Benefits and Disadvantages of Full Body Workouts EveryDay-Kbands Live 155
If you are new to weight lifting or have been doing it for any amount of time you probably perform body part splits. By this we mean you perform push exercises one day on a select group of muscles. The next day you perform pull exercises on a completely different group of muscles. This allows the first group of worked muscles to rest and recover from the workout. The third day you might perform some combination of leg exercises. After the third day, you begin the sequence over. Maybe performing the exact same exercises or some other variation but still hitting the same muscles that you targeted on day one.
To get maximum muscle stimulation and growth you must switch up your lifting routine. Different exercises, different reps and sets, heavier weights with light reps or lighter weight with extra reps. More volume, slow reps training, HIIT, whatever your body needs to stimulate and activate muscle growth. We have been using full body workouts for the last year and have gotten our best results. Watch the video to get information on full body workouts and how to perform them every day. Complete Kbands Live Fitness 155 to help build your muscles and feel the burn during each workout session.
What Is a Full Body Workout?
A full body workout can build muscle mass faster than traditional weight lifting methods. Full body workouts are fantastic because they target multiple muscles simultaneously in every exercise. They are compound movements that do not work a muscle in isolation but work multiple muscles in the same exercise. In the video, we performed an Advanced Ab Extension Leg Raise. When performed with perfect form this exercise will hit the abs (when you raise and lower), quads (as you keep your legs straight), back and arms (as you hold to the bar to stabilize the movement). Full body workouts are not isolating just one muscle. In traditional weight lifting you would perform just crunches for your abs. The other muscles would not be used and therefore not activated. The Advanced Ab Extension Leg Raise hits the abs and many other body parts making it a full body workout.
Benefits of Full Body Workouts
There are several benefits to full body workouts. First, as we discussed above you work multiple muscles at the same time using one exercise. This makes your workouts more efficient. You can hit more body parts in the same or less amount of time. You can also quickly move between exercises reducing the recovery time needed before starting your next set. Second, this style of workout is great because you have great muscle activation. Rather than working each muscle in isolation, in traditional weight lifting, you will work multiple muscles at once creating greater activation and stimulation to the muscle for growth. Perform each set to failure and feel the burn as all of the muscles being worked try to keep up. Third, full body workouts are great to help maintain range of motion and basic body movements. As we age our flexibility and strength can decline. Full body workouts help to slow this decline because you are recruiting multiple muscles to work together as a unit. Just as they must do as you move through your daily routines. These workouts will help you improve your ability to function on a daily basis.
A fourth benefit to a full body workout comes from the hormones released during the exercise. As you work more muscles your body will activate additional hormones to help compensate for the load. In traditional weight lifting you target one muscle so the hormonal release is less. This increased release of hormones also helps with muscle growth and development. Fifth, all of the exercises performed are what is called a compound exercise. Meaning you are working multiple muscles with each exercise. If you can only workout 3 times per week this is a great way to get maximum benefit from your time. Finally, the weights you are lifting are not heavy and require a spotter for your safety. This means if you weight training partner has a conflict you can still get a great workout and not jeopardize your safety or your muscle gains.
Disadvantages of Full Body Workouts
There a few disadvantages to this style of workout. You must always listen to your body. Full body workouts are performed every day. If you have an injury or a nagging pain, you will need to take additional time between workouts for that muscle to heal. There are plenty of additional workout examples on Kbands Live Fitness that can be performed that will allow you to continue your strength gains while resting a muscle or muscle group. Second, like any workout you must always push yourself to perform more reps, increase the weight, and push yourself to failure with each and every set. It is easy to get complacent and not push yourself because mentally you think I am working my whole body. While this is true, always push yourself to failure. Don’t stop at 10-12 reps but go until you can do no reps with good form. It is important to keep the volume high when working out.
Final Thoughts
Full body workouts are a great addition to your workouts. If you are not genetically gifted, like most of us, then this style of workout will help generate the most muscle gains in the same or less time. You are performing compound movements that target multiple muscles in each exercise. While working out this way you also have a greater hormonal response as the body works to control and manage the additional load on the muscles. This additional muscle activation and hormonal release means greater gains. Try this style of workout for a month and see if the gains you have been working for finally begin to appear.