subject: Which Training Method Is Right For You [print this page] One of the topics you will find most often asked over the search engines when it comes to resistance training is which method is more likely to lead to quicker gains, full body workouts or single muscle group splits, or is it best to train each muscle group more frequent than just once a week? You will find many opinions over the answer, specifically across many muscle building and exercise forums. To be absolutely honest, there is no perfect answer to the question, likewise no perfect training program exists, maybe only each person specifically. The meaning behind this is an individual might train individual muscle group once for a week for many years, before changing the frequency to two or three times a week and all of a sudden notice they achieve much greater and faster results. Someone else may decide to try the same approach, eat identical food, get the same rest, after which they find the routine not as effective. It is therefore down to the individual to trial all types of routine and come to a decision which variation leads to quicker gains.
It can be very confusing planning a workout, especially when beginning for the first time. If you were to read many of the forums, the general consensus tends to sway towards full body workouts or working each muscle group two to three times a week. However, if you follow the routines practiced by competing bodybuilders and cover model routine you will pick up they often perform single muscle group splits. The majority of personal trainers often advise full body workouts, especially for newbies. This is down to the fact full body workouts permits you to concentrate on the heavy compound lifts, which utilise more muscle groups when performing, in comparison to isolation exercises often carried out in single muscle group splits. This also allows you to lift heavier, and combining an exercise which enables you to lift as heavy as possible, conduct two to three times a week (which is also advantageous for improving technique), and involves more than one muscle group at a time, is going to be much more effective when it comes to greater gains. This is specifically true when training for the first time, and is a method often used by power and strength athletes because it allows them to lift as heavy as possible. The above few paragraphs read like full body workouts already hold more benefits compared to single muscle group splits, however this does not mean you should disregard the latter too quickly. Keep reading as we will review the advantages and disadvantages of full body workouts against single muscle group splits, following which it is up to you to try for yourself and determine which method sees the best gains.
Advantages of Full Body Workouts
Allow more compound moves to be performed per workout - As previously mentioned full body workouts permit you to concentrate on heavy compound exercises. This means you train numerous muscle groups at the same time producing quicker size and strength gains, and the heavier you go the stronger you get, the more powerful you get the quicker size gains you will achieve (if you are consuming adequate food of course). It also allows you to work your body as a whole unit, which will result in your muscles looking overall more evenly proportioned compared to if you were just training your mirror muscles once a week then turning a blind eye to other body parts.
Greater aerobic training - Performing exercises that utilise more than one muscle group is likely to be more on the body, which means full body workouts may lead to more calories being torched. Common believe is that you can afford to consume higher calories when following a full body routine without too much lean definition, this is certainly beneficial if aiming to increase size and keep fat gains to a minimum.
Increased frequency per muscle group - Training each muscle group two to three times per week means they get much more frequent stimulation than training only once a week. In comparison to training each muscle group once a week for forty-eight weeks out of a full year, you would have trained your muscles theoretically ninety-six to one hundred and forty-four times compared to only forty-eight. This is also an advantage if you ever skip a session due to the fact you would still have trained the muscle on one of your other training days, whereas if working each muscle group once per week you would have to wait a whole week before you work it again.
Disadvantages of Full Body Workouts
May lead to over training - This is also dependable on other influences including efficient calorie consumption and sleep, however working a muscle group two to three times a week can result in over training if the routine is not adhered to correctly. When training to failure is not followed, recommended with full body workouts, the general believe is the majority of us must allow forty-eight hours for our muscles to recover. This time can take longer varying on the individual; therefore, if you keep training whilst your muscles are still aching from your previous session you could end up burning yourself out long term. To counter against this, besides from not training to failure, you should mix up your set and rep range per workout by performing one heavy day with low reps and more sets, one light day with increased reps and less sets, then maybe one day in-between the two ranges.
Can lose energy quickly - Again this can be down to other factors, however if your first exercise when performing full body workouts involves chest, then back and then shoulders, when the time arrives to train your triceps you may be unable to give it your best. This is down to the fact you would have already worked them twice after a big chest then shoulders compound lift.
