In terms of gaining muscle, volume rather than training frequency seems to be of greater importance. Interestingly, a new study found that when lifters were told to increase their training frequency, they had greater increases in muscle growth but increased their volume. Whether you want to follow a 3-day workout split or a full body workout every other day, both can produce gains in muscle.
ARNOLD SPLIT 4 DAYS VS FULL BODY HYPERTROPHY WORKOUT SUMMARY
- Whether you prefer a traditional bodybuilding split or a full-body hypertrophy workout, both can result in gains in muscle.
- There was no difference in muscle gains between training a body part 2 vs. 3 times per week when training volume is similar.
- Volume seems to be a limiting factor for muscle growth rather than training frequency.
Every March, in Columbus, Ohio, the annual Arnold Classic is held in which bodybuilders, fitness, and figure competitors come from around the world to compete. About every fitness magazine will have Arnold on the cover with his workout and headlines like, “Get a Physique like Arnold!”
ARNOLDS BODYBUILDING SPLIT ROUTINE
Throughout most of his bodybuilding carer, in his offseason, Arnold trained six days a week and used a workout split. His workouts lasted about an hour and a half, and his workouts consisted of very high volume (i.e., sets x reps). He used a push-pull leg routine to train the quads and hamstrings. He used a similar upper-body push-pull routine in which he would train incline bench press followed by bent over rows.
Arnold’s blueprint to mass was using up to 26 sets per body part! What is the Arnold Split? Arnold Schwarzenegger, in his prime workout, consisted of a 3 day workout split, which looked something like this:
- Day 1: Chest and Back.
- Day 2: Shoulders and Arms.
- Day 3: Legs.
- Day 4: Chest and Back.
- Day 5: Shoulders and Arms.
- Day 6: Legs.
The workout separated body parts into an upper-lower split routine. Exercises on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday are upper body focused, and lower body splits on Wednesday and Saturday to maximize the intensity of the muscles being trained. Also, with split routine exercises, more isolation exercises can be used with less fatigue. Arnold also used drop sets to add volume to the muscles trained.
Let’s be honest; this would destroy just about anyone! Even elite bodybuilders today would have difficulty recovering from a 3 day split workout with a high-volume workout like Arnold used. As covered previously, in Evidence Based Muscle, doing more sets does not always translate into more muscle growth.
FULL BODY HYPERTROPHY WORKOUT AND VOLUME
There needs to be a certain amount of sets performed, which current research indicates is between 10-20 sets per week.(Ralston et al., 2017; Schoenfeld et al., 2017)
Below is the graph of the inverted U hypothesis, which states a minimum and maximum number of sets must be performed for optimal muscle growth. Doing more or fewer sets is not conducive to gaining muscle. A new study found that adding more volume does a weight loss/cutting phase does not have advantages for gaining lean muscle mass.
DO YOU HAVE TO TRAIN 6 DAYS A WEEK TO GAIN MUSCLE?
Some have suggested that full body movement workouts boost the training frequency of muscle groups (i.e., full body workout performed 3 to 4 days per week) is better for gaining muscle because this results in acute increases in anabolic hormones and elevated protein synthesis (i.e., NOTE: Neither one of these has been found to result in greater long-term muscle growth.)
A typical exercise regimen that will include a full-body workout is a full body kettlebell workout or a full-body CrossFit workout. These are typical 45-minute full-body workouts involving compound exercises and kettlebell exercises(i.e., power cleans, chin-ups, deadlifts, squats, bench presses, kettlebell swings, kettlebell clean, kettlebell goblet squat, etc.)
FULL BODY HYPERTROPHY WORKOUT
A full body kettle bell workout utilizes multiple muscle groups and is great to add to any training program that incorporates large muscle groups into a workout. For example, the kettle bell swing in which you hold the kettlebell and thrust it forward incorporates the glutes, hamstrings, spinal erectors, and upper back muscles.
Other popular workout variations of the 3-day split are PUSH-PULL workouts. The workout program is based on pushing exercises on one day, pulling exercises on another, and a leg on the third day.
- Session 1: Push
- Session 2: Pull
- Session 3: Legs
TRAINING FREQUENCY AND FULL BODY HYPERTROPHY WORKOUT
Training frequency is defined as the number of weekly training sessions. Full-body workout benefits include training with a greater frequency while performing less volume per workout. Full-body workouts will cut down on junk volume or excessive sets performed.
A previous review of the literature found that training a muscle group twice per week (i.e., typical Arnold Schwarzenegger workout split) resulted in greater gains in muscle compared to training a muscle group once per week. (Schoenfeld et al., 2016) A 2015 study found that full-body workouts for athletes resulted in greater gains in muscle mass than a typical bodybuilding split routine. (Schoenfeld et al., 2015)
Previous research’s potential drawbacks regarding training frequency and muscle growth were that the volume was equal between groups. For example, suppose a group in a research study is exercising a bodypart three times per week and performing 22 sets per week per body part. The other group uses a twice-per-week group and performs 14 sets per week. In that case, the higher training volume may drive muscle growth than the frequency.
If you want to gain more muscle, will increasing the workout frequency increase muscle growth? For example, going from training chest twice to three times per week.
