Total Body Workout VS Split Routines

[16Bore]

What's your take? I know there's plenty of guru's here. I've always done splits with one or two spin classes a week. Life, work, kids, and everything else tends to interrupt lately to point where I've had more skipped days than I'd prefer.

It is what it is.

I'm thinking about switching to TBW to maximize my time and at try to shed some of the imbalance. At least as I perceive it.


What say the Rok Joks?

 

[Brendan]

I prefer total body workouts, because I don't really have time for split, especially as the season approaches. Here's my general training approach

Day 1 - Gym - Total Body - Squats, Deadlifts, Pullups, Pushups, Planks, Flutter Kicks, Single Arm Rows, Shoulder Work (Rehab), Curls - Everything is proper form sets of 10-30 except for the body weight exercises depending on if I'm working strength or endurance
Day 2 - Light Run / Recovery
Day 3 - Long Run / Weighted Pack Hike
Day 4 - Light Run / Recovery
Day 5 - Stadium Running - Intervals / Endurance + light upper body / core workout at home
Day 6 - Light Run / Recovery
Day 7 - Rest Day

Then, Repeat. I'll delay a day as needed if I need an extra rest or recovery day.

Basically, I'm trying to focus on Cardio, Leg Endurance/Strength, Pack Training, Shooting my bow as well - so don't really have time for all that many trips to the gym to do split workouts. But, I feel like making time for the specific exercises I do is worth it for me.

 

[16Bore]

Shit man, I'm lucky to put together 3 days outta 7. That's the other thing, Monday isn't always "Monday" for me...

 

[Cant hit em]

In my opinion ( no guru ) For 3 days a week your better off total body using compound movements to get the most out of it.

push/legs/pull might be the best option if you stay on a split routine


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[Ross]

We're down to 60 days so my emphasis will be changing now to more dedicated time walking on the treadmill and stair master. Will do total body workout two days a week and cardio 4 days. Lucky my gym is just down the street for easy access. Monday 30-60 stair master, Tuesday total body, wed cardio again with Intervals split time on treadmill and stair master, Thursday total body, Friday quick 20 cardio and stretch, stretch everyday to some extent, Saturday and Sunday hr cardio. At the gym an hr avg per day some days longer other short depending on how the body feels. We get older and the mountains never flatter so do what I can to be prepared staying injury free as we approach season.

 

[Poser]

The Heavy Light Medium (HLM) model generally works well for supplementing athletic training combined with strength training. The basic template is set up as a 3 day program (squat, press, pull each session), but there is a 4 day variant that can be done in less than 60 min per session. The tradeoff on a 4 day program is you only squat twice a week, but with a focus on back packing, that's likely ideal. I went to the 4 day variant during peak snowboard season this past winter for this same reason and it worked pretty well in terms of strength maintenance, however, I find it necessary to squat 3x a week in order to achieve consistent progression. YMMV.


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[Muttly]

This from a former gym rat... Just turned 48, just got back into the gym. Work, life, kids, grandkids and such.. I ain't lifting waaay heavy again any time real soon.

To the point. Short and shitty whenever you can, do you a lot more good than putting it off till you have more time to do a dedicated work out..

TBW should go a ways to keep you in shape or get you back in shape. If time and progress converge, and allow you to start focusing on body groups, great. If it ain't on the plate just yet, run what ya brung ain't a bad way to go.

 

[Brendan]

Shit man, I'm lucky to put together 3 days outta 7. That's the other thing, Monday isn't always "Monday" for me...

Well - I've only got 3 heavier / harder days there. The other 3 are easy runs / recovery workouts. Maybe 30 mins on an elliptical, an easy 45 minute run, something along those lines to keep the body moving. As I get close to September - I do try to scale up on the time and distance on my feet with a pack, even if it means scaling back on some of the others.

Also - my days aren't necessarily hard and fast to the day of the week. If I need an extra rest day - I take it...

 

[Rmauch20]

I used to have everything split up into a specific day and it seemed like something always got skipped due to time restraints, more often than not it was leg day that got sacrificed. Now I complete the leg exercise every day I workout. With my work schedule I get three days in the weight room the next week will be 4 days. Cardio is done every day weights are done
Example
Day 1 is benchpress and deadlifts.
Day 2 shoulder press and squats
Day 3 back/neck and leg extensions and step ups

 

[Elkhunter777]

I do splits. It gives me better recovery. Arms and back, chest and shoulders, legs. In the gym every other day and a weighted pack the other 3 days. Remember anything you do will make a difference. Doing nothing is what's gonna get you.
Good luck,
Mark

 

[bluetick78]

When I was guiding (and younger) weight training seemed to be the only necessary workout for me because 9-10 months of the year was hiking long distances with somewhat heavy loads. Now that life has progressed and a real job and family have arrived, I have far less time to keep my fitness levels up to par. I've found over the last few years that if my time during the week gets pinched, staying up on my cardio is the top priority. I will forego weight training to keep my cardiovascular strength up.
As I age it seems that if I concentrate too much on upper body and only do cardio a couple times weekly, the effects are very negative when it comes time to hit the hills to scout. Basically what I'm saying is; in my years of high intensity, high-altitude Western hunting cardio will trump strength if you have to choose.

 

[GraveyardNRSE]

The best split I found was lifting at least 5 days a week and sometimes 6 if possible. I always hit my legs and arms x2 a week. I'm fortunate that my gym has a daycare on site, so I can go anytime. Nutrition and supplementation are also key for me. Working nights my body can get out of wack so getting enough protein and what not can be difficult at times. Doing tire flips, farmers walk and squat burnouts have tremendously helped in staying in shape. The key is finding if your specific muscles are fast/slow twitch and capitalizing on that.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I am on the wrong side of 40 and was a gym rat for a time.

