1. Full Body Advantage
There's so much talk about it on the internet. Even holy wars. What's better full-body routines or
splits? What's better for muscle gain? What's better for fat loss? Some people say full-body
workouts are the ultimate way to train. Others disagree with the former and start arguing and
proving their thoughts with some obscure researches. Then full-body fans say that all old-school
bodybuilders used only full-body routines. Split fans say that all the modern bodybuilders use
split routines. The debate goes nowhere and everybody stays unconvinced no matter what.
That's how internet works (:
My Take
My take is simple. It's not a secret that there is no "ultimate" or "one-fits-all" approach to this
subject. Different approaches work not the same for different people. Some people do better with
full-body routines, some do better with splits. You need to find something that works for YOU. I
know, it may be boring, hard, even frustrating. But you need to figure it out. How?
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You have options. You can experiment and track things precisely. Or you can hire a professional
and let him do this job. You can check out my personalized program design services at the author
box in the end of the article.
In my experience (as personal strength trainer and self-trainer) people do better on full-body
routines. I'm not saying here that full-body routines forever and splits are crap. I'm saying that
me and my clients made decent progress mainly on full-body routines. And here's why.
Full-Body ReasonsHere are some reasons why I prefer full-body routines and why I find them so
effective.

2. 1. You work your body as one unit.
It's quite obvious but it takes time to understand this. Our bodies were designed to work as one
unit. There's more than enough evidence for that. If you still don't believe just look at your daily
activities (besides sitting in front of the computer or lying on the sofa and watching TV). You walk
and use your body as one unit, you run and use your body as one unit, you jump and use your
body as one unit, you grab and lift something from the floor and use your body as one unit, you
carry suitcase or heavy bag and use your body as one unit, heck, you drive a car and still use
your body as one unit. You can't run or jump just using your legs. It contradicts with human
physiology. So from here comes the next reason.
2. You can't totally isolate body parts in exercises.
You just can't. You're working every muscle in your body to some degree in any exercise. I
strongly believe that there's no such thing as isolated exercises of course if you use decent
(appropriate) poundages. Yes, for example, you can isolate your biceps to some degree on
preacher curls with dumbbell attached with rope to your wrist (to take grip and forearms out of
equation) but think again: "Is it worth be done? Will your biceps grow bigger from a set of this
crap or from a set of weighted chin-ups?" You got the idea. Squats are not only for legs, deadlifts
are not only for lower back, presses work not only chest and/or shoulders.
3. You'll have no time for isolation movements.
Think it's bad? What about your favorite curls and triceps kickbacks? Forget them, man. Who
needs isolation anyway? Everybody knows that compound exercises build muscle, strength,
endurance, even if your goal is fat loss you should go with compounds. But it seems that nobody
wants to do them. The best training advice I was given in the beginning of my training was:
"Dude, why you doin' all that curls and stuff? You should do only presses, squats and deadlifts for
5 years to be ready for curls". I regret that I understood that advice a bit later. So don't repeat
this mistake. Isolation won't build anything if you have no foundation. You have to be a minimalist
when you doing full-body routines. You should pick the most effective exercises that work your
whole body (which are squats, deadlifts, presses and rows, nothing new). Some isolation is still
acceptable for those who just don't believe that their biceps will grow without curls. But it should
be very restricted.
4. You will build tremendous work capacity.
That's very important reason. One day my friend asked me what am I doing to get such results,
what's my training program etc. You know. I said that I do full-body routines, squats, deadlifts,
presses, rows. No secret exercises or routines. Everything that worked for millions of athletes and

3. proven through time. And he said: "Squats and bench in one session. Oh no. It's too hard". The
funny thing is that it's hard only for those who is used to train a body part once a week on dead
split routines that use professional bodybuilders. Pros use this split for their reasons. The biggest
mistake natural trainee can make is to follow that routines. If you don't inject what pros inject
why do you using their routines? A reasonable question that nobody seems to ask themselves.
Splits are no-go for me because I simply don't feel that it is a workout. After so much full-body
training I really don't understand how is it possible not to press and squat in one session? Work
capacity is through the roof.
5. You will improve your recovery abilities.
Full-body routines demand greater recovery abilities from your body. And your body responds in
increasing your recovery speed. Usually you are training your whole body 2-3 times per week on
full-body routines. So every body part is worked 2-3 times per week which means greater
anabolic response (if you support it with calorie surplus) and greater strength gains (because
strength training is actually a skill that you need to train and support) on full-body routines.
6. Unconventional tools mix better with full-body routines.
Sandbags, kettlebells and body weight exercises mix much better with full-body routines rather
than with splits. It's all about setup. You make lots of accessory work with these tools. I mean all
the cleans and shouldering. No matter what your goal is you better do full-body routines with
these tools.
7. Old-timers used full-body routines almost exclusively.
Remember beginning of the article (: Anyway, those guys undoubtedly knew what they were
doing.
Where to start?
At first you need to pick exercises. Like I said in the first part, you need to pick compound
exercises like squats or deadlifts. Usually the more weight you use the more this exercise is
beneficial. For example, Military Press and Bench Press are more beneficial than flyes and triceps
kickbacks. Squats and Deadlifts are more beneficial than leg extensions and leg curls. Pull-Ups
and Bent-Over Rows are more beneficial than curls. You get the idea. But you may ask what
about Military Presses vs Bench Presses? Or Squats vs Leg Presses? This is an issue for the whole
article actually. But in two words, Military Presses are more beneficial than Bench Presses, and
Squats will be more effective than Leg Presses. The issue here is that Military Presses and Squats
are free-standing exercises. They involve much more muscles into action. They make greater

