https://vitals.lifehacker.com/should-i-do-full-body-workouts-or-work-one-muscle-grou-1785371687

1. 8/28/2018 Should I Do Full-Body Workouts, or Work One Muscle Group At a Time?
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SKILLET TWO CENTS VITALS OFFSPRING THE UPGRADE APP DIRECTORY HOW I WORK
Should I Do Full-Body Workouts, or Work One
Muscle Group At a Time?
Stephanie Lee
8/17/16 11:00am
Workout programs usually aren’t labeled as “full-body” or “body part”
routines, but we’ve all heard of “leg days” or “arm days,” versus workouts that
do it all. Every program wants you to build muscle, get strong, or lose weight.
Choosing between full-body or specific focus routines, however, isn’t easy.
Full-Body Workouts Are More Efficient and Ideal For Beginners
In a full-body routine, you train every major muscle in your body, like your
chest, back, arms, hamstrings, and abs, in each workout. They incorporate
exercises that engage many of those muscle groups in one movement, like
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squats, deadlifts, and overhead presses, all of which are also called compound
movements. Compound movements demand a lot of energy and burn more
calories, but they also beat up your muscles and typically require you to rest
more between each set of exercise and whole workouts.
How Long You Should Rest Between Sets for the Biggest Training Benefits
Rest between sets and exercises has as large an impact on your fitness as the
number of sets and…
Read more
The upside is that when you work out the same muscle groups by doing the
same or similar exercises multiple times each week, you improve your overall
body strength, rather than just in one area. This is what a typical full-body
routine might look like (from Starting Strength):
If you’re just starting to pick up weights, are short on time, or are more
interested in shedding some pounds, full-body programs would be your jam.
For the beginner, these programs are more simple, help you learn and
constantly practice the major compound exercises, and can lead to major
strength and muscle gains because of how often you’re working out the same
muscles. In fact, beginner strength programs, like Starting Strength and 5x5,
emphasize those full-body movements to help you lay down a solid strength
base.
Similarly, compound lifts engage so many muscles that they skyrocket your
heart rate and burn more calories, making them more ideal for weight loss
goals. For someone who doesn’t have much time to work out, full-body
workouts are more efficient, so you don’t have to train as often throughout the
Monday: Squats, bench press or overhead press, deadlifts
Tuesday: Off
Wednesday: Squats, overhead press/bench press, deadlifts
Thursday: Off
Friday: Squats, overhead press/bench press, deadlifts
Saturday and Sunday: Off
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3. 8/28/2018 Should I Do Full-Body Workouts, or Work One Muscle Group At a Time?
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week. Each workout in Starting Strength, for example, runs you through three
exercises for a couple of sets each, which means you don’t have to spend hours
in the gym.
What All Those Confusing Fitness Terms Actually Mean
It isn’t easy getting fit. There’s a lot to learn: Your workout itself, whether the
number of reps…
Read more
Exercising Specific Muscle Groups Help You Work On Weaker Muscle Groups
Everyone has heard of “leg day,” where you work out your lower body to the
point of feeling wobbly right after. But “leg day” is just one day out of a whole
rotation of body part-focused workouts, or a “workout split.” Here you break up
your routine over a week and focus on specific muscle groups during each
workout. These workouts are staggered to give each muscle group time to
recover before you rotate back to it, and you train more frequently over the
week.

4. 8/28/2018 Should I Do Full-Body Workouts, or Work One Muscle Group At a Time?
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Split workouts give you the chance to isolate and develop weaker muscle groups.
Also, compound movements may be more efficient, but they often give less love
to smaller muscle groups like your rear deltoids and calves. A split routine could
look something like this:
By the end of the week, you will have worked out your entire body, which means
you work out one major muscle group once or twice each week. These workouts
can include a combination of compound and isolation exercises, but they
typically would target a specific muscle group for that day.
Does It Matter How Many Reps You Do When You Work Out?
So, your workout has you doing 4 sets of 5 reps for this exercise, 3 sets of 8 after
that, and—oh,…
Read more
Split routines are more appropriate than full-body routines after you’re
comfortable in the gym and want to start shaping your body a certain way.
Maybe you want broader shoulders, so you would add more shoulder and upper
chest exercises in your training. This is why bodybuilders typically do split
routines.
Full-Body Workouts Are Better For Beginners, and Split Routines Are Ideal For
Intermediate Lifters
Monday: Hip thrusts, hyperextensions, Romanian deadlifts, lunges (glutes,
hamstrings)
Tuesday: Dumbbell chest press, lateral raises, shrugs, tricep push-downs
(chest, shoulders, triceps)
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Bulgarian split squats, leg extensions, standing calf raises
(quads, calves)
Friday: Seated row, pull-ups, bicep curls (back, traps, biceps)
Saturday and Sunday: Off
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5. 8/28/2018 Should I Do Full-Body Workouts, or Work One Muscle Group At a Time?
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When you choose whether you want to do full-body or split routine workouts,
think about how many days you can devote to exercise, your personal fitness
goals, and your current level of ability and comfort in the gym.
You Don’t Need to Lift Heavy Weights to Build Muscle
We’ve gone over this before in our post on low and high-rep training, but it
bears repeating:…
Read more
If you’re just starting out and want to get in better shape, your best bet is to go
with a full-body program. Once you gain more experience, you can graduate to a
split routine to focus on strengthening and building specific muscles. Some
programs also incorporate a little bit of both: you can follow a split routine and
then use full-body circuit training-style workouts to add an extra bit of
intensity at the end of a workout, for example. Either approach will help you get
stronger, build bigger muscles, or fit in your jeans better, with the right eating
habits.
Article update: After hearing what you guys said and were confused about, I
clarified what a full-body routine would look like, based on the Starting
Strength program.
Title illustration by Jim Cooke. Image by Anthony Topper, MartialArtsNomad.com, SatGuru.

6. 8/28/2018 Should I Do Full-Body Workouts, or Work One Muscle Group At a Time?
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stephanie
Lee
Stephanie Lee
Hi, I like to travel and lift things. Also, donuts. More musings at
http://thefyslife.com.
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