Following a workout split routine can be one of the best ways to reach your fitness goals. A workout split is a simple and effective way to structure your strength training routine, allowing you to focus on different muscle groups on different days with adequate rest in between. This allows you to target body parts more effectively, increase fat loss, and reduce your risk of over training or injury. Want to know more about split training? Here are the best workout split plans for women and why you should consider this type of training.
What Is Split Training?
Split training is a type of strength training that involves dividing your workouts into different days to focus on specific muscle groups. Split training is an effective way to strengthen your muscles and allows for more recovery and growth. Instead of trying to work your entire body in a single workout session, you’ll focus on one muscle group at a time, working it to fatigue. In a typical workout split, each day of exercise is typically broken up into a primary focus (back, legs, shoulders, chest) and secondary focus (core, triceps, glutes). Preparation is key if you’re going to start split training. Create a calendar to track the exercises you’re doing, and don’t forget to schedule rest days as well as cardio.
8 Benefits of Split Training
- Able to target body parts more effectively for muscle growth
- Allows for recovery time between training the same muscle group
- Increased fat loss
- Works your muscles to fatigue, stimulating muscle repair and growth
- Lowers the chances of over-training or injury
- Easier to fit into your schedule- shorter workout sessions each day
- Allows for more exercise variety per body part
- Personalization- can choose a split based on your goals, fitness level, frequency, and consistency of training
6 Best Workout Split Plans for Women
1. Upper/Lower Body Split
An upper/lower body split involves separating upper and lower body workouts. On the upper body day, you target the chest, shoulders, chest, biceps, and triceps, and on the lower body day, you work your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calf muscles. For an upper/lower split, you do one to two exercises per body part or include compound movements, which are exercises that work two or more muscles at the same time. For example, push ups, bent over rows ,and bench presses are examples of upper body compound exercises. Each type of workout is completed twice per week. So, you could work your upper body on Monday and Thursday and lower body on Tuesday and Saturday, with rest/recovery days in between.
2. Push/Pull/Legs Split
The push/pull/legs split separates your workout days into training your “push” muscles (chest, shoulders, triceps), “pull” muscles (back and biceps), and legs muscles (quads, hamstrings, calves). It’s a super efficient workout split as all related muscle groups are trained together in the same workout. It also provides minimal overlap of movements between workouts, leading to a reduced risk of injury and better recovery. It’s ideal for intermediate to advanced exercisers and it’s a super flexible workout plan in terms of training frequency. For example, you can train for three days in a row with an off day in the middle (push-pull-legs-rest-push-pull-legs-rest). You could also train with rest days in between (push-rest-pull-rest-legs-rest-rest). Or you can choose three or four days to train with days off in between.
3. Body Part Split
The body part split involves training one or two areas of the body in one training session. You would generally pair a larger muscle group with a smaller muscle group in the same area. For example, chest and triceps or back and biceps. Each training session occurs two times a week, giving the muscles adequate recovery time.
4. Full Body Split
The full body workout split is a training program that involves training most or all of your entire body during each workout. It can be done using a 2-day, 3-day or 4-day split. The 2-day split consists of strength training two days a week and having rest or cardio days on the other days. The 3-day full body split follows an every-other-day format with two days off at the end (full body-rest-full body-rest-full body-rest-rest). There are different variations of the 4-day full body split, and they all involve training four days a week without ever training on more than two consecutive days (full body-rest-full body-full body-rest-full body-rest). This workout split works well for all experience levels, as well as most fitness goals, including building muscle and increasing strength.
5. 5-Day Split
A 5-day split workout plan consists of exercising for five days a week, dedicating each day to different muscle groups. In this split, you would workout five days a week and rest on the other two days, focusing on a different muscle group each day. You can also combine two split programs, such as the upper/lower split and the push/pull/legs split to create a 5-day split. It can be easily tailored to your individual needs and fitness goals and since you’re hitting the muscles groups more often than other splits, it can lead to faster progress and better muscle growth.
6. 4-2-1 Workout Split
This weekly workout split consists of 4 days of strength training, 2 days of cardio, and 1 day of mobility or active rest. For the strength training days, you would do two days of upper body and two days of lower body to ensure each muscle group gets at least a day of recovery before you work it again. For your cardio days, it’s generally best to focus on low-intensity cardio like cycling, rowing, or light jogging. Your mobility/rest day could include yoga, stretching or foam rolling.
The best workout split is the one you’ll stick with. Consistency is key to getting results, so decide which split works best for your goals, routine, and lifestyle.
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