How to Create Your Perfect Bodybuilding Split

If you've read one of my previous posts “5 Reasons Why Your Muscle Building Program Sucks,” you will know that most people suffer from Program ADD or Program Hopping.

This is when you jump from split to split.

I like to tell people to follow a split for at least 3 months.

This allows you to establish a baseline and progress.

Through my experience, lifters jump from split to split because they get bored with their current split and are looking for something new and exciting.

How about we fix that problem?

How about you create your perfect bodybuilding split now so that a month or two down the road you won't be looking for a new split?

I'm glad you are on board with this idea.

So, how do you go about creating your perfect bodybuilding split?

You do so by following these 5 steps.

Step 1 – Determine how many days a week you are available to train.

Your schedule may allow you to train Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

Step 2 – Determine how long your sessions could last.

Your schedule may allow you to workout for an hour on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays and allow you to workout for 30-40 minutes on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Step 3 – Determine how many days a week you want to train.

Even though your schedule allows you to train 5 days a week, maybe you only want to train 4 days a week.  Maybe you don't want to train on Fridays.

Step 4 – Determine how long you want your sessions to last.

Although your schedule allows you to train for an hour on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays maybe you only want to train for 30 intense minutes on each of those days.

Step 5 – Make a list of your favorite exercises (it could be 2 or 20, just write them down).

• Lat Pulldowns
• Seated Cable Rows
• 1-Arm Dumbbell Rows
• Chest Press
• Hack Squats
• Concentration Curls

Let's say the above are what you come up with for your absolute favorite exercises.

Step 6 – What are your favorite bodypart(s)?

This piggybacks off of #5.

Chances are that your favorite exercises target your favorite muscle groups.

From your list of favorite exercises your 3 favorites are Lat Pulldowns, Seated Cable Rows and 1-Arm Dumbbell Rows.

All 3 exercises target your Back so your Back is probably your favorite muscle group.

Putting it all together…

You will be training on Mondays for 30 minutes, Tuesdays for 30-40 minutes, Thursdays for 30 minutes, and Saturdays for 30 minutes.

Each day will focus on 1 or 2 of your favorite exercises.

Since Back is your favorite muscle group, you will be performing more work for your Back than any other muscle group.

2 examples of a perfect bodybuilding split

Split #1

Monday

• Lat Pulldowns  5 x 12-15
• Concentration Curls  3 x 12-15

Tuesday

• Hack Squats  5 x 15-20
• Hamstring Curls  5 x 15-20
•  Calf Raises  3 x 15-20

Wednesday – off

Thursday

• Chest Press  10 x 10
• Seated Cable Rows  3 x 8-12
• Triceps Pressdowns  3 x 15-20

Friday – off

Saturday

• 1-Arm Dumbbell Rows  3 x 8-12
• Push Ups  3 x failure
• Standing Dumbbell Military Press  3 x 12-15

Sunday – off

Split #2

Monday

• Hack Squats  4 x 15-20
• Lat Pulldowns  4 x 8-12
• Chest Press  4 x 8-12
• Barbell Curls  2 x 12-15
• Triceps Pressdowns  2 x 12-15

Tuesday – off

Wednesday

• Pull Ups  4 x failure
• Push Ups 4 x failure
• Concentration Curls  2 x 12-15
• Close-Grip Bench Press  2 x 12-15
• Leg Press  2 x 8-12

Thursday – off

Friday

• 1-Arm Dumbbell Rows  5 x 8-12
• Dumbbell Bench Press  5 x 8-12
• Leg Press  2 x 15-20
• Hamstring Curls  2 x 15-20

Saturday – off

Sunday – off

photo credit:  Vaibhav Arora