No problem Stroutman,
I'm not going to try to out reference anyone here. There is probably a reference for any and every argument. I'll just say the majority of my research comes from Tudor Boumpa ("periodization for sports") and my own experience being an athlete and training them.
I won't be too lengthy with this....keeping it short as possible. The human body is hugely impacted by its ability to seek out the point of least resistance and use as many joints as possible to move itself and external loads. To limit the session (or attempt) to just one portion of the body, would be pretty inefficient and non functional. Also, it is impossible to truly isolate a muscle or muscle group. The best we can hope for is emphasizing a particular muscle for growth. Emphasis is not lost in a fullbody workout:
I.E.
If I am training a client who wishes to add muscle mass (emphasis in chest) and maintain or drop body fat, I can get him/her there faster by using hypertrophy volume on the entire body and simply add more rows/horizantol pushes.
So it would look something like this:
Decline Bench 6@6 80%max
Seated Row 6@6 80%max
Depth Plyo Pushups 4@6
Deadlift off blocks 4@6 80%max
day2
Front Squats 10@10 10rm
Wide Grip Pulls 10@5 5rm
Serratus Pushups 2@20
day3
Incline Db 3@10 10/9/8 rm
one arm db Rows 3@10 10/9/8 rm
Full Cleans 3@6 6rm
Clapping Pushups 3@10
Bear Walks 2@50 meters
in between (off days) this guy/gal will be doing GPP for trans and frontal planes
This persons body will be hit hard with frequency which is a HUGE key when it comes to the SAID principle. When you increase training to increase total mass with higher frequency, expect quicker results. If I gave you examples of the weight used. I guaranty this person would have lifted more total volume/intensity than a person who has split up his/her sessions. Lift more weight per session....you will get stronger....you will have more opportunity to put on more mass per session.
My idea (functional body must work with full body) is weak if you look at a person who doesn't do much with manual labor (i.e. typical cubicle joe/jane). However, if this person raised horses for a living or farmed for a living, the example would be quite valid. But here is another idea:
As I said before, I have people (athletes and average joe/jane) that are looking to gain mass or lose fat. Since, anatomy must adapt to a new higher level of living and training, would it be better if I split someones training to artificially cancel out or isolate a muscle (which opposes what the human body attempts to do) to get better results?
OR
Is it better to allow the many systems of the body to learn to adapt to a full body regiment (which it was designed to handle)? And would I indeed be adhering to the SAID principle (at a higher degree) to better prepare the athlete for the onslaught of his/her sport or average joe/jane for a more functional, beneficial, injury free lifestyle?
I'm going to stop writing and I hope I don't come across as a gimmicky clown trying to sell my new "step into the millenium" training dvds.
Hopefully you get my point here...
Well said.
I too train people full body 6 days per week.
It isn't anything new. In fact, similar to what as you have said, studying the body's natural capacity to move and how it reacts to overload shows us that this method is the best.
Old time strongmen knew this.
Why do thier feats, which were officially recorded, stand as "impossible" today? Why do people think they need the roids? Full body training is the answer, strengthwise.
The funny thing I keep seeing on this site is that people reference the "t-nation" site, yet don't seem to see the info regarding full body training and how it works.
Hasn't anyone researched how and why modern strongman training methods are employed? Is anyone aware that these guys don't isolate? Is anyone aware that a significant portion of them work and rework the same muscle groups daily? If injury or overwork were an issue, they would clearly be weaker, smaller, and more injury prone than the rest of us. -Yet that doesn't happen. And, generally, you then get the usual excuse that it is "genetics".
Full body daily workouts are the great equalizer.
I like to point to my 63 year old dad who does this same style of routine. He is 5'7 and throws around 50 lb dumbbells after a day of ac/htg work. Weekends, he throws around 100lb rounds splitting firewood.
At 63, by modern belief, doing this sort of thing he should be dead, weak, or injured. -At least shrinking muscletone wise. In 6 months, he has gained 1 shirt size, 1 pants size, and stayed the same weight. Fat loss, no prob.
He is the healthiest and strongest he has ever been in his life.
Hmmmm.......
