One of the most common questions before training is what to train with what, which muscle groups to work out together and how often to do it?

There are many ways to create a training plan. Choose the best option depending on your experience and goals. If one type of training does not provide the required load, try to build the program in a different way that will take into account your personality.

For gaining muscle mass

According to the recommendations of sports medicine, strength training should be carried out at least twice a week. During this time, you will develop the main muscle groups: chest, back, shoulders, biceps, triceps, abs, anterior and posterior thigh muscles.

Remember that you need 48 hours of rest for any muscle to recover. Do not forget that in order to gain mass, you need to pay attention to quality protein nutrition and appropriate calorie intake.

What to train with what in the gym for weight gain? You should not load a large number of muscles at the same time, however, the muscles involved should work to the maximum, if possible without affecting another large muscle group.

In this case, the body will aim to restore certain areas without wasting building material to bring the whole body back to normal.

Opposite muscle training is one of the most common types of strength training. At the same time, in one session, exercises are done on the antagonist muscles, which ensure the movement of the joints in opposite directions. Simply put, on the same day you work on the front and back of a specific area of ​​the body.

Since rest is required for the loaded muscles, it is convenient to train on another part of the body the next day.

Advantages of this method:

• The target muscle group works to the maximum. You won't be able to achieve the same effect when training the whole body at once. Each time focusing on a particular area, you will get results faster.
• Studies show that you work the muscle fibers more actively when you work or at least stretch the antagonist muscles in the same session. This means that the chest press will be more effective after stretching the middle back.
• Antagonist muscle training ensures that you work both sides of the body evenly, while maintaining balance in figure development.

The disadvantages of this type of training include the fact that you will work out each muscle group only once a week. Sample schedule for four workouts per week:

• Monday: chest and back.
• Tuesday: anterior and posterior thigh muscles, abs.
• Thursday: biceps, triceps and shoulders.
• Saturday: chest and back.

The following Monday, do hip and ab exercises and continue the rotation.

Another option for targeted muscle loading is to divide large muscle groups by day. Thus, one day you train the chest and triceps, the next day - the back and biceps, the next workout - the legs and shoulders.

The shoulders can be worked out along with the pectoral muscles. This method of training is also convenient with a tight training plan.

Keep in mind that in order to improve performance and unload the nervous system, the training strategy must be periodically changed. For example, put exercises on the biceps along with the pectoral muscles, and the back along with the triceps. This will diversify training, relieve psychological fatigue and give impetus to further recruitment. muscle mass.

For weight loss

If your goal is to lose weight, your workout should be as energy intensive as possible and burn calories efficiently.

What to train with what in one day for weight loss? Good fit functional training, in which almost all muscle groups are worked out in one session.

In this case, it is necessary to do a large number of approaches (from 8) with maximum weights, but a small number of repetitions per approach. Each of the workouts includes all 3 exercises from powerlifting, however, on the day of working out the pectoral muscles, a lightweight back and leg workout is performed.

Work the large muscle groups first: legs, chest, and back. For example, deadlift and traction in an incline make several muscle groups work at once. Then go to the study of small groups: triceps, biceps and shoulders. Do 2 exercises per group per workout to avoid overtraining.

As strength and endurance develop, you will be able to diversify and strengthen the training (add exercises or increase weights).

Beginners often believe that if you pump the press every day, this will quickly get rid of belly fat and draw the cherished “cubes”. In fact, the abdominal muscles work on the same principle as any other muscle group. Therefore, it makes sense to give them at least a day of rest between training days. The study of the muscles of the press is often combined with exercises for the back or legs.

The training program depends on the level of the student, his goals, and the characteristics of the structure of the muscles.

We build a program based on experience

Beginners should focus on improving overall physical performance. Strength, endurance, joint mobility and flexibility are more important for their growth than the emphasis on “lagging delts”. Old school of bodybuilding comes from the fact that a physically weak athlete with insufficiently developed motor skills will not be able to build muscle with natural training.

The stages of preparing a beginner can be represented as:

• Development of technology;
• A set of muscle mass;
• Burning excess fat.

In a trendy fitness center, the trainer will convince the client that he is doing exactly what he came for. A girl will be told that she will lose weight from box squats and pull-ups with light weights, a thin guy - that he will gain from push-ups with a pause and pull-ups. But the truth is that until the primary motor skill is acquired, you will have to develop the whole body in every workout.

