Weight training: full-body vs. split days

[wild_wild_wes]

Which is going to give you greater benefits, a full-body program such as 5 - 3 - 1, where you hit all muscle groups each workout, three times a week with a day off between sessions for recovery, or a system where you work only one body part a day, five or six days a week?

[QuickStrike]

There are different variations of the 5-3-1. The optimal one imo revolves around a compound lift and 2-3 acessories, 4 times a week.

It's awesome for general strength, but maybe too little isolation work for getting swole swole(if that is your goal).

[Javelin]

Alternating the workout every 8 weeks from push and pull on alternate days of a 5-day split and then combing push and pull days on 8 weeks later has given me some good results from muscle gain plateu. There is however no muscle formulary as cross-fit really works for toning and shaping while maintaining a cut physique but most personal trainers would opt for segmented muscle isolation days working a muscle group during each session with 2 days recovery of that muscle group for growth over total body workout if strength training is your goal.

Here is an example:
Monday - legs
Tuesday - chest & tri's
Wednesday - off day
Thursday - back (rows from all angles)
Friday - light legs & heavy shoulders (not rear delts)
Saturday - back & bicepts isolation
Sunday - off

[Javelin]

Alternate 5 day split following an 8 week regiment of the above could look like this.

Mon - chest and light back
Tues - legs
Wednesday - back and light chest
Thursday - shoulders and legs
Friday - off
Saturday - chest and bicepts

Obviously I would recommend working in abs and core I between sets on every day to improve muscle tone of the abs and obliques and to keep heart rate up while working out. This way you don't have to do cardio on a machine as your heart rate will be increased during every workout regiment.


Try to average 5 different exercises per muscle group with 3-5 sets of 12-15 reps working on perfect form.. I call it "Pick 5" workout routine. That is just works for me so play with it on what works for you.

[wild_wild_wes]

There are different variations of the 5-3-1. The optimal one imo revolves around a compound lift and 2-3 acessories, 4 times a week.

It's awesome for general strength, but maybe too little isolation work for getting swole swole(if that is your goal).

I'm doing 5-3-1 right now. It calls for 3X/week workouts.

I'm using the accessory lifts (for a total of four each session, whatever group is not being targeted by the main lift) for isolation work (he says he doesn't care much about these, since the big focus is on the mains). So I'm hitting each group with isolation work 3X/week. I'm just not sure if this is as good as working each on a seperate day.

[Ironman8]

It depends on your goals. Are you trying to build muscle? Lose fat? Other?

[wild_wild_wes]

My main goal is fat loss.

[shaneinhisroom]

If I were thinking fat loss I would do compound lifts and HIIT 3-4 times a week and a recovery cardio the rest of the week (rowing, swimming, jogging). Isolation won't help you lose fat as much.

Also, do not cut your calories. Keep your calories up by eating lean meats, veggies and complex carbs. The fat will come off slower if you're in a caloric deficit, and you'll be more tired and lose motivation.

[Ironman8]

My main goal is fat loss.

I'll preface this by saying that fat loss has more to do with diet than what type of workout you do, but the reason I asked for goal is to narrow down what workout is best suited for which weekly structure.

Splits are better suited to muscle gain since you will most likely be doing heavy concentrated lifts on a specific body part. (My favorite is a 3 day split where you hit the same bodypart the 3rd day after the first workout...Mon/Thurs, Tues/Fri, Wed/Sat, [Sunday rest]).

Total body lifts are better suited for high intensity circuits that keep your heart rate up, which will burn more fat. Doing those 3 days a week is great, but I tend to want to do cardio on my "off" days as well. Maybe a max of 5 days workout with the weekend as a rest period. Keep your cardio centered around intervals/cycles or do HIIT. Also, change up the actual exercise for a particular muscle group (within the circuit) from workout to workout just to hit it from all angles.

Hope that makes sense.

[wild_wild_wes]

If I were thinking fat loss I would do compound lifts and HIIT 3-4 times a week and a recovery cardio the rest of the week (rowing, swimming, jogging). Isolation won't help you lose fat as much.

Also, do not cut your calories. Keep your calories up by eating lean meats, veggies and complex carbs. The fat will come off slower if you're in a caloric deficit, and you'll be more tired and lose motivation.

I do HIIT, but usually only 2x/week, because when in the past I did three days, the intensity fell off.

Calories are a problem. If I eat more than 2000, I can't lose anything, no matter what I do; I'm 5'8", 210 lbs., and my RMR is 2376 kCal/day. So right now I'm averaging 1850 cals daily.