Optimal Strength Workout Splits and Sets for Maximum Gains

Welcome to peak meter fitness podcast your go to source for evidence base that staircase to optimize your strength training routine. I'm Turo Virta and today we are at something into the science behind maximizing strength gains through optimal sets per week along with insights into workout splits and variety preferences. So, personal question what I often get is that what is the best workout split and how many sets should I be doing upper body lower body or full body workouts, maybe some of you you have heard probably that push pull legs is the best routine to follow if you try to improve your and gaining your strength, so and how many repetitions right is lower weights or heavier rates and less repetitions or lower weights and more repetitions better. So, in this, if you listen to this episode, you will learn what is exactly right for you, and what science is saying all about these. So, first of all to say how to plan meats workout routine, you should be aiming for or you should be following. So what I like to keep it I like to keep it very simple as as you probably know, there is a it depends always little bit on your background, how often you are aiming to work out and what is for most people I talk now, not in a professional way like, like professionals who are doing this for a living but since the like normal people who are trying to just improve their strength and, and health and without wasting time, so you're kind of trying to work out a little bit smarter and not necessarily harder. So, what I like to use is called buddy broke out. So, this this is the reason like why if you think that why why they are they are not promoted as much in social media as they should be because they are kind of almost forgotten as there is a lot of new things like boastful legs, kind of split routines or upper body, lower body. And why I think is that that for the wall is than full body workout is the best I guess it is it is superior than other splits. As for most of us, like you might end up skipping the workout for some reason. And if your goal is to do, let's say, two or three workouts per week, and if you in this way, if you drain your whole body, you are even you skipped let's say you aim for three workouts per week you had to something happens and you can't, you can work out only two times. So if you follow, let's say foosball, legs workout, and it's then for most people, it's the liquid workout, what you are going to skip, so you are just you are missing one body part completely. And if you if you do full body workout, you still get some kind of full body workout at least two times a week or even one time per week. So to maintain your results, so nothing will actually happen. And that and what is the advantages, like if you didn't like an upper body, lower body full body routine, comparing like, this is like a full body routine is always something what I recommend that in most cases, you should have a day in between, like a resting time. So if you aim to workout for example, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, full body body routine is the best way to do it. If you for some reason, you know that you got you must work out, let's say Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, then probably I would go for upper body, lower body and full body routine. But it is it's very individual. And depending like it's not that it doesn't bring anything if you for some reason, one week, you've got a workout back to back days, it doesn't make that big difference. But if you think like that, what is the what is your regular routine? How it most likely will be? And if you are if you have that possibility to work out and have a day off in between your workouts full body routines are the best way. And why is that? Because when we are talking about that sets, and what is the most optimal for muscle gain. So there is a there is a lot of studies showing that the for somebody who have already a little bit experience, it's around 10 to 15 sets like obviously, if you have more experience, you probably will need 15 to 20 sets per muscle group per week, if you don't have that much experience, even up to five for five sets per muscle group is already going to be most likely enough. So so it really depends on what kind of background you have and how many sets and reps you should be doing. And if you are not applied, sir, I highly recommend to get started at least with some ghosts who is knowing what they are doing and what is the right volume for you. And I've been it's a full it's a well designed program. You have two sets like for example, if you're let's say that your goal is to get 12 sets for your test. So what is the best way it's just the sets that you can divide it if you do it for example? do full body workout, it's a three workouts. So one workout, you might get three sets. One other workout, it could be four sets. And then next one is going to be five or six. So you divide it kind of during the week, throughout the week, so So you have that total volume there in your program. So if you didn't get laid, if you want to go for just those body split workouts, and you think that you're going to make that 12 sets within one workout. So obviously, you are going to be so exhausted after that pattern, as there are many, many studies which are showing that doing it a bit more often, like on every third, fourth or fifth day, at least, you should have an if you do have some kind of exercise for that muscle group. So that promotes better results faster results than doing it just until failure that you are going to feel so sore after after workout. So so this is the advantage with the full body workouts and even its volumes are a bit less, but you do it more often. And it's also that consistency part what often often is then even you are some reason you end up skipping one workout, it doesn't do that big farm, then if you miss a whole workout for that week. So it means that you have basically if it's a one time per week, and you miss it for one week, you have two weeks that you don't probably hit that muscle group so so you have time with more volume. And that's that's the reason why I personally love doing full body workouts. So so this is this is for someone for let's say, an intermediate, like an average level, to do two to three workouts is the full body to best routine. And if you are willing to do more, it's not always the more is better, as as I have seen that many likely it's more about what you're trying to tell like especially you don't need to push like let's say you go three workouts where you are pushing yourself close to failure. And then you don't necessarily need but more. So if you want to do something more than it could be some like focus tones, if you have some lagging body part like or you want to improve for some specific body part then in those areas, you could be adding more volume to get it closer to that 1520 sets per week. So those are great opportunity like kind of Sodor systems like beats are let's say five to 15 minutes session says pull your trigger like kind of extra work and or even test the remaining so simple bodyweight exercises which are not heavy. So doing bodyweight squats, push ups, so as to remind your body that what you are trying to tell to your body because it's all about those signals, you are telling him to your body. So you don't need to push yourself every single day on the