When designing a workout plan, one of the first big questions is how to structure it: should you do full-body workouts or a split routine? This choice is fundamental to your fitness journey, but the answer isn’t about which one is universally “better.” Instead, it’s about which one is the right experiment for you to run in your personal laboratory—your body.
At Pillar, we view every workout as a hypothesis. You apply a specific Stimulus to achieve a predictable outcome. Both full-body and split routines are valid forms of stimulus, but they differ in how they apply stress and manage recovery. The best choice depends on your training experience, schedule, and specific goals. This guide will help you analyze the data and form the right hypothesis for your next phase of training.
What Are Full-Body Workouts?
A full-body workout involves training all major muscle groups in a single session. This typically includes exercises for your chest, back, shoulders, arms, and legs. You would perform this type of workout 2-3 times per week on non-consecutive days to allow for adequate Regeneration.
The Proven Benefits of a Full-Body Approach
The primary advantage of full-body training is frequency. By stimulating muscles more often, you can trigger more frequent muscle protein synthesis (MPS), the process your body uses to repair and build muscle. Research has shown that for beginners, full-body workouts can be highly effective for building strength and muscle mass (1) because they provide a potent and frequent stimulus without requiring complex programming. This approach is also incredibly efficient, making it a perfect “Minimum Effective Dose” for those with limited time.
Best for:
- Beginners: Provides a great foundation and teaches fundamental movement patterns.
- Time-Crunched Individuals: Delivers a comprehensive workout in just a few sessions per week.
- Fat Loss Goals: Can be structured to maximize calorie expenditure in a single session.
What Are Split Routines?
A split routine divides your training sessions by muscle group or movement pattern. Common examples include:
- Upper/Lower Split: You train your upper body in one session and your lower body in another.
- Push/Pull/Legs: You divide workouts into pushing movements (chest, shoulders, triceps), pulling movements (back, biceps), and leg movements.
- Body Part Split: Each day is dedicated to one or two specific muscle groups (e.g., “Chest Day”).
The Proven Benefits of a Split Routine
Split routines allow for a higher volume of training per muscle group in a single session. This increased volume can be a powerful Stimulus for muscle growth, particularly for more experienced lifters. A study comparing full-body and split routines found that while both produced significant gains, split routines allowed for higher weekly volume, which can be beneficial for maximizing hypertrophy (2). By isolating muscle groups, you can focus all your energy on creating a very specific adaptation, and then allow that area to fully Regenerate while you train other parts of your body.
Best for:
- Intermediate to Advanced Lifters: Allows for the increased volume needed to overcome plateaus.
- Muscle Growth (Hypertrophy) Goals: The high volume per session is a key driver of muscle size.
- Individuals with More Training Days: Requires 4-6 days per week to be effective.
How to Choose: Auditing Your Personal Experiment
So, is it better to do full-body workouts or a split routine? It’s time to Audit your personal data and goals. Neither approach is inherently superior; the optimal choice is the one that aligns with your life.
- Analyze Your Schedule: How many days can you realistically commit to training? If it’s 2-3, a full-body routine is the clear winner. If you have 4 or more days, a split routine becomes a powerful option.
- Define Your Hypothesis: What is your primary goal right now? If it’s general strength and fitness, a full-body plan is excellent. If your goal is to maximize muscle size, a well-designed split routine may provide a more potent stimulus.
- Consider Your Experience: If you’re new to training, your body will respond well to almost any consistent stimulus. A full-body routine is a simple and effective way to build a strong foundation. More advanced lifters may find they need the focused volume of a split routine to continue making progress.
Ultimately, the best workout plan is the one you can stick with consistently. Think of yourself as a researcher. Start with the routine that best fits your current circumstances, run the experiment for 4-6 weeks, and then Audit the results. Are you getting stronger? Are you recovering well? Is it sustainable? Use that data to refine your hypothesis and continue your journey of personal discovery.
Sources
- Schoenfeld, B. J., et al. “Influence of Resistance Training Frequency on Muscular Adaptations in Well-Trained Men.” The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, vol. 29, no. 7, 2015, pp. 1821-1829.
- Schoenfeld, B. J., et al. “Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Sports Medicine, vol. 46, no. 11, 2016, pp. 1689-1697.