Many people have heard about “chest day” or “leg day” and imagine working out in the gym exclusively this way: today you do one thing, tomorrow you do something else. This technique - splits - is often used in bodybuilding.
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However, beginners are advised to abandon splits and train the muscles of the entire body in one workout. This will allow you to work all muscle groups symmetrically and recover quickly.
How many approaches and repetitions to do
Beginners are advised to perform high repetitions with light weight. This approach provides:
- The rapid formation of the neuromuscular connection necessary to increase muscle mass.
- Active growth of muscle mass.
- No injuries from heavy weights.
To simplify the program, perform the same number of sets and reps for all exercises. Perform all of the exercises below for three sets of 10 reps unless otherwise noted.
VIII. Plan to change the weight of the equipment during training
Well, the last stage is to determine how your weights and number of repetitions will change from workout to workout. In the case of maintaining shape, relief or losing weight, this is not so relevant (although it also matters). But if you want to increase muscle mass or strength, then this is a very important parameter. And here, alas, everything is so individual and unpredictable that I cannot give anything specific advice in absentia.
Read the articles: Principles of changing the weight of equipment when training in the gym and How to change the number of repetitions during a training program. There you can understand the basic principles of how this is all done.
What should the warm-up be like?
Warm up before your workout.
- Joint warm-up: twirl your joints, bend and twist your body.
- Five minutes of light cardio: a gentle run on the treadmill, a session on the elliptical trainer, jumping rope.
If strength exercises are performed with a weight of more than 20 kilograms, warm-up approaches are necessary before them. You perform the exercise 3-5 times with an empty bar, and then add 10-20 kilograms.
For example, if you are doing back squats with a weight of 50 kilograms, the warm-up sets would be as follows: 20 x 3, 30 x 3, 40 x 3, one minute rest and the first set with the working weight.
Who is a weight training program suitable for?
- If you are a complete beginner and have just joined the gym, then first you need to master the training for beginners and become familiar with the basic principles. The most important thing is to work on the technique of doing the exercises. And only then, after 3-6 months, you can begin a new, massive recruitment stage. You can get acquainted with this program from our article “Training program for beginner bodybuilders.”
- The same goes for professionals. It is unlikely that they will be able to gain large muscle mass in a short time. That is, if you are already at the maximum weight, then the result will be, but not so noticeable. For example, an average person weighing 80 kg will gain 2-3 times more during the same time.
- Also, we talked to you about overweight people. Not only is it not suitable for them, they shouldn’t train their body for weight. First you need to get rid of excess fat, and then set new goals for yourself.
- And of course, people with severe injuries should not choose this program. Since weight gain involves working with heavy weights and basic exercises. Which can only aggravate existing injuries.
For everyone else, this program will increase both muscle volume and strength. But before you begin the training itself, you need to understand the fundamental principles of the program.
What exercises to do
By starting a workout with your abs, you tone them so they better support your core and prevent you from rounding your back in movements like deadlifts or back squats.
Press raises
Place your legs bent at the knees on the floor or place them on a hill so that the angle at the knee is 90 degrees, and put your hands behind your head. Perform three sets of 20 reps.
Leg raises
This exercise puts stress on the hip flexor muscles. Perform three sets of 20 reps.
Lie on the floor, place your arms along your body. Raise your legs bent at the knees so that your thigh is perpendicular to the floor. Lift your pelvis off the floor and push it up, then lower yourself and repeat.
Hyperextension
This exercise does double duty: it works the back extensor muscles, which help you support your back during deadlifts and squats, and it activates your glutes. The latter is especially important for people with sedentary jobs.
The exercise can be done on an incline hyperextension machine, where the body is positioned at an angle, on a Roman chair, where the body is parallel to the floor, or on a GHD.
Bend your body until it is parallel to the floor or slightly lower, and then straighten your back up. The deeper you bend down, the more your buttocks engage.
Back Squats
The exercise puts stress on the front of the thigh and buttocks.
To begin, experiment with the position of your legs and find out which position is most comfortable for you: wide, narrow, with your knees turned out strongly or just slightly to the sides.
While squatting, pay attention to your technique.
- The back should remain straight throughout the exercise. If it rounds at the bottom, your back muscles are not strong enough, take a lighter weight.
- Feet should not leave the floor.
- Squat through your full range: at least to parallel with the floor or slightly below.
Bench press
Pumps up the pectoral muscles, engages the triceps, shoulders and core muscles.
Lie down on a bench press bench with your legs wide apart and your feet flat on the floor. To determine your grip width, grab a barbell and lower it to your chest. At the bottom, your forearms should be perpendicular to the bar. Take the barbell, move it to a position above your chest, lower it until it touches your chest, and raise it again.
Here are a few features of the technique:
- If you use a medium grip, your wrists, elbows, and bar are all in the same plane.
- The feet are pressed firmly to the floor; do not place your feet on your toes.
- Do the movement in full amplitude, touching the bar to your chest.
Deadlift
Deadlifts work the hamstrings, glutes, and back extensors.
Walk up to the bar, position your feet so that the bar is above the laces of your sneakers, close to your shins. Grab the barbell a little further than shoulder-width apart and bend your knees. Lift the barbell with a straight back until the hip joint is fully extended.
Features of the technology:
- Keep your back straight, this will take the pressure off your lower back.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and turn your toes out 15-25 degrees.
- Raise the bar close to your shins, almost sliding over them (but, of course, not like in the GIF below).
Upper pulley to chest
This exercise targets the latissimus dorsi muscles.
