What Type of Training Should I Choose: SPLIT or FBW?

This issue keeps many people, who want to build up their muscular systems through exercise, awake at night. Some believe that full-body training is useless, since muscles have to be destroyed by many different exercises and series to grow and then build up new fibers. However, others argue that full-body training is much better because muscles receive more frequent stimulation.

ADVANTAGES: – exceptional choice for training directed towards reducing fat tissue; – more frequent stimulation of muscles for growth; – continuous maintenance of the anabolic state of all muscles; – balanced development of the whole body; – frequent performance of a specific exercise improves the connection between the nervous system and the muscle, resulting in better strength gains and improved technique in performing exercises; – if any single workout is missed, it will not have a significant impact on the distribution of exercises in the weekly context (which occurs in the case of split training); – better regeneration of joints and ligaments compared to SPLIT training, in which a specific joint (e.g. shoulder, elbow) is often engaged within 2-3 consecutive days, which can lead to inflammation; – muscles appear larger throughout the week due to increased supply of nutrients; – FBW is simple and easy to design. DISADVANTAGES: – training is exhausting due to the pumping of large amounts of blood throughout the body; – limited possibilities for setting priorities for a specific muscle group; – if the sequence of exercises is incorrect, it can easily lead to overloading a single muscle group, which can lead to difficulties in maintaining proper technique and, in the worst case, to injury.

BENEFITS OF SPLIT: – very strong muscle stimulation for growth; – easier to prioritize a given muscle group, thus helping to balance imbalance; – the possibility to apply isolation exercises which support the improvement of muscle shape and definition; – significantly easier to improve muscle sensing due to very strong muscle pump.. Muscle sensing translates later into exercise execution technique; – the possibility to attack muscles at different angles, thanks to carefully selected exercises; – relatively difficult to overtrain the CNS (Central Nervous System); – significantly easier to focus on 1-2 trained muscle groups.. DRAWBACKS OF SPLIT: – not particularly recommended for individuals for whom another sport is a priority, e.g. football, due to the possibility of muscle soreness; – relatively infrequent stimulation of the specific muscle group; – slower learning of movement patterns that we acquire through frequent repetitions of an exercise; – easy to overdo it with the training volume.

Undoubtedly, FBW training and SPLIT training with a party trained once a week are considered extreme training methods... However, there are variations of split training that show moderate tendencies... And in my opinion, these are excellent training methods for both intermediate and advanced followers of strength sports... They allow you to take advantage of many benefits that are offered by general training and SPLIT-type split training... The duration of each training session is much greater than in general training, and each training session is performed more often than once a week... They give us great benefits, and I recommend this type of methods especially for intermediate individuals... Although I do not say that this is not a method for advanced ones, as it is successfully used by strength sports athletes with more than 10 years of experience... It is about the proper selection of exercises, their distribution, methodology, intensity, and muscle sensation... To this type of methods belong, for example, trainings with the following divisions: a) PUSH & PULLW, in which we usually perform 4 training sessions per week and divide groups into pushing and pulling exercises... Each muscle group is trained twice a week... To PUSH training belong all pressing exercises, so we train the chest muscles, the shoulder muscles (shoulders), the three-headed arm muscles (triceps), the four-headed thigh muscles (front part of the thighs), and the calves... On the other hand, to PULL training belong all pulling exercises, so we train the back muscles, the rear parts of the shoulder muscles (back of the shoulders), the two-headed arm muscles (biceps), the two-headed thigh muscles (back part of the thighs), and the abdominal muscles... Example plan: Monday: PUSHWTuesday: PULLWednesday: regenerationThursday: PUSHFriday: PULLSaturday: regenerationSunday: regenerationorMonday: PUSHWTuesday: regenerationWednesday: PULLThursday: regenerationFriday: PUSH Saturday: regenerationSunday: PULLitd... B) PUSH & PULL & LEGSThis is a method similar to the typical push & pull, but leg training is performed on a separate session... In PUSH training, we perform exercises for the chest muscles, the shoulder muscles (shoulders), and the three-headed arm muscles (triceps)... In PULL training, we train the back muscles, the two-headed arm muscles (biceps), the rear parts of the shoulder muscles (back of the shoulders), and the abdominal muscles... To LEGS training belong the four-headed thigh muscles (front part of the thighs), the two-headed thigh muscles (back part of the thighs), and the calves... Example plan: Monday: PUSHWTuesday: PULLWednesday: LEGSThursday: regenerationFriday: regenerationSaturday: PUSH Sunday: PULLMonday: LEGSTuesday: regenerationWednesday: regenerationitd... OrMonday: PUSHWTuesday: regenerationWednesday: LEGSThursday: regenerationFriday: PULLSaturday: regenerationSunday: PUSHMonday: regenerationTuesday: LEGSitd... C) TOP – BOTTOMAn interesting method that divides training into upper and lower muscle groups... In TOP training, we train the back muscles, the chest muscles, the shoulder muscles (shoulders), the three-headed arm muscles (triceps), and the two-headed arm muscles (biceps)... Theoretically, we could also train the abdominal muscles here, but I suggest performing the abdominal training for balance after the BOTTOM training... When training the bottom, we train the following parts: the four-headed thigh muscles (front part of the thighs), the two-headed thigh muscles (back part of the thighs), the calves, and the abdominal muscles... Example plan: Monday: TOPTuesday: BOTTOMWednesday: regenerationThursday: TOPFriday: BOTTOMSaturday: regenerationSunday: regenerationorMonday: TOPTuesday: regenerationWednesday: BOTTOMThursday: regenerationFriday: TOPSaturday: regenerationSunday: BOTTEND) FRONT – BACKAn unusual plan, but a great variety of the above types of split training methods... In FRONT training, we perform exercises for the chest muscles, the front and side parts of the shoulder muscles (front and side parts of the shoulders), the two-headed arm muscles (biceps), the four-headed thigh muscles (front part of the thighs), and the abdominal muscles... On the other hand, in BACK training, we perform exercises for the back muscles, the rear part of the shoulder muscles (back of the shoulders), the two-headed thigh muscles (back part of the thighs), and the calves... Example plan: Monday: FRONTTuesday: regenerationWednesday: BACKThursday: regenerationFriday: FRONTSaturday: regenerationSunday: BACKIt is important to properly select the number of exercises and the training duration and intensity to avoid overloading the muscles and the central nervous system... If one is intermediate or advanced, one can certainly make the proper selection of exercises oneself... However, if one is a beginner and wants to try this type of training, it is best to approach a competent person who can advise whether one is already ready for this type of training and who can help with the selection of appropriate exercises.