Two-day weight split. Upper body workout 2 day split workout

Entry-level split programs

The essence and purpose of split training

Split training (from the word split - “separation”, “splitting”) is a technique that involves working out not the whole body at each individual training session (which is the standard for all initial programs), but only a certain part of it, that is, several groups muscles. Behind all this seemingly intricate formulation are several fairly simple and understandable factors that should be kept in mind.

First of all, it is necessary to take into account that even if an advanced beginner is ready for a certain increase in the volume and intensity of his training, then increasing the number of approaches (or the number of exercises) for a particular muscle group will inevitably lead to an increase in the time of the training session. This becomes a limiting factor, since the optimal duration of the session is immediately exceeded, with a gradual accumulation of fatigue and the inevitable development of a state of overtraining or, at a minimum, overexertion. Therefore, both a beginner and an athlete of an average level of preparedness, whose tasks do not involve preparing for competitions, should be limited to such a volume of a training session that would not take its total duration beyond the upper limit of 60-65 minutes, including warm-up, main part and “ cool down" if required. Simply put, the lower the athlete's fitness level, the lower the upper limit of duration. We have partly traced this dependence with respect to the type of build: mesomorphs and endomorphs can focus on the duration indicated above, for ectomorphs it is sometimes advisable not to go beyond the limit of 45 minutes. As a rule, this requirement becomes feasible when the total volume of the training session is within 20-22 approaches.

Further, it should be borne in mind that for the desired level of metabolic response, that is, the qualitative progress of recovery and super-recovery, it is necessary that in a separate training session at least half of the entire muscle mass of the body be worked out, and hence the urgent need for a competent choice of muscle groups for each training in a weekly microcycle scheme.

An absolutely illiterate and methodologically unjustified approach is an attempt to organize classes according to the ingrained “one muscle group a day” scheme, which is often modeled after the training regimen of professional bodybuilders of the highest level of fitness. The latter, firstly, are characterized by an outstanding genetically inherited or developed level of adaptation, and are able to constructively transfer enormous loads to a separate muscle group, and secondly, they essentially control not the metabolic response, but trophism, since the anabolic metabolic model is often created not by training stimuli, but extragenetic extremely high levels of anabolic pharmacological agents. Under these conditions, it is important to simply maintain in the muscle group being trained the required load regime for all types of muscle fibers present in it, as well as a high level of blood supply to supply the substances necessary for protein synthesis and remove waste products from muscle cells.

For beginners, and often even for athletes of an average level of fitness, such schemes are completely unsuitable. Even if an athlete is capable at the initial level (when any, even an illiterate training program, represents an overload leading to the development of adaptive reactions) to obtain some statistically significant result, then later such a regime will inevitably lead to prolonged stagnation of performance and local, and sometimes and general overtraining, the real way out of which is only in returning to the simplest basic schemes.

From my direct coaching practice it follows that the transition to split programs for beginner athletes is possible and advisable only if the following conditions are met:

a) the experience of systematic and continuous training according to schemes for working out the whole body in one workout must be at least a year, and with the obligatory successful implementation of the tasks of the retracting, mass-gaining and strength mesocycles;

b) the athlete must have a body weight characterized by a relatively low level of subcutaneous fat (at the level of 15-18%) and a value not lower than that calculated using the formula “height minus 100”;

c) the athlete must have an excellent functional state, that is, good adaptability to the load, good recovery after exercise and the absence of the slightest signs of overexertion or overtraining are objectively diagnosed.

In addition, when preparing split programs, one should take into account the nature of the current mesocycle, that is, its general direction. For advanced beginners, mesocycles should include tasks such as:

a) building muscle mass;

b) increase in strength indicators in basic exercises;

c) bringing the level of body fat to a healthy physiological norm;

d) low specialization, that is, focused work on one of the muscle groups lagging behind in development.

Finally, not a single mesocycle, including those implemented through the use of split programs, should ignore the symmetry of development, and this can be achieved by objectively assessing imbalances and emphasizing lagging muscle groups, with a temporary (during one mesocycle) decrease in volume and intensity working on those groups that are ahead of others in development, and at the same time do not fulfill the requirements of symmetry and balance. Simply put, you can, if necessary, manipulate the amount of work for a separate group.

The most common entry-level split schemes

There are two such schemes that fully satisfy the above requirements:

a) “top-bottom” scheme;

b) “push-pull” scheme.

When using the first scheme, the athlete or his coach divides all muscle groups into two conventional halves - the upper body and the lower body. When practicing exercises for each half of the body, the traditional method of approaches is used, that is, a certain number of approaches are performed for each exercise before moving on to the next exercise.

The number of repetitions in the approaches is determined by the direction of the training cycle, that is, in mass-gaining mesocycles the number of repetitions is used from 6 to 8, in strength ones - traditional “pyramidal” schemes 12-9-6 or 10-8-6, and in mesocycles to correct the level of body fat - a wider range of repetitions, say, from 8 to 14-15, when the task of not only getting rid of excess deposits, but also preserving the acquired muscle mass is urgent.

Certain methodological difficulties may arise when choosing the number of training days per week, as well as when choosing exercises for each muscle group. Here, too, options can and should be taken into account.

