weightlifters....full body workouts or 1 body part per day?

Plates559

I started out with a full-body workout 3 days a week, moved to a 2-day split after 3 months, went to a 3-day split after about 6 months of that, and I now do a 4 days split.

The full-body routine is the way to go if you are just starting out, and then when you stop making gains doing that, it's time to start breaking it up, and hitting each muscle group with more work. At some point I may go to a 5-day split, but I'm still making gains and progress on the 4-day.

This is what my current workout looks like. I lift 5 days a week, so I end up doing each workout once every 5-6 or days depending on where my rest days fall.

Day 1: Cardio, Upper/Middle Back, Biceps, Abs, and Machine Squats
Narrow Grip Pull downs
Dumbbell Preacher Curls
Wide Grip Pulldowns
Decline Situps
Hammerstrength ISO Row
Incline seated dumbbell curls
Standing Squat Machine
T-Bar Rows
Dumbbell side Bends

Day 2: Cardio, Chest, Abs and Deadlifts
Flat Bench Press
Leg Lifts / Knee Lifts
Incline Dumbbell Press
Straight Leg Deadlifts
Pec Fly Machine
Chest Dips
Pushups/Decline Situps

Day 3: Cardio, Quads, Hamstring, Glutes, Calves, Triceps, Abs, Lower Back.
Skull Crushers
Barbell Squats
Decline Situps
Hamstring Curls
Calf Extensions
Close Grip Bench Press
Dumbbell Split Squats
Dumbbell Side Bends
Lower Back Extensions
Dumbbell Tricep Extensions

Day 4: Cardio, Deltoids, Traps, Abs, Quad Extensions.
Dumbbell overhead Press
Standing Barbell Row
Decline Situps
Dumbbell side raises
Dumbbell front raises
Face Pulls
Quad Extensions
Barbell Shrug
Barbell Overhead Press

Unless you are only doing 1 set of each or you are on steroids there isn't really any reason to do this many exercises in one day....

Its classic over kill.

On my assisting lifts I do 2 MAYBE 3, I listed several but I don't actually do that many...

Just my 2¢

Matt_Wild

I personally train a body part a day, one day off a week.

konerusp

Very helpful,thanks guys.Im lifting but im not following any routine right now.I do it 3-4 times a week and make sure i dont repeat the same body part more than twice.The detail about full body vs splits and working them in isolation etc is very informative.I will start working out with a routine.

cindaboo1

Yes, thanks everybody for all the GREAT info!!! Very helpful

rogerbosch

Bump for info

Awkward30

upper/lower at the moment.

Upper/lower and push/pull/legs are a nice balance between frequency and volume IMO.

I started with total body, but eventually I felt like I needed more accessory work, so I'm doing the upper/lower thing now. When my running mileage ramps up though, I have to go back to full body

Jynus

The ONLY people who do single body part workouts are elite body builders or clueless noobs.. True fact.

Full body as a beginner without question. as you get better then the answer is it depends. Full is fine, a movement based split is fine. Take your pick. Just for the love of all that is holy don't fall victim to the retards who spout body part routines.

jacksonpt

The ONLY people who do single body part workouts are elite body builders or clueless noobs.. True fact.

I tend to agree. You can do some body part specific lifts to supplement compound lifts if you have some specific goals, but compound lifts should be at the core of virtually everyone's workout.

steve1686

The ONLY people who do single body part workouts are elite body builders or clueless noobs.. True fact.

false.

markpmc

I prefer the usual 3-day split. Pull,Push,Legs.

Today is Pull day

LeenaRuns

I do full body 3x/week and box, do yoga, and run the other 4 days.

erickirb

The ONLY people who do single body part workouts are elite body builders or clueless noobs.. True fact.

false.

He should have said "the only people who should do single body part ..." should being the operative word. that said you will probably see models doing this as well as they would be less focused on strength, power or athleticism that comes with compound lifts.

myofibril

Both will give decent results really.

If you are time limited and a beginner then a full body routine based on compound movements 3 times a week will be plenty.

steve1686

The ONLY people who do single body part workouts are elite body builders or clueless noobs.. True fact.

false.

He should have said "the only people who should do single body part ..." should being the operative word. that said you will probably see models doing this as well as they would be less focused on strength, power or athleticism that comes with compound lifts.

i do a 2-body part, 4 day split and have gotten great results. Some of the most in-shape people i know do a 1 or 2 body part per day split. And none of us are noobs or elite level bodybuilders. But yes my routine includes compounds, but not ONLY compounds

SuperSexyDork

I do 3 day splits... I do 15 minutes of high intensity cardio before as well as some dynamic stretching and 15 minutes of intense cardio after. 2-3 days a week are strictly cardio days (running/jogging with interval training for speed and 1 long run for endurance).

While I'd like to include more weight days in my routine I'm also training for a 10K and need my running days.

firstsip

I do a full body workout called The Venus Index. It is specifically designed to make a woman look good. If you want to see how I progressed in their contests check out the venus index blog and roberta or bobbies fitness. I have been lifting weights for over 30 years (the typically split routines) but NOTING gave me the shape this workout does. And my running performance is stronger now at age 51. I can't wait to try a marathon and see if I can beat my PR's from when I was in my 30's ! LOL

................

