As a professional trainer/coach/consultant for the last 20+ years one of the questions I am asked most often is “how should I split up my body parts each week for maximum progress?” Unfortunately there is no “cookie-cutter” answer to this question, as it depends on several factors such as one’s goals, time schedule, strengths, weaknesses, recovery ability, and more.
I have seen many a bodybuilder/athlete/lifting enthusiast have tremendous success training anywhere from two to six days per week, although I find that the majority do best on either a 3, 4, or 5 day split. With this in mind I would like to introduce to M&F readers an interesting method I have employed into my own training, as well as that of many of my more serious clients, called “the rotating split.”
This involves training the entire body over three days during week 1; over four days during week 2; and over five days on week 3.
Here is an example of what a typical “rotating split” might look like:
Week 1
Monday
Chest/Lats/Traps/Abs
Wednesday
Quads/Hams/Lower Back/Calves
Friday
Shoulders/Biceps/Triceps/Abs
Next: Weeks 2 & 3