For relatively quickly recovering athletes, it is advisable to choose the most dense “2+2” scheme, that is, two workouts follow in a row (“top”, then “bottom”), followed by a rest day, again two workouts in a row (“top”, then “bottom”) ") and finally two days of rest. For athletes with slower recovery, it is better to choose a less dense “2+1+1” scheme, that is, two workouts follow in a row (“top”, then “bottom”), a rest day, then one workout (“top”), a rest day, one more workout (“bottom”), and a day of rest. And finally, the last, least dense scheme “1+1+1”, that is, training (“top”), rest day, training (“bottom”), rest day, training (“top”), rest day, training "down", a day of rest, and so on. Please note that in the latter version, the microcycle falls outside the traditional weekly cycle, since classes are held strictly every other day, alternating classes on the “top” and “bottom”.

If we are talking about intensity, then beginners should be warned against using any kind of intensification techniques, which are promoted as the fastest and most proven means of building muscle mass and strength. The simplest and most effective mode of muscle contraction for an entry-level athlete is the one in which the first approach in the exercise is a warm-up, the second a lead-in, and the third a working approach. In this case, only in the last two repetitions of the last approach should the athlete try to achieve near-failure sensations of muscle work. This dictates, accordingly, the choice of weight for this exercise.

If there are only two approaches, then the first plays the role of a warm-up and lead-in, the second - a worker with the same rule regarding near-failure work in the last approach.

The style of performing repetitions must be strict and precise, without distorting the technique and all kinds of “cheating” tricks. The amplitude of each repetition should be as complete as possible and biomechanically verified, which allows you to “catch” and maintain the muscular feeling of the exercise throughout the entire approach. Tempo: 3 seconds for the yielding phase, 2 seconds for the overcoming phase. All repetitions must be strictly coordinated with the phases of natural unforced breathing, that is, inhale in the yielding phase, exhale in the overcoming phase. Pauses between approaches are usually recommended within 60-90 seconds, between exercises - no more than 120 seconds.

If we talk about the second scheme, “push-pull”, then it is fundamentally almost no different from the first scheme, except perhaps only in the principle of dividing the muscle groups of the whole body in half. On the first day, the exercises are selected for the “rectifier muscles” (deltoids, pectoralis, triceps, long back muscles, quadriceps and calf muscles), on the second day the exercises are done for the “flexor muscles” (latissimus, biceps, hamstrings, tibialis, forearm muscles and abdominals). It is clear that this division is quite arbitrary, but it is practically convenient and does not require any special explanation. Otherwise, the two schemes are not distinctly different.

When implementing mass-gaining and strength cycles, it is possible to reduce the number of exercises due to those that work muscles that do not make a special contribution to the metabolic shift, that is, small ones, such as the calf muscles and muscles of the forearm, and exercises for those groups whose functions are partially covered by work other large muscles. For example, exercises on the long back muscles (erectors of the spine) may be excluded, since back squats are quite good at engaging these muscles as stabilizers and synergists.

When cycles are implemented to correct the level of fat deposits, here, on the contrary, it is desirable to include the maximum number of exercises and their variations, especially when the fat deposits are significant and increased volumes of training load are required in order to optimally activate energy expenditure.

Below are the tables, using which an athlete or coach is able to “design” an entry-level split program in accordance with the schemes and rules discussed above. When preparing sets of exercises, one should proceed from the principle of maximum variety of exercises, that is, different exercises should be included in the first and second sets of exercises for the top and bottom. To implement the tasks of building muscle mass and strength qualities, basic exercises are selected; when preparing complexes for the correction of fat deposits, one basic and one isolated exercise are selected.

Top-bottom split

Upper training

Muscle group	Exercises	Number of approaches
Bold">
Pectoral muscles





Lat back muscles

	T-bar row




Deltoids


	Standing barbell row to the chin



Bold">




Triceps

	Dips

Bottom training

Muscle group	Exercises	Number of approaches
Bold">Select 2 exercises per group from the list
Quadriceps




Hamstrings


	Hyperextension with weights
Calf muscles



Bold">Select 1 exercise per group from the list
Abdominal Press

Push-pull split

Training of “pulling” groups (hamstrings, lats, biceps, abdominals)

Muscle group	Exercises	Number of approaches
Bold">Select 2 exercises per group from the list
Hamstrings	Mid-stand deadlift from mid-shin
	Leg curls while sitting on a machine
	Lying leg curls on a machine
	Hyperextension with weights
Lat	Bent-over barbell row with an underhand grip shoulder-width apart
	Bent-over barbell row with overhand grip
	T-bar row
	Rows to the chest while sitting on a high block with an underhand grip shoulder-width apart
	Head pull while sitting on a high block
	Bent-over one-arm dumbbell row
	Rows to the stomach while sitting on a low block with a narrow grip
Bold">Select 1 exercise per group from the list
	Standing barbell curl, underhand grip
	Dumbbell curls while sitting on an incline bench
	EZ barbell curls while sitting on a Scott bench
	Concentrated bending of the arm while sitting with the elbow resting on the thigh
Abdominal Press	Incline board sit-ups for abs
	Incline board leg raises for abs
	“Folding” while sitting on the edge of a bench
	Raising the knees to the chest in support on the parallel bars for the press
	Torso raises with turns on an incline board for abs
	Crunches with legs raised and bent

1"> Training of “push” groups (quadriceps, pectorals, deltoids, calves, triceps, spinal erectors)

