timeThere’s something incredibly satisfying about the idea of focusing your movement on one part of your body and then continually fatiguing it until you feel that sweet burn.
Perhaps that’s one reason why split workouts—which focus on different parts of the body or muscle groups on different days—are so popular, especially In the age of fitness influencers.
For one thing, Girard said, it’s easier to create clickable content around “leg day” than around more balanced, full-body exercises. And, “the fitness industry loves to glorify pain,” Girard says, and these discrete movements often lead to more muscle soreness than concentrated, full-body movements.
But split training also has some major benefits: greater potential for muscle gain and muscle growth, and more time to thoroughly challenge each muscle group. But full-body exercise also has its own unique lifestyle and physiological benefits, such as efficiency.
This begs the question: Which exercise option is right for you? We dive into everything you need to know about full-body vs. split workouts so you can make the decision that’s best for your fitness.
Related stories
full body workout
benefit
The best workout for you is one that you actually do and that fits your schedule. For many busy people, full-body exercise makes more sense in order to increase efficiency.
“Total-body exercises allow you to train multiple muscle groups in one session, often using compound movements that work multiple muscles simultaneously,” says Stephen Ranellone, CSCS, FRCms, FMS, an exercise physiologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery . “This is very effective, especially if you can only exercise once or twice a week. These classes also increase caloric expenditure, which is beneficial for fat loss and improved fitness.
Girard points out that unlike split training, which typically requires resting between sets, full-body training allows you to switch to new muscle groups instead of resting, which improves both efficiency and endurance.
Full-body exercise can also stimulate your brain more, says certified personal trainer and exercise physiologist Annie Ho, CPT. They can be safer for people with orthopedic problems or injuries. “Total body movement promotes better movement dynamics and stability,” she says.
There are also benefits to working all major muscle groups multiple times per week, assuming you’re able to perform multiple full-body exercises (unlike splits, which can only work each area once per week).
The best workout for you is one that you actually do and that fits your schedule.
shortcoming
Because full-body exercises challenge so many muscle groups, they often require serious recovery, Lanelon says. He recommends exercising 24 to 48 hours after a full-body workout to avoid overtraining and fatigue. It also means you can only do so many full-body workouts a week (Ho recommends limiting your workouts to three, at least in the beginning), unlike split training, where you can work your legs throughout the day, The next day you can do an upper body workout.
Another limitation of full-body exercises: You won’t be able to achieve the same volume of each muscle group as with split exercises, Ranellone says. translate? Achieving muscle hypertrophy is difficult, which means that if you have specific goals related to building muscle, full-body exercise may not be enough for you.
Split training
benefit
If you want to build strength and/or muscle, and have the time to devote to it, split training may be for you. “One advantage of focusing on one muscle group per exercise is that it allows for more sets and reps, which is good for muscle hypertrophy and strength development,” says Ranellone. “You can spend more time targeting the muscle from different angles, increasing your ability to effectively challenge and stimulate it.”
You’ll also recover faster from split movements, given that only one part of your body is fatigued. “Let’s say you have pain in your legs, and the next day you’re probably going to get bumps in your arms and shoulders,” Ho said.
Girard says the feeling of “leg day” also brings a sense of complete satisfaction. “For some people, knowing they’re going to show up to the gym and just have legs, they feel a sense of satisfaction, and that’s huge for persistence,” she says. “This will create a huge incentive.”
“If you’re in pain that affects your life, what are you training for?” —Laura Girard, CPT
shortcoming
Working all muscle groups (back, arms, chest, core, legs, etc.) in a true split routine requires multiple sessions, which may not fit your schedule or lifestyle. While sore hamstrings on leg day won’t necessarily prevent you from participating in arm day tomorrow, those hamstrings can be very, very sore due to isolation work (so you may only be able to work out once a week or so).
“If you kick your legs hard enough to make progress, it may interfere with your other daily activities,” Girard says. “If you go to the gym and sit on the toilet and it hurts for a week, it’s not going to be that appealing again. If you’re in pain that affects your life, what are you training for?
Split workouts can also start to feel repetitive and possibly boring because too much time is spent doing the same exercise on the same muscles, Ho says. Poorly planned split training can lead to muscle imbalances, causing certain groups to be overworked and others neglected, she says.
Total Body vs. Fractioned Exercises: The Bottom Line
Ranellone recommends considering your time, experience level and goals when deciding whether a full-body or split-body workout is best for you.
If you’re a beginner or only have time to exercise one or two days a week, opt for a full-body class. If you are more experienced, have more time to exercise, or are looking to build muscle, split training may be more suitable.
Remember: You don’t have to take an all-or-nothing approach to one or the other. As long as you do an adequate recovery program, mixing some full-body training and some split training into your daily routine will allow you to reap the benefits of both.
“Don’t overthink it,” Girard said. “It’s not that deep, anything that sounds more appealing will become what you do, so start there. If it doesn’t work for you, don’t be afraid to change it.
