Push/Pull/Legs Workout Split
Workout split: is it just more buzzwords surrounding the fitness community? Do you head to the gym and randomly pick your workouts? Do you struggle with having a strategy for creating activities that maximize your workouts? Creating a workout split may be beneficial to achieving your fitness goals.
Creating a workout split can help you maximize your workouts, depending on your goals. I love making a workout split that allows me to work toward my goals. There are a couple of different approaches and benefits to creating a good workout split. I am doing a variation on push/pull/legs with 4 strength training workouts and 3 cardio workouts. Below, I will go into detail on how that split looks for me.
What is a Workout Split?
A workout split is a strategy that splits up body parts or workouts to maximize your workouts. This means you dedicate each activity to each specific body part for each exercise. This allows you to work the muscles to fatigue them fully. Then, the next day, you work on a different body part to allow the previous day’s body part to recover.
Sometimes, this approach creates a workout program that means you only work out each body part 1-2 times a week. So, if you miss a workout, that body part may be cut for that week.
Creating an effective workout split for your lifestyle is a significant factor that you must be conscious of when creating an effective workout split. Full-body and HIIT workouts may be best for you if you have limited time to exercise.
When determining how to structure your workout splits, you must first assess your goals. Do you want to build muscle and transform your body composition? Do you want to train for a sporting event? Do you want to create muscle endurance and increase muscle strength?
Then, you have to determine where you are in your fitness journey. I highly recommend building a solid foundation with functional training before beginning high-volume training. This isn’t to say you cannot create a workout split for each body part. You focus on low-weight and high reps for some time to concentrate on form and slowly increase weights to further your muscle endurance. Then, add in high-volume workouts to build muscle.
Once you determine the time you can dedicate, your goals, and your fitness level, you move on to the workout structure. If you can only work out maybe three days a week, your goals are to increase movement and overall fitness level. Three full-body workouts are a promising approach for you. But if you have a reasonable amount of time four to five days a week and your goals are to build muscle, creating a workout split is a good approach.
Different Types of Workout Splits
Whole-body
Frequently, this split targets the whole body in every workout three days a week. Maybe M-W-F will allow your body to recover between each workout. This is great for anyone who is short on time and wants to focus on creating a habit of exercising. Maybe you are trying to get back into exercising, or perhaps you’re a runner who wants to incorporate some strength training to enhance your running schedule.
Upper-lower body split
This splits up upper and lower-body workouts on different days. For example: M: upper T: lower Th: upper F: lower. This can allow you to target full upper and full lower two times a week. Or you can split your upper and lower body workouts into two, focusing on different muscle groups within each category and creating four weekly workouts. This is a good split for anyone who wants to concentrate on targeted muscle groups and work on muscle foundation. I enjoyed this split as I worked on full upper body strength by keeping my two upper body workouts the same but splitting my leg day into two with quad-focused and glute/hamstring-focused leg workouts.
It is suitable for all levels so long as you understand what exercises target which muscle groups. You can start with low weight and build the intensity with increased weight and/or reps.
Push/Pull/Legs
This variation is similar to the upper-lower body split but focuses the upper body on the pushing and pulling movements. Pushing movements are any exercises that target the chest, triceps, and shoulders while pulling exercises target the back and biceps. This split can be done by push/pull/leg rest and repeated without specific days dedicated to each workout. Some people will skip the rest day and push/pull/legs/push/pull/legs/rest and do a six-workout week, which is unnecessary for everyone.
This split type is suited for anyone who wants to target specific areas of your upper body, while the lower body workout targets the full lower body for each leg workout.
It is suitable for all levels so long as you understand what exercises target which muscle groups. You can start with low weight and build the intensity with increased weight and/or reps.
My Current Workout Split
I am currently doing a variation on the push/pull/legs workout split. I have a solid understanding of what exercises work and which muscle groups. For over a decade, I have had a very on-and-off fitness journey. Where I am really into it for months at a time, then I am not into it at all for months at a time. So, I haven’t made much progress in muscle mass and strength. Well, at least not as much as I would like to have made. I have really struggled with the all-or-nothing mindset, and it is something I am working on. It is unhealthy to think I need to do everything or not at all. I am working on consistency and creating a habit of exercising daily. So, I am committing to my warm-up, and if that is all I do, I will be happy I showed up.
With all the knowledge I have gained over the years, plus being a certified personal trainer, I am confident in understanding which exercises target muscle groups. My current goal is to work on a solid upper body, core, mobility, and cardiovascular foundation with high rep low weights. I aim to work out seven days a week, committing to my warm-up, roughly 20 minutes of mobility and core workouts. It is OK if my body isn’t recovered enough to do the rest of my training. But if I don’t “feel like it,” I do it anyway. More often than not, I finish the full workout, lowering the intensity if I feel the need to.
My split looks like the following: cardio: tempo run/legs: quad focused/push/cardio: sprints/legs: hamstring/glute focused/pull/cardio: long-distance run
Every workout begins with a mobility and abs workout, followed by that day’s dedicated workout. My current mobility and abs workouts and my week of workouts vlog are posted on my YouTube channel below!
Sunday - Cardio: Tempo Run
A tempo run is working toward maintaining a specified pace throughout the run. It is not a speed or long-distance run but rather an easy recovery pace. I have asthma, so doing these tempo runs helps me tremendously to learn muscle memory for keeping pace.
Monday - Legs: Quad Focused
Tuesday - Push: Shoulders, Chest, and Triceps
Wednesday - Cardio: Sprints
Sprints are helpful to work toward improving overall speed and cardiovascular endurance. Due to my work schedule, I am limited on time during the week, so I love incorporating sprints into my workout split.
Thursday - Legs: Hamstring/Glute focused
Friday - Pull: Back and Biceps
Saturday - Cardio: Long-Distance Run
Saturday, I have the most time to dedicate to a long run. The longest distance I have ever run is 8 miles, and that was last summer. Since then, I have been less consistent, so I am not at that level. So, I am focusing on 5 miles for my long runs.
Below is my week of workouts vlog. I filmed it a few weeks ago, so my split is a little different than it is today, but the primary split is the same.
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