Muscle group	Exercises		Number of approaches
Bold">Select 2 exercises per group from the list
Quadriceps		Bench leg press 45 degrees
		Wide stance back squats
		Smith machine wide stance squats
		Lunges forward on one leg with dumbbells in hands
		Leg straightening while sitting on a machine
Pectoral muscles		Bench press on a horizontal bench
		Incline bench press
		Dumbbell bench press
		Incline Dumbbell Press
		Raises of arms with dumbbells lying on a horizontal bench
		Crossing arms while standing on the upper blocks of a crossover trainer
Deltoids		Standing shoulder press with medium grip
		Seated overhead press with a wider than average grip
		Seated dumbbell press from the shoulders, palms forward grip
		Standing barbell row to the chin
		Barbell row standing behind your back
		Standing lateral raises with dumbbells
		Raises with dumbbells while sitting in a forward bend
Calf muscles		Toe press on a leg press machine
		Standing calf raises on the machine
		Standing calf raises in a forward bend on the machine
		Calf raises while sitting on a machine
Bold">Select 1 exercise per group from the list
Triceps	Bench press on a horizontal bench with a narrow grip
	French bench press with EZ bar
	Dips
	Triceps press down on a pulley with rope handle
Erectors of the spine	Deadlift in classic stance
	Deadlift in sumo stance
	Hyperextension with weights
	Forward bends with a barbell on the back

1"> It is worth recalling one more methodological nuance that is advisable to take into account when using the initial schemes of split programs - the use of the “muscle priority” technique. Its implementation is quite simple: exercises for the muscle group that, relative to others, shows a tendency to lag behind, should be placed in the first third of the set of exercises, exercises for the group that is most developed and quickly responds to hypertrophic training methods should be placed in the last third of the set of exercises. At the same time, it is permissible to redistribute the amount of work to these groups - increasing the amount of work by one approach for the lagging group and decreasing it by one approach. volume of work for the leading group. The condition of maintaining the total volume of work within 20-22 approaches is preserved. It should be said that the exercises given here are not a dogma at all, but just an example, and if the trainee has the opportunity to replace some of them with exercises with his own weight. body (of course, with additional weights so that this leads to the execution of the specified number of repetitions within the repetition maximum), then this can be successfully used for variety and variability.

Well, finally, the given two tables of exercises and the recommended volume of load for muscle groups cannot be considered as some kind of “lesson plan”, after completing which you will receive a guaranteed transition to the “next class”. This is just an example of how mesocycles can be built for an advanced beginner who has successfully crossed the initial cycles in his development, and for whom the previous volumes of loads in the weekly and monthly cycles cease to have a training effect. In each specific case, the training program must be strictly individualized if the athlete or his coach claims to obtain significant results.

A little about the basics of strength training again.

LOWER BODY. Basic exercises. Exercise technique. Lower back, knees, injuries

Core exercises for the lower body are: Squats; Traction; Lunges.

People perform movements similar to these three dozens and sometimes hundreds of times throughout the day.
Therefore, they have primary value for human health.

In fact, these are the two most natural movements for humans since “cave” times - to sit down and bend over in order to pick up something from the ground.

And therefore, ideal technique is extremely important not only in order not to cause irreparable harm to yourself in the gym, but also so that the correct stereotype of movement, the skill of performing movements in ideal technique, is reflected in our daily life, which is an excellent means of preventing many problems with health.

Ideal form requirements are especially important for core exercises such as squats, deadlifts, lunges, as well as core upper body exercises such as bench and standing presses, rows and pull-ups.

The more useful the exercise, the more technically difficult it is! And all the more carefully you need to be careful about setting up the ideal execution technique!

TAKE YOUR TIME! The correct technique for the most useful exercises can be perfected in less than two weeks!

There is a myth that the so-called. isolated exercises supposedly help “form the desired muscle shape”, this is the fault of various kinds of “bikinists” with no more than a couple of years of experience, but with their own video channels)
Remember - muscle shape is 99% genetic.

I’ll quote D. Kalashnikov
“The only external changes that we can make with muscles are to increase them in size (hypertrophy) or decrease them (atrophy). A muscle cannot change its shape (unless it consists of fibers or bundles located in different directions and carrying out different movements of the bones to which they are attached). It cannot increase in one part, it cannot become longer or shorter. which can be seen in bodybuilders standing on stage is not due to the fact that they train them differently, but to their genetics.
One has a short, peak-shaped bicep, while the other has a flat, long bicep, ending almost at the elbow. One has the widest ones, like the hood of a cobra, going down almost to the pelvis, while the other has them so short that they look like armpit mounds spreading out to the sides of the arms. Everyone does approximately the same exercises, but what shape the muscles will be when they grow (if they grow...) will depend on what the athlete inherited from his parents."

In everyday life - pick something up from the floor, move a cabinet, hit, run away, catch up, or in sports - snatch and push, gymnastic movements, wrestling, boxing, swimming - all these are multi-joint movements!

So we have three core exercises for the lower body - Hip-dominant thrust. Squats. Lunges

Deadlift and Romanian Deadlift.
Why is the “Romanian deadlift” option shown in the video?
A variation of the classic deadlift, this is a competitive exercise. One of its main “properties” is that in this style you can lift more weight; in fact, what is needed at powerlifting competitions. In general, this option is very difficult technically.
Therefore, within the framework of fitness, for the purpose of health training, fat burning, or gaining muscle mass, it is optimal to choose the Romanian deadlift option.

