What is a split program?

Split bodybuilding program explanations

For men, gaining muscle mass is a way to enhance their physical appearance. Being muscular can be a symbol of virility. To achieve this goal, it is essential to practice workouts. On this point, there are different techniques. We will talk about the split program.

A beginner tends to plan the number of weight training sessions between 2 to 3 times a week. During each session, he will follow a program dedicated to the whole body. This training method is called: the "full body"..

Once several months of this program have been followed, the practitioner becomes an intermediate and then a confirmed bodybuilder or even a bodybuilding enthusiast. He can then train in another way if he wishes. A split bodybuilding program can be more effective in some cases. But be careful, it is not recommended for the uninitiated. Indeed, when you have been training for several months or years and your half or full body program does not make you progress, you reach what is called a stagnation. At this point, you can try a new training program to work more locally all the muscles of the body. This split routine will be high intensity compared to another program but it will allow you to gain muscle.

Split? What is it? How many exercises per muscle?

This is an English word that translates to "divided" or "separate". In terms of weight training, this concept is used to designate a technique that consists of working one muscle group per day in more detail. As stated earlier, this is a program recommended only for the experienced. It is important to have a few months or even a few years of weight training experience before considering a split workout program. For a beginner, the principles of the muscle group program are far too intense. In fact, several exercises will be applied to the same muscles during each workout. With experience, a strength trainer can merge the split with the full-body. The technique created in this way is known as the "half-body".

Full body or split: which one to choose?

Are you a beginner and want to start weight training or fitness? It is then recommended to start with a program that will train the entire body with each session. Be sure to vary the exercises for the same muscle from session to session throughout the week to limit the intensity. Over time, you will find that as time goes on, your energy level will drop. The lack of energy will mean that when a session ends, there will be less efficiency in working the muscles than at the beginning of the training session. Hence the importance of choosing a split workout.

A selective technique

In a gym or at home, its principles are the same. The advantage of going to a dedicated gym is that you can benefit from the advice of an experienced coach and machines that you would not have at home. With good advice and a good program, you can gain muscle more effectively and more quickly. You can also watch videos of interesting exercises that will be a guide for you to the bodybuilding movements.

Unlike another program like the PPL or full body, it will be necessary to focus on 1 or 2 muscle groups at each session is a way to ensure that the work done on the areas concerned are as complete as possible. However, with 4 to 6 sessions in a week, it is possible to work the entire body. The design of a split bodybuilding program considers both the strengths and weaknesses of the individual. Therefore, it can be complicated.

Advice

For satisfactory results, it is important to be motivated, to be organized and to plan enough time for the exercises and the recovery period. With each exercise, it is important to work a specific area as intensely as possible, sometimes to the point of exhaustion. This is what is known as muscular failure. Be careful, however, to focus on execution rather than expenses. A targeted muscle group will only be worked once a week. It is only by proceeding in this way that the changes will be significant. This is important, because some people tend to give up after a while, when the results are not up to their expectations. Motivation can be lost quickly, unless you have a strong will and determination. If you are stagnating with your current program, you definitely need to change it. However, you must have at least a few months of practice.

It will depend on your experience in bodybuilding, to know if working with a higher intensity suits you without injuring you. Recovery times will be longer and the distribution of sessions in the week must be prepared beforehand by not soliciting the same muscles from one day to another. It's up to you to test if the split technique suits you.

Advantages and disadvantages

Key Benefits

A weight training session in split allows, first of all, to work a muscular group under very varied angles. In fact, focusing on 1 or 2 areas per session is a guarantee of success for multiple exercises in a sufficient amount of time.

Thanks to this practice, it is also easy to rectify an imbalance in the silhouette. In fact, you can only build up one part of your body, the one that is out of balance in relation to others. In general, the parts that are difficult to muscle are the calves, legs and forearms. However, there are others, depending on the individual. With the isolation exercises of this type of training, you will be able to focus more on these areas and have a more balanced figure.

Want to test a split program?

The intensity of each workout is conducive to the effectiveness of the exercises on your body. This intensity also helps to increase your metabolism. The goal of split is to continue until you are completely unable to continue an exercise with correct movements. In an indoor strength training program, a coach can ensure that the exerciser performs each exercise properly. Your coach will be your guide to continue your exercises until you are tired.

Can such a program lead to a risk of overtraining?

The answer is "no". Indeed, in one week, a muscle group is only worked once. Therefore, it has enough time to recover before the new training series of the following week. Thus, gaining muscle mass is more interesting, provided that you are organised and pragmatic in planning your sessions and the distribution of exercises, and that you follow an appropriate food plan. On the other hand, it would be counterproductive to do a session that is too long in the belief that the more we work the muscle, the more it will grow. This is totally false. Concerning the bodybuilding session, if you don't argue, and if you respect your rest times, then you shouldn't exceed 1 hour of training (1 hour 15 minutes including warm-ups). Overtraining can happen with a combination of several things: You can read the following article to learn more.

What are the signs of overtraining in bodybuilding?

Make the most of your day of rest by following such a program because you may only have one.

Disadvantages to consider

Its practice, despite its advantages, is associated with some constraints. First of all, it takes time and motivation. Then, mastering the exercises is essential, especially if you want to train alone. Finally, it is impossible to have fast and satisfactory results without a good management of the sessions and rest times.

Some secrets for a good training cycle

A sports coach can establish a indoor weight training program with an adapted training cycle. However, you can create your own cycle, considering a few criteria. The first secret is organization. Remember that you should be prepared to train between 4 and 6 days a week, depending on your recovery capacity. If you can't train more than 3 days a week, consider a technique other than the split.

The work of the support muscles is an aspect often neglected by the bodybuilding amateurs. However, it is an important factor for the effectiveness of the exercises. Do you want to work a specific muscle tissue? During an exercise concerning this one, the intervention of other muscular tissues is unavoidable. These are called "supporting muscle tissues". A work focused on the muscular tissues of the back cannot be carried out without the intervention of the biceps and the posterior deltoids. On the same principle, the triceps and the anterior deltoids are obligatorily solicited during the exercises concerning the pectoral muscles.

How is the split program going?

It is important to spread out the exercises to be practiced over the course of a week.

If on the first day of your training, you want to work on your pectorals, avoid training sessions involving the shoulders or triceps for the sports sessions of the 2 following days. The goal is to avoid stressing the main and support muscle tissues that were involved on the first day. Thus, during the second and third sessions of the week, you should explore other possibilities, such as working the legs, back or biceps. Note that the work on the back area should consider the middle muscle tissues, the back, the lumbar and the trapezius. In this sense, there are different types of exercises to master: pull-ups, rowing, lumbar bench, pull-ups, etc. For more efficiency of the training, the distribution of exercises in several sessions and by muscle group is the best solution. At the same time, the recovery time must be correctly chosen.

In order to optimize the efficiency of your physical exercises, it is recommended to plan your rest the day after the sessions concerning the leg muscle tissues. Indeed, after these exercises, the practitioner often suffers from aches and fatigue. His or her energy is also drained to the lower limb parts of the body. In such circumstances, you will have enormous difficulties in doing exercises with correct movements. However, a ab session is possible, provided that your abdominal muscles have been spared enough during your exercises the day before.

Some people who are new to split training often wonder if cardio exercises are useful. This type of session focused on the heart allows the improvement of breath and the prevention of cardiovascular risks in connection with weight training. However, it is not mandatory for muscle mass gain.

What about you? What is your current program?

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