3485: Full Body vs Upper Lower Split : Which is Better? by Christian Finn of Muscle Evo on Strength Training

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[00:00:58] This is Optimal Health Daily. Full body versus upper lower split. Which is better? By Christian Finn of MuscleEvo.net. And I'm Dr. Neal Malik, your very own personal narrator. Hey there, happy Saturday and welcome back to Optimal Health Daily or OHD, where I act as your narrator of popular health and fitness blogs and always with a bit of my commentary at the end. Now, we have a bunch of shows covering different topics. Just search for Optimal Living Daily in any podcast app to find them.

[00:01:28] And with that, let's get right to it and start optimizing your life. Full body versus upper lower split. Which is better? By Christian Finn of MuscleEvo.net. If you want to gain muscle, which routine works best? An upper lower split or a full body routine? For an identical training volume, which I'm defining here as the number of hard sets you do over the course of a week,

[00:01:58] the average lifter will see similar gains with both a full body and upper lower split. In most cases, you should pick the one you're most likely to stick with. Both training programs will produce solid results, just as long as you train hard, eat right, and stay consistent. Full body workouts do have their benefits, especially if you have a limited amount of time to train and can only make it to the gym 2-3 days a week.

[00:02:24] But if you're able to lift weights at least 4 days a week, I'd go with the upper lower split. Full body workout routines are also well suited to beginners, who typically don't need as many sets as intermediate and advanced lifters to stimulate growth. However, there will come a point when the gains slow down or even grind to a halt completely. Once you get to that point, it's my experience that you'll need a higher volume of training to continue making progress.

[00:02:52] Today, I want to take a closer look at the pros and cons of both routines so you can choose one that's right for you. Which is better, a full body or upper lower split? Having used both full body workouts and various split routines over the years, it's my opinion that an upper lower split is the superior choice when it comes to building muscle. But that's just me. Your mileage may differ. Whether or not a given weight training program is right for you depends on a number of factors.

[00:03:22] Let's take a closer look at each one. How often can you train? A weight training program is only effective if you actually do it. There's no point starting out on a split routine that involves lifting weights four days a week if you only have the time or the inclination to train three times a week. You want to hit each muscle group at least twice every seven days, which you can do with both a full body workout routine and an upper lower split.

[00:03:49] If time constraints mean you can make it to the gym on a consistent basis two to three days a week, then go with a full body routine. But if you're able to train four days a week, I'd recommend the upper lower split. How much time can you spend in the gym? Doing the same amount of work in three rather than four training sessions will mean longer workouts. If you're training four days a week, for example, you might be able to get each training session done in 45 minutes.

[00:04:18] Compressing the same amount of work into three training sessions means that each workout is going to take 60 minutes, which may not fit your schedule. What's more, some people tend to run out of steam towards the end of a full body workout, especially if they're doing heavy compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, rows, and so on. As a result, the muscles being worked towards the end of the training session receive less effort than the ones trained at the start.

[00:04:46] But with an upper lower split, your energy and focus are distributed across fewer muscle groups, which usually makes for a higher quality workout. Training your upper and lower body separately means you can do more total sets for each muscle group. This gives you much more of a pump. Your muscles blow up and feel full, your skin feels tight, and you look a whole lot bigger than you actually are. The pump is relatively short-lived, and getting one isn't essential for muscle growth.

[00:05:14] But it certainly feels good while it's happening. Some prefer a workout split that involves shorter, more frequent workouts. Others prefer longer, less frequent training sessions. Again, pick the one you're most likely to stick with. What do you enjoy doing? For some, an upper lower split is simply a more enjoyable way to train. They thrive on the variety of training different muscles and doing different exercises from one day to the next.

[00:05:41] Building a decent amount of muscle mass requires sustained and consistent effort over a number of years. And a big part of staying consistent is actually wanting to go to the gym. If following a split workout routine makes it far more likely that you'll do the work necessary to make your muscles grow, that's a major benefit. A resistance training program that's optimal for muscle growth isn't optimal if you don't do it. Is a full body or upper lower split better for fat loss?

[00:06:10] If you want to lose fat, both a full body workout performed two to three days a week or a four-day upper lower split will do the job just fine. Weight training burns calories, not just during the workout itself, but in the hours that follow. This can make a significant contribution to the calorie deficit required to lose fat. However, keep in mind that the most important thing when it comes to losing fat is getting your diet right.

