- Traditional “split routines” are commonly used by body builders and football players who are trying to gain lean muscle mass. Many repetitions and exercises are used on a particular muscle group during the workout. An example would be devoting an entire exercise session to just legs or chest and triceps. I’ll let you guys in on a secret; these guys aren’t usually trying to lose weight! If you want to lose weight, you need to stop isolating muscle groups and incorporate full body movements that engage more muscle groups, ultimately burning more calories!
- Using full body movements will give you more muscle engagement through the movements, making you move more efficiently. Your body will have to stabilize other joints as you perform an exercise. An example would be performing a lunge with a twist. You step out into a lunge engaging your quadriceps and gluteals. Then twist your torso towards your front leg, while holding a medicine ball, engaging your core as your lower body doesn’t move. This takes great coordination and stabilization.
- You will prevent more injuries if you train movement patterns, rather than isolating your quads on a leg extension machine. Using the lunge example, you are engaging muscles around the ankle, knee, and hip joints. You’re training the tendons and ligaments as well as the muscle and you will be less likely to tear anything in everyday movements like bending over to pick something up.
- You will also have more balance between opposing muscle groups. For every repetition pulling, there should be a pushing movement to train the antagonist muscle groups. An example would be doing a bent over row (which engages your legs and core as well as your mid-back muscles) and then somewhere else in your workout, do a pushup (which not only strengthens your chest and triceps, but everything from your hands to your feet). This also will help prevent injury if you are balanced, not just working on “beach muscles” on the front of your body.
- Training this way will lead to less boredom with your workout, making you have greater long term success if you stick with it!
Fitness & Nutrition Coach 