The New Way to Train

There are so many variations of split routines in weight training. There are two way splits such as “upper body/lower body” splits and “anterior/posterior” splits. There are many three way splits. The most popular three way split I’ve come across is the “Chest and Biceps/Back, Shoulders and Triceps/Legs and Abdominals” split. This one is effective because it allows the muscles of the arms to work on multiple days which enhance development.

I’ve been playing about with a new style of split routines. It’s based on biomechanical planes. These planes are:

Frontal- a movement which involves abduction and adduction movements such as Shoulder Presses, Pull Ups and Jumping Jacks

Sagittal- movements which involve forward or backward actions, this involves protraction, retraction, hinging and squatting patterns

Transverse- Rotational movements, exercises such as Russian Twists works within the transverse plane

I considered working in planes to prevent weight room trauma to my clients. This is made possible by ensuring better muscle balance. When participants go about standard weight room split routines, they rarely work on the transverse plane. This will result in low mobility, joint resilience and stability.

My clients are now asked to perform Turkish Get Ups as a part of their shoulder workout. This is to comply with adding transverse actions to a workout. The transverse action is featured in the shoulder capsule. Here is an example of a biomechanical planar split:

Monday: Frontal

·       Pull Ups

·       Shoulder Press

·       Kettlebell Wind Mills

Wednesday: Sagittal

·       Deadlift

·       Squat

·       Bench Press

·       Seated Row

Friday: Transverse

·       Turkish Get Ups

·       Clams

·       Russian Twist

Playing about in a safe manor can do you a world of good. Everyone’s physiology is different so find out what works for you.