Over the next few weeks I will cover a variety of styles of weight/resistance training with the pros and cons of each style. I myself have probably tried most of these styles over my 3 years of weight lifting experience so I can tell you from personal experience what each has offered me.
The 5 day Split "Holy grail of Bodybuilding!"
I'm not sure where exactly this type of split originated but you essentially hit every muscle once every 6-7 days. Something like this:
Chest/Back/Legs/Shoulders/Arms/Rest/Rest or repeat
The advantages of this type of split are that you get to really focus on 1-2 muscles per day and that you can hit that muscle pretty hard from all types of angles. Many pro-bodybuilders use this type of split.
The disadvantages-
For those that are not on steroids or pro-bodybuilders this may not be optimal. Hitting a muscle once every 6-7 days may not be that great if you are not near your maximal genetic potential. Think about, hitting a muscle once every 6-7 days is arbitrary and who is to say that every muscle needs 6-7 days to fully recover.
If you examine this split closely you can see that your triceps are probably getting hit x3 a week (On chest/shoulders/arms day) and your shoulders and biceps x2 a week (biceps on back and arms day and shoulders on chest and shoulders day). This split however can be used effectively at some points during the year. If you have been doing a split with a higher frequency for some time, then switching to a lower frequency routine can be beneficial (extra recovery). Other, than that, I don't see myself ever sticking to this type of split for longer than 4-5 weeks during the year. Personally I think its kind of ridiculous to come in and just hammer your arms for an hour lol
Push/Pull/Lower- coming soon!
