Is Hitting Every Muscle the Trick?

What is a Full Body Split?

To put it simply, a full body split is when you work each major muscle group (chest, back, shoulders, biceps, triceps, legs) during each training session. People that practise body weight exercises such as HIIT and circuit training, rather than weight lifters, usually turn to a full body training split. However, full body workout is still popular among beginners and those who enjoy high volume training. Because the nature of the split necessitates a lot of energy, the split may be divided in a variety of ways based on availability and overall time commitment to the gym.

Examples of a full body weekly split may look something like this:

2x/week:

Monday: Full Body Workout

Tuesday: Rest Day

Wednesday: Rest Day

Thursday: Rest Day

Friday: Full Body Workout

Saturday: Rest Day

Sunday: Rest Day

OR

3x/week:

Monday: Full Body Workout

Tuesday: Rest Day

Wednesday: Full Body Workout

Thursday: Rest Day

Friday: Full Body Workout

Saturday: Rest Day

Sunday: Rest Day

OR

4x/week:

Monday: Full Body Workout

Tuesday: Full Body Workout

Wednesday: Rest Day

Thursday: Full Body Workout

Friday: Full Body Workout

Saturday: Rest Day

Sunday: Rest Day

OR

5x/week:

Monday: Full Body Workout

Tuesday: Full Body Workout

Wednesday: Rest Day

Thursday: Full Body Workout

Friday: Full Body Workout (Lighter Session)

Saturday: Full Body Workout

Sunday: Rest Day

Note: Although training 6x/week for a full body split is conceivable, I wouldn't advocate it unless you commit to lighter sessions because the high volume of the split necessitates adequate recovery time in order for progress to be made. In reality, 5 full-body exercises each week is really more than enough.

Pros & Cons of a Full Body Split

The first and most obvious advantage of a complete body split is that exercising all muscles on the same day compels you to do compound lifts (along with extra hypertrophy lifts) because compound lifts efficiently target many muscles in one single exercise. Compound lifts not only help you acquire a lot of strength, but they also help your muscles work better together. Essentially, when you use a Full Body Split, your body learns to engage your muscles as a unit rather than as isolated muscle groups which has many other benefits.

If you haven't read the previous post on the PPL (Push-Pull-Legs) split, muscle functionality, which is acquired through a full body programme, has been shown to improve athletic performance. Better functionality benefits motions, balance, muscular efficiency, and proprioception (your body's capacity to orient itself in space). These elements have direct links to improved athletic performance.

But, if you want to improve your athletic ability, is a full-body exercise the best way to go?

To say the very least, there isn't a single correct solution.

Yes, a full body split has advantages, but its disadvantages must also be considered. As previously said, exercising your entire body at once necessitates the use of compound lifts, which can have drawbacks. Don't get me wrong: compound lifts are a crucial element of weight lifting, if not the most important part. However, focusing entirely on compound lifts leads in a lack of precision training for smaller muscle groups. Neglecting minor exercises as a result of the large volume of full-body training can lead to bigger problems, such as muscle imbalances. It just depends on where you are in the training process; if you are behind or have muscle imbalances, full body exercising isn't the greatest solution.

Key Takeaways

At the end of the day, properly determining your split is one of the most critical aspects of working out. A complete body split includes both high volume training and improved athletic performance. Discipline is vital for any type of workout split, but it is more important when following a full body split, because many minor exercises are sometimes overlooked and neglected. But, people with irregular outside schedules will benefit from the added flexibility. A complete body split is one of the most efficient, and it's a great choice for a beginner!

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A Bro Split - All You’ll Ever Need

What is a Bro Split?

The Bro Split is a routine that is most commonly used by Bodybuilders. The program incorporates split training, which essentially focuses on one major muscle group for each unique training day of the week.

For example, a Bro Split may look something like this:

Monday: Chest

Tuesday: Back

Wednesday: Arms (Biceps & Triceps)

Thursday: Shoulders

Friday: Legs & Abs

Saturday: *Rest Day

Sunday: *Rest Day

* Rest days can be interspersed with core training, aerobic exercises, or anything else that will benefit from an active rest day.

