If you are wondering “Is it better to do full body workouts or split routines, then there is no one right answer here. No one can have an exact answer to the question of whether full-body or body part split workouts are more effective.
This is true of all debates in the strength and conditioning industry. Do not listen to anyone who tells you otherwise.
There are many right and wrong ways to train. It is important to plan your training sessions in a way that allows you to get enough sleep and doesn’t overtrain certain energy systems.
There are pros and cons to both split and full-body training. Like all other training methods, choosing the best one for you will depend on your goals. Here are the facts.
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Benefits of using full-body workouts
To lose body fat, guys who only want to build strength will benefit from total-body workouts.
You get more bang for your buck when you engage in a total body strength and conditioning program that’s either focused on lifting heavy or quick, interval-like metabolic movements.
A full-body workout is a training session that involves exercises for the main muscle groups of the body. These sessions can vary in length and intensity and can be performed at home or in the gym.
The benefits of performing full-body workouts include an increase in strength, the development of lean muscle mass, and improved cardiovascular fitness.
Full-body workouts are the best way to get the most out of your day, and there are a ton of benefits associated with them. If you’re not familiar with full-body workouts, they’re exactly what they sound like – your entire body gets a workout in a single session. It’s one of the fastest ways to increase lean muscle mass, boost strength, and improve your body composition.
Gone are the days when people would train each muscle group one after the other, with little or no rest in between. Training bodies this way was found to be too strenuous on the body and caused injuries.
Modern science has come a long way, and today we have a full-body workout routine that can help you make the most out of your time at the gym.
Full-Body workouts are known to be the best kind of workout routines. If you are the one who is looking for more strength and definition in a short span of time then you should opt for this kind of workout.
Doing this will help you burn more fat, and also give lean muscle mass as well as you will be able to sleep better as well.
Many of us have been drawn to Full body workouts as it gives more of an all-around workout. Full-body workouts are very effective in making our bodies strong and fit.
You should know that there are many advantages of full-body workouts, let us take a detailed look at them.
Time more efficiently
It is not possible to go to the gym three times per week. You can reduce the time you spend at the gym by doing a full-body workout without sacrificing any major muscle groups.
You can get the anabolic response you desire from your muscles by working out with both the upper and lower body. This will save you hours of time in the weight room.
Higher hormonal response
Full-body movements produce more testosterone, growth hormone, and IGF-1 hormones. This results in more muscle and less fat. Total-body exercises can result in a greater hormonal response.
It is better for fat loss/weight loss
You will feel sore muscles after intense full-body workouts. Compound lifts, metabolic intervals, and circuit training engage more muscle groups, increase heart rate and burn more calories.
CrossFit is all about hitting your entire body from a conditioning perspective.
Pros of Body Part Split Training
For guys who want to bulk up in specific areas, get Personal Records in major lifts, or continue a training program, there are great options for upper and lower body workouts. These are great for bulking up and are less exhausting.
Body part split training is a method of strength training developed by bodybuilders to allow them to train their muscles multiple times per week. Body part split training emphasizes the development of individual muscles.
The most common form of this type of workout is a push-pull workout, or an upper-lower workout, where the objective is to work the upper and lower body each day or every other day.
This type of training is also easier to schedule since it doesn’t require too much time. By isolating muscle groups, you’re able to work the muscles to the fullest, which in turn will increase muscle hypertrophy and strength.
However, it’s important to understand that if your goal is to build mass quickly through body part split training, you’ll have to lift heavy weights often (at least 4 days a week).
When choosing a workout program, intensity is key. But that doesn’t mean you need to spend hours in the gym to reap the rewards. With body part split training, you can get your full-body and upper/lower body workouts in less time each week.
Simply split your workout days between upper and lower body, and you can train each muscle group more often. Here are some of the benefits of body part split training.
Focused strength gains
Training sessions that target specific body parts (e.g. chest day, back day, leg day, etc. Although they are less efficient, these can be used to tailor your training program. You must train according to your goals, whether you want to deadlift 450lbs and bench 300lbs.
If your current bench PR is 225lbs and you are 165 lbs, I can assure you that 3x/week of full-body exercises won’t get to you.