4. impact on body composition. The most effective exercises on this planet are those where you
standing on your feet. Pull-Ups, Dips and all the gymnastic exercises do count. Someone can
disagree but it's rough reality.
Don't worry about implements. You can mix them as you wish. If you like sandbag training you
can do it exclusively. If you prefer kettlebells and body weight over sandbags. No big deal. Work
with those implements. Like barbells and dumbbells? No problem. Do what you like.
Ok, I got it. What's next?
Mix and match. There are lots of opinions on how to structure a full-body routine but I like to keep
it simple.
Upper Body Push + Upper Body Pull + Lower Body Movement = Full-Body Workout
It's the combination that brought me the best results. It is a combination that many fitness and
strength experts preach, including Brooks Kubik and Chad Waterbury.
Here's a sample full-body routine:
Workout A:
A1) Kettlebell Double Military Press 5x5
A2) Pull-Ups 5x5
A3) Barbell Deadlifts 5x5
Perform all sets in circuit fashion. Rest no more than 2 minutes between sets. Start with your
seven rep max. Use the same weight for all sets. When you will be able to finish all sets and all
reps add weight or cut the rest periods.
Workout B:
A) Sandbag Floor Press 3x8
B) Kettlebell One-Arm Bent-Over Row 3x8 (each hand)
C) Barbell Squats 3x8
Perform all sets in straight fashion. Rest no more than 2 minutes between sets. Start with your
ten rep max. Use the same weight for all sets. When you will be able to finish all sets and all reps

5. add weight or cut the rest periods.
Workout C:
A1) Dips 2x12
A2) Kettlebell Alternating Renegade Row 2x12
Perform all sets in alternating fashion. Rest no more than 2 minutes between sets. Start with your
fourteen rep max. Use the same weight for all sets. When you will be able to finish all sets and all
reps add weight or cut the rest periods. Finish all the sets and then move on to the next exercise.
B) Sandbag Zercher Squat 2x12
Rest no more than 2 minutes between sets. Start with your fourteen rep max. Use the same
weight for all sets. When you will be able to finish all sets and all reps add weight or cut the rest
periods.
Try to follow this routine on a 3-day-a-week schedule. For example, Monday-Wednesday-Friday of
Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday. Pick any combination you will be able to follow. Just make sure that
there's at least one full day of rest between workouts. If it is too much try 2-day-a-week schedule.
For example, Monday-Thursday or Tuesday-Friday. It will look like this:
Monday: Workout A
Thursday: Workout B
Monday: Workout C
Generally speaking you should get stronger almost every workout. Don't worry about curls and
core work. Your guns will grow like weed and with proper diet your abs will be ripped as hell (:
Here you go. Now you have a simple ready-to-go full-body routine that you can use to gain
strength, build muscle and lose fat. But what about splits?
Splits
I'd like to say some words here on splits actually. If for some reason you don't like full-body
routines or simply like splits so much that you won't even try full-body routine it's ok. But you
need to understand that your body is like a machine. It always works as a whole unit. So when
you will be designing your split let your logic be the guide. Sometimes people follow hilarious
splits and don't even analyze what they are doing. As a result they build tremendous muscle

6. imbalances instead of harmonic body. You know, people tend to work what they like more instead
of what needs to be worked. That's why you see people benching and curling instead of squatting
and deadlifting. So if you are fond of splits make them well-balanced. How to do it? The easiest
way is to split upper body and lower body into two sessions. That's how you will save balance and
find time for your precious isolation.
Here's a sample split routine:
Workout A - Upper Body
A1) Barbell Bench Press 5x5
A2) Weighted Pull-Ups 5x5
Perform all sets in alternating fashion. Rest no more than 2 minutes between sets. Start with your
seven rep max. Use the same weight for all sets. When you will be able to finish all sets and all
reps add weight or cut the rest periods. Finish all the sets and then move on to the next exercises.
B1) Barbell Standing Curls 2x6
B2) Lying Triceps Extensions 2x6
Same directions as above except when you will be able to finish all sets and all reps add reps
until you hit 12 with this weight. Then add weight.
Workout B - Lower Body
A) Front Squats 5x5
B) Deadlift 3x5
C) Calf Raises 3x10-12
Perform all sets in straight fashion. Rest no more than 2 minutes between sets. When you will be
able to finish all sets and all reps add weight or cut the rest periods. Feel free to add some core
work in the end but don't get too carried away.
Perform workouts back-to-back. For example:
Monday: Workout A
Wednesday: Workout B

7. Friday: Workout A
Monday: Workout B
Wednesday: Workout A
Friday: Workout B
Repeat.
If it's too easy for you then try this approach:
Monday/Thursday: Workout A
Tuesday/Friday: Workout B
I think it's no-brainer that you should use perfect technique on every rep. Try one of these
routines and e-mail me on how they worked for you to roughstrength@yahoo.com.
Play Rough!
Alex Zinchenko
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