Full Body Or Area By Area?

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NoIdea101NoIdea
NoIdea101NoIdea Posts: 659 Member
edited May 2015 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi All,

So I've been doing the whole 'losing weight in the kitchen' thing, and now I've got my diet under control, I would like to start on the exercising. I love lifting, and had a personal trainer a couple of years back so know the basics. However, I was wondering if you reckon a full body work out 3-4 times a week would be best, or whether to focus on the arms for one session, legs for the next session, etc?

I'm looking to lose fat more than gain muscle at this point (I have 20lbs to lose, I don't know if that is relevant at all). If there is anymore info you need to know, just ask, but otherwise thank you for any responses! Have a good day :)

Replies

  • HelloDan
    HelloDan Posts: 712 Member
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    As a general rule, body part isolation is favoured by bodybuilders, and for aesthetics. Total body is mroe for strength and athletic performance. That's not to say there is no crossover though.

    As a beginner, I would sya start with an overall body program, build up some base strength, and then decide where you want to go from there.
  • arian10daddy
    arian10daddy Posts: 2,758 Member
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    As your main goal is to lose fat/weight instead of gain muscle, there is no body isolation for that! Its that simple...
    Full body is the way to go buddy!
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Another vote for full body - focus on the big compound lifts. Far more time efficient and best way to build a foundation of strength.
  • tuckerrj
    tuckerrj Posts: 1,453 Member
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    For me, if I'm only going to workout 2 or 3 times a week a full body workout is best. If I do 4 or more, I split my workouts upper/lower body.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
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    Keep at your deficit in order to lose the fat and maintain the muscle mass you have. While in a deficit and getting back in to lifting (back to a newbie) you have minimal muscle gains..

    While doing splits, upper body one day, lower body the next, etc.. is also doable. It depends on your goals and how hard you want to train on these days. If you take 30 - 45 minutes and can't do full body in this time frame, you can do splits or setup a program that will give you full body in the 30 - 45 -60 time frame.

    For fat loss you could create a program to do full body circuit training and even add in some HIIT.

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,420 Member
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    May I ask how many reps and exercises you do when you train 2x per week, @tuckerrj
  • CharleePear
    CharleePear Posts: 1,948 Member
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    I really rate Stronglifts 5x5 to start with, it's full body sort of, and it's a great start for strength and it will help you understand form better. You can even download free apps for it so you can monitor your progress. I have lost more than your goal weight loss using it.
  • NoIdea101NoIdea
    NoIdea101NoIdea Posts: 659 Member
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    Hi all, thank you for your responses! I will definitely go for full body and check out some HIIT, compounds and Stronglifts 5x5. Really appreciate the help :)



  • irejuvenateme
    irejuvenateme Posts: 96 Member
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    Definitely full body - the separating parts of the body is great if you KNOW you will go and are already on a solid routine - often with me in past I didn't trust that I would make it to the gym and usually I would end up letting go on one part or another... When you are in the groove with that then go for isolating parts. HIIT is awesome but very intense - some people find it easier to work up to it. Good luck.
  • tuckerrj
    tuckerrj Posts: 1,453 Member
    edited May 2015
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    yirara wrote: »
    May I ask how many reps and exercises you do when you train 2x per week, @tuckerrj
    Super set antagonist muscle groups. Usually 24 - 28 sets in 45 minutes, followed by 30 minutes of aerobics (running or elliptical).
    This is during spring/summer when I play golf (walk), ride my bike and/or run 2 or more other days during the week.
  • Emilia777
    Emilia777 Posts: 978 Member
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    I’m really loving my compound lift-based program, for what it’s worth. I follow Starting Strength. It’s simple but effective, and a lot of fun.

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