You can do your major lifts and other accessory work that targets this muscle group. Be careful not to over-emphasize any one muscle group; this can lead to muscle imbalances or weaknesses.
Better for building mass
Full-body exercises are not recommended if you want to gain mass. It could work, but it would be very difficult to achieve the same volume and focus on specific muscle groups. I prefer to do upper-lower body parts splits.
These focused workouts have the upside of allowing you to rotate heavier and lighter days more consistently. You don’t want each day to be hard or heavy. This is important for progress and part of the periodization method.
We need less fatigue
Split workouts can be programmed well and result in less fatigue. The focus is on only one or two body parts at a time. Full-body workouts burn more calories and exhaust your body faster, which can lead to a loss of strength-specific training focus.
However, this doesn’t mean that your stems will be completely useless after a hard leg day. Your legs are more able to recover from intense leg training and avoid overloading your entire body.
Is It Better to Do Full body Workouts or Split Routines?
As mentioned above, depending on what your goals are when training, we cannot have a general answer to the question “is it better to do full-body workouts or split routines? But in general, if the same purpose of training is to improve health and gain muscles, it is clear that full-body workouts will be much more effective than split routines.
A full-body workout aims to work for all muscle groups in order to effectively and efficiently promote muscle growth. A total-body workout can help build muscle and strength, regardless of whether you are a bodybuilder or not.
Full-body workouts tend to have a higher total energy consumption per session (i.e. you burn more calories). Missing a workout is not a big deal. You’ve already trained all your muscles twice if you do not train three times per week.
Split workouts, on the contrary, are designed to isolate muscle groups. Split workouts are used to increase muscle growth and decrease the number of rest days.
You can dedicate an entire day to one muscle, such as your chest. This will allow you to fully fatigue them and target them from many angles. It will ensure that you are able to develop each muscle to its full potential.
Split plans are less effective if you don’t have at least five to six days per week to exercise. Consider the “push-pull legs” bodybuilding plan.
This split plan allows you to rotate pulling, pushing, and leg movements. You can rest days after finishing all three.
While pulling movements isolate your back, triceps, and chest muscles, pushing movements can isolate your chest. You also know the importance of leg movements.
You can also rotate your upper- and lower-body days, or devote whole days to smaller muscle groups. This split plan was something you can try:
- Monday: Chest, triceps, and chest
- Tuesday: Legs
- Wednesday: Back and biceps
- Thursday: Shoulders
- Friday: Legs
- Saturday Core
- Sunday: Rest
This person spent an entire day on his shoulders and one day on his abs. It worked for him, but it is too much for most people.
For people who are unable to exercise six days per week, this plan is not feasible. You can neglect a whole muscle group if you miss a workout on this program.
Split workouts work best when you have at least 45 minutes per day. Working your entire body for 20 minutes will not be as beneficial as working your arms.
For most people, full-body exercises work best.
There are many reasons why this is so, but the most important reason people should choose full-body exercises over split workouts. Many people don’t have the time or energy to spend an hour per day exercising, let alone on one muscle group.
You can make full-body exercises a time-saver. Instead of spending an hour pumping your biceps or spending a few minutes on your core, you could be working towards real gains such as core stability, core strength, functional mobility, endurance, and overall health.
There are other reasons to choose full-body exercises over split workouts:
- A full-body workout generally results in a greater total energy expenditure per session (i.e. you burn more calories).
- Missing a workout isn’t a big deal. You’ve already trained all your muscles twice if you do not train three times per week. A split plan is a way to let you know that you haven’t worked for a particular muscle group during the week.
- You need to be able to perform functional movements in order for your body and mind to function properly.
- A full-body workout tends to have more movements that improve core stability and posture.
I hate to say it, but if you have only a few hours each week to exercise, you should stop doing biceps curls. If you have limited time and are looking to improve your fitness, they’re pretty useless.
If you don’t have the time or energy to do functional movements such as squats and deadlifts, pushups, shoulder presses, and tricep extensions, you won’t be able to benefit from quadricep extensions, calf raises, and tricep pushdowns.
It’s obvious that functional movements, which are full-body, provide the greatest value for your time and effort.
Push-ups and lunges are always more effective than exercises that focus on one muscle. For those with limited time, it is important to make the most of every workout.
