What's better: a full-body workout or a specific muscle group? Learn how to create a gym workout program for your goals.
Most experts agree that there is no optimal training program that would suit everyone. If anyone claims otherwise, ignore such an opinion. You need to organize your classes in such a way that you get enough rest and do not overtrain.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both the split program (training for individual muscle groups) and working out all the muscles in one workout (full-body). It all depends on your goals.
Benefits of training all muscle groups
Such training is useful for athletes who want to become stronger and are not particularly interested in gaining muscle mass, as well as those who are at the stage of “drying” their body. When you train all your muscles at once by lifting heavy weights, you get a greater incentive to grow.
More productive time in the gym
Not everyone can find the time to go to the gym three or more times a week. Training all muscle groups at once will reduce the time you spend in the gym, but do not forget about the load on priority muscle groups. These workouts combine upper and lower body work, which will increase response to training.
Hormonal response to strength training
Full-body workouts work more muscle groups, which increases the production of testosterone, growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor. This will enhance muscle growth and fat burning.
Enhanced weight loss and fat burning
Intense workouts for all muscles will make you work up a sweat in the gym. Circuit training, low rest intervals and compound exercises will engage more muscle groups, increase your heart rate and burn more calories. CrossFit training is built on approximately the same principle.
Benefits of a training program for individual muscle groups (split)
This scheme is perfect if you want to pump up certain muscle groups, increase maximum performance in basic movements, or create a long-term training program. Such workouts are less tiring and ideal for gaining muscle mass.
Strength gains from strength training
Training individual muscle groups (chest, back, legs, etc.) takes more time, but will help you achieve your goals. For example, if you want to deadlift more than 200 kg or bench press 140 kg, then you need to train accordingly.
If you weigh 70 kg, and your one-time bench press maximum does not exceed 100 kg, then full-body training 3 times a week is definitely not suitable for you. Heavy basic work on targeted muscle groups is suitable for you.
Just be careful not to overwork some muscles more than others, as this will lead to imbalance.
Muscle gain
During there is little benefit from doing workouts for all muscle groups. Not that it won't work, but it's better to focus on individual muscle groups. We also allow the option of training the top and bottom on different days. The advantage of the split program is that you can alternate the load, you don’t need to train until you drop every day. This is important for progress. This is the basis of periodization.
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Less fatigue from strength training
If your training program is structured correctly, split training will be less taxing since you're focusing on only one or at most two muscle groups.
Full-body workouts consume more calories, which gradually wears out the body, which will harm your training process.
This doesn't mean you'll be full of energy after an intense leg workout. But you will significantly reduce the risk of overtraining your body, since your legs will have time to recover.
You, of course, stand out from the gray mass and use the split system. In other words, you train 2 or 3 main muscles in 1 workout. It's time to figure out which muscles need to be combined and why.
The following approach is very common: during training, 1 large muscle group and 1 small muscle group are trained. For example, the chest is combined with triceps, the back with biceps, and the shoulders with legs. The emphasis, of course, is on a large group. After all, if you kill the triceps first, then you won’t be able to shake heartily. It is not advisable to combine 2 or more large muscle groups in a workout (unless you are an expert).
That's all?
At this point we could end the article, if not for one thing. Restless jocks experimentally found out that it is possible to load the chest along with the back. Only the chest should be pumped first. Biceps and triceps do not care about the order of training. They don't lose their strength. Deltas cannot be combined with the chest, since these muscle groups demonstrate similar behavior.
Processing order
If you're looking for maximum anabolic hormone production, do lots of sets of 10-12 reps with moderate weights. You need to rest for about 1.5 minutes. When you train large muscle groups, testosterone synthesis is higher than when training small groups. Now attention! If you train a large muscle first and then a small one, then the effect of greater hormone synthesis extends to the small muscles. And yes, this is indeed supported by research.
Fun fact. When you train one side of the body, the other is automatically stimulated. In other words, if you pump up your right biceps, then there will be a slight increase in mass in your left.
Let's hit the days
- breast;
- legs;
- back.
Now you need to supplement this with secondary muscle groups:
- When training the chest, the triceps muscle is involved. Therefore, it is better to finish off the triceps. This way the muscles have time to recover before the next workout;
- It's simple here. First kill the legs, then kill the shoulders;
- the back and biceps remain. The biceps is included as a flexor in back training, so everything is logical.
Alternative distribution:
- pump your legs, then load the pillars of your back and lower back. If you feel that it’s not enough, then finish it off with your biceps;
- pump up your chest, triceps, front delts and abs. When you pump your chest, the front delts are already working, all you have to do is finish them off. Leave the press until the very end.
- Dedicate the entire workout to your back. The upper back does not pump without the participation of the biceps;
- the shoulders engage the triceps. You can add abs, neck and trapezius.
Split:
- Monday - chest, shoulders, triceps. Finish off the press while riding;
- Wednesday - back, forearms, biceps brachii. Finish with the oblique abdominal muscles;
- Friday - thighs, buttocks, legs. And finally the lower press.
