Split Routine vs Full Body Routine

 Myself as an up and coming strength and conditioning coach have pondered this question of what is better full body or split selection exercises when I am writing a program for either myself or for someone else's. I’ve spent years of my life doing both split and full so I understand how confusing it can be when trying to pick one. For an example I know a coach with a great physique who mainly focuses on strength training exercises on a split routine but when coaching he makes all of his athletes work full body workouts. 

Why the conflict between the two?

Just so everyone reading this understands what I am talking about, a full body workout means you are working every major muscle group and they are all being stimulated in one workout, whereas in a split routine/workout you work different muscle groups and major muscle groups on different days of the week. An example of split would be if you are training for 3 days let’s say day one you do arms and shoulders then the next day you do chest and back then the last day you work legs this is just one type of split routine. 

Split Routine vs Full Body Routine Pros and Cons. 

Full Body Pros & Cons-

Pros

Body Balance

The first one would have to be full body balance. What I mean by this is that with a full body lift day you will be building a well balanced body because you are hitting all muscle groups in one workout which in tail is more like or mimics more of real life movement. From a couple of physiologist books I have read a lot of them think of the body as just one big muscle because they are all connected so they think that splitting up body parts and working on only them just doesn’t make functional sense. 

If you miss a workout then its no big deal

So let's say you only workout 2x a week and you happen to miss one of those workouts, have no fear because you have already worked out all of your muscle groups with just one workout earlier that week.

Maximizes Calories Burned and Fat being lossed

Let's say someone has a goal of weight they want to lose, I myself as a strength coach like to keep that person on their feet constantly moving, so a full body workout can help me do just that. A good trainer or coach will usually train their overweight clients or athletes 2-3x per week because it helps them stay moving and build up their movement patterns.

Cons

Can be a little harder to focus on one given muscle group

It's harder when doing a full body workout to hit a single muscle group or movement pattern very intensely, especially legs because it's hard to get the most intensity constantly throughout the workout of a client or athlete because they are so lengthy and you have to give into account the recovery time which can be a little longer.

Can lead to overtraining

If you are one of those people that loves the weight
room and likes to go 3-4x a week, doing a full body workout each time can lead to overtraining if your plan is not structured correctly. Hitting each muscle group too hard and not giving enough time to rest can cause the overtraining response in the body and can lead to injuries. A muscle that has been worked with heavier weight with lets say 6+ sets can take almost 5-6 of rest for maximum recovery.

Intensity can be harder to handle

The intensity that is involved in full body workouts is something unmatched including multiple times per week can especially be tough to continue to sustain and build each week. I have even read that Arnold Schwarzenegger tried a High Intensity Training workout (HIT), which is a very straneus and intense type of full body workout. He said he would rather retire back to Austria and become a ski resort instructor than do those kinds of workouts again.

Type of people that Full Body workouts cator the most

Beginning Lifters

If you are a beginner in the world of working out, stick to full body lifting till you get some more experience because they are easier to plan yourself and easier to follow. I also like full body workouts for older adults because it helps really refine and improve their movement patterns for better mobility.

Cardio Crazy Person

If you love cardio (which is a little weird, jk) and hate strength training then full body workouts or HIT workouts are definitely in your ballpark and I highly suggest that you go down that path.

Split Routine Pros and Cons

Pros

Best overall for body shaping/looking musculare

You have way more control over whatever muscle group you are targeting on the day of your physique. This is best when maybe you want more width on your arms or even shoulders then this is the route to take. From my general knowledge of the bodybuilding world I don't know many bodybuilding that do full workouts because they say splits are the best to isolate and really focus on one muscle group to full potential and growth.

Easier to manage

When lifting it should never be easy, but if you are into lifting heavy it's way more manageable to only have to be focusing on 2-3 muscle groups than it is the whole body at one time.

Easy to switch the workouts up

When doing a split workout it is very easy to switch up the body parts you are working each day so you can maximize growth or by tricking the muscle to simply change a workout to focus primarily on that muscle group.

Cons

Can cause muscle or strength imbalances

Have you ever seen that one guy who has extra big arms and no legs or calves at all, that is what I am talking about. If you do not properly structure your split workouts to hit every muscle group throughout the week then that can happen to you. It is easier to overdevelop certain muscle groups and neglect others while doing the split routines. That is why it is so important to have a good plan.

Can't skip a workout

When doing a split you cannot skip a workout. When having a good split routine you are still working every major muscle group throughout the whole week but if you miss a day or continually keep missing then that one or 2 muscle groups on that day you were supposed to hit them can become undertrained and undersized and that can be a major problem.

Types of people split routine workouts cater to most

Bodybuilders or fitness models

If you like to hit a muscle hard while also having great control over the shaping of your body and lifting heavy then split routine training is definitely for you.

Advanced Lifters

Best for people who have been lifting for a longer time or go religiously everyday go to the gym because it will help you have sufficient recovery between each muscle group before you hit it again.

If full body workouts don't make you feel right

If you are one of those people that full body workouts don't make you feel good or if you feel they don't work for you then split is always the route to go.

Overall

At the end of the day, when it comes to doing a full body workout or a split body workout it really just depends on the goal of the individual and what you enjoy more, we're all different. You can build lean muscle mass and build muscle with both of these kinds of workouts if you train hard and eat right.