In the gym, the most “overtrained area” is considered to be the lower back. High volume deadlifts can both stop progress in the gym and cause lower back injuries!
In addition, you need to forget forever about such bizarre “exercises” as all sorts of oblique body turns in machines or with a barbell - these strange “mutant exercises” are extremely harmful to the spine, and can cause very serious back problems!

Therefore, be careful with direct load on the lumbar (do not forget that they receive the lion’s dose from deadlifts and squats, as well as all kinds of leg presses, etc.),
Also, the experience of many leading powerlifting schools says that this approach will also be beneficial in increasing strength: often athletes there do bench presses and squats 2-3 times a week, and deadlifts no more than once every two weeks, replacing them with similar ones in morphology hyperextension movements, reverse hyperextensions, etc.

Traction

Another useful deadlift variation is the King Row. This exercise has been used fruitfully in gyms in the West for a long time, while in our country it has not yet found popularity.

Squats

Squats This is the “alpha and omega” of strength training.
The correct ones are “full” squats.
There is an outdated belief that a full squat is bad for your knees. In fact, the opposite is true - in a half-squat a person can lift much more weight (for which his ligaments are not yet prepared), and the knees are least stable approximately somewhere in that part of the amplitude when in half-squats the vector of movement changes from lowering to lifting - and This means that using more weight than possible, in the most unstable position of the knees, the movement changes to the opposite.
Beginners, of course, should not immediately try to squat “to the floor” like competing powerlifters, but perform the movement as far as flexibility allows. But gradually, over time, using ideal technique, try to “build up” the depth of the squats. Do not rush! As mentioned above, perfect technique is the most important thing.

An easier version of squats is front squats.

They will not replace the classic squat, but as an additional exercise for working the legs, they are quite useful.C

It should be noted that in the front squat, compared with classic squats, the load on the lower back is reduced, but the load on its upper part increases.

Lunges

Lunges. It so happened that the glory of “feminine” was mistakenly assigned to this exercise for a long time. In fact, the exercise is basic, unilateral, and generally extremely useful! But, unfortunately, one of the most popular types of execution is still “walking lunges,” although this type of exercise is extremely harmful to the knee joints, and can be potentially dangerous to the hip joints.
The correct execution of the exercise is lunges in place or reverse lunges. It is these types that are absolutely safe for the joints, and at the same time are extremely useful for the development of the muscles of the lower extremities.

As an additional workout for the hamstrings, you can use hamstring curls in the simulator

You should also remember about the health of your knee joints! One of the main tasks in preventing knee joint injuries is precisely learning the ideal squat technique. And also the exclusion from training of exercises harmful to the knee area, such as “hack squats” in a smith or in a special machine. “Gakki” is another type of extremely harmful “exercise”.

I’ll quote D Kalashnikov again

"Hack squats include all squats in which a load is applied to the back, directed along the spine, and the legs and feet are brought forward. These include squats in the Hack simulator, squats in the Smith machine with the feet extended forward, squats with the Leg Blaster "(Frank Zane's squats, currently practically not used), etc.
As for the emphasis on the muscles of the front of the thigh, here bodybuilding enthusiasts have fallen into one of the traps, mistakenly believing that while some muscles (in this case, the hip extensors) work less, others (the knee extensors) work more. This is one of the common misconceptions, which we have already discussed in one of the previous articles.
At the same time, when performing this exercise, a very unfavorable situation arises associated with a very unnatural load on the knee joint. The fact is that with additional support of the back, in addition to the force of gravity of the burden, another force acts on the skeleton - the support reaction force. When the knee joint is bent, it creates a force transmitted by the femur and directed horizontally forward. In mechanics it is called shear force. This load, which is absolutely unnatural for the knee joint, most likely leads to injuries."

UPPER BODY. Basic exercises. Shoulders, elbows, injuries.

It is important to remember to keep your shoulder and elbow joints healthy.

To reduce the risk of injuries to the shoulder and elbow joints, you need to remember about load balance:

Physical activity shortens muscles. By loading one of the muscle groups that perform a specific function, for example, moving the shoulder girdle forward - the pectoralis major and minor, performing the bench press, beloved by many, there is a danger over time of displacing the shoulder joint from a healthy position and even disrupting the posture of the thoracic spine, causing hypertrophic kyphosis. By the way, train the lats as &;antagonists&; the pectoral (which is even anatomically incorrect) will not solve this problem, because the lats in a number of movements serve as synergists with the pectoral and also rotate the humerus inward. That’s why it’s important to remember these exercises for your upper body and above your head.

This is usually expressed in bending in bench presses and horizontal presses in general, and exercises that rotate the humerus inward, and a lack of deadlifts, and exercises that rotate the humerus outward.

For a balanced load, you need to perform approximately the same volume:
- Vertical push (from yourself upward, for example, standing/sitting barbell/dumbbell bench press)
- Vertical row (downward, for example, pull-ups/pull-downs of an upper machine to the chest with narrow/forward/reverse grips)
- Horizontal push (bench press on straight benches/incline benches, barbells/dumbbells, push-ups from the floor/parallel bars)
- Horizontal row (seated block row to the waist, barbell/dumbbell row bending over to the waist)

Core exercises for the upper body are

Bench press- for pectoral muscles

For some reason, most gym goers make a strong bias in their training in favor of horizontal presses. While most gym goers with less than a year or two of training experience, to work out the pectoral muscles, it is enough to do the bench press and another multi-joint exercise, for example, dips.

