full body training Archives

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Bodybuilding Specific Full Body Training

Typically when we think of bodybuilding specific training we think of a workout routine where you train each muscle group once a week, maybe twice. As the science of training advances we learn new ways of training. One method that is rising above the rest is full body training. The key advantage to full body training is that it allows you to train all muscle groups more frequently throughout the week, which leads to more growth. The thing we gotta talk about is, how do we apply this to bodybuilding?

The Bodybuilding Body Part Split Method

A typical body part split routine is 5 days per week, targeting each muscle group once or twice per week. This method of training relies on a high enough amount of total volume within the range 10-20 sets per week on each muscle group. The total amount of set volume can even be as high as 30 sets weekly for very advanced competitive bodybuilders.

Men's Routine

Chest & Biceps

Barbell Incline Press
Barbell Bench Press
Dumbbell Incline Press
Dumbbell Chest Press
Cable Chest Fly
EZ Barb Bicep Curl
Dumbbell SPider Curl
Weighted Sit Ups

Back & Triceps

Barbell Hang Row
Dumbbell S. Arm Row
Cable Lat Pull Down
Cable Close Grip Pull Down
Dumbbell Pull Over
Dumbbell Tricep Extension
Cable Tricep Push Down
Hanging Leg Raises

Legs

Barbell Hip Bridge
Barbell Back Squat
Barbell Romanian Deadlift
Plate Loaded Leg Press
Dumbbell Reverse Lunge
Seated Leg Curl
Prone S. Leg Curl
Cable Wood Chop

Shoulders

Barbell Overhead Press
Dumbbell Arnold Press
Dumbbell Front Raise
Dumbbell Upright Row
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Dumbbell Reverse Fly
Cable Face Pull
Supine Leg Raise Arc

Arms

Barbell Close Grip Bench Press
Barbell Supine Tricep Extension
Cable Tricep Push Down
Body Weight Dip
Barbell Bicep Curl
Dumbbell Alternating Curl
Dumbbell Hammer Curl
Dumbbell Reverse Curl

Women's Routine

Glutes & Hamstrings

Resistance Band Crab Walk
S. Leg Hip Bridge
Barbell Hip Bridge
Barbell Sumo Deadlift
Dumbbell Stiff Leg Deadlift
Seated Leg Curl
Prone S. Leg Curl
Cable Wood Chop

Chest & Shoulders

Barbell Bench Press
Dumbbell Chest Press
Dumbbell Incline Press
Dumbbell Arnold Press
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Dumbbell Reverse Fly
Cable Face Pull
Supine Leg Raise Arc

Back & Biceps

Barbell Hang Row
Dumbbell S. Arm Row
Cable Lat Pull Down
Cable Close Grip Pull Down
Dumbbell Pull Over
Dumbbell Bicep Curl
Dumbbell Hammer Curl
Prone External Knee Tuck

Legs

Barbell Hip Bridge
Barbell Back Squat
Barbell Romanian Deadlift
Plate Loaded Leg Press
Dumbbell Lateral Lunge
Walking Lunge
Prone S. Leg Curl
Cable Wood Chop

Shoulders

Barbell Overhead Press
Dumbbell Arnold Press
Dumbbell Front Raise
Dumbbell Upright Row
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Dumbbell Reverse Fly
Cable Face Pull
Supine Leg Raise Arc

The Bodybuilding Body Full Body Method

With the full body method you can reach the same amount of training volume while achieving 2-4 times the frequency toward each muscle group. Simply take a few of the most effective exercises per muscle group and 1 in for each training day. Here’s an example of what that would look like.

Men's Routine

Day 1

Prone S. Leg Curl
Barbell Back Squat
Barbell Incline Press
Chest Supported Row
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Cable Tricep Push Down
Dumbbell Reverse Fly
Cable Wood Chop

Day 2

Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat
Barbell Stiff Leg Deadlift
Barbell Bench Press
Dumbbell Arnold Press
Cable Lean Back Lat Pull Down
Dumbbell Spider Curl
Cable Seated Face Pull
Hanging Leg Raise

Day 3

Plate Loaded Leg Press
Seated Leg Curl
Dumbbell Incline Press
Dumbbell S. Arm Row
Cable S. Arm Lateral Raise
Body Weight Dip
Cable S. Arm Reverse Fly
Cable Wood Chop

Day 4

Barbell Romanian Deadlift
Dumbbell Walking Lunge
Dumbbell Chest Press
Dumbbell Half Kneeling Press
Cable Close Grip Lat Pull Down
Dumbbell Hammer Curl
Cable Seated Rope Row
Prone External Knee Tuck

Day 5

Prone S. Leg Curl
Barbell Back Squat
Barbell Incline Press
Barbell Rack Row
Dumbbell Upright Row
Dumbbell Supine Tricep Extension
Cable S. Arm Reverse Fly
Cable Wood Chop

Women's Routine

Day 1

Barbell Back Squat
Barbell Hip Bridge
Prone S. Leg Curl
Barbell Bench Press
Dumbbell Arnold Press
Dumbbell Row
Dumbbell Bicep Curl
Cable Face Pull
Cable Wood Chop

Day 2

Barbell Romanian Deadlift
Dumbbell S. Leg Hip Bridge
Dumbbell Lateral Lunge
Dumbbell Incline Press
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Cable Close Grip Lat Pull Down
Cable Tricep Push Down
Dumbbell Reverse Fly
Prone External Knee Tuck

Day 3

Barbell Hip Bridge
Seated Leg Curl
Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat
Dumbbell Chest Press
Dumbbell Upright Row
Cable Seated Row
Dumbbell Hammer Curl
Cable S. Arm Reverse Fly
Supine Cycling Twist

Day 4

Seated Hip Abduction
Barbell Sumo Deadlift
Dumbbell Walking Lunge
Dumbbell Closed Chest Press
Cable S. Arm Lateral Raise
Cable Lat Pull Down
Cable Overhead Tricep Extension
Cable Seated Rope Row
Crescent Plank

Day 5

Barbell Sumo Squat
Barbell Hip Bridge
Prone S. Leg Curl
Barbell Bench Press
Dumbbell Half Kneeling Press
Dumbbell Dead Stop Row
Dumbbell Bicep Curl
Cable Face Pull
Cable Wood Chop

Keep in mind balancing intensity levels to avoid burnout from over training. A good way of doing this is undulating intensity levels and staying within an effort level range of 65-85%.