Pros & Cons of a Bro Split

Due to the nature of the low frequency training of each muscle group, the bro split routine has generated a significant amount of criticism. The problem with the low frequency training is that specialists have suggested that Muscle Protein Synthesis ("MPS"), the process by which muscle tissue is rebuilt, tends to deteriorate after 36 hours of intense resistance exercise. (MacDougall, J. Duncan, et al. “The Time Course for Elevated Muscle Protein Synthesis Following Heavy Resistance Exercise.”)

Because the Bro Split only exercises each muscle group once per week, the MPS process is also only stimulated once per week as well, which has led to the misperception that a bro split regimen does not contribute to muscular growth as other splits.

However, the Bro Split should be extremely beneficial to muscular growth and development provided a suitable quantity of exercises are correctly completed and a regular plan is maintained.

Furthermore, the Bro Split is a straightforward, easy-to-follow program. The low frequency of working the same muscle group also allows for better recuperation for subsequent training days, ideal for those trying to bulk up on muscle mass.

In comparison to other splits, like Push-Pull-Legs that are heavily movement oriented, a Bro Split is more strength based, which is why it’s often advised for more advanced gym-users

Key Points

One of the most important aspects of weight lifting is carefully selecting your split, and it should be done correctly. A Bro Split is easy, helps users gain muscle mass effectively, and is practical for advanced gym users, yet valuable for those with any level of experience.

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Works Cited

MacDougall, J. Duncan, et al. “The Time Course for Elevated Muscle Protein Synthesis Following Heavy Resistance Exercise.” Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology, vol. 20, no. 4, Dec. 1995, pp. 480–86, doi:10.1139/h95-038. Accessed Nov 19. 2021.

Workout Splits - Pulling the Curtains Back on an Upper/Lower Body Split

What is an Upper/Lower Body Split?

Workout splits bring structure as well as a simple way to track your progress. With a variety of ways your workouts can be divided, the ‘Upper Body & Lower Body’ split is one of the most renowned and popular splits. It is most often used for less experienced weight lifters who are looking to put on muscle both effectively and efficiently. However, do note that many experienced weight lifters still use this method of working out.

Pros & Cons of an Upper/Lower Body Split

An upper & lower body split is oftentimes used to maximize muscle mass because of the fact that each muscle group can be trained up to 3x per week. Such a split is also used for muscle hypertrophy as a result of, once again, the high significantly high training volume, ideal to maximize muscle growth.

However, do note that upper/lower body splits do have limitations. As a result of the high training volume of the split, it makes it harder to recover from. Longer recovery times can oftentimes be neglected, resulting in decreased performance, as well as lower muscle recovery time. Both of which ultimately hinder gym progress.

Regardless, following your program and listening to your body will easily help you succeed at the gym.

That said, this split also provides a relative amount of flexibility. With the split working out all muscle groups in the span of two days, people can easily alter the number of rest days, and workdays per week while still working all-important muscles. For example:

Option a.)

Monday: Upper Body Tuesday: Rest Wednesday: Rest Thursday: Lower Body Friday: Rest Saturday: Rest Sunday: Rest

Option b.)

Monday: Upper Body Tuesday: Lower Body Wednesday: Rest Thursday: Upper Body Friday: Lower Body Saturday: Rest Sunday: Rest

Option c.)

Monday: Upper Body Tuesday: Lower Body Wednesday: Upper Body Thursday: Lower Body Friday: Upper Body Saturday: Lower Body Sunday: Rest

With various combinations of rest/workdays, a lower & upper body split provides flexibility, ideal for those with busy schedules, or limited workout days.

As mentioned, a lot of beginners tend to use this split because of the nature of its simplicity. Many other splits are divided based on the motion of each respective muscle, which can be a complicated topic to grasp for newbies. A lower/upper body split is self-explanatory and straightforward.

With new weight lifters often being intimidated by the amount of prior knowledge supposedly needed to start working out, a simple split is an efficient way to start, without overcomplicating things. Additionally, a simple workout split allows beginner weight lifters to focus on more important things such as form or diet.

Key Takeaways

Carefully picking your split is one of the most crucial parts going into weight lifting, and therefore should be accurately chosen. An upper/lower body split allows for the number of workdays to be altered, is simple for beginners, yet effective for those with any level of experience, and lastly maximizes muscle growth, as long as recovery days are regularly taken.

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