Thread: best split for the weekends off?

I would probably do a full body routine on Monday and Thursday. You may also try Monday - Lower, Tuesday - Upper, Wednesday - Rest, Thursday - Full body.

You may also consider something like a full body workout on Monday and Wednesday, and then some plyometrics and sprinting on Friday.

i like the lower, upper, off, full - people will say differently, but unless your doing HIT, i can't imagine working out only two times per week.

why not push, pull, legs? mon-push, tues-pull, wed-off, thurs-legs, fri-restart cycle.

Originally Posted by CowPimp

You may also try Monday - Lower, Tuesday - Upper, Wednesday - Rest, Thursday - Full body.

i'd go this route.

I like the one pimp put up. I use that one with some clients occasionally. Total body three times a week is also a favorite of mine.

Originally Posted by CowPimp

You may also try Monday - Lower, Tuesday - Upper, Wednesday - Rest, Thursday - Full body.

I like this idea the best as well I think. Would upper mon, lower, tue, upper, wed, lower thur be too much? If so, than is it alright do you think to do some cardio (like a 30 minute run or a sesson of HIIT) on days that I'm not lifting? (so wed, fri, sat, and sunday probably take right off).

Also, how many exercises do you think I should do?
How would this be? Maybe doing 3 sets for each exercise?

Upper:
Chest press
Military Press
Incline Chest Press
Lateral Raises
Bicep Curls
Tricep Kickbacks

Lower:
Squats
Lunges
Deadlifts
Leg Extension
Hamstring Curl
Calf raises

Full body:
Squats
Chest Press
One legged bulgarian squats
Upright row
Bicep Curls
Bent over Row
Dips

Thanks for all of your advice!

Originally Posted by pengers84

why not push, pull, legs? mon-push, tues-pull, wed-off, thurs-legs, fri-restart cycle.

Nothing wrong with push, pull, legs. CP was just suggesting something different that most people probably haven't thought of. I like it.

Originally Posted by Squaggleboggin

Nothing wrong with push, pull, legs. CP was just suggesting something different that most people probably haven't thought of. I like it.

fair enough, never done that myself, might have to give it a go.

Originally Posted by CowPimp

I would probably do a full body routine on Monday and Thursday. You may also try Monday - Lower, Tuesday - Upper, Wednesday - Rest, Thursday - Full body.

That looks like the best choice, plus hit it harder on thursday.

Originally Posted by ShannonC_77

I like this idea the best as well I think. Would upper mon, lower, tue, upper, wed, lower thur be too much? If so, than is it alright do you think to do some cardio (like a 30 minute run or a sesson of HIIT) on days that I'm not lifting? (so wed, fri, sat, and sunday probably take right off).

Also, how many exercises do you think I should do?
How would this be? Maybe doing 3 sets for each exercise?

Upper:
Chest press
Military Press
Incline Chest Press
Lateral Raises
Bicep Curls
Tricep Kickbacks

Lower:
Squats
Lunges
Deadlifts
Leg Extension
Hamstring Curl
Calf raises

Full body:
Squats
Chest Press
One legged bulgarian squats
Upright row
Bicep Curls
Bent over Row
Dips

Thanks for all of your advice!

Your upper day lacks pulling movements. Throw in some sort of rowing movement and/or pullups. Maybe even pulldowns if you prefer.

I would say lower body day is a little high in volume for the legs considering you will be hitting them again in 2 days. I would tone the volume down a little and replace the stuff with ab/lower back work. If you've discovered that your legs can handle quite a lot of volume, then ignore that suggestion.

I think the full body routine looks great.

Originally Posted by CowPimp

Your upper day lacks pulling movements. Throw in some sort of rowing movement and/or pullups. Maybe even pulldowns if you prefer.

I would say lower body day is a little high in volume for the legs considering you will be hitting them again in 2 days. I would tone the volume down a little and replace the stuff with ab/lower back work. If you've discovered that your legs can handle quite a lot of volume, then ignore that suggestion.

I think the full body routine looks great.

Thanks for your reply! So maybe would it be okay to add in a bent over row to the first day as well? or would this be too much volume? I think my legs could handle this alright, I tend to need a bit more volume to get a good workout in because they aren't super strong (i'm a pretty tiny person as it is) so I can't use ultra-heavy weight.

Also, is 3 sets for each exercise good? What do you think about maybe supersetting them? So for example in the first workout, supersetting the first two exercises, doing all sets then moving to the next two workouts? I'd probably take 20 seconds rest or so in between, so not a true superset I guess, but just to cut down on time a bit. Would this be okay?

Originally Posted by ShannonC_77

Thanks for your reply! So maybe would it be okay to add in a bent over row to the first day as well? or would this be too much volume? I think my legs could handle this alright, I tend to need a bit more volume to get a good workout in because they aren't super strong (i'm a pretty tiny person as it is) so I can't use ultra-heavy weight.

Yes ma'am, some rows would be just fine. I would be doing one pulling movement for every pressing movement you do. In fact, I think pulling movements possibly deserve even more time than pressing movements (I know, shudder at the thought).

Also, anyone can use heavy weights. Heavy is a relative term. If you lift a weight you can only do 4 repetition in good form with, then you are lifting heavy whether it be 50 pounds or 500 pounds. However, you know how well you recover better than me; I have no right to say otherwise if you think you can handle it.

Also, is 3 sets for each exercise good? What do you think about maybe supersetting them? So for example in the first workout, supersetting the first two exercises, doing all sets then moving to the next two workouts? I'd probably take 20 seconds rest or so in between, so not a true superset I guess, but just to cut down on time a bit. Would this be okay?

I think antagonist supersets are great. For example, do a set of bench press, rest 30 seconds, do a set of rows, rest 30 seconds, do a set of bench press... You get the idea. That way the antagonist muscles are actually resting while you are working the other muscles. Granted, there might be a small amount of carryover, but it should be minimal.

3 sets of each exercise is most likely just fine.

Monday: Chest
Tuesday: Back, Abs
Wednesday: Legs
Thursday: Delts, Calves
Friday: Arms, Abs