3 day split twice a week or full body 3 times a week

janinehema90 · April 2014

Hi all

I'm pretty new to logging and this is my first topic! I have been trying to go about things differently this time around and focus on fat loss through a caloric deficit and heavy lifting. I think i am around 30% percent body fat, but that is only an estimate. I am trying to maintain as much muscle mass as I can while losing weight, because the last time I lost weight I looked like a bag of skin, fat, and bones >_<
I have been doing a 3 day split two times a week with one rest day, for a total of 6 days a week with minimal cardio. I am wondering if I would benefit from doing a full body routine 3 times a week and if my current routine is unnecessary for maintaining muscle mass. Any opinions or experiences would be appreciated!

janinehema90 · April 2014

Bump....anyone?

contingencyplan · April 2014

Generally speaking if you're a beginner, full body 3x a week following a program such as Starting Strength or Stronglifts 5x5 is the way to go. After you hit the limit of your progression going that route, depending on where you are at and what your specific goals are, you should explore other avenues (the split is one).

Generally speaking beginners don't see nearly as much benefit from working in splits as they do from doing full body compound based programs. The advantages of the split more or less only apply to intermediate to advanced users with more specific goals.

TrailNurse · April 2014

I lift based on what doesn't hurt that morning. When I do a full body, everything hurts for the next couple of days (I lift heavy) so I find that I actually lift less often.

DavPul · April 2014

It's your choice, really. While I wouldn't usually recommend a six day lifting plan for a beginner (I'm partial to 4 days), if you like it and it's not too hard you are free to try it.

That said, the 3 day full body routine is usually a better place to start while you get acclimated to heavy lifting.

janinehema90 · April 2014

Thanks for the replies, I do get sore for several days after full body routines, but it just would be nice to have more rest days as opposed to one. I really only do compound lifts and a few accessory lifts, I think I may try the 3x and see if I can handle it without crazy soreness.

msurads06 · April 2014

I am very much a beginner and I typically go with full body 2-3x/week depending on soreness. If my arms/legs are really sore I may give them a pass that day and just work the other so I am still strength training every other day but not over doing it. For example Thursday I did whole body but yesterday and today my shoulders are really stiff/sore due to increase weight. so today I will only do squats, lunges, and planks and give my arms/shoulders a rest so I don't injure myself then Monday I will hopefully be back to full body. Last week I had to rest my legs one day due to extreme soreness and not sure I could complete exercises with proper form. I would rather rest a body part than end up with an injury due to over work.

IWILLBelieveAchieveInspire · April 2014

I'm certainly no expert on weight training but have been doing it for awhile and trying different things. I was doing a four day split with weight training..training two muscle groups each day(typically doing 3-4 different exercises per muscle)..then cardio on the other days if the week, for a few months. I found that I was pretty much sore all the time(something always hurt). .;( I was starting to feel burnt out and my muscles never felt like they fully recovered. Now Ive been doing a full body wt training routine 3xweek with rest days in between in which i do cardio and I feel soooo much better. I still have soreness but not a constant soreness like before. I do light cardio on the days in between. My soreness lasts maybe a day and then i'm ready for next session,and it's not as intense. I read that the key to full body routines is to work hard but not to go to absolute exhaustion or you will have delayed muscle soreness and that will affect your next session. I still push it hard and have a hard time completing my last rep but I don't go beyond that. I've really been enjoying the fact that I"m not aching all the time. So this new routine is a better match for me. I also like that with a full body 3x a week i don't feel so bad if i happen to miss a workout due to illness or something else because i know i've already worked all the muscles the day before. The only thing i find is there are days I'm in the mood to work a muscle group a little harder and am tempted to do a few more exercises on it. I just have to keep in mind how sore i will be by my next session. Before with the 4day split I had a full week to recover, and now i don't. If i do plan to increase the intensity of my routine I will generally do it on a Friday since i will have the weekend to rest. I'm always trying to mix it up..but focus on compound lifts for optimum muscle usage..

SantaCruizer · April 2014

How did you arrive at a 30% body fat estimate? Why not get a body fat caliper and be certain? They're not expensive and easy to use by yourself. Take some selfies in a mirror. And some body measurements. Then, based on these, establish 3, 6, 9 and 12 month goals. Put these down in writing and read them every day. Memorise them. Here's the best advice I've ever had, even after decades of research:

To make your body the ultimate fat burning machine you must do aerobic (cardio) and anaerobic (weight training) exercises. AND... Create a caloric deficit!

Think about burning fat a) with your diet, b) with exercise, and c) with lifestyle changes {e.g. stay off the scale - it won't change much if you've lost fat but gained some muscle! Also, de-stress, sleep better, drink more water, be more active}

As for weigh training: stick to compound exercises, full body workouts 3-4 times a week. You need to recover, and have time for cardio. Walking briskly 30-60 minutes every other day is good. If you can, throw in some high intensity interval training now and then.

To quote a great health and fitness guru (Joe M...) "I've learned all the secrets to fitness. Secret No. 1 -- there are no secrets!"

Good luck :-)

3 day split twice a week or full body 3 times a week

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