Full-body versus split workouts — here’s your best bet based on your goals

Is there a right way to feel the burn?

While the virtues of exercise are well established, the debate over the superiority of full-body workouts versus workouts targeting and exhausting specific muscle groups rages on.

The average American spends about nine of their waking hours sitting, a trend that has been linked to an increased risk of dementia, obesity, heart disease and even premature death.

A mere 22 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity a day has the potential to lower the risk of adverse health effects of being sedentary.

Even exercising for as little as four minutes can greatly reduce a person’s cancer risk — and just two minutes of vigorous exertion can decrease the risk of early death by 18%.

So what’s the best way to spend your time exercising? Stephen Ranellone — an exercise physiologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan — weighs in on the pros and cons of split workouts, focusing on specific muscle groups on different days, and full-body burns to Well+Good.

Split workouts

If you have the time and your goal is to build muscle, a split routine may be the way to go.

A 2023 study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that resistance training strengthens muscles throughout the body and boosts the brain.

These exercises lower your risk for various medical disorders, including heart disease and diabetes, by improving the brain’s ability to access and process sugar.

Ranellone told Well+Good this week, “One advantage of focusing on one muscle group per workout is that it allows for a higher volume of sets and reps, which is beneficial for hypertrophy and strength development. You can spend more time targeting the muscle from different angles, enhancing your ability to challenge and stimulate it effectively.”

Recovery time is also reduced after a split workout as only one muscle group is fatigued, hence the practice of following leg day with upper body-focused exercises.

However, several sessions throughout the week are required to activate and exhaust all muscle groups in a split workout routine, a sweat commitment that may be too great for some. Further, as anyone who has struggled to sit on a toilet seat after leg day can attest, the pain can be enough to curb enthusiasm.

Also, the repetitive nature of split workouts can be as dull as a dumbbell, and without proper planning, you run the risk of overworking certain muscle groups while overlooking others.

Full-body burn

Full-body workouts get top marks for efficiency and efficacy — maximum bang for your burn, if you will.

“Full-body workouts allow you to train multiple muscle groups in a single session, often using compound movements that engage several muscles simultaneously,” Ranellone explained to Well+Good. “This can be very efficient, especially if you can only work out one or two times a week. These sessions can also increase caloric expenditure, which is beneficial for fat loss and improving conditioning.”

Whole-body workouts also challenge the mind, as the exercises are more diverse. Additionally, they may be safer for those with injuries or mobility issues since they are less taxing on specific regions.

And as hand surgeon Dr. Nick Pappas recently shared, squats are a full-body exercise that might be the secret to living longer.

While full-body workouts may be less specifically acute, they require more extended recovery periods.

To avoid fatigue and overtraining, Ranellone recommends resting for 24 to 48 hours after each full-body session and limiting them to three a week.

Further, less targeting equates to less volume. Ranellone notes, “If you have specific goals related to building muscle, full-body workouts probably won’t be enough for you.”

Verdict?

Ultimately, what matters is that you move, with full-body and split-workout programs offering myriad benefits for the body.

Full-body sessions are a better bet for beginners and those with a smaller workout window. For gym veterans with specific muscle-building goals, the road to gains may be paved with split sessions.

The best course of all? A mix of both with ample time for recovery built in.