There are almost endless training programs and ways to split training plans – that is, to divide them into different muscle groups. It is easy to get lost in all the options, and it is not always easy to decide. To figure this out, you first need to be clear about your goals and realistically assess external circumstances such as time management and motivation.
The right training plan is primarily determined by your goal
First and foremost, you should always ask yourself what goals you want to achieve with your training. Is it mainly about losing weight or losing body fat? Do you mainly want to build a lot of muscle mass? Do you want to become stronger for a specific sport? Is the goal to get rid of physical discomfort such as back or knee pain or to prevent it with strength training?
Once you have clearly answered this question for yourself, you need to decide how much time you will devote to training. Is it once or twice a week, three to four times, or rather five to six times? You should think realistically and, especially if you are new to strength training, not start with too much. It will ultimately lead nowhere if you wish to be in the gym four times a week but end up only making it once or twice because other priorities call.Once these two questions are clearly answered, you can also decide which type of training program makes sense. This blog post and the following article describe the two goals of fat loss, or colloquially, losing weight, and muscle building. When pursued smartly, these go hand in hand with the goals of health and performance.
Training frequency ultimately determines whether you train one or more training plans in the same training phase, that is, whether you split your training. The goal determines the form in which the split takes place and which training methods are used.
What exactly does a training plan split mean?
Within a training phase, you have the option of training the entire phase with the same training plan or performing two or even six different plans. You split the exercises so that you have, for example, a lower body day and an upper body day. Further examples follow below in the text.
The system, or training method, should generally remain the same within a training phase. For example, the repetition range, the total time during which the muscles are under tension, but also the rest periods and number of sets should be the same. So, within the split, it is simply a matter of performing different exercises on different days so that the respective muscle group can recover for longer. If strength training takes place more than twice a week, it makes sense to split.
How long should a training plan be trained for?
For maximum progress in training, you should change the training program every three to four weeks. The body adapts during this time, so that afterwards it becomes difficult or impossible to increase your progress further.
Variation is the key to success. A good coach can often quickly recognize what is limiting you from increasing your progress in a basic exercise and thus select the right exercises for the next training phase. Therefore, you should leave creating a training plan to a professional with expertise. In addition, the nervous system needs new stimuli, and the metabolism sometimes also needs to recover from a training phase of high volume or intensity.
Fat loss goal: Which training plan is best for losing weight?
First of all, it must be emphasized here that the foundation is always nutrition, especially when it comes to aesthetic goals. An important point here is the breakfast.
From a purely training perspective, two things should be strongly focused on if the primary goal is body fat reduction: volume and global training stimulus:
There are different definitions of volume within a training session. Here in the article, this means the total time during which the target muscles are under active tension. Accordingly, it is calculated by the total number of exercise sets, repetitions per set, and exercise tempo. The volume should be kept relatively high. One way to achieve this is through the number of repetitions. For example, 10-12 or 12-15 repetitions are well suited here. Especially for beginners, a controlled tempo should be used; lowering the weight for four seconds and then moving it rather quickly in the other direction (pressing/pulling) is a sensible tempo.
By global training stimulus, it is meant that the largest muscle groups and especially the entire body must work during the session. This creates a very metabolic stimulus, which causes the body to switch to fat burning. Therefore, full-body plans are best suited for fat loss training plans. For example, alternating two exercises, one for the upper body and one for the lower body, is one way to work globally.
So, for example, a deep squat with 12 repetitions could be alternated with 12 repetitions of bench press as the first exercise. A one-minute rest in between will be sufficient, as the respective body part can recover during the other exercise. Women tend to cope better with shorter rests and higher volume. This means they can train well in the high repetition range, while men often fatigue more quickly here.
How should you split a full-body plan?
If someone who primarily wants to lose weight should train more than twice a week, then – as already described above – more than one training plan should be used per training phase. However, since the global stimulus should still remain, the body parts must be divided differently.
There are, of course, different systems, such as push-and-pull days. The proposed option here would be that in one plan you focus more on the front of the thighs as well as the upper back and chest, while the second full-body plan incorporates more of the back of the legs, glutes, lower back, and arms. Of course, certain muscle groups will still be recruited in both plans, but often more for stabilization. Abs, i.e., the abdominal muscles, can theoretically always be trained alongside others, as they have different functions than, for example, the biceps.
More than a two-split of a full-body plan is not that sensible, so in the fat loss program you should probably stick to four times strength training anyway. However, an advanced person could additionally complete functional conditioning training, for example in interval form. Cyclic cardio such as hours of running is less recommended, as this places hormonal stimuli on already stressed individuals that act counterproductively.
For example, the cortisol level, i.e., stress hormone level, is driven too high for too long and constantly by this, which leads to more fat being stored in the belly and hips. In fact, appearances are often deceiving here, because many people think that if they lose a few kilos on the scale because they were regularly on the elliptical or treadmill, they have actually lost body fat. Most of the time, however, a large part of that is muscle, which makes the glutes and legs look flabby and the belly pooch still remains.
Example plan training plan body fat reduction 1-2x training per week
1. Always two exercises are done alternately, the respective letters belong together accordingly.
2. Between the exercises, there is a 60-second rest. The goal is to increase the repetitions or the weight in every training session.
3. Of all the exercises, 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions are done. If only 10 repetitions with the respective weight can be achieved, the weight will not be increased in the next training, but 12 repetitions will be aimed for.
This is merely an example program, which in practice should definitely be adapted individually to different factors. Mobility (active flexibility), strength, stability, and any weak or painful points should always be considered.
A1 Deep squat
A2 Lat pulldown, shoulder-width
B1 45⁰ Back extension
B2 35⁰ Dumbbell bench press
C1 Cable row to stomach
C2 Lunges (6-8 repetitions per leg)
D1 Forearm plank (Plank) hold for 45 seconds (instead of 12 repetitions)
D2 Sit Ups