The best kind of training technique is often based on personal opinion -- what works well for one person may not be the best choice for another. Walking into a gym, you may see some concentrating on working the triceps while others may be performing more advanced exercises to work multiple muscle groups at once. While both types of training have their pros and cons, full-body training tends to be more advantageous than individual training.
Burn More Calories
A full-body workout will burn more calories than working only one individual muscle group a day. The more muscles you work at a time, the more energy your body requires to feed these muscles. Working the large muscles of your legs in combination with the smaller muscles of your arms will yield a greater caloric deficit than working only your biceps. Using multiple muscle groups at once will not only burn more calories during the workout but will also increase your metabolism for several hours afterward as your body repairs the damaged muscle fibers.
Save Time
Full-body workouts often consist of combination movements that work multiple muscle groups at once, which means you can get more done in less time. Working individual muscles with isolation exercises requires multiple sets of different exercises to get the same results. The combination movements associated with full-body workouts will also elicit some cardiovascular conditioning, allowing you to forgo the additional cardio session after your weight workout.
Create a Balanced Body
Working individual muscles can lead to a muscular imbalance. Often, people focus on one particular body part, such as the pecs, and neglect other parts, like the back. This can eventually lead to injuries. On the other hand, full-body workouts target each muscle group equally, leading to a strong, balanced muscular system.
Work Muscles More Often
Full-body workouts allow you to work each muscle group more often. Working individual muscles is often only done twice a week. For example, you may work your arms on Monday and Thursday and your legs on Tuesday and Friday, but with a full-body workout you could work each muscle group three to four times a week while still allowing for adequate recovery time.
References
- "Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, Third Edition"; National Strength and Conditioning Association; 2008
- "Physiology of Sport and Exercise, Third Edition"; Jack H. Wilmore, David L. Costill; 2004
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