Full Body vs. Split Routines - Which to Choose?

[BoB335]

For a skinny guy (5'8 120-123 lbs) who's trying to pack on some muscle/put on weight I'm having a really hard time trying to figure out if I should work out 3,4, or 5 days. I would really appreciate it if I can get some feedback on these splits that I came up with for each of those 3 days:

3 day split:
Tuesday: chest/back/abs
Thursday: legs/abs
Saturday: shoulders/traps/arms/abs

4 day split:
Monday: upper body
Tuesday: lower body/abs
Thursday: upper body
Friday: lower body/abs

5 day split:
Monday: chest/abs
Tuesday: back
Wednesday: legs/abs
Thursday: shoulders/traps
Friday: arms/abs

Good question. Now I have one. Did you read the original post on page 1 of this thread?

[AVB4592]

Hi guys, wondering if you all could help me out.

Joined a new gym and the trainer has put me on this split-

chest/shoulders
back/tris
bis/legs
cardio/abs
Repeat.

I have around 7 months of lifting experience and was thinking if this would be a suitable routine for someone who's looking to gain some muscles. Im aware of the other splits like pushpull and uppper/lower but for some reason the trainer(not personal) suggests this.
Should I ask him to change it or continue on with it?

[CeloMagz]

Have been doing ICF 5x5 for a while, when I finish the program, I'm thinking about trying a 4day split Upper/Lower.

Does anyone know a good Upper/Lower 4x/week routine? Thanks!

[APCY]

Have been doing ICF 5x5 for a while, when I finish the program, I'm thinking about trying a 4day split Upper/Lower.

Does anyone know a good Upper/Lower 4x/week routine? Thanks!

candito linear 4 day upper/lower pretty good.

[Liftingformore]

Hi all,
I was thinking about a 4-day split as well:

Mon - cardio/swim/etc
Tues - chest/tri/ab
Thurs -ab at home
Fri - legs/shoulder
Sat - back/bicep/ab

I know that the days themselves are kinda jacked, but those are the days I can go right now. But with regards to the split, what do you think? Should I swap bi's and tris giving more full body throughout the week? Maybe every fourth week highlight the minor groups more for a week? I'm big on cardio and other "intramural" activities so I don't want to lose that day. Thanks

[Liftingformore]

Have been doing ICF 5x5 for a while, when I finish the program, I'm thinking about trying a 4day split Upper/Lower.

Does anyone know a good Upper/Lower 4x/week routine? Thanks!

What is the iCF 5x5? Is it the missing link? I see it posted on here a few times.

[TheViking1992]

What is the iCF 5x5? Is it the missing link? I see it posted on here a few times.

http://www.muscleandstrength.com/wor...novice-workout

[Denihm]

I've been doing a split for a year or two and made okay beginner gains but nothing extraordinary and recently I hit a bit of a plateau. My routine started out with a different muscle group every day which went on for the best part of a year. Now it looks like this:

Mon - Chest
Tue - Legs + shoulders
Wed - Back + biceps
Thu - Chest + tris
Fri -Legs + shoulders
Sat - Back + biceps
Sun - Rest/abs

Doing 3x10 for 6 exercises each day.

Will start a beginner full body routine and see how that goes, any recommendations? Will attach pic for reference.

Edit: Going to give Allpro a go

[Liftingformore]

I've been doing a split for a year or two and made okay beginner gains but nothing extraordinary and recently I hit a bit of a plateau. My routine started out with a different muscle group every day which went on for the best part of a year. Now it looks like this:

Mon - Chest
Tue - Legs + shoulders
Wed - Back + biceps
Thu - Chest + tris
Fri -Legs + shoulders
Sat - Back + biceps
Sun - Rest/abs

Doing 3x10 for 6 exercises each day.

Will start a beginner full body routine and see how that goes, any recommendations? Will attach pic for reference.

Edit: Going to give Allpro a go

If you got the time then the split isn't bad... How long have you been at this split? And the rep counts? Gotta switch it up, do a pyramid style lift, or change some things; go from squats to wall squats. Incline barbell to incline dumb bells. I try to do abs every other day. Maybe possible your working out too much. Good luck!

[shaky123]

I do Upper/Lower body split:
Monday and Thursday I do upper body
Tuesday and Friday I do lower body

This routine is going ok but I don't know if i should change it I am noticing gains on all my muscles except my biceps and triceps which don't grow as much.

For my Upper body workout I do 10 exercises a day, 2 for each muscle group. 1hr-1hr20mins
Lower body I do 6 exercises, 2 for each muscle group 40-50mins

Do you think I should change my split?

[ajpitchford99]

I have been doing Full body Routine 4 times a week Monday (4x6) , Wednesday (4x8), Friday (Lower Body) (5x5)-saturday (Upperbody) , Sunday (4x10)

[CrystalB2011]

Nice! Agreed.

[TAWS6]

http://www.seannal.com/articles/training/bro-split.php
Heres another good article I found on different styles of training.