When can you consider yourself "experienced"? The answer to this question is individual. For the purposes of building a split, it is worth switching to training individual muscle groups on different days, when the technique of basic exercises is formed, the person will begin to move without hesitation. There is also a subjective criterion - 3 months pass from the start of classes.

In the practice of coaching, the reference point is precisely the 3-4 monthly cycle. If the client attends classes without missing, by this point his muscles, ligaments and central nervous system are ready to endure the classic split.

Training frequency and planning

Many can visit the gym only 2 times a week. In this case, it is first recommended to do 2 workouts for the whole body, and with a different set of exercises:

The first is knee-dominant (squat, leg press, lunges) leg exercises, upper body presses, and core training.

The second is pelvic-dominant exercises for the legs.(rods and tilts with a barbell), traction for the back (in the slope, if possible - then the deadlift in the classical setting), and exercises for the biceps.

After 2-3 months, and reaching the limit in weights, you can switch to a split according to the "top-bottom" principle. What you should not do is to refuse to work with the muscles of the legs. Some people stop swinging their legs so that they have more time for their chest and back, but this is wrong. The legs are a powerful support in the presses, and the most important lever for lifting weights. Their insufficient development can cause injury both at home and in the gym. There is also a theory that it is difficult to create an anabolic background in the body if you do not basic exercises.

With a three-day visit to the gym, they usually alternate workouts 1 and 2 in the full body version, without being tied to a week. As time passes, they switch to one of the classic splits:

• Chest-triceps, back-biceps, legs-deltas, abs at every workout;
• Chest-biceps, back-triceps, legs-deltas, abs.

In bodybuilding, it is customary to consider those muscle groups that do not grow well as weaknesses. And in power types sports - shortcomings of the motor pattern (habits) and structural features of the body that do not allow to put in adequate technique.

Example: an athlete has long legs, hips, a narrow pelvis, and long arms. Its goal is to pump up the buttocks while maintaining a low percentage of fat. In terms of strength work, it will be more difficult for her to set the squat technique so that the full amplitude of the work is achieved. From the point of view of bodybuilding, her buttocks can both lag behind and respond normally, because there are many other exercises besides the squat.

When compiling a split for a beginner, it is assumed that he has weak motor skills, and not “lagging muscles”. Therefore, in some cases, there may be 3 squats per week, with 1 thrust, and pumping the back every day.

Advanced athletes should work out the lagging muscle groups first. It makes sense to do “specialization”, that is, to put in the training plan the pumping of some groups 2 times a week, with an adequate daily routine, good recovery, and developed motor skills.

Ideally, training should be at the peak of supercompensation. It occurs 36-72 hours after the main strength work. It is advisable for a beginner to train the whole body every other day because he does not use high weights in his classes, which can significantly affect the state of the musculoskeletal system. In such training, each large muscle group is pumped with two, maximum, three exercises. The volume does not exceed 6-12 working approaches per group.

More advanced clients may want to train a muscle group once a week as they get more work done. They usually do up to 5 exercises, some more.

Types of combination

Exercises in the training program can be combined:

• Fullbody - working out the whole body;
• Split - a group of muscles on a training day;
• Skill development - training is built around the exercise, and the auxiliary movements necessary for adequate strength in it.

Important: the latter approach is justified from the point of view of biomechanics more than bodybuilding splits, Western training organizations (NASM, ISSA) proceed from the fact that the trainer will work on skills development with a fitness client.

There is nothing wrong with splits either, they are great for gaining muscle mass and building an athletic body. To unlock the potential, it is necessary to take into account the individual characteristics of recovery.

Fullbody

There are several options for working out the whole body:

• Learning basic exercises. A squat or deadlift is taken, and a bench press, or a standing one, a simple or Australian pull-up, and some light swings on the shoulders, and bending on the biceps are added to it. The exercises are rotated by day, an adequate breakdown has been discussed above;
• Strengthening the muscles and ligaments of a person with "motor problems". At each workout, a person performs the same set of exercises in simulators. Usually these are leg presses, hyperextensions, presses in simulators for the chest and shoulders, traction of the block simulator on the back or pull-ups in the gravitron, traction to the belt while sitting, and exercises for the press;
• Fullbody with an "accent" for future crossfit or functional all-around. Added to the study of the squat and deadlift are cardiovascular workouts consisting of multi-rep squats, sprints, etc.

