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26.08.2015

Full body workout is a teeny weeny bit more effective than a split routine

Whether they train by doing full body workouts or split schemes, bodybuilders make progress – but the progress they make by doing full body workouts is probably just a teeny weeny bit more. That's the message from a study that the American sports scientists Brad Schoenfeld has published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

Study
Schoenfeld, who works at CUNY Lehman College in New York, did an experiment with 20 male students, all of whom had been doing weight training for several years. The experiment lasted 8 weeks.

Schoenfeld divided his subjects into two groups. One group trained 3 days per week, using the split scheme shown below; the other group did a full body workout.

Split
Day 1 Bench press 3 sets Incline press 3 sets Hammer chest press 3 sets Lat pulldown 3 sets Lat pulldown 3 sets Seated row 3 sets	Day 2 Squat 3 sets Leg press 3 sets Leg extension 3 sets Stiff-leg deadlift 3 sets Hamstrings curl 3 sets Good morning 3 sets	Day 3 Shoulder press 2 sets Hammer shoulder press 2 sets Upright row 2 sets Hammer curl 2 sets Barbell curl 2 sets Preacher curl 2 sets Cable pushdown 2 sets Skull crusher 2 sets Dumbbell overhead extension 2 sets
Full body
Day 1 Squat 3 sets Stiff-leg deadlift 3 sets Bench press 3 sets Lat pulldown (wide grip) 3 sets Shoulder press 2 sets Hammer curl 2 sets Cable pushdown 2 sets	Day 2 Leg press 3 sets Hamstrings curl 3 sets Incline press 3 sets Lat pulldown (close grip) 3 sets Hammer shoulder press 2 sets Barbell curl 2 sets Skull crusher 2 sets	Day 3 Leg extension 3 sets Good morning 3 sets Hammer chest press 3 sets Seated row 3 sets Upright row 2 sets Preacher curl 2 sets Dumbbell overhead extension 2 sets

The weight used, the resting times and training volume were the same for both groups.

Results
At the end of the eight weeks, the students in both groups had gained a little muscle mass and strength. The progression was almost always a little more in the full body group [TOTAL], but the differences were not statistically significant. Except for the increase in mass of the biceps [Elbow flexors] – this was significantly bigger in the fully body group than in the split group.

First figure: 1RM when squatting; second figure: muscle mass of biceps; third figure: muscle mass of the vastus lateralis.

Conclusion
"The findings suggest a potentially superior hypertrophic benefit to higher weekly resistance training frequencies", concluded Schoenfeld.

Source:
J Strength Cond Res. 2015 Jul;29(7):1821-9.

More:
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Periodised resistance training just as effective if you surprise your muscles with changing weights 02.11.2017
High frequency training works just as well as low frequency training 30.08.2014

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What is more effective? Strength training with a narrow or a wide pyramid system? Both systems seem te be effective.	What time do you work out? In the longer term it does matter For your progression, the time of day when you train has no consequences. Not if we're talking about a period of a 2-3 months. But what if we're talking about a longer period?	Is it so bad that women prefer strength training with light weights? No, not really. It's the intensity that's important.