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

kathers01

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Determinednoob

A body part split along with proper diet and rest can give results. A frequency\volume that actually takes the training level of the trainee into account will normally give more\faster results. Myself as an example. I am noob so I squat 3x per week. My work sets for squats in my last workout of August were 175 lbs. Today I will be squatting 225 lbs. Would I have made that much progress squatting one time per week? Not likely.

ashleen7

Bumping to read later

kdiamond

I just started doing a 3x a week full body routine. Previously I was doing a split routine over 4 days or a 5th if I added another leg day. Right now I am trying to cut about 2-3 pounds so I am going to be adding more cardio than I normally do, so I'll do cardio after each workout and on days off from lifting.

I think both are effective, and I think it depends on your goals. Since I am cutting right now I believe full body works more to my benefit. When I was bulking and gaining strength, I felt like a split was helping me to better achieve those goals.

kyodi

Bump for info.

steve1686

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.

^good post

chardi7

Great Info

Xaspar

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swolegirlcb

upper/lower at the moment.

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

This is good ^^

Currently I have various upper and lower days, but push/pull/legs is awesome, 3 days on 1 day off with rotating off days.

Also did this split before:
M-Chest (like everyone else lol)
T-Off
W-Legs
Th-Shoulders
F-Back
Sat-Arms
Sun- Off

swolegirlcb

There are many, many good splits. It will take time to find one that is *optimal* for your personal goals.
Just be sure to be consistent and patient with whatever you choose to do. You should try it for at least
8 weeks before switching. 12 weeks would give you a better idea of how well the program worked for
you.

RunXstrong

I agree with swolegirlcb ^^ on the personal goals. My primary goal is around marathon times which conflicts with lifting but I want the upper body development anyway. So I am working on bulking up 1 lb per week of weight for 16 weeks with a lot of calories and lifting. The lifting has to fit with my running schedule. This is what works for me:

Monday, upper body, plus 3 mile easy run
Tues, 6 mile run with intervals
Wednesday, lower body, plus 3 mile easy run
Thursday, 6 mile tempo run
Saturday, upper body, long run 15-20 miles
Sunday, 3-8 mile easy run
Monday, lower body , plus 3 mile easy run, etc, etc. so 5 days of rest before I hit the same group again

Goal_Line

I change my lift program every 4 to 8 weeks, both in the specific lifts, but also weight tempo and rest. Some programs are full body some are split, so some months I'm doing full body, others not.

lilRicki

I just purchased The New Rules of Lifting for Women and they recommend full body workouts, 3X/week. I'm a beginner, so that's what I plan to do (starting on Monday - woohoo). I also like the idea of killing two birds...

I do new rules too, and I love the full body workouts. I want to get it done while I'm there, not just focus on one muscle group at a time. What happens if I miss a day? then my legs don't get a work out? or everything falls a week behind? do what works for you, I don't really think there's a right or wrong answer

HeavyLiftGirl

I follow "The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess" book.
I do three lifting workouts a week, and then do three calmer workouts a week (pilates, usually).

ie: I do a full day of squat exercises, and then a full day of deads.

I will also mix in the "alternative exercises" like Swiss Ab Ball or Lunges for muscle confusion.

FullOfWin

Muscle confusion is a myth.

fishgutzy

upper/lower at the moment.

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

I'm probably closest to this.
Swim plus core and weights most of the time. Weights, I always do push pull to avoid an accident again like I had a decade ago. Pushed the bench too hard one day. Spent the weekend with my shoulders pulled in. :noway:
I do crunches each time, plus upper body or legs.
More mixed of I go straight to the weight room and skip the swim.
I'm not going for "building" per se. Just shifting some weight while I am losing porkulus.
Maybe by the time I lose the pillow top mattress I'll have a six pack to show my wife. :bigsmile:

tattedchic

Right now I do a 3 day split, 5 days a week so I work each muscle group once or twice a week.
Day 1- Arms/ upper body/ upper back
Day 2- Legs/ Lower body
Day 3- Abs, lower back

I do cardio every day for at least 20 min after my strength training workout. My husband is a personal trainer and wants me to start to switch to a 4 or 5 day split soon to isolate more specific muscles....if I understand correctly, I just lift what he tells me

JustJennie1

I do one body part a day and alternate legs and abs. For example below is what this week should have been (I say should have because today ended up being a semi-rest day):

M: Bi's/Legs (squats/lunges)
T: Chest/Abs (weighted side bends & twists)
W: No gym. DVD instead
Th: Back/Legs (leg press/leg ext./leg curl/calves)
F: Shoulders/Abs (Planks 2 minx3 regular; 30 sec x3 side; crunches on floor)

Monday will start up again with: Tri's/Legs (donkey kicks/abductor/abductor - either cable or machines) IF we don't hit the gym on Saturday.

I also do cardio every day. 30 min. before my weights along with a very brisk dog walk in the afternoon/evening for 3.5 miles

whiteheaddg

Full body 3x week using All Pro's Simple Beginner's Routine. This is a great disciplined routine that takes all of the guess work out of sets/reps and when to increase weight.. Thanks to SideSteel and DeterminedNoob for the steer.

JNick77

I started with a full body routine, but find I prefer to split. I currently do a 3 day split with back, shoulders and abs on 1, legs and abs on 2, and biceps, triceps and chest on 3. I then add aerobics classes on 'rest' days which give more of a full body work out, bringing me up to 5 workouts each week.

I will be changing it up next week going for a more advanced workout where I will be splitting to upper body on 1 and lower body and abs on 2 which I will be doing twice a week, making it a 4 day/week weights and still doing the 2 aerobics classes each week. If I find that is too much, I will cut back to 3 weight days again, first week being 2 upper days and 1 lower and the next week having 2 lower days and 1 upper.

The key to any workout is to not allow your body to get comfortable so there needs to be constant changes in variables.

upper\lower is actually less advanced than 3 day split in terms of frequency\volume. Just sayin'

Your above rec's on starting with full-body training I like but I would disagree with Upper/Lower is less advanced than a 3-day split. Something like Westside is pretty advanced with their 4-day splits and trust me, the volume is redunkulous. But yes, a poor 4-day split could be less advanced or even advantageous than 3-full body.