Separate days for separate gym routines

[Careerdecisions]

I’ve recently joined a new gym after a long time of not going. I’ve started classes three times a week and really enjoy them but would like to add more so thought I would go to the actual gym a couple of times week too. As it’s been so long I asked about getting a programme. A long time ago I would have a whole body workout routine and that worked out fine for me. This time however the trainer told me he would write two workouts for me, one day a week to do my upper body and the other my lower body. Is this the latest best way to workout? I can’t imagine just focusing on one area and neglecting the rest.

I may be out of touch though my son has a leg day and chest and arm day but he’s a teenager and trying to bulk up. I’m a skinny fat Mum trying to get fitter and more toned.

What’s your experience?

Im not a professional and no expert, but I split my upper body and lower body weights sessions into different days. I do 30-40 minute weights sesh each time, then a rest day (walk and /or yoga), then focus on the other section in my next weight session

For the past 10 years I’ve been doing separate work outs for different parts of my body, I thought it was fairly normal to be honest

I used to do full body days too but started going to the gym every day, and then full body routines became unsustainable as the body isn't given enough time to rest and recuperate. Muscle tears while lifting heavy weights, and this needs time to heal to gain the most out of it. I started doing an upper/lower body split just to give my body more time to recover from each session. Don't see a problem doing full body days if you're not doing it everyday, and also depends on the intensity of your sessions. If you're heavy lifting to failure, your muscle needs time to recover. But ultimately it's how you feel! If you feel great with a certain routine, and it's working out for you, I wouldn't just change it up because someone told me to.

I can’t imagine just focusing on one area and neglecting the rest

Neglect is a bit OTT surely?

Focussed workouts are extremely popular among people who want to build muscle. Muscle building happens after you finish your workout, during recovery; so to build muscle, you need a good recovery period (2 days or more). A popular way of doing it is e.g. upper body Monday and Thursday, lower body Tuesday and Friday - plenty of recovery time between sessions, but still getting in 4 sessions a week. Then cardio, or core, or stretching on other days.

And an hour on upper body allows a much more thorough workout than having to do everything all in one session. It's really not neglect!

But it's not compulsory, just tell them you'd rather do everything in one session!

I have to do whatever equipment on at the gym in the time i've got available! Some days that's all legs, some it's upper body and some it's a mix! I'm in n out in under an hour before work and don't have the luxury of time to wait around for specific bits of kit to only do one body part.

Thank you, good to get views of others. It definitely makes sense from a muscle fatigue perspective just not what I’m used to (albeit 20 years ago when I got my last programme written in a gym.) I’ll go with it and can review after a few weeks.

I do split it, upper body, lower body and then some Pilates and a more focused cardio day. It’s made a bigger impact as I’ve got older. I used to do a full body workout when younger!

I go to a council gym, which probably doesn't quite have enough equipment (that I'm comfortable using) to do a big arms session one day and big legs session another. So I typically do 20 mins of CV, then 45 minutes of weights, working my whole body.

You say you do classes, OP. Do you do Body Pump? It's great for getting into weights, learning some good moves that you can then try in the gym, and working your whole body.
Caroline Girvan YouTube videos are really good for home dumbell workouts too.

I alternate types of exercise - aerobic one day, strength training another. I do it that way to reduce fatigue (muscle and general body aches/recovery).

I've discovered as I get older I can't bounce back from intense exercise in the same way I could in my 20s so swapping it out a bit really helps with that.

I have to split my gym sessions up so I can fit in everything I want to do during the week and one session doesn't impact on the others.
Eg I do my long run on a weekend, so make sure I'm not doing lower body weights (squats for example) on a Friday, otherwise my battered legs would affect the long run. Instead, I time it so I'm doing the long run after an upper body day.

I think for best muscle development you want to work a given muscle group twice or three times a week because it keeps a more consistent stimulation while still allowing recovery. It's normal to have upper and lower body days but I'd expect to have a couple of each, even if relatively short sessions. But ask the person who recommended this what his thinking is.

That split is one way to do it. If it works for you, go for it!

The main thing is to have a consistent programme that you can get progressive overload on - so each week, you add a bit of weight to the lifts, or do more reps with time under tension (do the eccentric bit sloooowly) etc etc.

Progressive overload is the key to developing lean muscle. And don't worry, it's really hard for women to bulk up in terms of muscle.

As well as alternating the load/ revovery around the body, it's a bit more varied and interesting than doing the same thing multiple times per week.
Another variation on the idea is push days/ pull days using opposing paired muscle groups.

It's an improvement on the plan I had in 2000 which was 3x10 mins on the cardio machines then a lap of the resistance machines circuit. None of that "women lift heavy for their bones" malarky then