This week my respected colleague and fellow bro, Brad Schoenfeld published a research paper titled, Influence of Resistance Training Frequency on Muscular Adaptations in Well-Trained Men. The study concluded that full body workouts performed three times per week produced significantly greater increases in forearm flexor muscle (biceps and brachialis) thickness than the body part split routine.

What I love about studies like this, is that it provides a moment to pause and reflect on my own training. The result of this study won’t cause me to abandon body part split routines. It won’t cause me to get all defensive in the name of bros who love their arm day. It simply piques my interest. It encourages me to think outside of the box and experiment with a new training protocol, which  will add even more structured variety to my yearly periodized plan.

Close-Minded Lifters Provide Great Entertainment

What I find entertaining is seeing how some coaches and lifters are interpreting the data and responding to the findings. Some bros are up in arms and outraged that the study authors could conclude that full body workouts are better than body part split routines. They try to pick apart the data and expose any flaws… all for the sake of protecting their identity as a bro who loves body part split routines. This type of closed-minded thinking will surely hold them back.

On the other side of the conversation we have the lifters and coaches who are vocal proponents of full body workouts. They were happier than an IIFYM’er at a Pop Tart factory when they saw the results this study produced. They were all over social media gloating about how they always knew that their full body workouts were more effective than body part split routines. Again, it’s this type of close-minded thinking that will hold them back.

How Do You Interpret “Significant Gains”?

Some of these full body workout proponents completely misinterpret the term “significant”, and in turn, mislead their fans into believing that about Full Body Workouts vs Body Part Split Routines