They are engaged in full body, alternating a training day and a rest day.

Split top-bottom

"Up one day, down one day" style workouts are typical of American bodybuilding and powerlifting. Entire methodological systems have grown up around them, for example, Brandon Lilly's "Cube".

Brandon Lilly - creator of the "Cube" system

Their advantages:

• They work well if you need mass and strength;
• Allow you to develop the necessary skills for any sport;
• Do not give too high a load on the joints and ligaments;
• Suitable for men and women.

For a natural athlete, this option has almost no downsides. But in professional bodybuilding, it often does not give the desired result, since there is simply no time to develop individual small muscle groups.

3-day bench-pull-leg split

A bench-pull-leg split usually looks like this:

Day 1- bench press, exercises for triceps, front delta, and middle delta;

Day 2- deadlift, or bent over row, working out the back, biceps, rear deltas;

Day 3- squat and leg workout

You can do shoulder exercises on leg day if you don’t have the strength to add them to the plan in other workouts, or they are lagging behind. The option is convenient for most people involved, as it involves visiting the gym 3 times a week.

Four day split

This scheme is for those who want to swing their arms on a separate day, and see the point in it. The breakdown is usually like this:

Day 1- chest and middle delta;

Day 2- back and back delta;

Day 3- legs and front delta;

Day 4- biceps and triceps (they are antagonists, this gave the name to the split)

Suitable option for more advanced athletes who believe that their hands are lagging behind.

Five day split

Five-day split - for advanced athletes, whose level is close to professional. Train in this style often and lose weight, simply because it motivates you to go to the gym every day and burn more calories.

Day 1- legs, front of the thighs;

Day 2- chest and triceps;

Day 3- back and biceps;

Day 4- legs, rear surface hips;

Day 5- deltas.

Other options for a five-day split are possible, depending on the lagging muscle groups.

Conclusion

The criteria for building a training program are the preparation of a person, his muscle development, goals, and recovery speed. Frequent training is not advisable if a person cannot maintain a daily routine and eat right. For most people with regular jobs and responsibilities, a three-day split is fine. But there may be exceptions. There are professional athletes who do full body only, and beginners with a five-day split. Those who have doubts about planning can use the services of a trainer, or begin to carefully monitor their condition, and embody their features in the program on their own.

Be sure to read about it

The only correct answer to the question: which muscles to train together does not exist. Depending on the goals set, they can be arranged within the framework in completely different ways. Moreover, each of the training split options will almost always have both pros and cons. About which muscle groups to train together, and which variations of their layout are the best for gaining mass, and which ones for losing weight, read on. The most interesting about training and sports nutrition on my telegram channel https://t.me/bestbodyblog

Majority training programs for mass gain (I'm talking about) are built according to the three-day split method. In this case, one large muscle group and one, rarely two, small ones are pumped in one session. For example, chest and triceps or back and biceps. A large group trains first, a small group after it.

Naturally, with this option, the main part of the load will go to the muscles that are loaded at the beginning of the lesson, and those who reach the hands at the end will get only crumbs. If you do the opposite, and load the chest after the triceps, and the back after the biceps, then it will not work normally to train large groups after small ones. How, then, to combine the muscles in training, so that they still grow?

Option 1. Pump large and small muscles together

Whatever conclusion you make after reading the introduction, but it is the arrangement of one large muscle group and one or two small ones that is the best option for a set of exercises for gaining mass. Yes, indeed, you need to download a large group first, then a smaller one, there are no options. And the fact that the triceps or biceps trained after the chest and back will have a lot less load is also true.

But, nevertheless, this is the only sure way to pump muscles in a week, so as to load the entire body equally, and have time to recover between workouts. And most importantly - gain muscle mass. Why? I explain:

First. Weight gain occurs due to large muscle groups: legs, back and chest. If you want to get bigger, then first of all you need to download them. It will be easier to gain 2-3 kg of mass per month by squatting with a barbell than by swinging deltas with dumbbells. Of course, we also need it, but only they don’t give mass, but legs and back.

Deadlifts and squats are two keys to mass gain

Second. Muscle growth directly depends on the level of hormones:, and IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor). So, doing basic exercises for large muscle groups, especially squats and deadlifts, stimulates an increase in hormonal levels better than other exercises.

