Some key points to consider with full-body sessions…
Not all exercises variations are created the same and oftentimes I see individuals go for the ‘harder’ variation - this is a mistake.
Instead, prioritize one main pattern with a big lift (like a press, deadlift, or squat) and utilize more accessory based patterns for the remaining patterns. You’d want avoid something along the lines of…
Deadlift
Squat
Bench Press
Weighted Pull-up
That would be asking a lot of just about anyone (unless of course you’re an elite level CrossFit athlete.)
While this can be a good idea, I’d opt for including aerobic work. Most people aren’t limited by lack of stimulation, they are limited by their ability to recover and building the aerobic system will help with this (along with a lot of other things!)
I’m not disagreeing, I would hate it. In the spirit of a HLM type full body though, I feel like one session like that a week is probably okay is it not? Goal-dependant of course.
I’ve seen quite a few coaches recommend something like
Monday
4 BIG HEAVY COMPOUNDS
Wednesday
Isolations + Machines, higher rep, works as a recovery tool also
Friday
Dumbbell movements and other lower stress compounds
Totally agree! I guess I don’t think of those as necessarily having to be programmed in the same “lanes”. Like my barbell work interferes with my barbell work. I can do my barbell work on Monday and cycling on Tuesday, though, without really having to think a ton about it. I actually think that’s a big benefit of the full body system - you aren’t so devastatingly sore that you really have to think about where you’re placing that aerobic work.
This would change if I’m considering track intervals or something with a real performance metric, I think, but if I’m just gettign my fat butt into some kind of shape I consider it just a plug and play.
Exactly, FBT allows for room for other things like conditioning, which is usually a bigger area of low-hanging fruit for most people (we live in a chronically stressed out world so more low-intensity work is hugely beneficial.)
As far doing intervals at the track, it depends on the RPE. If you kept them at a moderate effort something like 30s on/30s off and don’t go balls to the wall those could suffice as a higher intensity aerobic method, but overall the intensity is high on the strength days so I having 2-3 lower intensity sessions is a good course of action.
As a pure bro, I honestly didn’t expect a full body article to become one of my favorite discussions on here… but this has been great. Thanks all around!
I started reading T-Nation back in 03’ and Chad Waterbury turned me on to FBT back then. This site has educated A LOT of people so happy to be able to pay it forward!
I think an easy way to get around the lack of hypertrophy issue you mention is to create a movement focus for each day that runs at a higher intensity then everything else. So one day could be a push focus, one day could be a pull focus and the third day a leg focus. Lastly, set up the intensity for the secondary movements based on the total load and movement patterns trained for that day.
@davictor setting up the routine so that each day has a focus isn’t all that complicated. I’ve used this type of 3x/wk full body routines for myself and clients and they work quite well. But if you want really simple you could do a 3x/wk routine with just 3 exercises per day following the focus idea. Each day has a focus movement you train at high effort/intensity and the other two movements at lower intensity. I think the hardest part for most experienced lifters would be having to limit themselves to only 9 exercises to do out of all the ones that exist.
Just adding to the full body training conversation. I also do a 3x/week routine with just three exercises. I train as an athlete (BJJ), and am closer to 60 yrs old than 50, so recovery and balance are priorities. My split is essentially A B A / B A B, training Sunday/Tuesday/Thursday when I’m not on the mat.
Deadlift Variation
Vertical Pull
Vertical Push
Squat Variation
Horizontal Pull
Horizontal Push
Workouts are about an hour and I love the feeling that I’m getting all the basics covered. If my schedule allows, I’ll do a gap/weaknesses day on Saturday.
I wish more people did full-body + GAP because it’d be fun to see how people build their GAP days.
Operating on the one press a day way of thinking, I’d like to do Bench Monday, OHP Wednesday, Bench Friday. Then if I can make it in Saturday too, DB Bench and DB Press, but then past a certain point that might stop qualifying as a lower stress day. Maybe every week I could rotate DB Bench + Machine Shoulder Press or Lat Raises and DB Press + Machine Bench or Flies (depending on how I feel my recovery is going).
This now seems to work for me, 4 main lifts and accessory as the minimum work, optionals when I still feel ok (and then done before final farmers carry). Trying to schedule the GAP workout as a WOD for for conditioning and then cycle this through every other day, so every 8 days.
Progress is steady so far, as long as I keep the weight increase small enough and first try to reach the lower rep limit also in the last set.
(the purpose to stay ahead of my 19 yr old son will need to be abandoned soon though)
, and start it today.