Press up for deltoid muscles

Vertical thrust for back muscles

When training the latissimus muscles and other muscles of the upper back, it is very important to work in both vertical and horizontal pull vectors.
Examples of vertical rows are pull-ups - Squeeze your shoulder blades together before starting the movement. At the top point, your back should be straight; under no circumstances should you slouch while performing pull-ups.

Horizontal thrust for back muscles

An example of a horizontal row is the waist row. During the exercise, the torso should be parallel to the floor and the back should be straight. Chest forward, perfect posture.

Also remember about specific exercises for developing the “rotators” of the shoulder. For example, about such L-dilutions, which have an extremely beneficial effect on the health of the shoulder joints.

The health of the elbows is also directly related to the balance of loads - as a rule, the elbows begin to hurt due to an excessive imbalance in favor of bench presses. And bench pressing a lot is for some reason an “unspoken tradition” in gyms. And adding to this “isolation” on the triceps in the form of also potentially harmful exercises like the French bench press or standing, the chance of injuring your elbows increases even more. Triceps, in basic movements - bench press, standing press, dips, receive a fairly decent load, and often “finishing off” them with large volumes of isolation exercises is not only unproductive, but often harmful (Interesting fact: in the old “Lyubertsy rocking chairs” isolation they didn’t give triceps exercises at all until a man could bench press one and a half of his own weight, and standing his own weight), so it is better to minimize isolation on the triceps, and choose for it such safe exercises as the pulley press downwards, and not the potentially more dangerous French presses .
To work out the biceps of your arms, it will be enough to perform a classic biceps curl while standing.

MUSCLES OF THE MIDDLE BODY

oblique muscles of the abdomen transverse abdominis rectus abdominis small and medium gluteal muscles adductor muscles of the posterior surface of the thigh infraspinatus m. coracobrachialis m. etc.

"any complex movement begins with a contraction of the core muscles. Only after they are involved in the work is the force transmitted through the arms and legs to the barbell or dumbbells or put into the blow. The "weak center" sends "weak commands", therefore, if to increase results in strength exercises or to strengthen the blow, you need to train your core muscles." (WITH)

“Core training is the strengthening of a whole complex of stabilizer muscles (primarily the transverse abdominis muscle), which perform micro-movements during exercises where you need to constantly maneuver and maintain balance.
In this case, attention should be focused on the lower abdominals and stabilizing the lumbar spine.
It is very important to follow the technique of doing the exercises, this will allow you to avoid injuries and constantly progress."

One of the most popular exercises for the “posterior chain” of the core muscles is hyperextension.

And also the gluteal bridge

For the "anterior chain" these are exercises for the abdominal muscles

In addition to dynamic exercises for the abdominal muscles, you can perform static ones, for example, such as plank pose

Gaining mass is a very pressing issue in our time. However, a seemingly fairly easy process causes many difficulties for ordinary people. When planning to gain weight, people have many questions: how many days a week to train? What exercises should I do? How to eat? How long to rest? You will find answers to these and other questions in this article.

What is needed to gain weight?

Gaining mass, as well as many other goals pursued when working out in the gym, consists of three elements:

The first element is training. The workout should be as effective and productive as possible; you must load the target muscle groups so that the body releases a sufficient amount of hormones for muscle growth.

The second element is nutrition. The most important part when gaining weight is nutrition. Muscle fibers destroyed during training need building material to prevent destruction and restore muscle cells. Nutrition must be balanced, the body must receive the required amount of all nutrients. At the same time, it is worth noting that to gain weight you need to consume more calories than you expend. This is why it is important to calculate your daily diet, along with the calories you burn.

The third element is rest. It is worth understanding that muscles do not grow during training, but during rest. A person rests during sleep, so sleep should last at least 8-10 hours for the body to fully recover.

We break the training split into two days

A two-day training split is perfect for gaining mass, but the question arises: how to split muscle groups over these two days so that the training is as effective as possible? Based on the fact that mass training should last less than an hour, it is rational to train synergist muscles in one day, this will allow you to load all the necessary muscles in fewer exercises. The training split itself will have the following form:

First day. Training the pectoral muscles and triceps, as well as training the back and biceps. During basic exercises for the chest and back, the triceps and biceps will be involved, which will receive sufficient load necessary for growth.
Second day. Legs, shoulders, abdominal muscles are trained.

This grouping of muscle groups allows them to be used only on one training day, which means that they will be given about a week to recover, which will allow them to recover as much as possible.

Exercises for the first day of a training split

At the beginning of the workout, a five-minute warm-up. The first exercise is the barbell bench press on a horizontal bench. Basic exercise for the chest muscles. After the bench press, a close-grip bench press is performed, an exercise aimed at developing the triceps, but the pectoral muscles also receive a load. After this, a deadlift is performed to develop the back muscles; the biceps, which received an indirect load, are completely tired by lifting the barbell onto the biceps. Exercises are performed for 4-5 approaches in the range of 4-6 repetitions, with as heavy weights as possible.

