Starting A Split Routine Workout
Once you have mastered a circuit training routine, (where you work the entire body in one workout with very little resting periods) and your muscles are well conditioned, it is likely you will want to try other routines to further your growth. The one I usually follow is called a Split Routine. Using a split routine allows you to gain more strength by splitting up your workouts in order to increase the work load for each muscle group. It is important to gain more strength and build muscle because the more muscle you build, the less body fat you will have. This is not suggesting you will become huge because that is not possible - at least for women - without the use of drugs. There are several things you will want to determine before getting started:
Starting A Split Routine Workout
The first step is to determine how many days per week you plan on working out. The ideal number of times you workout would be from 4 to 6 days per week. It is important that you choose a schedule that you can stay consistent with because if you plan too hectic a schedule, chances are you are not going to be able to stick with it long term. This will only cause an unbalanced workout where certain body parts will be trained more often than the others due to missed workouts. We all have a busy schedule, and occasionally we will miss workouts, but it is better to choose a routine where consistency is most likely to be achieved. After all, like everything else in life, consistency is key.
Split Routines
An example of a split routine is in training the whole body over the course of a two or three day period (depending on the schedule you choose). For instance, if you plan on training 4 days per week, you would complete a full body workout in two days with the same muscles groups being trained twice in that one week period. Here is an example:
Day 1 - chest, shoulders, biceps, triceps, abs
Day 2 - rest, no weight training
Day 3 - legs, calves, back, abs
Day 4 - rest, no weight training
On Day 5, you would repeat the above to finish the split routine for that week. This would allow 4 workouts per week with a two day rest. During this routine it is important to rest every other day in order for your muscles to grow and recuperate. Your workout would then look like this:
Monday….Wednesday….Friday….Sunday - a 4 day per week workout.
This is just to get you started to the introduction of such a routine, but by all means, is not set in stone. Again, your workouts should be conducive to your weekly schedule for optimal consistency. You can play around with this routine if the days above do not work out for you. Perhaps working out over the weekend doesn’t work…no prob! Just arrange the workout schedule that will ensure every muscle group is being trained twice per week. This means that you will divide them in half. You can start Day 1 on any day of the week that works best to your schedule, but the above is an example of what a split routine could look like.
An example of a split routine over a 6 day period might look like this:
Day 1 - chest, back, abs
Day 2 - legs, calves
Day 3 - shoulders, biceps, triceps, abs
On Day 4, you would either rest or repeat the above to finish the split routine for that week. This would allow 6 workouts per week with a one day rest. During this routine since you are working the split over a longer period, you will only need to rest one day. If you notice, you are still working every muscle group twice per week and the muscle groups are still being divided in half, hence the name “split” routine. Therefore, your workout would look like this:
Monday….Tuesday….Wednesday….Thursday….Friday….Saturday
Or it could look like this:
Monday….Tuesday….Wednesday….Friday….Saturday….Sunday
Your workouts should never exceed an hour and usually can be achieved in 45 minutes. You should use a repetition range of between 8 to 12 reps with rests between sets of approximately 90 minutes to 2 minutes. Legs may require you to rest 2 and a half minutes between sets since they exert more energy from the body.
I do advise that you incorporate cardio workouts within your week as this will super charge your weight loss endeavors.
There you have it! This is a good start, and later, I will be talking more about other kinds of split routines as well as different exercises to incorporate as we progress. Good luck, and remember to breathe properly throughout the movements - remember to be kind to your joints never locking them out or jerking through the movements. If ever you have questions, feel free to leave your comments as I will always be sure to respond.
-written by Angela Doss
Tags: fitness, split routine, strength training, weight training, workout program