failure because if you do, your body will never have time to recover enough. And of course, it's that rest when you actually you need first of all that that exercise to make your muscles tired, but then did that muscle when it gets it gets better when it gets stronger. It's actually that resting, but obviously if you only rest it's not working that way and that I don't explain so. So remember that the rest is very, very important. But but also those kinds of bodyweight exercises they are helping to recover faster but at the same time sending the right signals that your body needs to get stronger. So think about repetitions This is often Western especially from a women what I get that they don't use heavy weights, because you get better results if you do more reps with the lower weights. And this is something what I always like to keep it this way that you need kind of everything if you didn't like what kind of muscle what you're trying to tell like how to maximize your results is that you need basically three different things in your workout. So what is one one soreness is like an improving your maximum strength so that means that when you try to increase your maximum strength this is when you drop out like let's say one to five repetitions per every workout and you need a longer rest time when you do this phase. So the reason is that let's say that you are doing five repetitions for bodyweight squats or no squats or bench press or deadlifts for example. And that you need to have that kind of at least two minutes rest in between I recommend often three minutes or it can be up to five minutes so the reason for longer risk time is that that you are able to use that heavyweight because if you take you might feel like often what I get from messages from clients that dress this way too long that I'm good to go earlier, but if you are able to able to do it with after minute rest or 32nd Dressed same amount of weight between An amount of repetitions. Either you don't use heavyweight enough, or you are not lifting heavy enough, because you need that wrist and be able to use that heavyweights you need that longer wrist or otherwise you won't get it. And this is the same principle, if you try to improve your maximum speed, for example, you need that longer rest of your body, you don't feel tired, maybe but but to be able to work on your maximum speed you need that longer rest. So do take that rest and it doesn't feel you don't get that kind of dopamine spike after a workout that while I worked out so hard I was reading now you probably revealed during the workout that it was a bit too less. But trust me it you refill it in after so when you push yourself, so this is maximum strength, then it's kind of the two per trophy phase where you are working out, it's usually from six to 12 repetitions. And this is when you kind of try to increase the size of muscle and this is this is the most optimal repetition range to increase muscle size. But it doesn't work this way that if you if your goal is to get bigger muscles that you work only the sound so you need also that maximum strength and that strength endurance strength endurance is 12 to let's say 2030 repetitions that's even higher. So you kind of increased that strength endurance with that zone. And you need to have all of these terms in your workout program. So there are different studies like that you can implement these in the same workout. So you have some exercises like compound exercises, but you use heavier weights you do less repetitions, for example, squats, bench press, deadlifts, you use lower reps and longer rest time. And then like a kind of isolated exercises like bicep curls and triceps are smaller muscles, you use a more repetitions like let's say six to 12 repetition rates and some exercises you do higher amount of reps. So but this is been something what I don't personally I don't program lot like this. So this is basically for maintaining, I love to use it like every month by month procedure. So for example, one month you focus only on maximum strength next next month is going to be hypertrophy and focusing and that kind of size, increasing that muscle size. And then it's that strength endurance month after that it's a it's a stringed instrument. So in this way you get, let's say, because I like to keep those all phases in a four week basis. And this way, in a longer period of time, let's say in three months, you have all those songs, or all different references, and you will end up getting all results what you want it. But often, we try to kind of do everything at the same time. So this is the best way to do it like how to do it in different phases, because they are totally different things like like, for example, improving cardio, and improving maximum strength, it's totally different, you might want to have both results. But if you try to tell to your body to do both of them at the same time, it's not the best way to do it. So instead, if you push just a string, for example, and on maintenance and do it, let's say one workout per week, you are able to maintain your muscle mass, but at the same time you put main focus on your cardio, and you are able to improve your cardio at the same time, or maximize your cardio or endurance improvements. So in this way, again, in a longer period of time, you end up having better results than trying to focus kind of everything at the same time. So and still the most important thing is that progressive overload and it means that you are pushing yourself that those last repetitions should always feel so heavy that you are not, you can't imagine to do more than two repetitions with the amount of weight you are using. So when you decide what weight you are using, let's say that you're supposed to be doing 12 repetitions. If you are able to imagine after 12 repetitions that you could be doing more than two repetitions with same weight at more weight for your next set. So this is the best way to make sure that you are kind of having the progressive overload. And especially women, most of you you are stronger than you believe. And for often it's the opposite for the men. Men are not able to keep that foot tall when they are trying to add more weight. So this is just a drink what I have seen with working with so so many people and that just keep it keep it in mind that it's you have to build that is the most important thing. It doesn't matter how many repetitions you are doing. If you're not pushing yourself close to failure. You don't need to go anti failure but close to it. Like I like to give it one to two repetitions away from failure. So this was just a quick reminder of feedback big episode this week to remind you how to improve over your maximize your strength gains and be able to fall off land would actually make sense for you. And this is as there is so much individualization in this strength training. So it's hard to explain everything in this sort when I tried to keep this this episode really quick. So if you have any questions, email me Turo at fit me turo.com Or send me shoot me a DM in my Instagram. I will put a link to my Sonos. And obviously, if you need any help, there is I have several reporting options, my membership coaching eight week tenancies where I create individual workout programs and that those tendencies next one is starting in March, beginning of March and test you can join our waitlist in solenoids. So thank you for listening, and I'll talk to you soon