What are workout splits?

When it comes to exercises, workout plans, and everything in between, you need to know your stuff. It keeps you safe, motivated, and most importantly, progressing. One essential part of training that a lot of people aren’t aware of, however, is a workout split.

It’s one of the fundamentals of weight loss and muscle building, and it could make all the difference between a well-planned workout routine and a severe injury if you aren’t careful. We’re here to talk you through the what, why, when and how of workout splits.

What are workout splits

First things first, what is a workout split? Well, it’s splitting up your workouts so that you’re doing different things on different days. Instead of just doing a concoction of exercises and training every day, it’s splitting them. Selecting different things to do on different days is a great way to switch things up and get the most out of your training.

Why do them?

So why are they a thing? Well, workout splits are actually one of the best ways to really get the most out of your training and do things the proper way. It prevents injury, too. On top of all of that, it’s one of the fundamentals of muscle building both in the long and in the short-term. Without them, you won’t really be getting the most from your workouts, no matter how much you try.

This way, you are using all of the muscles and the supporting muscles in unison to work them as hard as physically possible. The rest day in between means that you have adequate time to recover properly. All this with the added benefit of doing each workout once or twice a week, too.

When should you use them?

People use workout splits in different ways, and you have to make sure that you’re using the right one to fit the way you train. The typical splits tend to be in the push/pull/legs workout routine. For example, that’s doing push workouts on a Monday (chest, shoulders, triceps), pulls on a Wednesday (back, biceps) and legs on a Friday.

There are other splits that work, and you need to choose the one that is right for what you need. Some people tend to go against the grain in training like this and mix things up completely. One example is doing supersets in your split. That’s more like doing legs and shoulders, arms and abs, back and chest, or something along those lines. They all work differently.

Before beginning any exercise or nutrition program, consult your physician, doctor or other professional. This is especially important for individuals over the age of 35 or persons with pre-existing health problems. Exercise.co.uk assumes no responsibility for personal injury or property damage sustained using our advice.

If you experience dizziness, nausea, chest pain, or any other abnormal symptoms, stop the workout at once and consult a physician or doctor immediately.