That is, by pumping the biceps along with the legs, we deliberately load it on the day of increasing testosterone levels. We squat (and preferably get up) with a barbell - testosterone rises - both legs and biceps grow. The same scheme works on other days, when, for example, the back is loaded with triceps, and the chest along with the shoulders.

Third. Basic exercises for large muscle groups, load smaller groups: abs, back extensors, lumbar, gluteal muscles. They are also called. The effectiveness of the exercises for the arms and shoulders depends on their strength and endurance. To lift heavy (and most importantly, slowly lower) you need a strong lower back. To perform with a decent weight, you need a strong front delta, to shake the barbell from the chest while standing, you need strong extensors.

Basic exercises increase strength and endurance of the whole body

When compiling a training split, you must first place large muscle groups on the days of the week, and then “attach” smaller groups to them. How exactly? And here are the possible options:

Note: legs in each of the options are the first. This is not necessary, but since there are two days of rest after the Friday workout, this makes it possible to better rest and load them more before pumping the legs. And the constant change of muscle groups trained along with the legs allows you to potentially accelerate the growth of each of them.

The advantage of such complexes for weight gain is as follows:

• Emphasis on pumping large muscle groups, especially the legs
• High levels of muscle stress
• Sufficient time for recovery
• Stable set of total body weight

Flaws? And there are none. In my opinion, the best system for entraining muscles (especially large ones) in volume has not yet been invented. Of course, these weekly training programs will not work for everyone, without exception, because each of us has our own genetic baggage. But, if you adapt them to your tasks, age and state of health, this will allow you to steadily increase muscle volume, regardless of genetics.

Conclusion: pumping large and small muscles together is best during the mass gain period. For such a purpose, such an arrangement is an uncontested option.

Option 2. Train pulling and pushing muscle groups together

This layout method is also called the push-pull training program. Pressing muscles include the chest, shoulders, triceps, and pulling muscles include the back and biceps. In this case, the weekly split would look like this:

• Monday. Chest, shoulders, triceps
• Wednesday. Back, biceps
• Friday. Quadriceps, hamstrings

This option of building a training split is also a mass-gathering one, and has its advantages and disadvantages.

Advantage 1. The pushing and pressing groups are pumped only once a week, and in the following days they rest and recover.

Advantage 2. Legs are trained solo, therefore, the amount of load on them can be increased without wasting time pumping "kids".

Disadvantage 1. At each lesson, in addition to the target muscles, the assistant muscles are very heavily loaded. When performing pressing movements, a large load falls on the elbows. And when performing traction - on the lumbar and wrists.

Drawback 2. You can pump muscle groups together within the framework of such a training split with a different frequency, but the very principle of its construction, unlike the previous scheme, has fewer variations in composition.

Conclusion: the push-pull training program allows you to pay more attention to the legs, leaving the load on other muscles at a high level.

Option 3. Train antagonist muscles together

Antagonist muscles are: chest-back, biceps-triceps, quadriceps - biceps femoris, as well as press - back extensors. But you need to be extremely careful when training the extensors together, since both of these muscle groups are body stabilizers and their simultaneous pumping can cause an overload of all the muscles of the core. When compiling a training program for antagonist muscles, it is worth concentrating on the first three pairs.

A training split for a week with such a combination looks like this:

What does the training of antagonist muscles give in one lesson? Firstly, they rest faster between sets, because in this case the mechanism of active recovery comes into play. For example, you can load them more than one by one. Secondly, the muscles are better filled with blood, the delivery of nutrients to them improves. Therefore, the chances of gaining mass increase.

You can also pump antagonist muscles together in the classic version: do an exercise set for one muscle group, relax and do a set for the second, or you can do it differently - with the help of supersets.

Mass supersets. chest-back

Supersets or complex sets are two exercises performed one after the other without rest. There are many options for supersets for antagonist muscles, but if we talk about gaining mass, then they should include mainly basic exercises. The most effective in this regard are the following mini-complexes:

Supersets for legs:

Supersets for chest and back:

Hand supersets:

• narrow grip barbell press + standing barbell curl
• push-ups on the uneven bars + lifting dumbbells with supination while standing

Note: to pump muscles in this way (especially the chest and back) was very fond of Arnold Schwarzenegger. But training antagonist muscles is still popular today. Many professionals, and even amateurs, and older ones, the same, train in this way.