Exercises for the second day of the training split

The training begins with a five-minute warm-up, since we are training the legs, a treadmill is good, at a relatively low pace. The first exercise will be leg extension in the simulator to warm up the ligaments and fill the muscles with blood. This is followed by squats with a barbell. A barbell press is performed while sitting behind the head on the shoulders, and a crunch on the abdominal muscles on a bench. Exercises are performed in the range from 4 to 10 repetitions, the abdominal muscles are pumped to failure.

You should pay attention to the fact that in order to gain weight, it is necessary to perform heavy basic exercises with large weights; it is precisely this load, as practice shows, that gives the maximum result. Gradually, the body gets used to the load, so you can replace one basic exercise with another, or switch exercises in places. This approach will allow you to constantly progress. Another important element in gaining mass is increasing the weight of the projectile. It is advisable to increase the working weight at each workout, bringing the muscles to failure.

Rest interval between training days

As we have already found out, rest is one of the elements that is very important when gaining weight. But if it’s clear about how much sleep you need, then the next question arises: how to distribute training days among the week? By working out just two days a week, you can take a fairly long break between workouts. The first training day is better to start on Tuesday, because Monday, as practice shows, is a rather difficult day, and the body is just entering the work week. The second training day is best set on Friday.

This way, between training days, you get three days of rest, and taking into account the fact that different muscle groups are involved on different days, the body will recover perfectly, and it is very difficult to get overtrained.

How long should one workout last?

The ideal workout time for gaining weight is 45-60 minutes. This time is enough to complete the entire set of necessary exercises and load the muscles as much as possible. Many people think that the more time they train and do more exercises, the faster they will get into the desired shape. This statement is not true, especially when it comes to natural training, without the use of doping.

After an hour spent in the gym, the body begins to produce a large amount of the hormone, cortisol, aimed at destruction. That is why the situation turns out that instead of gaining weight, you will lose it.

Warm-up and stretching

Warm-up is a very important part of the training process. Any training involves an unnatural load on the body for which it is not ready. That is why you need to prepare him for this load. This preparation can be accomplished using cardio exercise. An excellent option for this is running, in which many muscle groups are involved in one way or another. During running, blood circulation accelerates, heart rate increases, the body smoothly switches to training mode, and therefore will accept the load more adequately. In addition, it is necessary to stretch all muscles and joints.

For this, a regular warm-up routine is suitable, which many did in school. You should start warming up from the upper part of the body, going down to the bottom. Working on mass involves performing heavy basic exercises with large weights, which are very traumatic. That is why it is necessary to perform warm-up approaches before each exercise. This will help the body remember the mechanics of movement and prepare the involved joints for work.

As for stretching, it is very effective in gaining weight. It is recommended to stretch immediately after training to stretch the muscles that were tense during training. This allows you to improve blood circulation in muscle groups, which in the future will allow them to receive more useful elements from the blood. In addition, stretching is necessary to perform some exercises correctly.

When gaining weight, special attention is paid to nutrition. As we have already found out, in order to gain weight, you need to consume more calories than you expend. But a lot of questions arise: what products are there? How much protein, fat, and carbohydrates should you consume? How many times should I eat? What time?

For weight gain, the proportion of proteins, fats, carbohydrates is as follows: 2/6/2 per kilogram of weight. Moreover, this proportion varies depending on your body type and your tendency to gain weight.

For an ectomorph, it is possible to increase the body weight until the weight gain meets your expectations.

You should take your food choices very seriously. Many people think that in order to gain weight, it is necessary to resort to eating fast food, fatty high-calorie foods, sweets, and starchy foods. These products should be limited as much as possible, because apart from fat mass and health problems, they will not give anything else. You need to rely on natural, natural products. The source of protein should be chicken, fish, beef, pork, eggs, and dairy products. It is these products that have a good amino acid composition, which is necessary for the growth of muscle tissue. The source of energy should be slow (complex carbohydrates) and healthy fats. As for carbohydrates, the main sources are porridge, buckwheat, oatmeal, rice, and other cereals.

Fats should be consumed from fish, as well as olive, flaxseed oil, foods rich in omega 3-6-9, which are necessary for the functioning of the cardiovascular system. You need to eat food 6-7 times a day, in small portions, so as not to burden the gastrointestinal tract, and all food is well absorbed. Please note that the most important meals are breakfast, pre-workout meal and post-workout meal. In the morning, the body is susceptible to nocturnal catabolism, so you need to prevent this process by replenishing carbohydrates and protein.

Before training, we need a supply of energy, so carbohydrates must be present in large quantities, and they must be slow. After training, it is necessary to replenish energy reserves and building material for muscles. In the first half of the day, the emphasis is on eating carbohydrate foods, in the second half of the day on protein foods.

By adhering to the recommendations described above, following a sports regimen that consists of productive training, proper and balanced nutrition, and good rest, you will definitely achieve your desired result. But it is worth understanding that we will not be able to get what we want in the shortest possible time, so we will have to make a lot of effort and spend a sufficient amount of time and then everything will work out.

primary goal: increase in muscle volume
Type of training: split
Required level of training: average
Number of workouts per week: 4
Necessary equipment: barbell, dumbbells, exercise machines, blocks
Target gender: men and women

When creating a top/bottom split training program, people often make the following mistakes:
1. Too many sets per muscle group
2. Too many isolation exercises
3. Lack of variety in training the same body part

When developing this training program, we tried to avoid these mistakes and provide each muscle group with a sufficient level of hypertrophy stimulation. The program will work best for those athletes whose training experience exceeds 6 months. If you have been bodybuilding for more than 3 years and are close to reaching your muscle growth limit, then this program most likely will not bring you tangible benefits.