Sit on the machine, grab the handle and pull it towards your chest. Perform the exercise using your back muscles, not your arms and shoulders.
Standing chest press
This exercise targets the shoulders, especially the front of them, and the pectoral muscles.
Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip, shoulder-width apart or slightly wider. Raise the barbell up, fully straighten your elbows at the extreme point and move your hands slightly back, behind your head.
Several features of the technology:
- The gaze is directed forward, do not raise your head behind the bar.
- When the bar passes in front of your head, do not lift your chin, but tilt your head back.
- Do not lean your body back while pressing.
Barbell curl
This is an isolated exercise for the biceps brachii.
Take the barbell with a reverse grip shoulder-width apart, lift it by bending your elbow, and lower it smoothly.
Features of the technology:
- To relieve the load on your lower back, slightly tilt your body forward.
- To protect your elbow joint, lower the weight smoothly and under control rather than throwing it down.
- You can shift the load on different heads of the biceps due to the position of the elbows (pulled your elbows back - you loaded the outer head of the biceps more, brought your elbows forward - you loaded the inner head of the biceps).
Bent-over dumbbell raises
This movement works the back of the shoulders.
Take dumbbells, bend down until parallel to the floor and spread your arms to the sides.
Peculiarities:
- Do not raise your shoulders up; they should be lowered to turn off the trapezius muscles.
- To increase the load on the rear deltoid muscles, slightly turn your hands with your little fingers up.
Extension of arms on a triceps block
Stand next to the upper block, grab the handle with a straight grip, slightly move your body forward, do not round your back. It is important to fix the entire shoulder girdle so that only your forearms move during the exercise.
Peculiarities:
- You can shift the load on different heads of the triceps by changing your grip (a forward grip pumps up the lateral head of the triceps, and a reverse grip pumps up the long head).
- The overhead pulldown with a rope handle allows you to spread your arms at the lowest point and turn your hands with your little fingers outward (this also allows you to better work the long head of the triceps).
Stage three – classic split
The top/bottom split is good for people of average fitness levels. For more experienced people, such frequent muscle loading will not give a positive result and can lead to overtraining, so it is advisable to switch to a classic split, in which a muscle group is loaded only once a week, but in a large volume.
Usually one muscle group is loaded with 3-4 exercises in 4-5 approaches, which is quite a lot. Therefore, in one workout it is impossible to efficiently load more than 2-3 muscle groups, because by the end of the workout there is no strength left. Usually, in one workout, one large muscle group and 2-3 small, less often 2 large muscle groups are worked out.
In a classic split there can be either 3 workouts per week or 12. And even more! The fact is that split allows you to do several workouts per day. For example, in the morning you can train your back muscles, and in the evening your triceps. This technique is called double division, but I do not recommend splitting up training to such an extent; this is the lot of professional bodybuilders. For an ordinary ordinary athlete, 4 workouts per week is enough.
How to diversify your workouts
| Movement from the program | Options for replacement |
| Press raises | Roman chair sit-ups, V-shaped sit-ups |
| Leg raises | Raising the knees to the chest while hanging on the horizontal bar, raising the legs to the horizontal bar |
| Squats | Lunges with a barbell on the back, sumo squats with a kettlebell or dumbbells |
| Bench press | Dumbbell flyes, push-ups, hummer presses |
| Deadlift | Leg bending on a lying machine, deadlift (deadlift on straight legs) |
| Upper pulley to chest | Bent-over barbell row, bent-over dumbbell row, bent-over T-bar row |
| Standing chest press | Standing Dumbbell Press |
| Barbell curl | Dumbbell biceps curl |
| Bent-over dumbbell raises | Raising arms on a machine (“reverse butterfly”) |
| Triceps pulley extension | French bench/standing press, reverse push-ups with elevated feet, dips |
How to start?
There is no single system that will suit absolutely everyone, but examples can help you understand which exercises will suit you.
The examples below are a great place to start, but should not be taken as gospel. First, pay attention to your level of training to understand which plan you should use: beginner, intermediate or experienced.
Beginner's Guide
Before you start, listen to our tips:
- Dive into the world of training with a light cardio program and full-body strength training. If this seems too difficult for you, just start with cardio, that will be enough to get you started.
- You may need more days to rest. It's normal to feel sore muscles after you start exercising, but if you can barely move the next day, then you've clearly overdid it and will cool off during your next workout.
- A typical program for beginners usually includes two to three days of cardio and three days of strength training. These workouts can also be combined with each other if you don't have five days to visit the gym.
- Learn to monitor the intensity of your workouts. Most beginners will start with moderate-intensity exercises. If you can still speak intermittently during the workout, then it is usually at a “medium” intensity.
Warming up and warming up
Before you start exercising, you need to warm up. Not only will this help you improve your flexibility and mobility, but it will also reduce the chance of injury. By warming up your muscles before your workout, you increase the elasticity of muscle fibers. This is important because it helps them not tear during training.
A good warm-up will also raise your body temperature, which will benefit your workout. Warming up starts blood circulation, which leads to more oxygen and nutrients reaching muscle cells. The more energy you have, the better your muscles will be able to work during your workout.
Several exercises with a barbell or dumbbells are not considered a full warm-up.
Sample warm-up plan
Check out a sample warm-up to help your body prepare itself for your workout.
- 1 minute knee raise
- 1 minute foot raise
- 2 sets of 10 circles with each hand
- 10 squats with arms forward
- 20 head turns
- 10 hip rotations
Here's a good pre-workout warm-up with pictures and videos.