Antagonist muscle training for mass gain fits very well

Advantages of the antagonist muscle training program: increase in the volume of work + shocking the muscles with an unusual load + accelerating their growth. The disadvantage is the maximum load on the articular-ligamentous apparatus and cardiovascular system. Therefore, if we train muscles together in this way, then only for a short period of time.

Conclusion: training antagonist muscles has both potential benefits for gaining muscle mass and a high risk of overtraining. This system must be applied in a dosed manner.

Option 4. Pump muscle groups using the two-day split method

I want to clarify right away that a two-day split (the method is also called top-down training) does not mean at all that the muscles are loaded only twice a week. Although you can do that too. In this case, the two-day split should be regarded more as a training program for maintaining muscle volume, and not for rapid mass gain.

The top-bottom training program involves pumping the body in two times.

The main principle of such a distribution of muscles by day is that in two sessions the whole body is pumped, first the top, then the bottom. If you fit such a split into the usual, three-day scheme, it will look like this:

Note: an important condition for such a distribution of muscles by day is to change the set of exercises at each subsequent lesson. There should not be two identical workouts for each of the body parts.

The advantage of a two-day split is only one, but quite significant - each muscle group is pumped (depending on the week) twice in 7 days. Less in volume, because it should have time to recover, but exactly twice as often as usual.

Top-down workouts can also be classified as mass-gathering, especially when you consider that the priority in them, again, is given to the legs. The disadvantages of such a weekly program will be balancing on the verge of overload due to the frequent pumping of the same muscles and an extremely careful approach to the choice of exercises, especially for the legs.

Conclusion: top-down training can have a tangible effect in terms of gaining muscle mass. And a two-day split in the truest sense of its meaning is a way to maintain the gained volumes and maintain muscle density.

Option 5. Pump the muscles of the whole body at once (circular training)

The idea is that in one session you need to pump the muscles of the whole body, from top to bottom. Exercises for each of them can be performed sequentially or in a mixed order. Circular training is used for different purposes:

• As a training program for a beginner
• To return to the training process after a long break
• As a Method to Shake Muscles and Overcome Mass Gaining Plateaus
• To develop strength endurance
• For accelerated fat burning

A circuit training program for men might look like this:

The full body training system is not a mass-gaining program, because each of the muscle groups receives too little load per session. But circular training can be safely called one of the better ways reduction of fat reserves without a noticeable loss of muscle mass. This is its main advantage.

Circuit training for weight loss

The full body also has one drawback - overworking the body if you work on it for too long. As with the previous two split options, circuit training (if you include mainly basic exercises in it) should not be used for more than one to two weeks in a row.

Conclusion: the circular training system implies that in one session you need to pump the muscles of the whole body together. For weight gain, full body is useless, but it is well suited for weight loss.

Conclusion

You can pump muscle groups together in a wide variety of combinations. None of the above schemes can give returns all the time. Therefore, your complex for gaining mass must be consciously and regularly changed. This will enable the muscles to be in a state of controlled stress and grow steadily. May the force be with you. And mass!

Strong, pumped muscles are the result of long and strenuous workouts in the gym. And in this case, the right approach to planning a training schedule is important. It depends on several factors. One of the main ones is the correct combination of muscle groups. It is about him that will be discussed in this article.

Training Experience

The scheduling of classes is based on training experience. For beginners, less intensive and voluminous programs are suitable, but with greater frequency. Advanced athletes, accordingly, spend more time in the gym with the aim of deep study (from different angles) of the same muscles.

Therefore, the principle of combining muscle groups during training is the same here, the difference lies only in physical activity. This factor also depends on the problem statement. Whether a person walks just to keep himself in good shape, or does he need significant changes in physique. Work with all muscle groups is required. It just depends on the goal of training, with which one you need to work more, and with which - less.

Physical Capabilities

Before deciding which muscle groups are best combined during training, it is worthwhile to adequately assess the physical capabilities of a person and his degree of endurance. Will he be able to go to the gym five times a week or less? It is important to remember that each subsequent training is tied to the previous one. And to get a good result, you need to practice at least three times a week.

physical weaknesses

When drawing up a program for combining muscle groups, it is necessary to take into account the strengths and weaknesses of the athlete. Training should begin with less pumped muscles, so that the main energy is spent on quality work with them. Then you can move on to strengthening groups that are in good shape.

Endurance is trained gradually. Therefore, over time, it will be possible to amend the training schedule: change the scheme of classes and days off, the sequence of work, add exercises, increase weights or the number of repetitions and approaches.

