Column 86 | The 3-way split

ANSWER

Hello Sabine, instead of doing a full-body workout three times a week, I would recommend a so-called 3-split. With a 3-split, you divide your body into three areas, which you train on three days a week. For example, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, in order to maintain the necessary breaks between the individual training sessions.

With the 3-split, you only train your body completely once a week. The advantage is that you no longer have to spend two hours in the gym per training session, but only about 45 minutes.

Numerous studies show that a short, hard workout of 45 to a maximum of 60 minutes is much more effective than one lasting hours. In addition, you give your muscles longer rest periods, which are important for regeneration and ultimately for the desired muscle building/toning.

The training, divided into a 3-way split, could look like this: On the first day you train your chest, shoulders and triceps. The second day consists of leg and abdominal training. And on the third day of training you focus on your back, divided into upper and lower, as well as your biceps.

You should choose your exercises so that you do three sets of 8-12 repetitions for each muscle. However, the leg muscles respond better to 15-20 repetitions, as this stimulates large muscles better. Keep the breaks between each set short (1-2 minutes). On average, you should do 10-12 sets per training session so that the training time does not exceed around 45 minutes.

I wish you much success with your new training plan!