Yes, targeted training has many of it’s own benefits, but I want to share how we feel strongly that the benefits of full body strength training as so much more powerful here at www.powher.fit. Our fitness programs and business model is planned specifically around full body strength training because we believe so heavily in the benefits of full body workouts! I figured it was time for an in-depth blog post to cover all the advantages our members take advantage of as compared to other programs that focus on split training (targeted training).
There’s no skirting the fact that functional, full-body movements provide the most value for time and effort within a fitness program. Exercises like lunges and push-ups will always be more effective than exercises that isolate a single muscle — and for those with limited time (which seems to be everyone of our members or just the overall population in general), we owe it to ourselves to get the most out of each and every workout. I call full body strength training the best bang for your buck as far as fitness effort and time!
In case you aren’t already a believe in strength training rather than cardio only, be sure to read a previous blog post I wrote on that topic HERE. The benefits of lifting weights vs. cardio.
A full body workout engages all of your muscle groups during one session, and takes many forms — HIIT (high intensity interval training), body weight movements and/or conventional weight lifting. We incorporate all of these in a given week’s training in our programs at www.powher.fit.
The problem is, split plans lose effectiveness if you don’t have 6+ days to work out each week. Since we believe in every week having at least one active recovery day and one true rest day, you’ll never see us suggest anymore than 5 true workouts within a given week.
On split training programs (targeted training) you could also simply rotate upper- and lower-body days or dedicate entire days to smaller muscle groups. For example, I used to follow this split plan:
- Monday: Chest and triceps
- Tuesday: Back & Biceps
- Wednesday: Legs
- Thursday: Shoulders
- Friday: Abs
- Saturday: Legs
- Sunday: Active Rest
So I dedicated an entire day to shoulders and an entire day to abs, which worked for a while but I realized it was excessive for most people. This simply doesn’t work for people who can’t exercise six + days a week. If you miss one workout on this plan, you neglect an entire muscle group that week. Split workouts plans also work best if you can dedicate at least 45 minutes each day to your workout — working your arms for 20 minutes won’t benefit you nearly as much as working your whole body for 20 minutes. I also soon learned how beneficial having both an active rest day and a true rest day was for overall body wellness and muscle building, so full body training allows us at PowHer.fit to have more rest for our muscles to rebuild and repair!
To keep it simple:
Full-body workouts work best for most people!
There are a few reasons, but the main reason most people should do full-body workouts over split workouts is time. Most people don’t have enough time to dedicate an hour (or more) a day to exercising in the first place, let alone spend that much time on a single muscle group. And one of the main issues most potential clients have with any fitness program is having the time to actually commit and see results. Our workouts range from 27-60 minutes with the primary average being between 35-45 minutes on most workout days of each program.
Full-body workouts maximize your time, and instead of spending all your time pumping up your biceps, you could be chasing real gains like whole-body strength, core stabilization, functional mobility, stamina and endurance.
Other reasons for choosing full-body workouts instead of split workouts include:
- Full-body workouts generally yield a higher total energy expenditure per session (this means you will burn more calories in less time which is a total WIN!)
- It’s not as big of a deal if you miss a workout. If you train 5 times per week and miss one workout, you’ve already worked all of your muscle groups 4 times. On the contrary, missing a workout on a split plan means you could have neglected a certain muscle group for that entire week.
- You will be able to build a well balanced body by hitting all muscle groups in one workout, which is more natural and more closely mimics real life. Many physiologists think of the body as one muscle because all muscles are connected to each other, so splitting up the body each workout may not make functional sense.
- Full-body workouts force you to focus on functional movements, which you need for longevity and a high quality of life.
- Full-body workouts tend to include more movements that improve core stabilization, balance and posture.
Here at www.PowHer.fit, you’ll notice we offer different programs. Most are 12 weeks long, while some are shorter 6 week programs. Why?
First off, everyone needs a change from their workout structure to fight hitting tough plateaus that hinder results. Plateaus occur in training due to a phenomenon known as homeostasis. To avoid General Adaption Syndrome, variety is the key. Each week you’ll see a change in your times, sets and reps and every two weeks you’ll see a change in full body movements.
Our different programs offer different intensities, focuses, frequencies and workout length. All of our programs focus on the 3 primary training phases of the Performance Training Cycle that professional trainers and coaches utilize to produce radical transformations in less than half the time of the average person. This includes exposing your bodies weakest areas, bringing your body into balance and preparing your joints for future workloads before strategically introducing you to more advanced resistance training exercises that utilize the natural functions of your musculoskeletal anatomy to target more muscle tissue. Targeting more muscle tissue stimulates them to grow firmer, leaner and stronger while allowing your body to burn more calories on its own at a resting state. Read below to learn more about each of our current programs. We always suggest starting with Strength 1.0 for the most optimum results!
To learn more about our programs, read HERE. To read our FAQ, click HERE. To create a FREE member profile that adds you to our bi-monthly newsletter and allows you a FREE home workout and a FREE gym workout, click HERE. To read other blog posts that we’ve written, click HERE.
