There are two main ways to organize your workouts. You can work your entire body in a single session or split your workouts so that you target different muscle groups on different days. Both full-body and split-body workout options are effective and offer advantages and disadvantages.
Training Frequency
Split-body workouts require a greater weekly training frequency than full-body workouts. Common split routines break your body down into as many as six separate parts necessitating up to six workouts per week. Full-body workouts require less frequent workouts -- usually two or three per week. If you have a lot of training time available or like to train most days of the week, split routines provide a viable option. However, if you have limited time for training and can only work out two to three times a week, full-body workouts may suit your requirements better.
Training Volume
According to "Designing Resistance Training Programs" by Steven Fleck and William Kraemer, studies have shown that there is a direct correlation between high training volume, muscle growth and strength gains. While low volume training is effective for general fitness, muscle growth and strength improvements are greater when you follow a higher volume training approach. Higher volume training requires a split routine so that you can dedicate sufficient time to each muscle group. A split routine will allow you to perform multiple sets of multiple exercises for each individual muscles group. Serious bodybuilders and strength athletes should, according to Fleck and Kraemer, use a split routine.
Addressing Weaknesses
Some exercisers develop muscle imbalances and weaknesses that need extra training volume to correct. These imbalances and weaknesses can be easily addressed within a well-designed split routine. By placing an emphasis on the areas you want to concentrate on, you can bring them in line with the rest of your muscles. Using a split routine allows you to dedicate an entire session to the area you want to concentrate on and still have adequate time in your training weak to work the rest of your body effectively. It is much more difficult to focus on weaknesses using a whole-body workout because of time and exercise volume constraints.
Planning
A full-body workout is simple to plan. Select one exercise per major muscle group, perform two to three sets of each exercise and repeat your workout two to three times a week. Split routines are more complex and require more exact planning. You have to consider how you are going to split your body parts, what parts are going to be trained on what days, which exercises you are going to perform during each workout and the order of the exercises in each training session. A badly designed split routine can result in an unbalanced training week and, therefore, an unbalanced physique.
Considerations
If you are a bodybuilder or serious strength trainer or have weaknesses you want to address and enjoy training more than two or three times a week, you should choose a split-body workout. Full-body workouts are better suited to general exercisers looking for less frequent workouts and developing all-around fitness and muscular endurance.
References
- "Designing Resistance Training Programs"; Steven Fleck and William Kraemer; 2003
- "Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding: The Complete A-Z Book on Muscle Building"; Robert Kennedy; 2008
- "ACSM's Resources for the Personal Trainer"; American College of Sports Medicine; 2009
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