Full Body Resistance Training: A Practical Choice

Introduction:

The fitness world is brimming with information on weight training, and one of the most debated topics is how to structure your training routine. From push/pull splits to upper/lower routines and body part splits, the options seem endless. However, my belief is simple: "The best training split is the one you do consistently." That said, I'm a staunch advocate for full body resistance training, especially for the majority of people. In this blog, I'll share my practical standpoint and experiences that have led me to this preference.

Isolation Is Hard:

When we talk about body part splits, we often think in terms of chest, back, legs, and so on. While these splits focus on specific muscle groups, it's crucial to remember that we're also training movements through joints. Many muscles contribute to joint actions, making it challenging to isolate muscle groups entirely. Let's take the deadlift, for example. Is it a leg exercise or a back exercise? How about an incline press? The anterior deltoid is heavily involved. Full body training simplifies this by working the entire body in each session.

Missed Days Mean Missed Body Parts:

If you opt for an isolation-focused routine and you miss a workout or two, it could result in missed body parts. Let's say you're following a chest and triceps split, and you miss your chest day. That's an entire week before you work those muscles again. With a full body approach, you have more flexibility. Missing a day doesn't mean you miss out on training major muscle groups since you target your entire body in each session.

Efficient Use of Time:

Many of us have busy lives and limited time for workouts. Full body resistance training is highly efficient. It allows you to work multiple muscle groups in one session, ensuring that you're getting the most out of your time at the gym.

Balanced & Injury Free Development:

One of the issues with body part splits is the potential for muscle imbalances. For example, if you focus too much on chest workouts and neglect back or leg training, you could end up with an uneven physique or imbalances that could lead to injury. Full body training promotes balanced development by addressing all muscle groups regularly.

Recovery and Frequency:

Full body workouts typically involve more frequent training of each muscle group. This increased frequency can promote better muscle recovery and growth by splitting the total volume of training across the week as opposed to single session. This generally allows most people to recover well. The principle of progressive overload, where you gradually increase the weight or intensity, is easy to apply with a full body routine. We also live very busy and stressful lives. Are you taking this into account when creating your programming? Is it really the best option to be in the gym 5-6 days a week for hours lifting heavy loads while also having limited sleep, poor hydration, sub optimal nutrition a family to provide for and a stressful job? All this creates cumulative stress that at some point will bring you crashing down. It's a much better approach to create flexibility through full body training where maybe one week 1-2 sessions are all you can manage.

Keep it simple to produce the best result

While the fitness world has gravitated to different training splits, my practical experience and belief in consistency and healthy life balance lead me to advocate for full body resistance training for the majority of individuals. It simplifies the complexities of muscle isolation, offers more flexibility when life gets busy, makes the most of your time, promotes balanced development, and supports healthy muscle recovery and growth. Remember, the best training split is the one you'll stick with consistently. If you are unsure where to start or are interested in a full body approach please check out my store where there is a range of full body routines you can follow for excellent results.