The Death of Split Routines

Do you love when you come into the weight room and see all the guys doing “chest day”? It’s almost like the amount they bench press is directly proportional to their level of manhood. They proceed to work their chest for an hour and a half and walk out feeling like they are god’s gift. Generally these guys are not lean, and if they are it’s only because they have “boy” metabolism. The next day they come back and do biceps and triceps for another hour and elevate their confidence even more.

Splitting your body parts does not make very much sense if you realize that the body works synergistically. If you are planning to get a great arm workout the day after chest, you very well might, but you won’t give your arms time to heal after working them for an hour and a half the previous day. This is only the beginning of the plethora of reasons that split routines do not work…

1. The endocrine response: According to all the latest studies, the more muscle mass you use during a workout the higher the endocrine response. Whenever you have a high endocrine response you are releasing more hormones that help grow muscles. Muscle burns fat. Enough said.
2. Greatest fat loss: Muscle burning fat is not the end of it… think back to physics class. Working out is all about transfer of energy. When you are using multiple body parts to lift very heavy loads you are performing a LOT of work. The more work you perform  the more energy you use up. “Energy” is just another word for calories – get it?  Furthermore, due to EPOC you continue to burn fat for 24-48 hours after the workout is over.
3. Bone and joint strength: Modern  science says that bones in the body become the strongest when subjected to a heavy load. This is accomplished by big, multi-joint exercises  like squats, deadlifts, cleans-and-jerks, snatches, standing presses, etc. It is not possible to put the skeletal frame under a high enough resistance when using isolation exercises such as dumbell curls and tricep press.
4. Muscular strength: Maximum muscle strength is best developed by lifting  heavy weights. The heavier the weight, the greater the tension  in the muscle. The more tension generated by a muscle, the more force it exerts. This is how muscles get stronger! Isolation exercises such as lateral raises and flys may generate what seems to be a lot of tension , it is still a lot less than the tension required to perform full body exercises.
5. Functionality: The whole point of getting stronger (other than looking fabulous) is to be able to perform real world tasks such as carrying groceries or moving furniture.  Whole-body exercises teach the body to perform functions in a synergistic fashion, and typically from the ground up. It would be a shame if you spent hours upon hours at the gym and could not even show off by being able to carry heavy objects without your boyfriend’s help.

Now that you know why you shouldn’t split your body parts, are you wondering exactly what you SHOULD be doing to maximize your time in the gym?

One of my favorite fitness gurus is Craig Ballantyne, and I follow his Turbulence Training program religiously. He is one of the few people out there that promotes exclusively full body workouts. Following his program is literally as good as having your own trainer since he is so thorough in his explanations. I suggest you give his Turbulence Training program a shot if you are ready to get serious about your workouts and really lose some fat. You can get this program on a trial basis for just $4.95 here, and cancel before the full price kicks in. Trust me, I’ve tried this, it works.  You will not be disappointed and your wallet will kiss you for not spending $70/hour on a trainer.