Why and How to choose a specific exercise routine!
I made this table about a year ago for my Fitness Group. It was to outline possible reasons why you would choose a specific split or exercise routine.
This is just some general information and my recommendation based on the time you have available to commit to working out.
So, if you are just getting started and wanted to know what exercises to do on what day, this should give you a general sense of what kind of movements you should be focusing on in your exercise routine.
I suggest cardio be done after your workouts or on days you aren’t lifting if you are someone who already doesn’t walk or move much.
Workout Splits |
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3 x a week |
4 x a Week |
5 x a week |
6 times a week |
| Full Body | Upper / Lower – twice | Push, Pull, Legs, Upper, Lower | Upper Endurance, Lower Endurance, Power , Cardio/HIIT, Upper Hyper, Lower Hyper, Accessory movements |
| Push / Pull / Legs / Full | Full Body x 3 , Upper , Lower | Upper , Lower – 3 times (Mix of Hyper, Strength and Power | |
| Upper Strength / Lower Hypertrophy / Upper Hypertrophy / Lower Strength | Chest/Quads , Back/ Hamstrings, Shoulders/ Cardio, Upper , Lower | Push, Pull, Legs – Hypertrophy Push, Pull, Legs – Strength/ Hypertrophy |
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| Anterior Muslces / Posterior Muslces (Chest, Shoulders, Bicep, Quads / Back, Hamstring, Glutes, Triceps) | Upper/ Lower – Twice , Cardio/Conditioning Day | ||
| Full Body – (6 exercises/ 2 per Muscle Group) | Strength Upper , Hyper Legs, Hyper Pull, Strength Lower, Hyper Push | ||
| Push-Pull/ Legs / Push-Pull/ Legs | |||
Rules for Splits |
Example Workout Template |
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3x a Week |
Each Workout should Consist of 2 of the major Compound Exercises/ or variation of it and Alternate movements on each workout. Shoot for 4 – 5 sets.
Focus on Major Muscle Groups and Exercises that can target a majority of muscles at once. Example: Monday’s Legs exercises are Squats, Deadlifts, and Hip Thrust. Wednesday’s Leg exercises are Leg press, Sumo DB Deadlift, Hip AbductionSimilar Muscles targeted but under different Stimulus. |
1st Workout Bench Press 12 reps / 4 Sets 7- 8 RPE Squat 15 reps / 4 sets 7 RPE Lat Pulldown 12 reps / 5 sets 7- 8 RPE DB Curl and Press 15 reps / 4 sets – 7 RPE Leg Press 12 reps / 4 sets – 7 RPE Bent Over Row 20 reps / 4 sets – 5 RPE |
2nd Workout Deadlift 8 – 10 reps / 4 sets 7 RPE Overhead Press 12 – 15 reps / 4 sets 7 RPE Row (Cable) 12 reps / 4 sets 8 RPE Incline Bench Press 12 – 15 reps 7 RPE Hip Thrust 12 – 15 reps 8 RPE Thrusters 15 – 20 reps 6 RPE |
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4x a Week |
Because of the Frequency of Exercises you want to be sure you hit all the major muscles at least twice a week. Every Workout should Focus on Major Muscle Groups.
Pick the Exercises that targets the most muscles in the muslce group and then pick another Exericse that compliments those muscles to follow up. For example: Overhead Press and Bench Press use similar muscle groups but target those muscles at different angles. Be sure to set your workouts apart enough to get enough rest and progressive overload is vital for any progress. Example : Monday Upper exercises are BB Bench Press, Incline DB Bench Press, Lat Pulldown underhand Grip, Cable Row. Thursday Upper exercises are BB Incline Bench Press, DB Bench Press, Row Machine, Pull Ups |
Upper – Incline Bench Press 8-12 reps / 4 sets 7 RPE Overhead Press 10 – 15 reps / 4 sets 6-7 RPE DB Bench Press 12 – 15 reps / 4 sets – 7 RPE Row (Machine or Cable) 8 – 12 reps / 4 sets 8 RPE Lat Pulldown 10 – 15 reps / 4 sets 7-8 RPE Underhand Bent Over Row 8 – 10 reps 7 RPE |
Lower – Squat 10 reps / 5 sets 8 RPE Leg Press 12 – 15 reps / 3 sets 7 RPE Hip Thrust 10 – 12 reps / 4 sets 7- 8 RPE Hip Abduction 15 – 20 reps / 4 sets 7 RPE DB/KB Deadlift 12 reps / 4 sets 7 RPE Box Jumps 12- 15 reps / 4 sets Leg Extension 10 – 15 reps / 4 sets 6 RPE |
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5x a Week |
This routine allows more time for more targeted workouts. But no matter what you still want to try to hit each major muscle group 2-3 times a week.
Volume and intensity became more and more relevant as you add more workout days to your weak. You want to ensure you are challenging yourself enough while also getting the right amount of recovery for your muscles. The split should highlight your specific goals and how efficiently you want to reach them. For Example if your Goal is just to lose Fat while building Muscle you could go all out in the weight room for 3 days and do 2 Cardio (LISS or HIIT) days to really expedite calorie expenditureIf your goal is to maximize muscle growth while at your current bodyweight then you could benefit from a Push/Pull/Legs/Upper/Lower split that could allow you to hyper focus on muscle groups and maximize hypertrophy |
Push – Bench Press 10 – 12 reps / 4 sets 8 RPE Seated DB Overhead Press 10 – 12 reps / 4 sets 6 RPE Machine Chest Fly 10 – 15 reps / 3 sets 6 RPE DB Lateral Raise 12 – 15 reps / 3 sets 7 RPE Incline Chest Press Machine 15 reps / 4 sets 6 RPE Rope Tricep Extension 20 reps / 3 sets 6 RPE Skullcrushers 12 – 15 reps / 4 sets 6 RPE |
Pull – Lat Pulldown 10 – 12 reps / 5 sets 8 RPE Face Pulls 12 – 15 reps / 3 sets 6 RPE Row (Machine or Cable) 10 – 12 reps / 4 sets 7 RPE Straight Arm Pulldown 10 – 15 reps / 3 sets 7 RPE Hammer Curls 12 – 15 reps / 4 sets 7 RPE Farmers Walk/Carry (Distance based goal Example: Half a lap around the gym with 25 or 45 lb plates) / 3 sets Reverse Fly 12 – 15 reps / 3 sets 8 RPE |
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6x a Week |
Training this frequently isn’t neccesarry for your average joe or jill. You should have very specific goals if you are trainging this often
An athletic competition, marathons, bodybuilding, a specific sport. The routine should follow the outline of what the competition or sport major muscle recruitment. Rest is a very vital role in these routines as well. Be sure that ypu space out training the same muscle group. Training for specific sports you are going to want to inculde power based |
Examples available upon request | Examples available upon request | |||
| *Rated Perceived Exertion (RPE) | The modified RPE scale has a range from 0 to 10 (with 0 being no exertion and 10 being maximum effort). This scale corresponds more with a feeling of breathlessness. |
