Lifting whole body vs. specific muscle groups

ambermichon

I have been lifting for a while now....2 years or so. Started light and worked my way up. I lift pretty heavy now 2 days a week with a trainer and one day on my own. I definitely am starting to notice muscle definition which is wonderful!!!! Currently I still do whole body when I lift (since I am still seeing results). At what point, if any, should you start targeting specific muscle groups? ie: legs and back day, arms and chest etc. I want more visible definition and am wondering if it even matters if I do whole body or specific groups.

Thanks for any input!

ProTFitness

getting that lean Cut look has more to do with foods then workouts. Now workouts help but nutrition is Key!

ninerbuff

I have been lifting for a while now....2 years or so. Started light and worked my way up. I lift pretty heavy now 2 days a week with a trainer and one day on my own. I definitely am starting to notice muscle definition which is wonderful!!!! Currently I still do whole body when I lift (since I am still seeing results). At what point, if any, should you start targeting specific muscle groups? ie: legs and back day, arms and chest etc. I want more visible definition and am wondering if it even matters if I do whole body or specific groups.

Thanks for any input!

Right up my alley. If you prefer what you're doing now an still getting results, then don't change it. Visible definition is from low body percentage so you lifting won't really address that, your diet will.
If you feel you need to change it up, you can still lift whole body, but change the sets, reps, cadence, rest time, intensity, speed, or order.
Good luck.

Rae6503

The book I just read (The New Rules of Weight LIfting for Women) basically said there was no reason for "real" people (as in non body builders) to do target lifts.

NoAdditives

In order to get really defined muscles you'll have to lift weights, but more importantly you have to do lots of cardio to burn the fat that's covering the muscles. It's best to give your muscles at least a day or two to recover from lifting, that's a big reason why people only lift one group per day. The recovery time is when you get actual muscle growth so if you're lifting your whole body every day you won't see as much definition or growth as you would if you had more time to rest.

ambermichon

[/quote]Right up my alley. If you prefer what you're doing now an still getting results, then don't change it. Visible definition is from low body percentage so you lifting won't really address that, your diet will.
If you feel you need to change it up, you can still lift whole body, but change the sets, reps, cadence, rest time, intensity, speed, or order.
Good luck.
[/quote]

Thanks! I really am focusing on my diet since I feel I have my workouts right for me and under control. Hopefully with another 10 lbs lost the muscles will pop more! :-)

SoCalSwimmerDude

I did whole body 3 times a week for 4 wks to start. This helped with overall strength conditioning and fat loss. Now I am towards the end of my 2nd 5 wk cycle of doing 3 day splits. My next cycle will be 4 day splits. I've seen progressive results throughout the process.

So just as ninerbuff said, if you're seeing pleasing results then there is no need to change. But if you want different and/or better results, then mix it up a bit. When lifting hard and cardio mixed in a little, you can basically eat at maintenance plus and still see significant fat loss... at least thats the way it has worked for me. good luck!

kdiamond

The book I just read (The New Rules of Weight LIfting for Women) basically said there was no reason for "real" people (as in non body builders) to do target lifts.

Totally agree!!! Not necessary! If anything lower your reps and bump up your weight.