[mapler]

anyone did twice a day 5 days split routine? I saw an article '
"BIG & LEAN: 10 WORKOUTS IN 5 DAYS" online and like to get SME reviews on it, and wonder how if move the am workout to previous day pm, and the pm workout to am that still OK?

[becool773]

Good thread. I am hitting gym after a hiatus of one and a half years. Which routine should I follow? The push/pull or the split one?

[WeatherMayhem]

Thanks

[scamander]

some great points on here. I suppose the only question I'd have it what two exercises would you select to hit each body area on the two days (doing one of them per session and alternating)?

For example, with chest I'd assume DB press and dips?

Shoulders I'd go for lat raise/upright rows and DB press.

either squats or deadlifts on each day and perhaps BB rows/seat rows too.

any suggestions?

[coachcalande]

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.



Repost from my thread in the Exercises Section...it's more applicable here.

This is my all time favorite split for size and strength and its EXTREMELY FLEXIBLE fitting a busy lifestyle. I am 49 and have been following this routine for years, originally to give me "off days" to do other things like tennis, rollerblading , biking and that sort of thing...

Every other day program/ If you miss a day, don't cry, just get back on the routine.

Day one is TORSO

chest/back/shoulders and abs

This routine, done in a home gym takes about 45 minutes- notice the emphasis on a push pull to keep the boredom out of it.

Bench press/lat pulldowns 5 sets each reps from 3-8
Incline press/seated rows 5 sets each reps from 5-8
shoulder press on smith machine/narrow pulldowns 4 sets each reps from 5-8
upright rows/more rows or pulldowns 4 sets each reps from 5-8
dumbbell shoulder raises, 3 ways, front, side, bent over rear delt- 3 sets each 8-10 reps
situps- 3 sets as many reps as possible


Day two is rest, eat and grow.


Day three is appendage day - Legs/Arms
Also takes about 45=55 minutes

Squats 5-6 sets 3-8 reps( substitute deadlifts in there once every three or four workouts)
smith machine front squats 5 sets 5-8 reps (or leg press if you have one)
leg extensions 5 sets 8-15 reps
Leg curls 5 sets 8-12 reps

then bomb the arms:
ez bar curls/pushdowns - 5 sets each 6-8 reps
alternate dumbbell curls or hammer curls/ smith machine skull crushers 5 sets 6-8 reps
concentration curls or preacher curls 5 sets 6-8 reps/ kickbacks or rope pushdowns 5 sets 8-10

smith machine calf raises worked in there with arms...sets of 10-15 reps

then day 4 is rest/eat/grow


when you feel beat, you can rest two days in a row....you can also morning/pm split the legs/arms which is nice.


Good program which has kept me strong into my late 40s and I am still handling decent weight and making gains.


BTW, the splits, sets and reps make great conversation but nutrition for muscle mass and recovery is really where its at.

LIke most, if you are trying to muscle up, you need to consume "workers and bricks" cant grow without one or the other.

5-6 meals a day, spaced 3 hours apart with the typical 30-50 grams of protein per "consumption "is a good place to start.

you cant be a bear if you eat like a rabbit.

[r0wie]

I like doing a combination of full body and body-part splits.

[DumbbellDude]

I am a bit embarrassed to ask, but I have been doing the 6 day Kelei split and I have been wondering about this for a while.

My lifting history is basically as follows, starting about 10 years ago, I did an amateurish dumbbell routine for about a year or 4, almost every single day. I had no idea what I was doing, but my (upper) body developed at least somewhat. After that I started lifting a bit more seriously for about 1,5 years with a bench and some decent weight. I did 2 full body routines a week and put on some size and a bit of strength. Still, I knew only slightly more about what I was doing than before. (At least had the common sense to include squats)
For the past couple of years, I have been "maintaining" with a set of dumbbells so I wouldn't lose all the mass. This basically meant once or sometimes twice a week.

This probably sounds horrible, lifting wise, and I wish it was different, but I didnt care enough to follow a decent program. Last year around october, I decided to make a change, because I wanted a complete physique transformation, as part of a challenge for myself. I started reading and before I knew it, I actually had some clue as to what I was doing. However.. I was a bit impatient as I gave myself only 3 months to do it in.
So I went from once a week to 4 times a week and the next month to a 5 day split I had built based on what I read.

I continued with the split until a few weeks ago and saw some decent progress and more importantly, I liked it a lot! I couldnt see myself training only 3 times a week, so I felt justified in the fact that I had immediatly gone for a 5 day split. And now, with the 6 day split, I still feel good knowing I'm pushing myself and I simply enjoy lifting. Next to that, I also figured it was "ok" as I still had some mass and some strenght.. I guess.. I was a bit naive and didn't want to see myself as a beginner.