TRAINING EACH BODY WITH A BODY BODYBUILDING SPLIT VS. FULL BODY WORKOUT STUDY
Researchers had previously trained lifters (i.e., 3 years of working out) in their early 20’s randomized to 2 groups:
- Group 1: Trained each muscle group twice per week (2 Days Per Week/ Split Body Group)
- Group 2: Trained each muscle three times per week. (3 days per Week/ Full Body Workout)
A really important study design was that made sure that both groups did the same amount of sets per week. They trained for 10 weeks and rested 90 seconds between sets. All sets were taken to complete muscular failure.
The weights continuously progressed, so the researchers increased the weight by 2.5% as they got stronger. If they could not complete 8 reps, the weight was reduced by 2.5%.
The workouts consisted of smith machine squats, leg press, leg extensions, bench press, lat pull downs, triceps pushdowns, and biceps curls.
The subjects were told to consume a high-protein diet; both groups averaged over 1.1 grams of protein per pound of body weight. The subjects consumed roughly the same calories; however, the 2-day split tended to consume more calories (i.e., 2,980 calories vs. 2,830 calories.) There were no differences in carbohydrates, fats, or proteins.
WHICH TYPE OF WORKOUT PRODUCED MORE GAINS?
The 2-day workout split resulted in similar gains in muscle mass and strength as the 3-day full body workout. The 2-day split increased their bench press strength by 12% and squat strength by 19%. The 3-day full body workout had similar gains; their bench press increased by 10%, and squat increased by 18%.
The greatest gains in muscle mass occurred in the triceps and quadriceps. However, the biceps had less muscle growth. The researchers stated, “With respect to gains in muscle mass, while both groups increased muscle thickness of the [triceps] and quadriceps following 10 weeks of training, no significant between-group differences were seen in the upper or lower body.” If you look at the muscle gains, there was a clear trend for the 2 days per week for greater muscle growth.(Lasevicius et al., 2019)
This study does not support that a greater training frequency will increase gains in muscle size and strength if the volume (i.e., sets x reps x weight) is similar. This study agrees with other studies that found that a full-body workout resulted in similar muscle growth to the typical Arnold split in which a person trains a body part twice per week. (Evangelista et al., 2021; Pedersen et al., 2022)
FULL BODY HYPERTROPHY WORKOUT OR A 2-DAY WORKOUT SPLIT ARE BOTH VIABLE
In terms of gaining muscle, volume rather than training frequency seems to be of greater importance. Interestingly, a new study found that when lifters were told to increase their training frequency, they had greater increases in muscle growth but increased their volume. Whether you want to follow a 3-day workout split or a full body workout every other day, both can produce gains in muscle.
I think 2 days per week is optimal as the study above showed a greater trend for gaining muscle with the typical bodybuilding split in which a muscle was trained twice per week. It could be that full-body splits cannot allow full recovery between workouts, but full-body workouts can get the job done for gaining muscle. If you are on a time-restricted schedule, going to the gym three days a week can build muscle for the busy individual.
REFERENCES
Evangelista, A. L., Braz, T. V., La Scala Teixeira, C. V., Rica, R. L., Alonso, A. C., Barbosa, W. A., Reis, V. M., Baker, J. S., Schoenfeld, B. J., Bocalini, D. S., & Greve, J. M. D. (2021). Split or full-body workout routine: which is best to increase muscle strength and hypertrophy? Einstein (Sao Paulo), 19, eAO5781. https://doi.org/10.31744/einstein_journal/2021AO5781
Lasevicius, T., Schoenfeld, B. J., Grgic, J., Laurentino, G., Tavares, L. D., & Tricoli, V. (2019). Similar Muscular Adaptations in Resistance Training Performed Two Versus Three Days Per Week. Journal of Human Kinetics, 68, 135-143. https://doi.org/10.2478/hukin-2019-0062
Pedersen, H., Fimland, M. S., Schoenfeld, B. J., Iversen, V. M., Cumming, K. T., Jensen, S., Saeterbakken, A. H., & Andersen, V. (2022). A randomized trial on the efficacy of split-body versus full-body resistance training in non-resistance trained women. BMC Sports Science, Medicine, and Rehabilitation, 14(1), 87. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-022-00481-7
Ralston, G. W., Kilgore, L., Wyatt, F. B., & Baker, J. S. (2017). The Effect of Weekly Set Volume on Strength Gain: A Meta-Analysis. Sports Med, 47(12), 2585-2601. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-017-0762-7
Schoenfeld, B. J., Ogborn, D., & Krieger, J. W. (2016). Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med, 46(11), 1689-1697. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-016-0543-8
Schoenfeld, B. J., Ogborn, D., & Krieger, J. W. (2017). Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sports Sci, 35(11), 1073-1082. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2016.1210197
Schoenfeld, B. J., Ratamess, N. A., Peterson, M. D., Contreras, B., & Tiryaki-Sonmez, G. (2015). Influence of Resistance Training Frequency on Muscular Adaptations in Well-Trained Men. J Strength Cond Res, 29(7), 1821-1829. https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0000000000000970
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