Switching to a full body workout regimen?

[tomgreynolds]

In the past one and a half years in which i've begun bodybuilding, i've used a lot of different training methods. I first started out with compound movements and utilized full body workouts. Then I began reading mags like MD and FLEX and got into a 1-2 body part per day training schedule using high volume with 9-15 sets per bodypart and 10-12 reps per set.

I have managed to put on 35+ pounds of muscle while keeping my bodyfat generally low.

But i am very busy, seeing that i'm still in high school, and my extremely competitive soccer season will be starting up again soon.

I'm thinking about going back to a 2-3 times per week, full-body workout to put on more muscle that will assist me athletically instead of the normal bodybuilding goals.


I plan on starting off like this:

Chest- Pushups (warmup, and this is part of my coach's fitness exam)
        - Bench Press

Back- Deadlift
       - Barbell Row/ Wide Grip Pull-Down
       - Close grip cable row

Delts- Military Press
       - Lateral Raises/Rear Lateral Raises

Biceps- Barbell Curl
         - Preacher Curl/Hammer Curl

Triceps- Dips (I'm hoping they will get enough work from my chest and shoulder sets).


I just thought this up really quick here and if you have any advice please let me know, thanks!

[BigFish]

I have never been on a full body workout schedule.  I do isolated muscle groups per day and hit them hard with heavy weight in an effort to gain mass and size.  you and i have two completely different goals but i have been told that doing full body workouts is good for strength and toning.  with as much cardio as you'll be getting in during the soccer season i would imagine it would be hard to add weight while playing.  I would say given the fact that your time will be limited during the season, i think you're on the right track by trying to hit as many muscle groups you can when you can.  Just my .02

[Redwingenator]

Chest- Pushups (warmup, and this is part of my coach's fitness exam)
        - Bench Press

Back- Deadlift
       - Barbell Row/ Wide Grip Pull-Down
       - Close grip cable row

Delts- Military Press
       - Lateral Raises/Rear Lateral Raises

Biceps- Barbell Curl
         - Preacher Curl/Hammer Curl

Triceps- Dips (I'm hoping they will get enough work from my chest and shoulder sets).


I just thought this up really quick here and if you have any advice please let me know, thanks!

Make your final set or 2 a drop set and you might be able to get by on 1 or 2 times / week.

[overcome]

In the past one and a half years in which i've begun bodybuilding, i've used a lot of different training methods. I first started out with compound movements and utilized full body workouts. Then I began reading mags like MD and FLEX and got into a 1-2 body part per day training schedule using high volume with 9-15 sets per bodypart and 10-12 reps per set.

I have managed to put on 35+ pounds of muscle while keeping my bodyfat generally low.

But i am very busy, seeing that i'm still in high school, and my extremely competitive soccer season will be starting up again soon.

I'm thinking about going back to a 2-3 times per week, full-body workout to put on more muscle that will assist me athletically instead of the normal bodybuilding goals.


I plan on starting off like this:

Chest- Pushups (warmup, and this is part of my coach's fitness exam)
        - Bench Press

Back- Deadlift
       - Barbell Row/ Wide Grip Pull-Down
       - Close grip cable row

Delts- Military Press
       - Lateral Raises/Rear Lateral Raises

Biceps- Barbell Curl
         - Preacher Curl/Hammer Curl

Triceps- Dips (I'm hoping they will get enough work from my chest and shoulder sets).


I just thought this up really quick here and if you have any advice please let me know, thanks!

i have seen people do these but most of the time its for trying to keep muscle while cutting.  if you can hit it hard enough you might try a chest&back legs&shoulders split.  as far as building muscle for soccer, you might wanna try power cleans and jump squats or leapers.  good for explosive strength and might help your sprinting.

[tomgreynolds]

Well i tried it out for the first time tonight and it went well. I am just getting over a virus so i was a little fatigued but it didn't hold me back too much. I had forgotten how tiring it is to work your entire body in one workout, even if it is for less sets per body part than my traditional high volume sessions.

The workout went like this:

Chest- 3 sets of pushups to failure (again, this is part of the fitness test for my team and although i can complete it no problem, i want to build more endurance in my chest temporarily).
       - 3 sets bench press for 8-10 reps.

Back- Wide grip lat pulldown
      - Low Cable Row

Shoulders- Standing military press
             - Side lateral raises

Biceps- EZ bar preacher curls
        - dumbbell curls

Abs- 2 sets situps to failure
     - hanging leg raises


I have naturally strong and large legs already, and i am on an intense running program, so i will not be doing any type of lower body exercises because it would only interfere with the running.


Should i make any changes? Thanks for all the tips already as well.

[Bluto]

I would use hammer curls as they also work the forearms more. Or just one exercise for Bi's and one for Tri's if you feel the Tri's not getting enough as it is.

[Redwingenator]

Well i tried it out for the first time tonight and it went well. I am just getting over a virus so i was a little fatigued but it didn't hold me back too much. I had forgotten how tiring it is to work your entire body in one workout, even if it is for less sets per body part than my traditional high volume sessions.

The workout went like this:

Chest- 3 sets of pushups to failure (again, this is part of the fitness test for my team and although i can complete it no problem, i want to build more endurance in my chest temporarily).
       - 3 sets bench press for 8-10 reps.

Back- Wide grip lat pulldown
      - Low Cable Row

Shoulders- Standing military press
             - Side lateral raises

Biceps- EZ bar preacher curls
        - dumbbell curls

Abs- 2 sets situps to failure
     - hanging leg raises


I have naturally strong and large legs already, and i am on an intense running program, so i will not be doing any type of lower body exercises because it would only interfere with the running.


