Good morning and happy Saturday! 🙂
Quick note before today’s lesson.
On Saturday, September 26 at 9:00 AM PDT (12:00 PM EDT), I’m hosting a live masterclass:
How to Master Body Composition & Vitality Over 50 (Using the Power of Whole Food, Plant Based Living)
In this live workshop, I’ll be breaking down:
The exact workout splits, sets, and reps designed for long term joint health and vitality
How to properly manipulate your food intake to trigger consistent, natural fat loss
How to speed up your metabolism post fat loss with reverse dieting so you keep your results for life
(Live Q&A, so seating is limited.)
👉 Reserve Your Spot: https://mavywellness.com/masterclass-registration
Consider today’s lesson a little taste of what’s coming.
Today, I want to talk about one of the most common questions I get from people who are ready to build strength, drop body fat, and transform their physique:
“Maxime, which workout split should I actually be doing?”
Full body? Upper/lower? Push/pull/legs? Or one of those bodybuilder bro splits where you train one muscle group per day?
Here’s the core principle I teach inside our Forever Fit program:
The absolute best training split is the one you can actually execute and stay consistent with.
All splits work. All of them can deliver great results. But if you commit to a 4 day split and your schedule only allows 3 days, you end up leaving muscle groups untrained, creating structural imbalances over time.
Here is how to choose the right one for your stage of life.
The Full Body Split (The Foundation)
This is my personal favorite, and the exact split I rely on for my own training.
Structure: You train all major muscle groups in every session, 2 to 4 times per week (3 days per week is the sweet spot for most people).
Time Commitment: 30 to 45 minutes per session.
Sample Week: Monday (Full Body), Tuesday (Rest/Cardio), Wednesday (Full Body), Thursday (Rest), Friday (Full Body), Weekend Off.
Who It’s For: Beginners, anyone returning after a long break, or anyone in Phase 1 (Body Recomposition) and Phase 2 (Reverse Dieting).
Why it works: If life happens on Wednesday and you miss a session, you simply shift it to Thursday without ruining your entire week.
The Upper/Lower Split (Level 2)
Once you’ve built a strong foundation with full body workouts and are ready for more training volume, the upper/lower split is the natural next step.
Structure: 4 sessions per week. You alternate between upper body days (chest, back, shoulders, arms, core) and lower body days (quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves).
Sample Week: Monday (Upper), Tuesday (Lower), Wednesday (Rest), Thursday (Upper), Friday (Lower), Weekend Off.
Who It’s For: Intermediate lifters, or anyone moving into Phase 2 (Reverse Dieting) and Phase 3 (Lean Muscle Building) where higher food intake supports more training volume.
The Science: Research published in BMC Sports Science found no meaningful difference in muscle or strength gains between a full body and an upper/lower split when weekly volume is matched. Upper/lower simply lets you perform more exercises per muscle region in a single workout.
Push/Pull/Legs (Level 3)
Push Day: Chest, shoulders, triceps. Pull Day: Back, rear delts, biceps. Legs Day: Quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves.
This can run as a 3 day or a high volume 6 day split, but it demands serious recovery capacity. Unless you’re an advanced lifter optimizing for maximum muscle isolation, this level of specificity is usually unnecessary for sustainable health and longevity.
A quick word on the classic bro split (one muscle group per day, 5 days a week): it’s the least efficient option for busy adults over 50. It leaves you extremely sore and forces you to wait a full week before training that muscle again. Skip it.
How to Pick Your Split Right Now (3 Quick Questions)
How many days per week can you 100% guarantee you can strength train for the next 6 to 12 months? (If you aren’t sure about 4 days, pick 3!)
Are you brand new to structured strength training or returning after a break? (If yes, start with Full Body.)
What is your primary focus right now? (Training builds the muscle, but nutrition reveals it. If you have a 4th day available, use it to meal prep instead of adding a 4th workout!)
Remember: More is not better. Smarter is better.
You don’t need to live in the gym to get into the best shape of your life. You just need a sustainable framework that fits your actual schedule.
If today’s lesson was useful, come get the full blueprint live.
On Saturday, September 26, I’m teaching the complete system: the exact splits, sets, and reps, how to pair them with whole food, plant based nutrition for lasting results, plus live Q&A so bring your questions.
👉 Reserve Your Spot: https://mavywellness.com/masterclass-registration
Have a fantastic weekend,
Sincerely,
Maxime Sigouin
P.S. This week’s podcast episode is a powerful one. Russell Smithe lost 300 pounds and has kept it off for years. He shares what he wishes he’d known at the very start. Watch it here:
