Pros/Cons of full body workout vs. split routine

[rangers97]

I currently do a split routine, each body part is hit once per week with about 9 or so sets total per part. Now for people that do a full body workout or just anyone's opinions, what would be the advantages/disadvantages of doing a full body workout 3 times a week, say m-w-f, and doing 3 sets per day per body part?
So instead of doing:
M- Shoulders/Tri
W-Legs
Th-Chest
S-Back/Bi

with for example, chest day, 3 sets bench press, 3 sets incline db press, and 3 sets dips

you do this instead:
M-full body
W-Full body
F-full body

with 3 sets per body part per workout, so for chest you would do
m-3 sets bench press
w-3 sets dips
f-3 sets incline db press

etc. for the other body parts.

pros/cons?? basically taking the same nine sets per week per bodypart and splitting them up throughout the week. Is it logical, does it make sense and can it me more productive than pounding the bodypart once a week? I guess I just want to know from someone who has done both types of workout, if they feel they got anything good out of the full body workouts

thanks

[Iain]

That's kind of what I am doing now. I use varying rep and set protocols across the week, for example I may use 5x5, 4x6-10, 3x8-12, 2/3x12-15, 8x3. So I may do dips on monday at 4x6-10, then bench on wednesday at 3x8-12 and then incline on friday at 2x12-15 or something.

Use a different exercise, say squats, front squats and goodmornings for your targeted bodypart.

Take a look at Chad Waterbury's writings on t-nation - for example his latest - http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do...ba13?id=499987

[luke.w]

I've done both types, when I first started, all I knew about were bodybuilding books so I followed the split routine, now all I care about is funtional strength and I make up my own workouts and basically train my full body 6 days a week on odd lifts in my OWN way.

To tell you the truth I'm happier with the way I look now (thats not why I train but it's nice anyway) and I have no desire to go back to the bi's/back one day, legs the next then chest/tri's and so on. I think that UNLESS your an ADVANCED bodybuilder in prep for an upcoming contest, those day to day/week by week routines are almost useless. The full body training and exercises that work your body as a WHOLE and a good diet produce the best results.

[rangers97]

luke, can you give us an example of what you do during a typical week?? thanks

Full body workouts take a great deal of conditioning. Depending on how you break up your body parts, one could possibly be looking at completing 30 sets per workout. That is a lot of work!

One piece of training advice you will find helpful is to start each workout with a different, large bodypart. When you do squats, then rows, then dips, etc, your energy levels can get sapped quickly. Mix your starting exercises each time to be certain you aren't short changing some muscle groups.

[luke.w]

Originally Posted by rangers97

luke, can you give us an example of what you do during a typical week?? thanks

Well a good (the best) exercise that hits the whole body is the clean and press

I have a journal on here and I haven't been working out with barbells but I've been doing a good number of cleans and presses with a thickbar, but I'm training for strongman witch requires a differant way of thinking and training. If I wasn't competeing in strongman I'm sure I'd still do all the same stuff even if I didn't I would stick with cleans,presses,grip,and some odd lifts and oylimpic type movements with barbells.

A typical week for me now is 400-600lb event training 6 days a week. yoke,farmers,conans wheel,tire flip all these hit everything from head to toe.
This is just the way I train.