Which muscle groups will you train? How to divide them into effective workouts

Designing an efficient workout split starts with a simple question: which muscle groups will you train and how often? Whether your goal is strength, hypertrophy, fat loss, or general fitness, the way you distribute exercises across the week determines how much work each muscle receives and how well it recovers. This article explains the core principles, offers practical splits for different experience levels, and gives tips to help you choose the best approach for your goals.

Principles to guide your split

• Frequency over volume per session: Research shows training a muscle 2–3 times per week often produces better results than once-a-week bro-splits, provided total weekly volume is similar.
• Manageable volume: Weekly volume (sets x reps) for each muscle should be matched to your training level—lower for beginners, higher for advanced lifters.
• Prioritize compound movements: Squats, deadlifts, presses, and rows recruit multiple muscles and provide the greatest return for time invested.
• Recovery and progressive overload: Building in rest and progressively increasing load, reps, or sets is essential. If muscles don’t recover between sessions, performance and gains stall.
• Balance pushing and pulling: To maintain joint health and posture, balance horizontal/vertical pushing with an equivalent amount of pulling work.
• Individualization: Age, sleep, nutrition, stress, and genetics influence recovery and response. Adjust frequency and intensity accordingly.

Typical splits and when to use them

• Full-body (3x/week)

  • Best for beginners and those with limited time.
  • Each session includes 3–6 compound exercises covering all major muscle groups.
  • Pros: high frequency, efficient skill learning, good for fat loss. Cons: sessions can be long if too many exercises are included.
  • Sample: Squat, bench press, bent-over row, overhead press, Romanian deadlift, core.

• Upper/Lower (4x/week)

  • Great balance of frequency and recovery; commonly used by intermediates and advanced trainees.
  • Two upper and two lower sessions per week; allows more volume per muscle than full-body.
  • Sample: Upper A (heavy bench, rows, pull-ups), Lower A (squats, hamstring work), Upper B (overhead press, incline, face pulls), Lower B (deadlift or posterior chain focus).

• Push/Pull/Legs (3–6x/week)

  • Can be rotated 3 times/week for moderate frequency or repeated twice for 6 sessions/week for high frequency.
  • Splits movements by function: push (chest/shoulders/triceps), pull (back/biceps), legs (quads/hams/glutes).
  • Offers clear focus and balanced workload.

• Bodypart split (5x/week, “bro-split”)

  • Each session focuses on one or two muscle groups (e.g., chest day, back day).
  • Useful for advanced bodybuilding athletes who need high volume and detailed variety.
  • Drawback: lower frequency per muscle (often once a week) which may be suboptimal for many.

How to set weekly volume

• Beginners: 8–12 hard sets per muscle per week.
• Intermediate: 12–18 sets per muscle per week.
• Advanced: 18–25+ sets per muscle per week (use caution; monitor recovery).
• Distribute these sets across the week. For example, 15 sets/week for chest could be split as 5+5+5 across three sessions or 8+7 across two sessions depending on your split.

Practical examples (sample week)

• Full-body (Mon/Wed/Fri)

  • A: Squat 3×5, Bench 3×5, Row 3×8, Accessory hamstring work 3×10, Core work
  • B: Deadlift 3×5, Overhead press 3×5, Pull-up 3×8, Accessory quad work 3×10, Core

• Upper/Lower (Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri)

  • Mon (Upper heavy), Tue (Lower heavy), Thu (Upper hypertrophy), Fri (Lower hypertrophy)

• Push/Pull/Legs (Mon/Wed/Fri)

  • Push: Bench variations, overhead press, dips, triceps work
  • Pull: Rows, pull-ups, hamstrings, biceps
  • Legs: Squats, lunges, Romanian deadlifts, calves

Adjust sets/reps depending on goals: 3–6 reps for strength, 6–12 for hypertrophy, 12+ for endurance and conditioning.

Balancing exercise choice and accessory work

• Start sessions with compound lifts when fresh, then add accessory isolation work targeting lagging parts.
• Use exercises that complement one another—e.g., if you do heavy squats, pair with lighter posterior chain work later in the week.
• Include face pulls, band pull-aparts, and rotator cuff work to protect shoulders.
• Don’t neglect the posterior chain: hamstrings, glutes, and back are crucial for performance and injury prevention.

Recovery, progression, and tracking

• Prioritize sleep (7–9 hours), adequate protein (about 1.6–2.2 g/kg body weight for most active lifters), and a slight calorie surplus for muscle growth or deficit for fat loss while maintaining protein and recovery strategies.
• Track workouts: exercises, sets, reps, and perceived exertion. Use progressive overload by adding reps, weight, or improving technique over time.
• Deload or reduce volume every 4–12 weeks depending on fatigue, performance dips, or life stressors.

Tips for specific goals

• Strength focus: fewer exercises, higher intensity (1–6 reps), longer rest, emphasis on big compound lifts.
• Hypertrophy focus: moderate intensity (6–12 reps), higher volume, shorter rest, mix of compounds and isolation.
• Fat loss/conditioning: keep resistance work for muscle retention, add cardio or circuit-style sessions for energy expenditure.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Training a muscle to failure every session—this impairs recovery.
• Ignoring weaker muscles until they cause imbalances.
• Letting soreness dictate whether you should train—use performance (can you lift the same weight/reps?) as a better guide.
• Doing too many accessory exercises that don’t contribute to main goals.

Customizing for time constraints

• Short on time? Prioritize compound lifts and reduce isolation work. Use supersets to save time.
• Want more focus on a body part? Increase its weekly set count but reduce volume for other areas to avoid overtraining.

Conclusion

If you want a practical guide to splitting muscle groups into workouts with clear templates and examples, check out this helpful resource: Jak si správně rozdělit svalové partie do tréninků | Blog Extrifit.cz.