[00:06:37] In other words, fat loss is mainly a function of what you eat rather than what you do in the gym. In that sense, it's not going to matter too much whether you use a full body or upper lower split. Unless your diet is set up properly, you're not going to see much in the way of results. Is a full body or upper lower split better for beginners? Both full body routines and upper lower splits are good choices for beginners who want to build muscle.

[00:07:04] Beginners will often see impressive results lifting weights three times a week since their muscles can be made to grow with a relatively small amount of training. But the longer you've been training, the more work you'll need to keep the gains coming. And by work, I'm talking about the total number of hard sets you do for each muscle group over the course of a week. In most cases, that's going to require more than three weekly workouts. Intermediate and advanced lifters will typically benefit from some kind of split routine that involves training

[00:07:34] four, five, or even six times a week. What's a full body routine? With a full body workout routine, you train all the major body parts, chest, back, shoulders, arms, and legs, in the same training session. Most workout routines based on full body workouts are done two to three times a week, with each workout separated by at least one full day of rest.

[00:07:59] Here's what a typical three-day full body workout routine might look like. Monday, full body workout. Tuesday, off. Wednesday, full body workout. Thursday, off. Friday, full body workout. Saturday and Sunday, off. Each workout revolves around compound lifts that work multiple muscle groups at the same time and will usually include one to two pulling and pushing movements for the upper body,

[00:08:30] one to two exercises for the legs, as well as some isolation exercises for the shoulders and arms. The workout itself might look something like this. Bench press. Three sets with five to eight repetitions each set. Lat pulldown. Three sets with 10 to 15 repetitions each set. Squat. Three sets with five to eight repetitions each set. Leg curl.

[00:08:56] Three sets with 10 to 15 repetitions each set. Dumbbell shoulder press. Two sets with eight to 12 repetitions each set. Incline curl. Two sets with 10 to 15 repetitions each set. And overhead triceps extension. Two sets with 10 to 15 repetitions each set. What's an upper-lower split? An upper-lower split is a workout routine that works the muscles in your upper body on one day

[00:09:25] and the lower body on another. Here's what a four-day upper-lower split looks like. Monday. Upper body. Tuesday. Lower body. Wednesday. Off. Thursday. Upper body. Friday. Lower body. Saturday and Sunday. Off. An upper-body workout will normally hit your chest, back, shoulders, biceps, and triceps,

[00:09:50] while the lower body workouts works your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. Upper body exercises like the bench press, shoulder press, pull-ups, barbell rows, curls, and dips are done on one day with lower body exercises such as the deadlift, squat, leg extension, and calf raise performed on another. You just listened to the post titled,

[00:10:18] Full Body vs. Upper-Lower Split. Which is Better? By Christian Finn of MuscleEvo.net. And I'll be right back with my commentary. Now, it's just me and a small team behind this show, so I get how much the right hire matters. When you need the right person, this is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs. Stop struggling to get your job post even seen on other sites. Sponsored jobs posted directly on Indeed are 95% more likely to report a hire than non-sponsored jobs.

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[00:11:47] Critics say it's smart and witty. And the perfect sequel. That's all. Get runway ready for The Devil Wears Prada 2 on Disney Plus and Hulu. Rated PG-13. Dr. Neal Malik here with my commentary. All right. It seems that a full body routine or an upper lower split routine are great options. It really depends on your goals and which one will help you be more consistent.

[00:12:13] Now, Christian said in today's article that when we start resistance training, we'll often see results fairly quickly. It doesn't really take much for the body to respond. But then as we become more consistent, the catch is we're going to need to put in more work to continue seeing results. So that means whether it's a full body routine or an upper lower split, we're going to need to find ways to increase the intensity somehow. So Christian went on to say that putting in more work often requires increasing the number

[00:12:43] of hard sets you do for each muscle group. Now, what might this look like? It could mean simply increasing the weight or it could mean performing more repetitions during each set. Or it could mean decreasing the amount of rest time between sets. Any of these would be ways to change the workout and increase the intensity and put in that extra work. So if you're finding that you're starting to plateau, if things don't seem to be happening

[00:13:11] as well as they should be, try at least one of these changes to make the sets a little bit more difficult and force the body to adapt. All right, that'll do it for today. I hope you're having a great weekend. And of course, I'll be back here tomorrow where I'll see you there and where your optimal life awaits. And of course, I'll be back here.