For a long time, workout routines sounded like orders at a butcher’s shop – dividing the body up into different chunks. People would talk about their workouts for leg day, arm day, chest day, back day and so on. In certain circles, though, this trend never caught. Specifically for many athletes this isolated approach just never made sense. Instead, these groups stuck to a system of full-body workouts wherein every major muscle group is worked during each workout.
Recently, this approach has gained traction with exercisers in general. Due to this upsurge in popularity, then, it’s worth asking: What are the benefits of full-body workouts?
Greater Muscle Development
Sample Routine
- Bench press
- Back squat
- Bent-over rows
- Overhead press
To understand the primary reason that full-body workouts have gotten so popular, we need to contrast them directly with a common split routine. It’s also important that we’re clear about how muscles react to exercise.
Your muscles are built out of innumerable fibers, like giant collections of rubber bands. Each of these fibers require calories as fuel. The bigger the muscle group and the more muscle fibers that are activated at once, then, the more calories you will burn during a workout. Now, compare the size of the muscles in your thighs with those in your arms. Which do you think will burn up more calories when their worked?
Along the same line, which exercise do you think would require more fuel: A front squat – which works your legs, abs, back and shoulders – or a hamstring curl? How about the classic pull up versus a bicep curl?
But we’ve covered compound exercises and their calorie-burning efficiency before. So this likely isn’t a new thought to you. Think about this, however: Full-body routines will have you working each major muscle group several times each week. Again, compare this with the split routine that has you dedicating just one day to each muscle group.
And this is a totally logical connection. Your muscles are being worked more frequently so, of course, they are going to develop more quickly.
Covered under the umbrella of “muscular development,” though we have both size and strength. Each of these goals require different approaches, when it comes to rep and set design, to really focus on but full-body training will help build what’s known as “functional strength.” Consider this: How often do you use a muscle group in isolation during your daily routine? When just going through your typical life, are you more likely do perform movements that look like a bicep curl or a squat?
Your muscle groups are designed to work together for maximum efficiency – supporting and stabilizing each other though a variety of movements. It makes sense, then, to train them that way. Full-body workouts will improve your muscles’ ability to cooperate during natural movements that you likely do on a regular basis, outside of the gym. This means real-world strength.
So full-body routines are awesome. Check. How do you pull on off? The basic idea is to use compound movements to challenge as many muscle groups as possible. The rep/set range will change based on your goals but, this design is meant for sort of a cross-training approach.
Perform 3 sets of 10 reps for each exercise, with 90 seconds rest between sets. Choose a weight that will leave you exhausted at that 10th rep. If you could do 11, you need more weight.
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