About Brian Expertise I can help set up a weightlifting program, give suggestions on specific exercises and how to deal with injuries. We can discuss your goals and effective ways to work towards them. I compete at powerlifting, and have been weightlifting for over 15 years.
Experience 15 years weightlifting experience, including competitive powerlifting.
Question I would like to know your opinion of one of the most debated issues in weight training "which is better, full body routines or split routines, for building muscle? It seems to me like nowadays you turn to any bodybuilding magazine, and you will never, ever, see any mention of full-body routines. Everything is about split routines. It almost makes me think, that if you want to look as big and muscular as you can, like many of the bodybuilders in these magazines, then you have to weight train on a split routine. You even read of powerlifters and sports players being on these split routines. It almost tells me that full-body routines just don't work as good. I know that many people out there say that many of these bodybuilders take steroids nowadays to look really muscular, but what about the ones that don't? Also, it's very confusing as to which split routine is best for building muscle, since there are so many of those routines out there (what's your opinion?). There is only 1 article that I have run across a few months back in Men's Health Magazine that is actually based on science and research that may put an end to people doing split routines, and instead, doing full-body routines if they want to gain the most muscle. This may also change weight training science as a whole. Please read this article (which I included as a link at the end of this message) and then tell me if it may change the way everybody may look at training to gain muscle, and also after reading the article, how your opinion stands on the whole full-body routine vs. split routines? Thanks so much for your expert assistance.
Answer Dave - I don't think I'd call this one of the most debated issues. There is really no debate: split training has many advantages. I don't know of a single serious lifter in any walk of life that uses a full body routine.
The article you pointed to is about maintaining muscle mass, particularly in zero-gravity. It's kind of apples and oranges comparing this with articles on bodybuilding (gaining muscle on earth).
In order to gain muscle, you need three things, primarily:
1. Resistance training (weight lifting) at a heavy enough weight to challenge the muscles (break down the muscle fibers), done in a lot of short bursts (sets).
2. Nutrients (protein and B vitamins in particular).
3. Rest. Muscles need a minimum of 72 hours to rest and grow. This is where full body routines are the weakest. If you workout more than twice per week, you don't offer your muscles enough rest to grow. Additionally, if you only workout once or twice per week, you end up adding body fat faster than muscle.