These days, I work out when I can. 2-4x a week seems to be the norm.

One of the changes I had to make was shifting away from specialization. There is no point in blasting your bi's for an hour if you are only going to get two work outs that week. Besides, you may not be able to brush your teeth for a week afterwards.

Compound exercises. HITS.

I will do things like a Tabata alternating kettlebell movements with an airdyne bike. Keep it interesting and try to do stuff that is performance focused and fires a lot of muscles.

 

[Hall256]

In my opinion ( no guru ) For 3 days a week your better off total body using compound movements to get the most out of it.

push/legs/pull might be the best option if you stay on a split routine


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^^^^This is good advice...if you need a good routine look up Rippetoe's Guide to Strengths. His workout has been used for years by people wanting to gain strength and it is s simple "A" and "B" workout plan focusing only on major compounds moves.

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[jorgensen.travis]

I'm transitioning to TBW now that the season is approaching. I view isolation as more of building and maintaining muscles. I switched jobs around January and was really having trouble making my schedule work. I now get up 4:00 AM and workout. It took some getting used to, but now I kind of like it. Sometimes cardio is done on lunchtime because that's the only place it fits.


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[Jason Snyder]

TBW all the way. 60 minutes tops. Leaves more time to trail run and mountain bike.

 

[blake_mhoona]

I've been at the gym for 5 weeks straight on a 5 day rotation. First time to step into one since high school 10 years ago. I don't know if it's a good routine or not but I do:

MWF: squats, overhead press, dead lift 3 sets of 5-8. 100 Russian twists with 10lb medicine ball. Seated leg press 3 sets of 20. Lat pull down super sets with wide grip, narrow grip and reverse grip 3 sets one at 10, more weight at 8, more weight at 5

TTH: 20 mins stair master on hill plus level 5 (45-60 steps a min), 30 mins of inclined treadmill hill plus level 20 at 3.5-4mph (9.6%-15% slope)

 

[JP7]

I used to do splits a lot,but this year I've really enjoyed total body. My lifting workouts consist of an Olympic lift variation, a squat, a press and a pull. Gives me more time other days for conditioning and more time to shoot. Helps a lot when working long hours with long commutes. I did two months of alternating heavy weight low reps and moderate weight moderate reps. Currently I'm focusing on heavy weight low reps as I've upped he conditioning work. Then I'll transition into an undulating periodization model with a heavy day, a speed day and a hypertrophy day. After hunting is over I'll go back to splits for a few months. Variety helps keep me mentally engaged so I like to play with new training concepts


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[Superkodiak38]

I'm 51 and I normally run push/pull/legs/off and the cycle just continues.

The last couple of months I have been doing metabolic chains they consist of sets of 5,6,7,8,9,10,9,8,7,6,5 so you are performing a total of 80 reps per exercise, normally I do football bar bench, barbell rows and goblet squats.
You can start out at about 60 percent of your max as you are performing a lot of reps ( with three exercises that's 240 total reps) I go from bench to row to squat with no rest, only stopping when I have to and for as long as you have to, it will gas you pretty quick at first. The goal is to get through it without stopping then to reduce your time. I will do this with a rest day in between for a week.

The following week I will do the same three exercises with 2 minutes rest between sets. Sets 5,6- 60 % of max,7-8 70 % of max, 9-10 80 % of max then one set of 5 at 90% of max for a total of 50 reps per exercise or 150 total. It works well for me, I also do trails / training hikes with a 40 pound pack a couple of times a week on the "off days". As stated above anything is better than nothing, I like the cardio component and also being able to build/ maintain strength.

 

[ElkNut1]

For years I was a full body workout guy & enjoyed it tons! Took 2 hours Monday, Wednesday & Friday, I was very religious with my workouts as I'm one of those guys that really enjoyed them, been that way my whole life! In my opinion half the battle is having the desire & motivation to want to do it. If you're working out temporarily for a cause it's tough to get your heart & mind into it & stay with it. This is where most folks are these days so they drift away out of boredom or they don't see results quick enough, it takes serious dedication to WANT to workout!

With that said, I now do a split routine these days, I still feel I get as good as a workout but shaved 30 minutes off my past workouts. I feel my results are pretty much the same & I'm OK with that at 62. I still have that desire to Want to do it & I sure hope I can maintain that attitude into my 70's (fingers crossed-grin)

For myself, I try to keep things interesting & put achievable goals in front of me. I enjoy a degree of cardio but apply most my energy into weights & a variety of exercises that work my entire body. Right now I've set a goal of a 240-lb bench press, it's been years since I've done that weight so I felt it was a good thing to work towards. At present I'm 5'-7" @ 148 lbs & can bench 225 lbs once! Placing this goal in front of me helps me to want to work harder for all my exercises in hopes it will give me the strength & confidence needed! I've never been to a gym, I do all this in my home!

I also jog but rarely over a mile as I just don't care for running! (grin) I do carry a weighted pack from May to Sept. 4 days a week, I do this from 1-1/2 mile to 3 miles at a time. I start with 35# & will get to 60# by Aug & stay with that. This will aid me to pack 100# loads of elk meat no matter where they fall.

I say go with your gut in choosing a workout that fits your lifestyle & time frame. Whatever you do fit a workout program into your life, your body & mind will appreciate it! I've been doing this for nearly 50 years now & don't regret it for a second! It keeps my mind & body young for sure! (grin)

ElkNut/Paul