4 Reasons You Should Be Doing Whole Body Training | Jim Stoppani

The research is in. Here are four proven reasons why you should take advantage of the health and fitness benefits of whole-body training.

Whole-body training, aka full-body training, refers to training every muscle group in one workout, rather than training them separately.

Split-style training has been a staple of the bodybuilding community for years. With splits, you can lift more volume per individual muscle groups, but you sacrifice frequency. Whole-body training involves less volume per body part per workout, but each muscle group gets worked more frequently.

Frequency, as it turns out, is the way to go. Here are four reasons why I think you should switch to whole-body training.

1. Greater Fat Loss
Research shows whole-body training can improve fat loss over typical split-style training. In one study, individuals who performed whole-body workouts three times per week lost more body fat than those who were following a typical split-style training program.[1]

Whole-body training appears to influence fat loss through gene activation—my area of study while at Yale School of Medicine. Gene activation is critical for determining training outcomes, be it muscle growth or fat loss.

Whole-body training instigates gene activity to keep metabolic processes revved up in every single muscle, an effect that lasts all day long. Your body essentially burns more fat and carbs for fuel throughout the day with whole-body training.

2. Greater Muscle Mass
In the same study, the whole-body training group gained slightly more muscle mass than the split training group. One possible reason: Whole-body subjects showed improved testosterone-to-cortisol ratios. The higher your testosterone is and the lower your cortisol is, the more anabolic you are.

Activating this ideal anabolic ratio through frequent whole-body training maximizes potential muscle-protein synthesis, leading to greater muscle growth.

3. Greater Strength
When researchers split the subjects into groups of stronger individuals—those who could squat heavier—and weaker individuals, they found the stronger individuals in the whole-body training program had greater strength gains than the stronger individuals assigned to split-style training.

This suggests advanced lifters may experience even greater benefits from using a whole-body training programs than their novice counterparts.

This represents a sea change among exercise scientists, who used to recommend beginners use whole-body training because it allows more frequency for training the motor system and nervous system—the main changes a newbie sees in the first few weeks of training.

Now it appears the greater frequency of whole-body training may be of greater benefit to experienced lifters seeking to improve their strength gains.

4. Greater Overall Health
By activating genes in every muscle fiber every single day, whole-body training keeps metabolic processes firing, which plays a role in helping to prevent the onset of various metabolic diseases.

At age 49, I'm in the best shape of my life, both inside and out. Whole-body training is one of the reasons why.

========================================­=====

| References |

========================================­=====

| Follow Us |

[bhaderhussain]

1.) Greater fat loss
2.) Greater muscle mass
3.) Greater strength
4.) Greater overall health

[Meangenehimself]

Full Body as a natural. Best gains of my life.

[jpower]

About 10 years ago, a Doctor told me the definition of old age, is the loss of muscle mass. I switched to whole body workouts, doing a push pull method, and the only rest, is between sets. I turn 50 next week and I work at a school with over 3000 staff and students. Every time I tell someone how old I am(and I'm a grandpa) they look at me stunned and say I look like I'm in my 30's!!! I have always believed in life style that makes the body think it has to stay young, and the whole body workout is definitely one of the keys.

[buyystocks]

thank jim.I had a heart attack in 2016, im coming back strong, heart is fixed, just needed a tune up, and no more c4 or energy drinks.

[michaeltodd]

Thanks Jim. I am doing this off and on for years. I also add split training throughout the week. So, in essence I am doing both. Keep up the good work. God bless mightily.

[rajivsingh]

I love whole body training in the past of my starting time doing training in 2012 excluding occasional session i had in my school days i used to follow splits and whole body training so balanced up but in 2016 i decided to do full body sessions and gained great gains strength and fitness. in 2017 i had mixed up split and whole body training based on my fitness goals but this year i decided to do a permanent transition to full body training and my results are going great.

[mikemendillo]

I do a full upper body workout, 3 days a week and I train legs on the would be, off day. It works well for me. I do three exercises per body part, 3 Heavy barbell sets of 6-8 reps and follow up with the 2 dumbbell exercises for 3 sets of 10-12 reps, I get a really good pump and really strive to add weight each week onto the barbell exercises, I have been making excellent gains thus far. I feel the secret is the heavy barbells, you want to really pump that blood into the muscle before the dumbbell exercises. If I feel I didnt, I will do a light blow out set or, another heavy set before continuing. Thank you Dr. ! You look great ! Rock on !!! :)

[paulblake]

I am 49 very soon and I do Whole body training! and nobody paying me to say this but, it works

[redghost]

After this video, I have decided to give up lifting and focus my time on being able to talk like this fellow. I think I could get more women that way.

[Anonymous-yxjf]

I started doing this after i almost missed a day or 2 in my split routine. I already see the gains in strength. Its awesome. Every muscle group is targeted two times a week at least and i also love the compound excercises. I am trying to work up to muscle ups as well. Am sold lol

[robn]

I do variety of activation exercises everyday. Trying to fix imbalances and weakness in hips and shoulders. Believe me if you do 20 mins everyday for 3 months, where you follow these 5 rules. 1: perfect form, 2: 5-10sec isometric (as hard as you can at the top) 3: slow eccentrics (5 sec or more). 5: Exhaustion every time. (Form fail = exhaustion), This really works.

[goodkarma]

Awesome great video! To the point! Concise! No beating around the bush! Thanks to Stoppani!

[amandakarpur]

He really does a whole body work out literally. He even works out his voice

[bashsibda]

Steeve Reeves, Building the Classic Physique the Natural Way. Great book. Steeve aged well and was healthy throughout his life. Advocated full body workouts.

[sircefiro]

I like that you can get it done in 3 days which is awesome and gives a bit of flexibility if you've got other priorities, miss a day on a split and you either just miss it or play catch up forever lol

[myherosupreme]

I’ve always heard good things about the full body method, and always wanted to start doing it to do something different. I will follow through with this and begin full body trainings

[Rudy]

Now these guys from New Zealand really did a lot of research...

[richarddutchholland]

I’ve been doing complete upper body on day one and lower body day two and cardio on day three and then repeat and I’ve found this formula better for myself

[westhesker]

Met him at Mr Olympia Expo this year.. real cool dude and genuine !! Not like these other dudes who feel like they have to be in CEO mode 24/7

[danielbrown]

So here's the funny part, Jim. I was following your Shortcut to Size program on Body Space. This program focused on one muscle group per day. After a while, I wasn't happy with that protocol and decided that a full body program may be better for me. So I switched. How surprising it is for me to find this video of yours extolling these benefits!