Additional benefits to this method of training is that it works very well with people on unstable schedules, because missing a training day will not derail your progress. Tribe By Noire members get all my full body training programs. Whether male or female, beginner, or advanced, there’s a training program that fits your criteria.

Tribe By Noire

I’ve created this platform to help you become the most powerful version of yourself through fitness, plant based nutrition, and mindset coaching.

Tribe By Noire

Full Body Training Vs Body Part Split Training

A relatively new debate has risen in the marketplace of fitness in regards to muscle hypertrophy. The most common approach to muscle building for the most part has been body part split routines, but now this method is being challenged by the idea that full body training is actually superior. There are even scientific studies that show full body training is the way to go. There’s a lot of nuance in this discussion, so I’m gonna break this down for you, so you can understand it from every angle.

The 3 Most Important Factors For Muscle Building

Understand that no matter what training split you choose, it will only work if its implemented correctly. In regards to muscle building your program needs these 3 things.

Frequency – This is how many times per week you train a muscle. Ideal frequency should be 2-3 times per week with 24-48 hours in between.
Volume – This is your weekly total of how many sets and reps you do. For hypertrophy, volume should be between 14-20 sets per week.
Intensity – This is how hard you train a muscle within a training session. The weight you use on the big compound lifts should be between 70-85%.

All three of these factors have to be in your program with frequency and volume being the top priorities. The training split you choose will determine the levels that these factors will be implemented at.

Full Body Training

Full body training is pretty self explanatory. On each training day you would target all the major muscle groups with mostly compound exercises that target,

Pressing muscles
Pulling muscles
Lower body muscles
Core muscles

Here’s what a week of training on a full body program would look like.

Day 1

Back Squat
Romanian Deadlift
Bench Press
Pull Up
Overhead Press
Wood Chop

Day 2

Conventional Deadlift
Bulgarian Split Squat
Incline Press
Chest Supported Row
Dip
Hanging Leg Raise

Day 3

Back Squat
Push Press
Hang Row
Close Grip Bench Press
Glute Ham Raise
Weighted Sit Up

Full body training is all about high frequency training and the big compound movements. According to scientific research, full body training yields better results than body part split training because of the high priority on frequency. The high frequency also offsets the fact that volume is not going to be as high as a body part split. Doing 20 sets a week on all the big lifts will burn you out and ultimately cause you to lose muscle and strength. You can reach 15 sets weekly by doing 3 sets on each muscle group on the 3 days of training.

This training split would be ideal for you if,

You only have 3 days to commit to training.
You need to prioritizing training for your sport.
You struggle with being consistent with training.

The Upper Lower Split

The upper lower split is also pretty self explanatory. You alternate between an upper body training day and a lower body training day. Here’s what a week of training on an upper lower split would like.

Day 1

Back Squat
Romanian Deadlift
Walking Lunge
Prone Leg Curl
Cable Wood Chop
Hanging Leg Raise

Day 2

Chest Supported Row
Bench Press
Lat Pull Down
Overhead Press
Spider Curl
Weighted Dip

Day 3

Conventional Deadlift
Bulgarian Split Squat
Walking Lunge
Prone Leg Curl
Cable Wood Chop
Hanging Leg Raise

Day 4

Incline Press
Lat Pull Down
Chest Press
Single Arm Row
Skull Crushers
Hammer Curl

With the upper lower split, frequency is reduced to 2x per week, but its easier to reach a training volume of 20 sets per week. This is the training split I use mostly and what I’ve known to work for most people in my experience. It gives you the benefits of a body part split without sacrificing too much frequency. With this split you also get 3 off days to work on things like mobility and cardio conditioning.

Push Pull Legs

This training split is not for the faint of heart. This isn’t for the people who “just want to build some muscle.” This is for those who are truly dedicated to building a phenomenal physique. The 20 sets of volume is very easy to reach with this training split, and the intensity as well. The main draw back to this training split is that it is 6 days per week.

2x Per Week

Push

Bench Press
Incline Press
Arnold Press
Lateral Raise
Skull Crushers
Weighted Sit Up

Pull

Hang Row
Lat Pull Down
Single Arm Row
Reverse Fly
Barbell Bicep Curl
Spider Curl

Legs

Barbell Hip Bridge
Back Squat
Romanian Deadlift
Bulgarian Split Squat
Prone Leg Curl
Hanging Leg Raise

This type of training split makes room for a great deal of exercise variation and rep schemes. Hitting 20 sets per muscle group shouldn’t be a problem, as long as you do all 3 workouts twice per week. I wouldn’t advise you to do this training split if you struggle with motivation, consistency, and/or a busy schedule.

In conclusion, all methods work well if implemented correctly, but the determining factors in which route you choose depends on your lifestyle and goals..

Tribe By Noire

I’ve created this platform to help you become the most powerful version of yourself through fitness, plant based nutrition, and mindset coaching.