Types Of Workouts: Which Weight Training Workout Program Is Best For Beginners?

Many people starting out in muscle building go to the gym and lift weights in a sporadic manner, without any consistency and without targeting certain areas and muscle groups in a planned and carefully executed approach. This is a fatal mistake. It is essential to build a workout program that can be continuously followed but first you must understand what the different types of workouts are so that you can evaluate which type best suits your specific body type and goals in order to maximize your results. Muscle building programs can be categorized into three main types of workouts namely, full body workouts, upper or lower split workouts and body part split workouts and below is a briefing on each one.

A full body workout is basically meant for beginners, who are trying to do lifting, or working out for strength gains. Generally a full body workout distributed evenly in about three sessions per week, will target muscle groups with a high frequency allowing the individual to get a speedy outcome. However, it is important to note that a full body workout demands a wholesome capability for muscular recovery, as the entire range of muscle groups will be targeted after a time interval of say forty-eight hours. The intermediate one-day rest allows for CNS recovery.

So every session involved in a full body workout course will require the exercise of all muscle groups, and it is particularly for those who wish to strengthen and shape the overall body structure. It is not a specialized program, and those intending to focus on specific muscle groups such as shoulders or arms won't benefit from this program.

The upper or lower split workout requires you to workout for four sessions per week with a one-day rest, after a two day session. The first day would be for an upper body workout, the second for a lower body workout, the third day for rest, and again the fifth and sixth days corresponding to upper and lower body workouts. With five days assigned thus, the next two days would be for rest. This type of workout program is suitable for those who like to frequently visit the gym, besides having an efficient CNS recovery.

The upper or lower split workout offers complete sessions focusing distinctly on the upper and lower body. Therefore it allows a specialized program, targeting on specific muscle groups. The only limitation of this program is that being involved in additional sporting activities may be tedious and struggle some. The sessions involved per week are demanding and the body would not be able to manage with further activities.

The body part split type of workout is a method where each session focuses on distinct parts of the body. The program involves a day's training for the chest, and each subsequent day thereafter for the legs, back, shoulders/neck and finally the arms. This is considered an out-dated method, incapable of producing the desired outcome. Increasing progress in the field of weight training and body workouts, suggest that full body workouts and upper or lower splits workouts are far better in qualitative aspects, with regard to progress and recovery.

The few people who can handle body part split workouts are those who use HIT (High Intensity Training), which involves a few sets in each workout, but pushing it to the maximum. Their main purpose is to focus fully on a single muscle group, keeping the volume very low, so that the CNS is not actually taxed. They return to the gym the following day, and concentrate on the next muscle group, and give almost a week's rest to the exhausted muscle group, before targeting on it again. However, this kind of training is not normally suggested, though a few find it effective. Body part split workouts do not offer the required frequency for building muscles to the maximum possible extent, because each muscle group is worked out approximately once in seven days.

You can start with a full body workout and then move on to any of the other methods. The resultant outcome of the workout program is more effective, if the workout methods are varied to a slight extent after six to eight weeks to keep the muscles guessing. Alternating between workout techniques keeps the body flexible, without leaving it to get used to a specific type of workout.

Steven Tyrie is an exercise science and general health and fitness expert who specializes in helping beginners reach their muscle building goals. To learn more FREE muscle building tips, sign up to the FREE BuildUpYourMuscles weekly newsletter or to download the complete 'Beginners Guide to Muscle Building' ebook just visit www.buildupyourmuscles.com.