However.. As I have read more and more and watched countless videos and documentaries all saying certain things in regards to beginners, I am starting to wonder wether or not I could have achieved the same results doing perhaps only a 3 day full body workout with decent weight. Other people around me are starting to ask me for advice and I'm pretty much telling them that if they start from nowhere, ease into the training with perhaps a 3 day full body workout.
Advice I didnt exactly follow myself.

So I guess my question is that, as much as I enjoy lifting with the frequency and volume that I do now and as happy as I am with the results so far.. Have I progressed into advanced programs too quickly and therefore made things unnecessarily hard for myself from the get go? Could I have achieved similar results with less (or better said, more optimized) training, or is that not the way too look at it?

Thanks for your time!

[kaangunerr]

How about

Chest, Legs, Back, Shoulder, Arm, Rest split routine? Day 7 starts all over again. Working a body part only one time per week should be very inferior to compound exercises three times a week right?

[Pottertons]

Great post op. Getting started at 40, with AllPro's beginner routine.

[ABallah]

I definitely see where author of article is coming from with all points. I've made faster gainz than buddies of mine with the increased frequency but after a year or so it levels out to the same rate of growth.

[salih99]

i will start training and i´m beginner
so you prefer that totalbody split is the best for me ?

[Malversation]

My advancement was pretty much in the magnitude of Full Body -> 2 Day Split -> (Currently) 3 Day Split. Basically I had lost all the energy from deadlifting and by the time it came to bench I had barely enough energy to do it.. So I split to two days; doing squats and deadlifts as the main exercises for one day and bench press for the other. Yet again the deadlifting made me split into another day.. The progression of this in my personal opinion is natural.

[brianlee1991]

Hi there. Is this a good routine? I am doing a 3 days routine. Please advice me if I should do this or the all-pro routine. Thanks.

Upper Body A

Bench Press
3 sets of 6-8 reps.
2-3 minutes rest between sets.

Rows
3 sets of 6-8 reps.
2-3 minutes rest between sets.

Incline Dumbbell Press
3 sets of 8-10 reps.
1-2 minutes rest between sets.

Lat Pull-Downs
3 sets of 8-10 reps.
1-2 minutes rest between sets.

Lateral Raises
2 sets of 10-12 reps.
1 minute rest between sets.

Triceps Press-Downs
2 sets of 10-12 reps.
1 minute rest between sets.

Dumbbell Curls
2 sets of 10-12 reps.
1 minute rest between sets.

Lower Body A

Romanian Deadlifts
3 sets of 6-8 reps.
2-3 minutes rest between sets.

Leg Press
3 sets of 10-12 reps.
1-2 minutes rest between sets.

Seated Leg Curls
3 sets of 8-10 reps.
1-2 minutes rest between sets.

Standing Calf Raises
4 sets of 6-8 reps.
1-2 minutes rest between sets.

Abs
x sets of 8-15 reps.
1 minute rest between sets.

Upper Body B

Pull-Ups
3 sets of 6-8 reps.
2-3 minutes rest between sets.

Barbell Shoulder Press
3 sets of 6-8 reps.
2-3 minutes rest between sets.

Seated Cable Row
3 sets of 8-10 reps.
1-2 minutes rest between sets.

Dumbbell Bench Press
3 sets of 8-10 reps.
1-2 minutes rest between sets.

Dumbbell Flyes
2 sets of 10-12 reps.
1 minute rest between sets.

Barbell Curls
2 sets of 10-12 reps.
1 minute rest between sets.

Skull Crushers
2 sets of 10-12 reps.
1 minute rest between sets.

Lower Body B

Squats
3 sets of 6-8 reps.
2-3 minutes rest between sets.

Split Squats
3 sets of 8-10 reps.
1-2 minutes rest between sets.

Laying Leg Curls
3 sets of 10-12 reps.
1-2 minutes rest between sets.

Seated Calf Raises
4 sets of 10-12 reps.
1-2 minutes rest between sets.

Abs
x sets of 8-15 reps.
1 minute rest between sets.

[stitch123]

Is that the aworkoutroutine program?

[HarolDean]

I need an opinion on this. I've been running a 4-day split for myself because I need the recovery. My girl has recently started going to the gym with me and she is pretty much completely untrained and needs a lot of guidance. So I just have her doing what I do.

I'd love to put her under a full body because I think it would benefit her the most but I don't really have time to go to the gym twice a day just so I can train her. I just feel like we're not taking full advantage of this period where her gains and recovery time will be higher than ever. Thoughts?

[IanTraining]

Hi guys, wondering if you all could help me out.

Joined a new gym and the trainer has put me on this split-

chest/shoulders
back/tris
bis/legs
cardio/abs
Repeat.

I have around 7 months of lifting experience and was thinking if this would be a suitable routine for someone who's looking to gain some muscles. Im aware of the other splits like pushpull and uppper/lower but for some reason the trainer(not personal) suggests this.
Should I ask him to change it or continue on with it?

See if it works for you, be patient

[IanTraining]

i will start training and i´m beginner
so you prefer that totalbody split is the best for me ?

Full body routines in general are great for beginnesr so yes