Now in bodybuilding the main thing is split. Its purpose is that in one session the load is applied to several muscles at once. But how to combine them? Empirically, it turned out that it is better to combine large muscle groups with small muscle groups that help them in one approach.
For example, pectoral and triceps. The main load in this case should fall on the large ones. If you start the exercise with the helping muscle, it will soon get tired, and this will negatively affect all muscles.
It is advised to simultaneously load the dorsal and pectoral muscles, which form two groups. After conducting training, it turned out that the chest and back can be loaded together if the chest is trained first.
When training biceps and triceps, the order of load does not matter, since their functions in combination are preserved. But the deltoids are not combined with the pectoral muscles, since they behave similarly.
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How to work through
A large number of anabolic hormones are released in classes with an average weight of 10-12 repetitions and pauses of one and a half minutes. Large muscle groups during training provide a more powerful hormonal release compared to small training. What if they were also combined with larger groups?
We conducted a study: we took two groups of men without preparation. The first one loaded the biceps, and the second one trained the legs, but along with the biceps. This second group had more potent levels of anabolic hormones.
There is another effect and statement that when the right side of the body is loaded, the left side is stimulated, and vice versa. That is, the strength and weight of the muscles on the other side increases due to the stimulation of the nerves.
An effective way to train bodybuilders is the deadlift-press system. In one session, training is carried out first on the back, and then on the triceps. And on the other - the chest, and then the biceps. In each case, the largest muscle groups are loaded first.
They are considered to require a lot of energy. But with their loads there is a maximum release of hormones. Trainings are divided by days. But all exercises are also supplemented with loads on secondary muscles.
First lesson- chest exercises, and additionally load the triceps muscle, and then triceps training. The triceps muscle is well loaded, and then it is given a long rest period, since on other days it and the chest are not trained. This is important to gain mass.
Second- first the legs, then the shoulder muscles.
No unified systems have been created; everything still depends on the athlete’s constitution and how long it will take him to recover. But a competent approach takes into account that 2 muscle groups are loaded in one session, and the number of workouts is 3-4 days - 2-3 times a month. This will ensure effective training of all muscle groups.
What happens if you don't exercise for 2 weeks?
Missing classes is fraught with the loss of gained strength and volume in the muscles. If an athlete needs to sleep well, this will not affect his strength even if he misses a session. Especially if you eat heavily and rest. There will be no damage, as the athletes say.
But changes begin to be felt already on the third day. Even such a slight pause leads to muscle contraction. Calories are burned more slowly and strength is lost.
Looking in the mirror, this is not visible at first. But the fibers of muscles that usually contract longer, as well as those trained for endurance, begin to tire soon. But missing one lesson does not play a special role.
Muscle groups that are stressed in everyday life (the hamstrings) do not lose strength as quickly as those that are rarely used (the abs). Coaches also claim that it will take twice as much time as missed to make up for everything.
So, if you rest for 2 weeks, you will need a month of classes to reach the previous level.
But it is believed that rest is not negative if it is not delayed for a long time. Plus, if you continue to consume a lot of protein, you can become even stronger.
Many people ask the question, why do you want to eat when you’re on vacation? When you skip classes, there are many chances to consume more fats and carbohydrates rather than healthy foods. This is explained by the fact that there is no longer a positive effect of exercise on the general mood and energy.
During long pauses, nutritionists advise not to deviate from the usual regimen. This will help, as it turns out, to maintain the same level of muscle mass. But this also needs to be kept under control, since metabolic processes while maintaining training are high. More calories are consumed, but also consumed.
And if nutrition is left the same, the body will not be able to expend excess energy, but will most likely store it as a resource. Stress can also occur when you rest for a long time, as exercise causes the release of endorphins.
A two-week absence causes a decrease in the usual production of the hormone, and this will lead to stress. In addition, the body begins to experience tension. During sedentary work, for example, it will accumulate in the muscles of the shoulders and legs.
And during classes it usually goes away. If you do not free yourself from stress during the training period, then both rest and sleep will be incomplete. And skipping will also accumulate nervous energy, which will interfere with deep sleep.
It doesn't take long to start training again. The general atmosphere of people in the gym who are intensely working out has a good effect. This will get you back on track sooner.
The question of which muscles should be trained how many times a week worries not only beginners in strength training, but also more experienced athletes.
After all, everyone wants to achieve results as quickly as possible.
Narrow-minded people think: the more often the better. The smarter ones realize that it’s not so simple.
After all, training any muscle group too often can negate all your efforts. Too rare and can slow down muscle growth, which could be much faster. So where is the golden mean? Let's try to figure it out.
What is fitness? Fitness is nothing more than the body’s adaptation to external influences. In other words, if a stressful (unusual) load occurs on the body, then it responds to this by increasing its motor qualities (be it strength, endurance, dexterity, and so on).
So, to adapt to this or that stress, any body needs time. As soon as the body has adapted to this load, it becomes habitual for it, and for further growth of results, even more severe stress is required.