Rest and recovery

For the qualitative formation of the muscular skeleton, rest and recuperation are necessary. Here, the mandatory components are sleep and a break between workouts. It is during this period, with proper, nutritious nutrition, that muscle growth occurs.

Mental labor can also be used as a discharge. If an athlete is mentally tired of training in the gym, then a profitable replacement can be made. Skip the next lesson, and instead make a long-distance race. Or perform on the horizontal bar or uneven bars.

During any it is necessary to drink water. The amount depends on the duration and intensity of the workout. On average, this is a liter and a half.

Types of combination

There are many options for programs that provide for the separation of pumping or, on the contrary, the combination of muscle groups. The second type is called splits.

Gaining training experience and becoming stronger, more resilient, you should increase the duration of classes, the number of exercises and time for recovery. And, therefore, the study of each group should occur at least once a week. The combination is necessary to increase the effectiveness of classes and free up time for a break between them.

Fullbody

For beginners, full body training may be the best choice. This is the study of all (large and small) muscle groups in one visit in Gym. To do this, you need to perform two or three sets for each exercise. The main reason for such a small load is the adaptation of beginner athletes to strength training. After all, the first thing to master is to teach the body to connect and use the necessary ones. And only after that you can strengthen them and work on sizes. The second stage requires a high frequency with a 48-hour recuperation break.

Training for all muscle groups for men is more intense and consistent. The latter is determined by the feature of the figure. As a rule, men start training in the gym by pumping the brachial biceps, triceps, deltas, etc.

Muscle training for women has a lighter load program. Work begins with training calves, thighs, buttocks and above.

Beginners should not be zealous in the early stages of training. This will reduce muscle pain after workouts. The fullbody program is focused on familiarizing beginner athletes with equipment. And at the same time, it allows you to pump each muscle group moderately, without any specific overstrain.

The topical issue for the strong half (and not only) has always been and is the following: how to pump Experts say that these muscles are involved in all exercises. Therefore, you should not “burn out” them by being zealous with simulators, barbells and dumbbells. It is more correct to adhere to the chosen program for symmetrical weight gain.

Split top-bottom

The load during full body training is considered low. Therefore, the next level is the division of the torso into two parts and pumping the muscles of each of them in one session. Due to the appearance of additional time, the number of exercises increases to two for each group.

Combination during training occurs in a certain sequence:

• Top = pectoral muscles+ back press + delta + shoulder biceps, triceps.
• Bottom = press.

The rep range is 6-8 and 10-12 times. The first type is designed to develop a strength indicator. Therefore, it is often chosen by women. The second range (10-12 repetitions) is designed for muscle growth. With such a task, men usually come to the gym.

Press-pull-legs

After mastering the "top-bottom" program, you can go to the next step. The volume of work increases in the same progression. And now each muscle group is worked out three times a week. In another way, this program is called the “three-day split”. It involves the combination of muscle groups according to the method of exposure. So for one workout in the gym you need to do:

• Press on the chest, delta and triceps.
• Back row, biceps.
• Separately, it is necessary to pump the muscles of the legs.

A reasonable question arises, why is the load distribution based on this principle? It's all about the features of basic exercises. When performing them, the athlete also pumps neighboring muscles. So, for example, training the pectoral muscles in the gym simultaneously involves the delta and triceps. That is why, starting with this part of the body, it would be more logical to finish. If these muscle groups are divided into three days, then the necessary break for recovery will disappear and the effect of subsequent training will decrease.

Experienced athletes can perform this split twice in 8 days, leaving one day off between cycles. For beginners, the training scheme below is suitable. The number of repetitions here is inversely proportional to the weight of the pull.

4 day split

At a serious level physical training and endurance can try a four-day split. This program involves combining smaller muscle groups per workout, but increasing the volume and intensity of exercise. This split is for one week. Therefore, three days are allotted for recuperation. To complicate the training process can reduce the rest to one day and repeat the four-day split. An alternative option could be training according to the "two by two" scheme. The schedule is selected individually, depending on the athlete's employment, his level of training and endurance.

As for the combination of muscle groups, the ideal option here would be to train large with small ones (traction + bench press): for example, pectoral with biceps or dorsal with triceps. This program (or split of antagonists) requires a minimum of one day off. Or you can, instead of resting, shake your legs. Below is an example workout plan:

In the case of a sequence, it is more correct to work out a large muscle group first, and then you can move on to a small one. The fact is that the latter gets tired faster. Starting with it, you can waste most of your energy and not pull heavy weights.