SideSteel

Three day full body for beginners. Changes as you progress. Here is a good write up by VoxExMachina from bodybuilding.com forums

Full Body Routines vs. Splits

The question often arises, especially from beginners, about what type of routine to use. Your buddy told you to use a full body routine, but the muscle mags suggest a 5-day "bodybuilder" split. You don't want to start off on the wrong foot, but there is so much information out there that sorting through what to do can be difficult.

This is some of my opinion on the subject, and maybe it'll help a few people out.


Full Body Routines:

In my opinion, this is the place for a beginner to start. I have many years of lifting experience, and have pretty much always used some form of bodybuilding split routine. However, if I had it to do over again, I would have begun with a good full-body routine, built around the compound lifts, done 3 times per week. When you are a beginner you don't generally have the muscular strength to work intensely enough, or with enough volume, to require as much recovery time as someone who is stronger or more experienced. If you are a young beginner, on top of that, you have very good recovery abilities due to high hormone levels. So, because you are recovered relatively quickly after each workout, you want to stimulate each muscle group more often to induce strength and growth.

Another reason to start with a full body program is that this gives you the opportunity to learn and practice the basic lifts: squats, deadlifts, bench press, overhead press, barbell rows, etc. Whether your goal is bodybuilding, strength athlete, sports, or just remaining fit, these really ought to form the basis of any routine. No matter what path you choose to "branch out" on later, these core lifts will serve you well.


2-Day Split Routines:

So the next question becomes: when should I think about split routines? In very simple terms, the answer is: when full body routines become too much. Usually, as you get stronger, it becomes very difficult to maintain enough energy to do squats, deadlifts, bench press, etc. all on the same day. You may also find that you want to add in a few isolation exercises to bring up your weak areas, or you may want to begin focusing more on each core lift. Another issue is recovery; as you get stronger, you are able to work out more intensely, and that means longer recovery times. So at that point, it makes sense to "split" things up by only doing a part of your previous full routine on any given day.

A logical place to make your first split is into an Upper / Lower type routine. This will have you doing your upper body work like bench press, rows, overhead pressing on 1 day, and your lower body work like squats on another day. Another way to go would be a "push/pull" type split where you do all your pulling exercises (rows, deads) on one day and your pushing exercises (squats, overhead press, bench) on another day. Exactly how you do it is up to you, but the point is to divide the workload per session. This will give you more time (and volume) per body part, and also give you a bit more recovery before you work that muscle again. Most people will typically cycle through a 2-day split like these twice per week. So instead of every muscle being stimulated 3 times per week with the full body, now it's twice per week with the 2-day split.


3+ Day Splits:

3, 4, 5 (or more!) day splits come in when you again feel the need to divide your workload to match your recovery abilities, or increase the amount of work you want to do on specific muscles or lifts. Generally, these type of splits are mostly bodybuilding related, but even strength athletes may chose to split so they can work on speed lifts one day, strength work another, etc.

At this point (speaking to bodybuilding) many lifters will only hit each muscle group once per week. This has the advantage of letting you really hammer a muscle group with a lot of weight and volume, and then give it plenty of time to recover while you're bringing the pain to the next group. Your full body effort is broken down into segments that are manageable from a workload, energy, and recovery standpoint.

If you are an "experienced" (older) lifter with decreased recovery abilities (we all ain't as young as we used to be), this type of split often is useful for staying healthy due to the increased recovery time per body part. The kids might not think it's important, but your tendons might.

There are so many variations of splits that I won't even attempt to detail all the possibilities. If you follow the advice in this post, by the time you need a multiple day split, you'll know your body, your goals, and have a pretty good idea of what you want to do.


Final Thoughts:

I believe it's a logical notion to start with a full body routine, and begin splitting only when you feel the need to increase your recovery or increase your volume. If you stick with the concept that you're trying to hit a muscle as often as you are able while still recovering adequately, and let that be your guide, you'll do okay.

Hopefully, this gives some food for thought to help you decide what type of routine you should use. Ultimately, however, it's worth saying that you can do fine with any well-designed program even if you begin with a split routine right from the beginning.

^ That.

almc170

Full body, 3x week

Broncsoup

In an old Men's Health Magazine i was reading last week they suggested that if you're trying to lose weight with weightlifting you should be doing compound moves or moves that work a couple of muscle groups at the same time. For instance you should be doing sumo dead-lifts, cleans, snatches, thrusters, etc. I think this makes a lot of sense and it has been what I've been trying to do for sometime because it allows you to build that ever important core strength.

I'll also do two exercises at the same time, like bench press and rows or back extensions and incline sit ups. I will set aside extra time to work on what I call "vanity muscles" like biceps and calves. However, they get worked throughout the compound movements too. My goal is mostly weight loss at this point in my life. I'm sure when I look more like some of these guys are on here, I'll focus more on certain muscle groups. Btw, looking very impressive guys, your success motivates me.

The other thing I like about the compound/whole body workouts is that it saves time. I don't know how you can work out twice a day, hold down a job, keep a marriage happy and raise kids all at the same time. I do my workouts at 5am so I'm not neglecting the other important things in my life.

antizoni1

day one chest and triceps
day two back and biceps
day three legs
day four shoulders
abs every other day
Some form of Cardio 5 days a week