Split your workout to target different muscles on different days

Our pulling muscles are usually weaker than our pushing ones, so it is important to incorporate pulling exercises in our workout. — Kfit

The term “workout split” usually applies to weightlifting, but it can also be used in bodyweight training and/or with resistance bands and dumbbells.

It basically means breaking up your workouts to target different body parts on different days of the week in order to get better results.

Splitting your workout in such a way gives it a dash of spice and variety that might help encourage anticipation for each day’s exercise routine.

There is no standard approach for workout splits that fits everyone; your training would depend on your age, goals, schedule and how much time you’re willing to devote to exercise.

The splits can be for a period of three, four or five days, and can be designed according to what you’re aiming for.

Typically, a workout split entails performing two exercises per muscle group, e.g. a lower body session that works the quadriceps muscles could include squats and lunges.

An example of a four-day workout split can look like this:

• Monday: Lower body, e.g. lunges, squats, sumo squat, side leg lifts, etc
• Tuesday: Upper body, e.g. bicep curls, tricep dips, shoulder presses, bent-over rows, etc
• Thursday: Abdominals and gluteal muscles
• Friday: Full body, or if you’re tired, take a gentle yoga/stretching class or a stroll.

Each session should take around 30 to 45 minutes, depending on how long you rest in between each exercise.

Do add in some light cardiorespiratory training alongside your splits, e.g. on Tuesday and Thursday.

Keep weekends for doing something fun.

Make sure you have two days of proper rest for the muscles to recover.

These rest days should ideally be separated, e.g. Wednesday and Saturday, or Friday and Sunday.

Targeted work

For physical activity on the weekends, do something you enjoy, such as a leisurely bicycle ride with a friend. — dpa

By separating muscle groups into different days, you can target specific body parts and fully fatigue the muscle via approaching them from a variety of angles, which will result in faster improvement.

Say you want to increase or tone your arm muscles; you can work the biceps hard, i.e. two or three sets of 10-12 repetitions, then move on to the tricep and deltoid muscles by reducing the duration of rest in between exercises.

The next day, work solely on the legs, giving the arms a break.

This allows more rest for the arms, while lowering the chances of overtraining and fatigue.

Generally, the days exercising the upper body are harder as there are more muscles to work compared to the lower body.

By the end of it, your muscles will be screaming for mercy.

If that is the case, take the workout down a notch and start with one set of 10-15 repetitions before progressing on.

Also, since upper body workouts take longer than lower body workouts, you’ll find that the lower body muscles progress much faster than the upper body.

Besides, we are on our feet daily and walking gives the lower body ample movement and caloric burn, whereas we may not move the upper body as much.

With the use of electronic gadgets these days, we’re only using our fingers and eyeballs to do the work!

Push and pull

Lunges are a great way to work the quadricep muscles (lower body). — Filepic

Now, you can also do a push-pull split where you alternate between sessions with all pushing movements (e.g. push-ups or glute bridges) or all pulling movements (e.g. chin-ups or bicep curls).

This taxes the muscles more, and if your diet is right, you might be able to increase muscle size.

Pushing exercises strengthen our anterior chain of muscles, which include our core, chest, shoulders and triceps.

Meanwhile, pulling exercises use our posterior chain, which is composed of our glutes, hamstrings, erector spinae, posterior deltoids and biceps.

Think of opening and closing a door, or carting a trolley – these require pushing or pulling manoeuvres – something we do without thinking in our daily tasks.

It’s natural to have stronger pushing muscles than pulling ones.

On average, we’re about twice as strong for pushing movements than we are for pulling ones.

Due to this imbalance, it’s all the more important to ensure your workouts include both pushing and pulling work.

Deciding on the split

After your workout, a foot bath with hot water and salt is relaxing for both mind and body. — dpa

It can be overwhelming when deciding how to split your training throughout the week.

To help, try factoring in these elements:

• Fitness experience – are you a beginner or regular?
• Goals – do you want to build muscles, trim fat, lose weight or maintain shape?
• Weekly schedule – how much time do you have to allocate to exercise?
• Rest – does your job allow you adequate physical and mental rest to recover from a workout?

With a split routine, it is important not to skip any workouts as they each have a different focus.

Allowing too long between workouts of a muscle group impairs progress towards your goal.

Remember, you need to give at least 48 hours between strength-training exercise sessions for major muscle groups, as per the American Council of Sports Medicine guidelines.

Most people prefer doing a full-body workout at every session as it saves time, and if you do miss a training day, there is no concern that you may have left out working a specific body part.

If you’re a beginner, it’s best to stick to a full body training split as you want to expose yourself to all the different types of exercises available.

Full body training involves training every major muscle group in a single workout.

The freedom of full body training is perfect for bodyweight training and introducing some weightlifting into your fitness routine, as well as improving your overall health.

The drawback is that beginners tend to get overly motivated at first and eventually succumb to fatigue.

They either give up or only perform their favourite exercises, neglecting the ones they don’t like, which can then lead to muscle imbalance.

Personally, I dislike doing push-ups and will only do the bare minimum (or ask a student to demonstrate!) before moving on to the next exercise.

Also, I have a shoulder injury that acts up if I do one too many, so either I use weights and perform chest presses, or I cut short the number of repetitions.

Unsurprisingly, my chest muscles are underdeveloped, compared to some other body parts.

Anyway, set a realistic expectation of what you can achieve each week.

Give this workout split a go for a month and see if it makes a difference to your muscles or overall fitness.

If not, you can always revert back to your preferred method of working out.

Whichever method works, do soak your feet (and body if you have a bathtub) in hot water and salt afterwards to relax and reduce muscle soreness.

Revathi Murugappan is a certified fitness trainer who tries to battle gravity and continues to dance to express herself artistically and nourish her soul. For more information, email [e-mail]. The information contained in this column is for general educational purposes only. Neither The Star nor the author gives any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to such information. The Star and the author disclaim all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.