Last Updated on January 21, 2020 by Nick J-Pepe
With so many different kinds of workout routines that you can choose from and implement, it can be difficult for a beginner to know which one to pick and where to start.
Below, we will be discussing some of the differences between the full-body workout vs. split for mass building.
1) Full body workout vs. split for mass
1.1) Full body workout
A full-body workout is one that focuses on all major muscle groups in a single workout. Thus, the workout targets all of the different areas of your body including your chest, back, arms, legs, and shoulders.
Because of this, it is a complete workout that is great for those that are looking to incorporate a balanced workout into their routines.
Along with this, a full-body workout usually includes the use of isolation exercises which can help limit specific workouts to various areas of the body and helps target these areas for maximum benefit.
1.2) Split for mass workout routine
When it comes to a split for a mass workout routine, it focuses on specific muscle groups during each workout. Usually, someone that is incorporating this specific kind of routine in their workout would focus on different areas each day.
For instance, they might have one day dedicated to the chest, one to back exercises, and so on.
This is a great option for those that really want to target specific areas on different days which will enable them to get effective workouts in each day rather than having to rest in between more to recover from workouts.
2) Pros of full-body workout vs. split for mass
2.1) Convenient
One of the biggest benefits of a full-body workout is the convenience factor. Full-body workouts are one of the most convenient ways to workout because you will be able to get an entire workout completed in a single day at the gym.
Because of this, you will be able to utilize a day in between as a rest day. Thus, you should be able to get full-body workouts in around 3 days a week and have the days in between as full rest days which will give you complete workouts in much less time than splitting them up.
You should be able to achieve great strength gains in minimal time as a result of working out your entire body each day you workout.
2.2) Better for fat loss
Another benefit of this type of workout routine is the ability to accelerate fat loss.
Because you will be focusing on implementing compound exercises in your workout days and have a killer full-body workout each time you workout, it is going to get your heart rate pumping faster than you would be able to from splitting them up.
At the same time, you will have much less rest time in between sets which are going to increase your heart rate and metabolism further. This would allow you to burn a significant amount more calories than you would be able to if you were to split your workouts up. Get some affordable supplements from our iHerb discount code special guide page.
2.3) Workout muscle groups more often
Another benefit of having a total body workout each time you workout is the ability to work out various muscle groups more often.
When you end up splitting your muscle groups up and working out each one on a different day, you are going to end up working out each muscle group a maximum of one time per week.
While this might be enough to make strides, you are not going to be able to experience the kind of strength improvements or gains that you would be able to when you work them out more frequently throughout the week.
Because a total body workout will be done around 3 times per week, you will be able to work out the same muscle group at least 3 times per week which might improve your gains and strength numbers quicker.
3) Cons of full-body workout vs. split for mass
3.1) No targeting
One of the biggest negatives associated with full-body workouts is the lack of ability to target body parts that might be lagging behind others.
This is particularly true for those that are more advanced lifters because typically people have certain muscles and areas of their body that simply are not at the level as other muscles throughout their bodies.
Therefore, you are going to have less of an ability to target these lagging areas which is going to stunt your growth of generating a much more balanced body and it might even end up increasing your risk of injury.
3.2) Unsustainable intensity
Another negative associated with working out full body each time is the unsustainability of the intensity of your workouts. The fact is, your body needs time to recover.
You are not always going to be able to put forth a high-intensity level if you are constantly working out the same muscle groups with minimal rest time in between.
Thus, your intensity is likely to drop which can decrease the effectiveness of each of your workouts that day.
4) Pros of split workout routines
4.1) Maximum intensity every day
One of the biggest benefits of this kind of workout is the ability to have 100% maximum effort and intensity towards a different muscle group each day.
Because you will not have to worry about recovering a specific muscle group that you worked out recently, you will be able to make tremendous gains due to having more intensity every workout.
4.2) Easier targeting of weaker body parts
You will be able to focus on gaining strength and targeting specific body parts that might be lagging behind because you will be focusing on a specific muscle group each workout.
4.3) Easier to build strength
Because you are going to be focusing on one single muscle group per session, you will be able to go all out and not have to worry about minimizing recovery times.
This alone will allow you to build more strength because you will be able to lift heavier weights each session for each muscle group.
5) Cons of split workout routines
5.1) More time-consuming
The main negative associated with this type of workout is the fact that it can be much more time consuming having to dedicate more time and energy to single muscle groups and having to work out more days per week.
5.2) More boring
Focusing on a single muscle group each day can get very boring considering you will need to have a lot of dedicated exercises to a single muscle group each day.
Conclusion
Overall, there are plenty of pros and cons to each. Choosing the right one is going to largely depend on the amount of time you have available and your fitness goals.