Workout #1 for the lower body

Exercise	Approaches	Repetitions
	2 warm-up and 3-4 working	12-15 (warm-up), 6-8
	2-3	10-12
	3-4	6-8
	2-3	10-12
	3-4	6-8
	2-3	10-12

As you can see, this workout consists of a minimum of 17 approaches, which will take you about 45 minutes to complete. You can do a maximum of 23 approaches, which should preferably be completed in 60 minutes.

Workout #1 for the upper body

A minimum of 16 approaches, which should take 35 minutes to complete. A maximum of 22 sets, which should take 50 minutes to complete.

Workout #2 for the lower body

Exercise	Approaches	Repetitions
	2 warm-up and 2-3 working	12-15 (warm-up), 10-12
	2-3	10-12
	2-3	10-12
	2-3	10-12
Standing calf raise in Smith machine	2-3	8-10
	2-3	12-15

Minimum 14 approaches and 30 minutes of time. Maximum of 20 approaches and 40 minutes of time. How is it different from workout #1? Less volume of training and leg curls in the machine are replaced by lunges with dumbbells back.

Upper body workout #2

Exercise	Approaches	Repetitions
	2-3	to failure
	2-3	10-12
	2 warm-up and 2-3 working	12-15 (warm-up), 10-12
	2-3	10-12
	1-2	10-12
	1-2	10-12

Minimum 12 approaches and 30 minutes of time. Maximum of 18 approaches and 40 minutes of time. How is it different from workout #1? Less training volume, plus a slightly different set of exercises.

Lesson plan for the week

This split was designed as a 4-day split, so ideally you should train on the following schedule:
Tuesday – Upper Body Workout #1
Wednesday – rest day
Thursday – workout number 2 for the lower body

However, if circumstances do not allow you to train 4 times a week, or if you do not have time to recover with this schedule, then the 3-day version of this split is suitable for you:

Week 1
Monday – Workout #1 for the lower body
Tuesday is a day of rest
Wednesday – Upper Body Workout #1
Thursday – rest day
Friday – workout number 2 for the lower body
Saturday and Sunday are rest days

Week 2
Monday – Upper Body Workout #1
Tuesday is a day of rest
Wednesday – Lower Body Workout #1
Thursday – rest day
Friday – upper body workout #2
Saturday and Sunday are rest days

Working weights in exercises
The repetition ranges prescribed above must correspond to a certain amount of weight:
6 reps – approximately 85% of one rep max
8 reps – about 80% of 1RM
10 reps – approximately 75% of 1RM
12 reps – about 70% of 1RM

Progression of working scales
The first 2 weeks of training under this program are “test”: during this period you must determine your working weights. From week 3 you begin to train with full dedication.

Increase working weights in heavy compound exercises ( squats, deadlifts, bench presses on a horizontal and inclined bench) after you can complete the specified number of repetitions on all sets with the same weight.

After 6 weeks of training in full working mode ( weeks 3 to 8), a “fasting” week follows.

"Unloading" week
This is a time to rest from hard training. This stage is necessary to give your body the opportunity to fully recover and your nervous system to rest in order to avoid overtraining, reduce the likelihood of injury and increase motivation.

As for the working weights, they should not be reduced. Reducing the volume of training ( total number of approaches) will be quite sufficient.

Good afternoon If you have already achieved some success in training and consider yourself an intermediate or even advanced athlete, and are now looking for a training program that will allow you to quickly build muscle mass, I advise you to pay close attention to the Top-Bottom training split.

This type of training works for all people - men and women, young and old, those who want to build more muscle mass and those who just want to be in good shape.

However, if you want to get the most out of this split, you must know how to properly structure your training program for this split.

Therefore, in this article I will explain to you why the Top-Bottom split is so effective and even offer you one of the most ideal options for the Top-Bottom split.

What is a top-bottom split

An Upper-Lower split workout means that in one workout you train the muscles of the upper body (chest, back, shoulders, biceps and triceps), and in another workout you train the muscles of the lower body (quads, hamstrings, calves, lower back and abdominal muscles). Typically you do 2 upper body workouts and 2 lower body workouts per week, so you get 4 workouts per week (top-bottom-top-bottom). If you don’t have the opportunity to exercise 4 times a week, then do it 3 times, also alternating workouts top-bottom-top bottom-top-bottom, this option for building a split also works well.

There are also several variations of combining exercises in each workout; some people, for example, like to train the chest, back and shoulders in one workout, and arms and legs in another. Or, as an option - chest, back, shoulders, triceps in one workout, and legs and biceps in another workout, by the way, I really like this option, but both the first and second option of combining exercises work.

Why do you need to use the Top-Bottom split?

Training specifically for the Top-Bottom split is the most effective for most people. The main exception to this rule is beginners, who will initially benefit from using full-body training in every workout. But after you have passed the beginner stage, the most effective training system for you will be the Top-Bottom split.

