What if I told you that going to the gym 5-6 times weekly on a traditional body split program slows your progress?
I think many of you would be skeptical, but hear me out. This article will be specifically meant for those who are natural, have not dabbled in PEDs or steroids, and have the desire to build muscle/burn body fat.
For naturals, we need to be more methodical when getting jacked. Too often, I see naturals trying to replicate programs as someone on PEDs. They expect to get similar results only to be disappointed, myself included. Steroids help pass the time you put into the gym to get results. You can do almost any program on steroids and get great results. That is not the case for naturals.
That said, why can traditional muscle splits (bro splits) like chest, back, legs, shoulder, or push, pull, and legs hinder muscle growth for naturals?
Why Bro Splits Fall Short
Bro splits are impractical because we cannot make it to the gym 5-6 times a week.
Let me know if this sounds familiar. You want to start working out 5-6 times a week and will do anything only for life to get in the way. Now, you miss multiple muscle groups throughout the week, mostly leg day, because you can’t get into the gym frequently; you have a family, a job, or many other reasons why you can’t get into the gym that often.
It’s an unrealistic facade that we believe because of everything we see on social media; we think we have to train like such to achieve our goals, which could not be farther from the truth. You can get better results with your workouts from doing a 3-day full body split. If you’re starting, even two times a week will be sufficient if you program correctly.
Flexibility
Full body splits are way more flexible than a fixed one-muscle group a-day program because you can take more than one day off in between if you need to. This flexibility allows us to live life and not feel guilty if we miss a day in the gym. Because guess what? You will still hit every muscle group in your next session or close to every muscle group, depending on the program!
Frequency/Intensity
The frequency/intensity at which we can train the muscle benefits naturals. Not only can we hit it three times a week, but we can do so with compound movements! You can train the target muscle group twice as hard with compound movement because the rest days in between optimize recovery.
That is important because muscles are stubborn; they don’t want to grow, in all honesty, so it’s up to us to send the signals to do so! That’s the issue for naturals doing a one-muscle group a-day program. Why would you only train a desired muscle group once a week, with the intensity tapering off through the workout only for your last few sets of an incline squeezing plate press (that exercise is a waste of time; just FYI) to not even send a muscle-building signal to the target muscle? Naturals have to send a muscle-building signal more often than someone on PEDs.
We can keep the intensity high by switching muscle groups throughout the workouts, meaning every time we train the muscle group through the week, it will receive a sufficient signal to grow every Set. The same cannot be said for one muscle group a day programming.
How should I program Full Body?
Here is an example from one of my client’s programs who is a beginner on a full-body split. Remember, this program was individualized for their goals/needs and only used as a reference.
off-screen* 3x DB later raises 15-20, and 3x of hanging leg raises 10-20.
Please note that the muscle you wish to enhance the most should be trained first when doing a full-body program. If you train your desired muscle groups, in the end, they won’t respond as quickly as if they’re prioritized at the beginning of the workout.
Final Set
Please remember this is typically meant for those who have not taken PEDs or are no longer enhanced. These principles of intensity and frequency will only be practical if other aspects of your life also contribute to muscle gain, such as quality sleep and slight surpluses. Or a calorie deficit, depending on your goals.
To keep the intensity high, most people should have a source of calories to consume during the workout (Gatorade, apple, banana, fruit snacks) because they can be longer than a traditional split session. Do you want to go to the gym 5-6 times a week? The answer for me is NO! And I’m a personal trainer; unless you’re chasing the dream of IFBB pro, I suggest you try the full body split for at least a few months and see how your body reacts.
Full Body Programs
These programs are available on my Trainerize profile if you need help getting started with your full-body training! 3-day programs! Ring of Fire 3x and the FBA split!!
