5 Most Important Benefits Of A Total Body Workout
Most Bodybuilders perform a total body workout in their beginner stage and as they become stronger, they substitute it with a more “advanced” split routine. The total body workout has its place in bodybuilding and not only beginners should use it.
Related article:
Total Body Workout Routine And How To Set Up Workouts
1. Muscle Mass
Total body workout is efficient because it places an emphasis on working the entire body in one session. This kind of training allows all the body parts to develop at the same rate and is beneficial in increasing strength and the muscle mass.
2. Low Volume
At one exercise per muscle group you reduce the chances of over training. It is still possible to over train on this kind of workout. When compared to a regular split routine, where you do multiple exercises for a single muscle group in one training session, super sets, drop sets, rest pause sets etc. the chances of over training are smaller.
3. Compound Exercises
The exercises that are done in a total body workout are mainly heavy compound movements. Movements that activate more muscle mass are included, because you are not doing 3, 4 or more exercises for a muscle group.
4. Greater Glycogen Depletion And Fat Loss
When it comes to burning fat and depleting the glycogen levels, you can’t compare split routines and full body routines. With a total body workout you expend greater amount of energy than training only one or two muscle groups. Training your whole body in one session means that a lot microtrauma has occurred and more muscle repairing hormones are released to repair the damaged muscles. With this you created a perfect hormonal environment for building muscle.
5. Greater Frequency Of Stimulus
With a regular split routine every muscle group gets worked 4 times a month. With a full body routine every muscle group gets trained 12 times a month. If the volume is not very high and the diet is in check, you are sending a signal to your muscles to grow 12 times in a month. This means a faster progress than with the regular split routine.
Try this workout:
Daily 28 Days No Gym Total Body Workout Plan
A Workout Example:
Workout A:
- Bench Press: 3 sets, 8-12 reps
- Behind the Neck Press: 2 sets, 8-12 reps
- Barbell Rows/Chin Ups: 3 sets, 8-12 reps
- Squats: 3-4 sets, 8-12 reps
- Curls: 2 sets, 8-12 reps
- Triceps Extensions: 2 sets, 8-12 reps
- Calf Raise: 3 sets, 15-20 reps
- Crunches: 3 sets, 15 reps
Workout A:
- Incline Bench Press: 3 sets, 8-12 reps
- Lateral raises; 2 sets, 8-12 reps
- Leg Press: 3 sets, 8-12 reps
- Deadlifts: 3-4 sets, 8-12 reps
- Curls: 2 sets, 8-12 reps
- Triceps Extensions: 2 sets, 8-12 reps
- Calf Raise: 3 sets, 15-20 reps
- Crunches: 3 sets, 15 reps