Fat Loss: Total Body Workout vs. Split Routines

When organizing your strength training program, one of the key decisions you must make is: Full-body workouts or Split routines.

A split routine workout involves targeting specific muscle groups on different days. A common split might look like this:

• Monday: Chest and triceps

• Tuesday: Back and biceps

• Wednesday: Leg workout

• Thursday: Rest

• Friday: Repeat

The main advantage of a full-body strength training workout is that it’s clearly more time-efficient. The assumed benefit of split training is that hitting each muscle group more frequently and with greater volume will produce better results in terms of muscle growth and strength gains.

However, this assumed benefit has been debunked by exercise science.

But which approach is more effective for fat loss?

Researchers publishing in the European Journal of Sport Science compared total body workouts and split routines to determine which method supports greater body fat reduction.

The conclusion: Full-body workouts were more effective in reducing both whole-body fat mass and regional body fat compared to split routines.

Take-Home Message

If your primary goal is fat loss from strength training, structure your workouts around full-body resistance training. It’s more effective, more efficient, and fully backed by science.