The Practice and Science of FULL BODY Training

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Written By Simone Smerilli

When it comes to resistance training (using resistance - whether bodyweight or external objects), there are numerous creative ways one can go about setting up his/her routine. Resistance training, as is the case in any other endeavor one would want to improve at, requires a well-balanced routine (a consistent habit) to be carried out for the long term. Deliberate repetition is one of the key mechanisms for mastering skills. It is not enough to merely practice mindlessly. It seems to be a good idea to "have a plan". In resistance training, having a plan corresponds to following a training program that is structured in such a manner to possibly elicit maximum results in a given time frame. To structure a training program, the training split employed must be decided intentionally (this is usually one of the first variables to establish when drafting a plan). There are several different ways one can go about designing a training split. Some of the most common nowadays include: full body, push-pull-legs, upper-lower, body parts split. These are the most used due to their well-balanced ratio of volume, intensity, frequency. Some of those workout splits are considered more beginner-friendly than others (e.g., full body is seen as more optimal for beginners/intermediates as compared to advanced trainees) (Bartolomei et al., 2021). In a deep dive into each of these training approaches, we will look at these popular methods of training one by one and as objectively as possible (i.e., studying the available evidence and starting from first principle). In this article, we are starting from the full body split. The full-body training split consists of distributing the training volume for each muscle group over the entire week by training every body part more than once a week. A full-body training regimen would have an athlete train, say, four times a week every muscle group (or almost every muscle group), hence spreading the workload over more than one session. Generally speaking, a full-body split is based on movement patterns as opposed to muscle groups per sé. Every muscle group is best activated when specific movements are performed through space (e.g., horizontal pushing moves target the chest and triceps). Full-body workouts leverage this fact to elicit optimal neuromuscular adaptation. In this article, we are going to ponder the advantages and disadvantages of a full-body training split, how to implement this type of training, and an example program using full-body training.

Full body workouts target the entire body on every session

Full body workouts target the entire body on every session

Advantages of Full Body Training

As in pretty much every aspect of life and fitness, full-body training is also subject to advantages and trade-offs that must be appropriately considered when it comes to choosing how to workout. Understanding both advantages and disadvantages of the full-body workout makes it possible to implement a well-balanced approach to decision-making when it comes to picking the most optimal split based on one's own needs. The key advantages of full-body workouts are:

  • Accumulate less fatigue per session: one of the main corollaries of full-body training is that volume is spread among numerous weekly sessions. This is often a strong enough reason to make this training split be the chosen one for beginner trainees (and intermediate alike). Volume is one of the most relevant training variables that form the foundation of every training program, regardless of its nature (e.g., athletics, bodybuilding, powerlifting, etc.). It corresponds, to put it simply, to the amount of work done on any given training bout, workout week, mesocycle, macrocycle. Volume is often measured as the number of sets performed on any given period (i.e., each training session and training week) per muscle group. It can also be calculated as sets x reps x load.

  • Spread volume among multiple weekly sessions: A great advantage of full-body training is that the volume per muscle group is spread among multiple sessions in a week. This means that the volume per session per muscle group decreases, hence fostering a faster recovery and, potentially, more high-quality work throughout the week of training. This last point is a meaningful one. When using a body part split training regimen, for instance, you work each muscle group separately and once per week (e.g., Monday is dedicated to chest, Tuesday is Legs, Wednesday is back, and so on). This forces the trainee to accumulate all the necessary volume to stimulate muscle hypertrophy/strength in one single session. The potential issue with that is that after a certain amount of sets (e.g., 8 hard sets for chest in a chest session), there is a high probability of diminishing returns because of junk volume. Junk volume represents training volume (sets) that are wasted due to the high degree of fatigue the muscle group trained has already been subject to after a significant amount of volume in a training session. The full body split circumvents the possibility of junk volume by spreading this exercise variable on multiple weekly sessions instead, each one targeting the entire body. In this way, quick recovery is potentially bolstered, and the necessary volume per week is maintained.

  • High intensity and focus throughout the workout: while fatigue may start to kick in very prominently toward the tail end of a back-only session, the full-body training split may promote the ability to keep a high level of focus and intensity of training (i.e., appropriately heavy resistance) for each exercise, from the start to the end of the training bout. The high degree of variation that is inherent to full body training might be the factor inducing such a characteristic.

