Is there an advantage to training full body over an upper/lower split? I traditionally have done 3 full body sessions a week (LP,TM,HLM) but lately have had more success splitting it up and doing squats and pulls together 2x/week and doing a bench/press session separate for another 2x/week. I find it’s easier from a psychological standpoint knowing I only have to do two movements that day instead of three.
But I notice all your templated are full body, so am I doing myself wrong by adding an extra day and splitting it up ?
Like most of the answers to programming questions- it depends. Here’s a brief pro/con list:
Full Body
Pros:
More training frequency given same number of days training per week
Hit more muscle groups more often
More sport specific for barbell sports
Cons:
May take more time
May induce more training stress (which can also be good)
Less able to focus on one lift at a time, possibly
Split
Pros:
Can focus on one lift at a time
Less training stress potentially (can also be bad)
Usually shorter sessions
Cons:
Volume and frequency are limited
Less frequent training of muscle groups compromises hypertrophy
Less specific for barbell sports
If the volume/fq/average intensity is the same over the week, but you’re just splitting a day up into squats and pulls- that’s probably fine, though I’d be curious what you mean by “more success”. More weight on the bar during a training session isn’t always better.
If, for instance, you normally do pulls after squats then you’d always be doing pulls in a fatigued state, which may result in more stress than doing pulls fresh- even if they’re heavier.