Should i make any changes? Thanks for all the tips already as well.

Your routine looks solid, good luck.

[Mike]

In the past one and a half years in which i've begun bodybuilding, i've used a lot of different training methods. I first started out with compound movements and utilized full body workouts. Then I began reading mags like MD and FLEX and got into a 1-2 body part per day training schedule using high volume with 9-15 sets per bodypart and 10-12 reps per set.

I have managed to put on 35+ pounds of muscle while keeping my bodyfat generally low.

But i am very busy, seeing that i'm still in high school, and my extremely competitive soccer season will be starting up again soon.

I'm thinking about going back to a 2-3 times per week, full-body workout to put on more muscle that will assist me athletically instead of the normal bodybuilding goals.


I plan on starting off like this:

Chest- Pushups (warmup, and this is part of my coach's fitness exam)
        - Bench Press

Back- Deadlift
       - Barbell Row/ Wide Grip Pull-Down
       - Close grip cable row

Delts- Military Press
       - Lateral Raises/Rear Lateral Raises

Biceps- Barbell Curl
         - Preacher Curl/Hammer Curl

Triceps- Dips (I'm hoping they will get enough work from my chest and shoulder sets).


I just thought this up really quick here and if you have any advice please let me know, thanks!

First off, stop getting training advice from MD or Flex, especially since you're in high school. 

A full body routine is perfect for your preseason routine and even in-season, but I'd do more circuit training to keep up endurance. 

Keep up with the compound movements and add in some lower body training...please!!!  It is the most important muscle group for your sport.

I'd stay away from strict isolation exercises seeing as how preacher/hammer curls will do nothing for your soccer game short of keeping you unflexible.

[tomgreynolds]

Well i already have considerable size but i want to keep some isolation exercises in my routine to keep certain muscle groups like my biceps where they are. I have been on a 2-3 bodyparts routine for over a year now and i don't want to lose any progress by getting rid of certain mass builders like barbell curls.

Basically, I want to get in a more ideal shape for soccer, but want to stay as big as possible so i can return to my normal bodybuilding routine after the season ends.

[Mike]

Well i already have considerable size but i want to keep some isolation exercises in my routine to keep certain muscle groups like my biceps where they are. I have been on a 2-3 bodyparts routine for over a year now and i don't want to lose any progress by getting rid of certain mass builders like barbell curls.

Basically, I want to get in a more ideal shape for soccer, but want to stay as big as possible so i can return to my normal bodybuilding routine after the season ends.

1) Barbell curls are not mass builders and are not neccessary for big arms
2) You WILL lose muscle (not that much) while in-season and that's OK if you are that serious about soccer.  It's not easy to haul around unused muscle 80 minutes nonstop
3) You're young, putting on and taking off muscle is easy, enjoy soccer for now, keep up with the eating and then resume your normal lifting when done.

I've trained dozens of high school athletes (soccer players included) and one thing I can say is that they bounce back quick, whether that's from an injury, a training session or a season of play, you'll be back where you want to in no time.

[Hedgehog]

In the past one and a half years in which i've begun bodybuilding, i've used a lot of different training methods. I first started out with compound movements and utilized full body workouts. Then I began reading mags like MD and FLEX and got into a 1-2 body part per day training schedule using high volume with 9-15 sets per bodypart and 10-12 reps per set.

I have managed to put on 35+ pounds of muscle while keeping my bodyfat generally low.

But i am very busy, seeing that i'm still in high school, and my extremely competitive soccer season will be starting up again soon.

I'm thinking about going back to a 2-3 times per week, full-body workout to put on more muscle that will assist me athletically instead of the normal bodybuilding goals.


I plan on starting off like this:

Chest- Pushups (warmup, and this is part of my coach's fitness exam)
        - Bench Press

Back- Deadlift
       - Barbell Row/ Wide Grip Pull-Down
       - Close grip cable row

Delts- Military Press
       - Lateral Raises/Rear Lateral Raises

Biceps- Barbell Curl
         - Preacher Curl/Hammer Curl

Triceps- Dips (I'm hoping they will get enough work from my chest and shoulder sets).


I just thought this up really quick here and if you have any advice please let me know, thanks!

If you're going to train soccer full-time during the summer, I suggest a reality check:

In order to perform 100% on the pitch, and still make good gains in the gym, that will transform to the pitch, you will need to cut down the training to 2 workouts, sometimes only 1 workout a week.

A couple of pointers:

*During soccer season, soccer practice and game is #1 priority, meaning you sometime will have to skip a workout, that's something you will have to deal with.

*Train sport specific, meaning you should train excersises that will benefit your soccer.


Primarily, your gym training can improve your vertical leap and your explosiveness, sprinting. Big benefits in soccer.

Here's a suggestion for a layout:

(Sets*Reps)

Workout 1:
Powercleans 5sets*2reps
Stiff leg deadlifts 3sets*5reps
Standing shoulder presses, barbell 3*8
Abs 5-6 sets*10 reps Heavy, use whatever ab excersise you want

Workout 2:
Snatch pulls 3sets*3reps
Front squat 3*3
Regular deadlift 1*5
Abs 5-6 sets*10 reps Heavy, use whatever ab excersise you want

Rotate between these two workouts, and if you happen to miss out some days from training and playing soccer after doing workout 1, still do workout 2, even if it was close to a week since you were in the gym.

Once soccer season is over, you can focus on building mass again. But for now, focus should be on soccer, and therefore, a workout layout should be designed with that in mind.

That's why there are lots of explosive lifts, and lots of core strength in the suggestion I wrote.

Good luck

-Hedge