5 day split

The program, which is suitable for athletes with extensive experience behind them, is called the “five-day split”. There is no combination here. On the contrary, there is a deep study of a separate muscle group. The volume of exercises, their intensity increases to the limit. The workout is half an hour or more. Rest usually takes place on weekends. Within the same program, you can choose a different training scheme: 2-1-3-1. It involves working with two large muscle groups for two days. Then you need a day off. And after spending three days of classes again a break.

It is not necessary to pump the assisting muscles (or synergists) in sequence one after another. Otherwise, you will not be able to fully recover. The table below will help you properly divide the load:

The table does not mention abdominals and calves. They belong to small muscle groups, and therefore the recovery process is fast. You can work with them every other day. In the program of the sequence of exercises, they should be assigned the final place.

In bodybuilding, the split system is now widespread, its essence is that 2-3 muscles are worked out during training. The right combination is very important here. But there are many opinions on this matter. Some experts believe that training a large muscle group is best combined with a small muscle that supports it. For example, like chest and triceps. In this case, the main load should fall on a large muscle group.

Experiments among bodybuilders have shown that the back muscles and chest muscles can be trained together, but the chest should be worked out first. And triceps and biceps, despite the order of their training, do not affect the loss of strength. As for the deltas, they behave like the pectoral muscles,.

The order of training muscle groups

The maximum amount of anabolic hormones is synthesized when you train with a normal weight for a large number of sets, involving 10-12 repetitions each, and resting for about 1.5 minutes. Anabolic hormones include testosterone, growth hormone, and an insulin-like growth factor. During the training of large muscle groups, there is a greater production of hormones than when training small ones, such as biceps or triceps.

What happens if we work them together? Will the effect be passed on from one to the other? In fact, everything is so! This has been confirmed in numerous experiments and studies. Here is one of them. Two groups of beginners trained: the first group worked out the biceps, the second group also trained the biceps, but after training the legs. The result of the experiment showed that the second group of people had a higher surge of anabolic hormones.

In the course of these studies, it was also revealed that when one side of the body is trained, the growth of the other part, which is symmetrical to it, is also carried out. For example, by training one arm or leg, you can slightly increase the volume and mass of the second limb. Everything is explained by the irritation of the muscle and nerve fibers, which cause both sides of the body to grow.

A common among bodybuilders is such a principle as “pull-press”, which involves working out the triceps in one workout, after the back muscles, and the next day you train the biceps after the pectoral muscles.

It is always better to start training with the study of large muscle groups. Firstly, working on them requires a lot of energy, and secondly, training in this order provides a higher hormonal surge.

We distribute large muscle groups by training days:

First training day- breast.

Second training day- legs.

Third training day- back.

Now you can supplement the main muscle groups with secondary muscles.

First day. First of all, we train the chest, which means that triceps, so we are also working on it on this day. These muscles need to be significantly trained, and then they will have enough time to recover, since in the next two workouts they will not be involved in work, and this is of great importance when gaining muscle mass.

Second day. First of all, we train the legs, then the shoulders.

The third day. We start the workout by working out the back, and end with exercises for the biceps, which is an auxiliary flexor muscle when performing many exercises for the main muscle group of this training day.

Another training scheme:

First workout. Working out the muscles of the legs, and in addition, you can use the lower back and lower part back. You can add bicep exercises if you have enough energy.

Second workout. We train pectoral muscles, front deltas and triceps, abs. Working on the pectoral muscles will also involve triceps with deltas, so they also need to be loaded. Press exercises are performed at the end of the workout.

Third workout. Pumping the entire back. The work of the upper back will also involve the biceps, so we also train it.

Fourth workout. Shoulder training engages the triceps. Also study of the trapezium, press and neck.

Here is an example of a split workout:

First day: chest, deltas, triceps, abs (upper);

Second day: back muscles, biceps, forearms, abs (oblique abdominal muscles);

The third day: muscles of the thigh, buttocks, lower leg, abs (lower).

There is no single training system. It all depends on the characteristics of the human body and its genetic predisposition After all, the period of muscle recovery is different for everyone. The main thing is to choose the right combination of trained muscle groups and exercise 2-3 times a week.