Disadvantages of a Full Body Split

  • Potentially low levels of muscle swelling: due to the varied nature of full-body training sessions, some individuals may find this style of training unfulfilling on account of the lack of the "pump" sensation. Not feeling the muscles worked swelling may be particularly the case when it comes to full body sessions that are not high in density. Density of training is a workout variable that refers to the amount of work done in a given amount of time. The higher density of training, the more likely you will experience "the pump" (a lot of blood is directed to the muscle worked in a short amount of time). For some trainees, this factor may be a deal-breaker, placing full body sessions at a lower satisfaction level when compared to muscle group splits, in which each muscle group is trained separately during the week.

Implementing a Full Body Training Split

Designing effective full body workouts requires a systematic, well-thought-after approach

Designing effective full body workouts requires a systematic, well-thought-after approach

Likely, the list of advantages and disadvantages of a full-body training split is not universally applicable and comprehensive by any means. Whether or not full-body training is appropriate for you will be ultimately dictated by your evaluation of the pros and cons above, as well as individual variables that are at play in your existence and mind. Giving the full-body training split a try, especially if you have never done it before, might be beneficial to fully comprehend your predisposition or lack thereof toward this training regimen. Implementing a full-body training split, however, cannot be completely freestyled. Designing and following a well-structured training program that takes into account all the necessary training variables and removes the guesswork out of the movements to perform can make the difference. It can make the difference both in consistency (a key factor in fitness) and results (although training is only one part of the health and fitness equation —nutrition is crucial too). A well-balanced full-body training program takes into account the following factors and employs them most optimally based on the principle of specificity.

  1. Exercise selection: a typical full-body training session is composed of movements, not specific exercises. This means that the base to start from when designing a full-body program are movement patterns, on top of which one can add some isolation exercises if the main focus of the program is muscle hypertrophy. Fundamental movement patterns include: squat, hip hinge, lunge, horizontal push, horizontal pull, vertical push, vertical pull, hip extension, torso rotation. Incorporating compound movements in a full-body training split is pivotal. Compound movements are those that require the activation of more than one muscle group to be performed.

  2. Frequency: How frequently should you workout when using a full-body approach to working out? The answer to this question highly depends on your experience level, available time, needs, and preferences. As a rule of thumb, the more experienced you are, the higher your training frequency (up to six times per week). For beginners, a frequency of three training sessions per week can definitely be sufficient to elicit great results (especially due to mechanical adaptations and the repeated bout effect happening).

  3. Volume: volume, together with the intensity of load, is a crucial training variable, especially in the domain of hypertrophy. In a full-body split, the volume of training can be spread across multiple sessions seamlessly. The amount of volume to include in a full-body split is highly dependent on your current MEV and MRV. MEV stands for "minimum effective volume". MRV is "maximum recoverable volume". Coined by dr. Mike Israetel, these two concepts are at the opposite ends of the volume spectrum. MEV is the bare minimum amount of volume you can implement to induce hypertrophy and strength gains. MRV is the maximum amount of volume you can bear before getting into overtraining zone. MEV and MRV vary over time and with experience. As of now (June 2021), a volume of 10 to 20 sets per muscle group per week seems to be the sweet spot for hypertrophy and strength optimization, according to scientific literature.

  4. Intensity: intensity of load depends on your objective. In a hypothetical muscle hypertrophy-focused full-body program, you want to make sure to implement a varied range of intensity of load. This means that a comprehensive full-body split in such a case would include heavy exercises (mostly at the beginning of the session) in the 3 to 6 rep range, medium exercises in the 6 to 12 rep range, and "light" movements in the 12 to 30 rep range. This is fundamental to elicit optimal hypertrophic response and tap into all the mechanisms of muscle growth (muscle damage, mechanical tension, metabolic stress).

  5. Progressions: as in every type of training split, progressive overload is pivotal in reaching your goal in a full-body split (whatever the nature of the objective). Progressive overload can manifest itself in many forms. Some of the main ones include: increasing the level of resistance, increasing the number of repetitions or sets performed (volume), increasing the quality of execution of a movement with the same weight as the previous time.

A Full Body Training Program

With all this information in mind, you may now have a more defined mental model around full-body training, or maybe not. The full-body training split is only one of the numerous ways to approach working out. Giving it a try with an open mind and a well-structured program can be beneficial to decide whether it is appropriate for you or not at this moment of your life. I recently designed a full-body program and tracking system in Notion. You can find the link to the downloadable program (and tracking system) below.

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Simone Smerilli
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