So that's what I'm getting at with all this. It is the time it takes to adapt to a new stress load that determines how often you can train a particular muscle and train in general. This period of time is different for everyone. But there are certain patterns...
Through many experiments, physiologists came to the conclusion that the first negative changes in muscles occur no earlier than 7 days after stopping training. I'll say it again. THE FIRST negative changes occur NO EARLIER than 7 days later. Negative changes here mean muscle detraining (decreased volume, strength, endurance, and so on). That is, the very initial decrease in these physical qualities can be recorded after 7 days, and after 8, and later.
Mike Mentzer (famous bodybuilder, writer and philosopher) went even further in his book “Supertraining” (download link). He suggests training one muscle group every 10 to 12 days. Provided that the training is “impactful”. And he is close to the truth. After all, the harder the workout, the more time the muscles need to recover. It turns out that if you follow a scientific approach to training, then one muscle group should be trained no more than once a week. And this is, in principle, true. Please note that I do not consider options for using anabolic steroids, where recovery is much faster.
Is it possible to train the same muscle group more than once a week? In principle, you can do it 2 times a week. But one workout should be hard, and the second should be easy. Otherwise, the body will not have time to recover. And you can’t train all muscle groups at the same time twice a week. You can select one or two lagging groups. Not more. 2 times a week is the limit, exceeding which will, at best, lead you to stop increasing your results. This is the opinion of science and my personal opinion based on coaching experience.
If you train 2 times a week and get quite tired at work, then train each muscle group only 1 time a week. You can do it once every 10 days (as Mentzer advises). I have conducted such experiments more than once and noticed positive results. This is done simply. If you train 2 times a week, 3 workouts are compiled and done one by one. Thus, you will do each workout approximately once every 10 days.
In bodybuilding, the split system is now widespread; its essence is that 2-3 muscles are worked out during training. The right combination is very important here. But there are many opinions on this matter. Some experts believe that training a large muscle group with a small muscle supporting it is best combined. For example, like the chest and triceps. In this case, the main load should fall on a large muscle group.
Experiments among bodybuilders helped reveal that the back muscles and pectoral muscles can be trained together, but the chest must be worked first. And triceps and biceps, despite the order of their training, do not affect the loss of strength. As for the deltas, they behave like the pectoral muscles.
Procedure for training muscle groups
The maximum amount of anabolic hormones is synthesized when you train with regular weights for a large number of sets, involving 10-12 repetitions each, with a rest of about 1.5 minutes. Anabolic hormones include testosterone, growth hormone, and insulin-like growth factor. When training large muscle groups, more hormones are produced than when training small ones, such as biceps or triceps.
What will happen if we work through them together? Will the effect be transferred from one to another? In fact, that’s all true! This has been confirmed through numerous experiments and studies. Here's one of them. Two groups of beginners trained: the first group worked their biceps, the second group also trained their biceps, but after training their legs. The result of the experiment showed that the second group of people had a higher surge in anabolic hormones.
These studies also revealed that when one side of the body is trained, the other part, which is symmetrical to it, also grows. For example, by training one arm or leg, you can slightly increase the volume and mass of the second limb. Everything is explained by irritation of the muscle and nerve fibers that cause both sides of the body to grow.
A common principle among bodybuilders is the “pull-press” principle, which involves working the triceps in one workout, after the back muscles, and the next day you train the biceps after the pectoral muscles.
It is always better to start training by working large muscle groups. Firstly, working on them requires a lot of energy, and secondly, training in this order provides a higher hormonal surge.
We distribute large muscle groups by training days:
First training day- breast.
Second training day- legs.
Third training day- back.
Now you can supplement the main muscle groups with secondary muscles.
First day. First of all, we train the chest, which means that the triceps muscle will also be involved in the work, so we also work it on this day. These muscles need to be significantly trained, and then they will have enough time to recover, since in the next two workouts they will not be involved in work, and this is of great importance when gaining muscle mass.
Second day. First of all, we train the legs, then the shoulders.
The third day. We start the workout by working the back, and end with exercises for the biceps, which is an auxiliary flexor muscle when performing many exercises for the main muscle group of a given training day.
Another training scheme:
First training. Works the leg muscles, and in addition you can use the lower back and lower back. You can add biceps exercises if you have the energy.
Second training session. We train the pectoral muscles, front deltoids and triceps, abs. Working on the pectoral muscles will also involve the triceps and deltoids, so they also need to be loaded. We perform abdominal exercises at the end of the workout.
Third training. Pumping the entire back. Working the upper back will also involve the biceps, so we train that too.
Fourth training session. Shoulder training involves the triceps. Also working on the trapezius, abs and neck.
Here's an example of a split workout:
First day: chest, deltoids, triceps, abs (upper);
Second day: back muscles, biceps, forearms, abs (obliques);
The third day: thigh muscles, buttocks, lower leg, abs (lower).
There is no single training system. It all depends on the characteristics of the human body and its genetic predisposition, because the period of muscle recovery is different for everyone. The main thing is to choose the right combination of muscle groups to train and exercise 2-3 times a week.