The choices can seem endless when it comes to splitting up your workouts. Although no perfect split routine exists, an optimum split can be selected based upon factors like your time availability, genetics, exercise experience, and fitness goals. Therefore, how you split your routine boils down to preference as much as it does science. Some people get great results on a full-body training routine and others on a four-day split.

Upper/Lower Body Split

Frequency: four days per week
Workout time: approximately 45 minutes
Rest: 60-90 seconds between sets, 2-3 minutes between exercises
Training tempo: 2 counts for the concentric action, 3 counts for the eccentric action

Upper Body (Chest, Back and Should

Muscle Group	Exercise	Sets	Reps
Chest	Dumbbell Flyes Bench Press	4 4-6	8-12 8-12
Back	Lat Pull-Down Seated Row	4-5 4-5	8-12 8-12
Shoulders	Lateral Raise Shoulder Press	4 4-6	8-12 8-12

Lower Body (Legs, Arms and Abdominals)

Muscle Group	Exercise	Sets	Reps
Quadriceps	Leg Extensions	4	8-12
Hamstrings	Lying Leg Curls	4	8-12
Quadriceps/Hamstrings/Glutes	Leg Press	4-6	8-12
Calves	Standing Calf Raise Seated Calf Raise	3	8-12
Biceps	Barbell Curl Concentration Curl	3	8-12
Triceps	Lying Triceps Extension Triceps Pushdown	3	8-12
Abdominals	Crunch Oblique Crunch Reverse Crunch	2	15-20

The split below is perfect for advanced bodybuilders/athletes who have a good amount of knowledge of the basics in the gym and would like a good mass building routine. It takes place over a four-day time period, with rest days as follows:

Day 1: Workout
Day 2: Workout
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Workout
Day 5: Workout
Day 6: Rest
Day 7: Rest

The routine does not need to be followed exactly for good results; it is simply a template that you can use to determine a good exercise program for you.

Day	Muscle Groups
1	Chest Biceps	Inclined bench press (2 sets), decline dumbbell press (1 set), flat bench press (1 set), weighted dips (1 set), dumbbell flyes (1 set) Barbell curls or dumbbell preacher curls (3 drop sets making it one giant set), incline dumbbell curls (2 sets), standing dumbbell curls (1 set), hammer curls (1 set)
2	Back Triceps	Pull-ups (1 set), bent-over barbell rows or one-arm hammer rows (2 sets), T-bar rows (2 sets), dumbbell rows (1 set) Dumbbell kickbacks (2 sets), standing rope extensions (2 sets), rope or straight bar pushdowns (1 set)
3	Calves Hamstrings Abs	Seated calf raises (3 sets), standing calf machine raises (2 sets) Seated leg curls (3 sets) One or two sets each of the following: floor or Roman chair crunches, lying leg raises or reverse crunches or hanging leg raises, floor oblique crunches or oblique leg-raise crunches or hanging oblique leg raises
4	Shoulders	Barbell press in front or behind neck (2 sets), flat bench press (1 set), weighted dips (1 set), dumbbell flyes (1 set)

Here is an alternative split:

Workout	Muscle Groups
1	Chest/Biceps
2	Shoulders/Calves
3	Back/Triceps
4	Thighs, Hamstrings and Abs

Workout 1 – Chest/Biceps

Exercise	Sets/Reps	Target
Bench Press	3/8	Overall Mass
Incline Bench Press	3/8	Upper Chest
Dumbbell Flyes	3/8	Outer Chest
Cable Crossovers	3/8	Outer Chest
Push-Ups	Failure	Cool Down
Standing Barbell Curls	3/8	Overall Biceps
Preacher Curls	3/8	Biceps Length and Lower Thickness
Cable Concentration Curls	3/8	Biceps Peak
Seated Dumbbell Curls	Failure	Cool Down

Workout 2 – Shoulders/Calves

Exercise	Sets/Reps	Target
Military Press	3/8	Anterior Deltoid Head
Arnold Press	3/8	Front/Side Heads
Lateral Raises	3/8	Medial Deltoid Head
Machine Press	3/8	Anterior Deltoid Head
Dumbbell Press	Failure	Cool Down
Leg Press Calf Raises	3/8	Gastrocnemius Muscles
Reverse Calf Raise On Block	3/8	Tibialis Anterior Muscle
Seated Calf Raises	3/8	Soleus Muscle

Workout 3 – Back/Triceps

Exercise	Sets/Reps	Target
Narrow Grip Bench Presses	3/8	Overall Mass
Close Grip Bench Press	3/8	Triceps Inner/Outer Head
Incline or Decline Barbell Extensions	3/8	Triceps Medial Head
Machine Pullovers	3/8	Upper Back and Lat Thickness
Seated Cable Rows	3/8	Lat Development
Close Grip Chin-Ups	3/8	Lower Lat Development
T-Bar Rows	3/8	Middle Back Thickness

Workout 4 – Thighs/Hamstrings/Abs

Exercise	Sets/Reps	Target
Squats	3/8	Lower Thigh Development
Hack Squats	3/8	Outer Thigh Development
Lunges	3/8	Inner Thigh Development/Hamstrings
Lying Leg Curls	3/8	Hamstrings
Reverse Crunches	3/Failure	Lower Abs
Side Twists with Pole	3/Failure	Obliques
Machine Crunches	3/8	Upper Abs

Prioritize your weak areas by putting them first in the workout order. For instance, if you have a weak chest, use Workout 1 to train it. Keep your reps in the 8-12 range to focus on hypertrophy. You should also perform 30 minutes of cardio 3 times per week at 60-70% of max. heart rate.

A split training program allows you to increase the intensity by adding 2-3 exercises per muscle group so you may work all 5 muscle groups per session. One of the most effective split training programs is called the push-pull routine. On one day you train all the muscle groups involved in the pushing motion such as your chest and your shoulders. The next time you train the muscles that require pulling such as the back and the triceps.

Diet For A Split Routine

Meal 1: Bowl of oatmeal with egg whites and a piece of fruit or yogurt
Meal 2: Protein shake
Meal 3: Chicken breast, vegetables and a jacket potato
Meal 4: Protein shake
Meal 5: Salad
Meal 6: Grilled steak, potato and a sugar free dessert
Meal 7: Protein shake
Meal 8: Boiled eggs
Meal 9: Protein shake

Here are some thoughts to keep you focused on getting the most out of your routine:

1. Stick with your strengths
2. Cut out the negative thoughts
3. Bodybuilding is not all about size, as you will discover when you climb the competitive ranks of natural bodybuilding