Choosing workout frequency and split involves a number of factors, including your main goals, time availability and ability to recover. While everyone is different, I’m going to discuss two, three and four day workout splits that I recommend as a baseline to improve overall fitness. These will help give you some direction and provide structure to your workout routine.
Proper workout planning can be confusing. What muscle groups should you work out and on what days? How much time between workouts? How long should you wait between training muscle groups? The wrong programming can lead to ineffective workouts, plateaus and lack of results. Making time to workout is important and no one wants to waste their time with the wrong workout programming, either at the gym or at home. I’ve outlined workout splits and example workouts for those that workout two, three, and four days a week. The sample workouts are gym-based but home workouts can be just as effective.
Two Day Split
Day 1: Full body
Day 2: Full body
If you only have two days a week where you can fit a workout into your schedule, the best thing to do is program two full-body workouts. In theory, this will allow you to hit each muscle group at least twice a week to maximize results. You’ll see results faster if you can dedicate more than two days a week for a workout, but sometimes life just doesn’t allow that. Getting a workout in two days a week is worlds better than not working out at all.
Example workout:
| Exercise | Repetitions | Sets |
| Leg press | 10 | 3 |
| Incline push up | 10 | 3 |
| Lat pull-down | 10 | 3 |
| Step up | 10 | 3 |
| Straight-leg deadlift | 10 | 3 |
| Plank | 30 seconds | 3 |
Three Day Split
Day 1: Full body
Day 2: Full body
Day 3: Full body
Guidelines for a three-day workout split are similar to those of a two-day workout split. The most efficient training is to do three full body workouts a week. With three full body workouts each week, you may see results more quickly than only working out twice a week.
Example full body workout:
| Exercise | Repetitions | Sets |
| Squats | 10 | 3 |
| Chest press | 10 | 3 |
| (Assisted) pull ups | 10 | 3 |
| Walking lunges | 10 | 3 |
| Ball hamstring curl | 10 | 3 |
| Leg raises | 30 seconds | 3 |
Four Day Split
Day 1: Upper body
Day 2: Lower body
Day 3: Upper body
Day 4: Lower body
A great way to maximize results with a four day workout split is to program two upper body workouts and two lower body workouts each week. This will allow you to train each muscle group twice a week with greater volume than two or three day workout splits.
Example upper body workout:
| Exercise | Repetitions | Sets |
| Bench press | 8 | 4 |
| (Assisted) pull up | 8 | 4 |
| Pike push up | 10 | 3 |
| Face pull | 12 | 3 |
| Bicep curl | 12 | 3 |
| Tricep pushdown | 12 | 3 |
| Plank | 30 seconds | 4 |
Example lower body workout
| Exercise | Repetitions | Sets |
| Box jumps | 10 | 4 |
| Leg press | 8 | 4 |
| Split squat | 8 | 4 |
| Hip thrust | 10 | 3 |
| Leg curl | 10 | 3 |
| Calf raise | 10 | 3 |
Cardio training
If you want to include cardio in your programming, doing an interval workout after resistance training is a time-efficient way to train. Start on the treadmill with a 30 second fast run followed by a minute of walking, repeat roughly 8 times for a quick and effective session! This can also be done on an elliptical, stairmaster, stationary bike or any piece of cardio equipment of your choosing.
Of course, 5 and 6 day workout splits are options as well. But for busy individuals or people who are new to fitness, 2-4 workout days per week is sufficient to see results if the programming and effort is right.
These sample routines are simply a template to help guide your workouts. Feel free to add in anything else that you enjoy doing. If you’d rather take exercise classes or exercise outside, swap out days to include that! The best exercise to do is exercise that you enjoy doing. If you need any help with programming or exercise tips, schedule your free session with one of our NASM certified personal trainers.