The main argument in favor of this split is that it is in this mode that each muscle group is trained in an ideal time range, every 3-5 days, or 2 times a week. This is the frequency of training each muscle group that is best for those who have passed the beginner stage best, and this is a scientifically proven fact!

Thus, if you train 4 times a week, it turns out that you are training every muscle group every 3-4 days. And if you train 3 times a week, then each part of the body will be trained every 4-5 days. Of course, it is better to train 4 times a week for the best impact and progress, but 3 workouts a week is also good.

You can train on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, or on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, or for example, 2 days training, 2 days rest, but just remember that you should not train more than two days in a row.

Another reason why this training split is so effective is that it is built primarily on compound exercises. And there is nothing better than a base in order to build good muscles, because it is when performing basic exercises that the largest number of muscles in the body are used, as well as the body’s most powerful hormonal response to the load.

However, when creating a Top-Bottom split, you can add a certain amount of isolated exercises, for example, to better work your lagging muscle groups.

The Top-Bottom split also allows you to perform the ideal volume of training, both in terms of approaches and exercises. So if you plan your split correctly, it will allow you to put all the factors together for the perfect muscle-building workout and allow you to achieve your goals.

Split example

And so, below I will give you an example of the best option, in my opinion, for a Top-Bottom split:

Upper Body: Workout A

Bench press 3x5-7
Bent-over barbell row 3x6-8
Close grip barbell press 2x8-10
Close-grip lat pull-down 2x8-10
Seated dumbbell overhead press 3x8-10

Lower Body: Workout A

Squats 3x6-8
Hyperextensions 2x10-12
Split squat (back leg on support higher) 2x10-12
Games standing 4x8-10
Barbell curl for biceps 3x8-10

Upper Body: Workout B

Bench press or military press 3x5-7
Wide grip pull-ups 3x6-8
Dumbbell bench press head up, incline 30 degrees 3x8-10
Lower block pull to the belt 2x8-10
Dips (triceps focus) 2x10-12

Lower Body: Workout B

Deadlift 2x8
Leg press 3x8-10
Leg bending lying or sitting 3x8-10
Sitting calves 4x10-12
Biceps hammers 3x8-10

Only working approaches are written here, do a couple of warm-up approaches to warm up your muscles.

As you can see, I placed the biceps workout on the bottom day, this was done so that there was the same amount of exercise every day, and I also want to tell you that the biceps is one of the muscles that can use extra load for good growth.

You can also add work on the abdominal muscles on the bottom day, it won’t be superfluous.

As you can see, I divided the upper training into light and heavy exercises on different days, and also added multi-joint triceps exercises that also involve the rest of the upper body muscles.

Other things to consider during training:

Correct technique– always perform the exercises in full amplitude, with the correct technique, in order to load all the target muscles as best as possible.

Rest Intervals– how much time to rest between approaches? You should rest as long as you need to restore normal heart rate and breathing. In light exercises, this is approximately 90-120 seconds; if the exercise is basic, heavy, then the rest increases to approximately 2-3 minutes.

Progression of loads– one of the most important things that you should not forget about is the progression of loads. You should increase the weight each time you reach the top reps of each set. Thus, if your goal is to do 3 sets of 6-8 repetitions, then you increase the weight only when you can do 8 repetitions in each of the 3 approaches, without changing the weight on the bar!

It is important to prevent muscle failure during training

It is ideal to select the weight so that in the last approach you have 1-2 repetitions left until failure, this indicates that it is time to add weight. We usually throw 2.5 kg on the upper body in basic exercises, and 5 kg on the lower body in basic exercises. It is important to avoid muscle failure during training; it is sometimes only possible in the last approach if you perform the maximum number of repetitions for your interval.

– At some point you will reach a plateau in some exercise, i.e. If you won’t be able to perform the maximum number of repetitions in all approaches for a long time, then it’s too early for you to increase the weight on the barbell, what to do? When this happens, there is no point in puffing up and trying by hook or by crook to break through this plateau without changing anything. Instead, you should do a reboot, i.e. drop the working weights on the barbell by 10-15% and start your progression again, also adding 2.5-5 kg at each subsequent workout, in the end, you yourself will not notice how the next time you fly past the weight of the previous plateau until you hit again, and again go to reboot.

Nutrition– proper training is only half the success; it is equally important to build proper nutrition; if you are working to increase muscle mass, you must create a surplus of calories entering the body, i.e. you should get more energy than you expend. Just don’t go overboard with the surplus, otherwise there is a danger of gaining more fat than muscle; ideally, approximately the same amount of both will be gained. You should consume enough protein, fat and carbohydrates for every kilogram of your body weight. Therefore, you will have to learn to count calories and calculate your daily BZHUK. We also don’t forget about fruits and vegetables, which are very necessary in our diet.

Sports nutrition– various supplements, this is another way to speed up our progress, do not be afraid to use them, because they give good bonuses, pay attention to supplements such as protein, creatine, omega-3 fatty acids, multivitamin complexes, glutamine, etc.

Rest and sleep– You grow not when you train, but when you rest, so I advise you to rest and sleep more. Try to sleep at least 7 hours a night, and of course 8-9 hours is better. And if your goal is mass, reduce the amount of cardio you do.

Well, in conclusion, if you follow all the recommendations given in this article, then you will get the greatest positive experience from training with the Top-Bottom split program.

Good luck and Anabolism!