Cannot target a specific muscle group - As you will be involving each muscle group per session, you cannot ideally perform more than one exercise per muscle group. This causes you to be unable to concentrate completely on one muscle group at a time, which is not practical if you believe you have a muscle group which needs more attention. On the positive side, the muscle will be stimulated more than once a week and more often than not involving it when performing other compound moves on different muscles.
Advantages of Single Muscle Group Splits
Permit you to concentrate on specific muscle groups - If you do feel you have a muscle group which needs more attention, or are less interested in adding mass all over or being symmetrical, then single muscle group splits are the most suitable option. You can focus more on the areas you want to improve, a chiselled chest or a much-desired set of abdominals for example. Splits permit you to perform various lifts on each individual muscle group to work the muscle from a variety of angles.
More energy per muscle group - Concentrating on a single or two muscle groups per day means you should not be that fatigued when the time comes to work a different muscle group on a different day compared to involving the whole body in one day. If you worked your chest on a Monday for example, you might not train shoulders or triceps that are also used when performing chest exercises until later in the week, compared to on the same day when performing full body workouts.
Quicker recovery per muscle group - Training each muscle group individually permits you to totally push every workout and muscle to failure. Whether the need to go to failure is required on every set is a subject again open to discussion, however several bodybuilders or gym goers do not feel trained as intensely as possible unless they cannot manage to take their tops off or raise their arms to wash their hair following a gruelling session. To many this can play quite a big psychological part when it comes to performance in the gym.
Disadvantages of Single Muscle Group Splits
Can lead to disproportionate strength and muscle groups - The main concern with being permitted to target individual muscle groups at one time is that you can take it to the next level and start to neglect other areas. If you focus only on arms and can completely overlook legs for example, you might look slightly funny strolling around in shorts and a t-shirt.
Less aerobic training - Full body workouts and performing several heavy compound moves during the week will not only get you heart beating faster however will also torch more calories at the same time. Think about it, which move is more demanding on your body, performing dumbbell kickbacks where just the triceps are being worked, or a clean to press which is training the quads, hams, glutes, abs, forearms, traps, shoulders, and triceps.
Less frequency per muscle group - You may be allowed to achieve greater volume across each muscle group, however you will be hitting it less often. This can be a problem if you miss a session or two during the week, as trying to catch back can be difficult. The alternative is to leave it until the following week, which means two weeks may have passed since you directly trained it last.
So which workout is best for you?
Another hard question to answer however perhaps easier than asking which method works best. Full body workouts are great for all people at any level, they are carried out by many people from bodybuilders to power and strength trainers to strongmen and professional athletes. They are great for newbies, as they let you practice your technique on the big compound moves and add muscle faster than single muscle group splits due to the fact many muscle groups are working at the same time whilst lifting heavier weights. This also makes them ideal when training for strength, as concentrating on a heavy shoulder press two or three times a week at the same time progressively on the bar is certainly going to strengthen your shoulders a lot more than doing lateral raises once a week with a light weight. Full body workouts are also better suited to those aiming to lose weight or burn body fat, as previously discussed you get much more of an aerobic session and can torch many more calories. Those with high body fat percentages should certainly consider performing full body workouts prior to switching onto single muscle group programs. By last but not least, if you are wanting to increase overall fitness and conditioning, then full body workouts are a must.
Single muscle group splits can be more suited to individuals who have been training for many years, already have plenty of mass on them, and are fairly strong. If you enjoy working your muscles to failure and feeling the pump you get from the build-up of lactic acid, then single splits are definitely suited to you.
To summarise, as stated at the beginning of the article, it all depends on the individual. The key thing is get your diet and nutrition correct before deciding upon or designing any program to follow, then switching it around to find out what works best for you. You will see some gains regardless of which routine your follow, whether your target is adding mass or shifting unwanted fat. Just make sure you enjoy whichever program you choose, and that you are able to maintain it.
