping it down the other 5 days. You will still see some results however not as much as a full body split.
Upper/Lower:
This method is a 4 day on and 3 day off split. It involves training the upper and lower body twice a week. You hit each muscle group twice a week and keep the muscle building signal alive.
There are other splits you can use (push, pull, legs,5,6,7 day splits) depending on the frequency,intensity, amount of time and the type of training you do. However as an average gym user the above mentioned are the main.
Still thinking body part split?
Prior to the fitness/gym craze taking over anyone wanting to build muscle and strength followed a full body routine. Then why do most athletes and physique competitors use body part splits? If its good enough for them....
Majority of fit pros who use body part splits are either very genetically gifted and work super hard OR are chemically enhanced. This enables them to train Hard as hell every workout, improve rest and recovery rates and boost muscle protein synthesis.
As a natural lifter your best bet is to train each muscle twice a week or even more frequently to progress.
Still Confused about which training split to use?
Questions to ask:
1) How many days out of the week will you be training...Realistically...
2) What is your training background
3) Are you taking anabolics...
4) Training for a sport/activity, summer body, fitness etc...
5) What are your overall goals
6) Is this fun?
