Ep. #604: Menno Henselmans on the Benefits of Full-Body Workouts

It’s time for another contentious topic, my friends.No, not volume, frequency, or intensity. Today, we’re talking about workout splits. Specifically, full-body training.Full-body and higher-frequency training has become more popular lately. And if you’ve followed my work over the years, you know I haven’t been a big proponent of full-body workouts. In fact, in previous editions of Bigger Leaner Stronger, the workouts had typical “bro-split” names (even though the workouts themselves were more like a Push Pull Legs split with added accessory days).So, it’s not too surprising that I frequently get asked for my thoughts on full-body training versus body part splits and the “best workout split” in general.Well, full-body workouts can definitely work well in certain situations—like when you’re a beginner or when you can only train one or two times per week. But for this episode, I decided to bring in a big proponent of and expert on full-body training, Menno Henselmans.Menno has been arepeatguest on my podcast, but in case you’re not familiar with him, he's a bodybuilding coach, writer, and published scientist who’s also on theScientific Advisory Board of my sports nutrition company, Legion Athletics.In this episode, we chat about …Why you should use a full-body split if you training infrequentlyThe primary benefits of full-body training (optimizing volume and work capacity)How to properly program "supersets" without hurting performance (and actually improve it)How to program an effective full-body routineSaving time in the gym, inter-set rest time, and exercise order considerationsPeriodization and why you shouldn't change exercises too frequentlySituations when full-body routine wouldn’t be the best choiceAnd more …So, if you want to learn all about full-body training and whether you should give it a shot, listen to this episode.8:03 - What qualifies as a full body workout versus something else?17:32 - Does full body workouts give you more high quality volume?19:02 - What is a superset? How would you implement supersets without impairing your performance on the exercises?28:05 - How do you like to program your full body workouts?31:04 - Is that your exercise or is there another component to it as well?32:08 - How do you like to order your exercises?35:45 - How do you like to periodize this type of training?40:30 - Do you do your heavier workouts earlier in the week after a rest period?41:39 - As far as volume, what are you shooting for?---Mentioned on The Show:Menno Henselman’s Website: https://mennohenselmans.com/
Menno Henselman’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/menno.henselmans/Books by Mike Matthews: http://legionathletics.com/products/booksBeyond Bigger Leaner Stronger: https://legionathletics.com/products/books/beyond-bigger-leaner-stronger/---Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter!Click here:www.legionathletics.com/signup/