The BIGGEST Full Body Training Myths!

[@barbellbryce]

Unrelated to the video but Steve Shaw really wants to do another interview with you and he's asking all of us from the Massive Iron community to reach out to you! 🔥 Would love to see you both again.

[@danielday3374]

That old interview was fantastic. Would definitely like to see another.

[@lewisstrongofficial]

Let’s make it happen!

[@AlexLeonidas]

No problem, thanks for letting me know! I always got time for Steve Shaw, we go way back 💯

[@piyushdwivedi7195]

Hell yeah!

[@John_Rambo864]

Steve Shaw is a legend

[@MNuggat]

0:45 ahead of the curve with many things: weighted stretching, +15% bodyfat, full body training (there are probably even more aspects) Been following you since the OG days in the toronto subways. Without you I would have never built such a great body. Thanks, brother.

[@AlexLeonidas]

Respect for learning on the go and staying in the iron game for all this time! I'm honored to have been an important figure in your muscle building journey.

[@thom8363]

pullup + vertical press row + dips (or bench) hinge + triceps squat + biceps 4 supersets, twice a week (varying order, rep ranges, variations) Ive running that for two months now, I love it. Easy to work on running or something else on the side

[@Fuq2]

I do similar but different supersets. I’ll superset chest then back one day, the other day I start with back and then do chest. On that first day where I start with push, I’ll either do OHP for a second press and fill in that chest volume with flys, or do OHP as a 3rd press, but for less sets and not supersets. Then I’ll superset tris and bis, depending on if I started with push or pull. End with side laterals and rear Delts

[@Screwtoast3]

Interesting way of organising it. I might give that a go. I’ve been running 5/3/1 and just tacking everything else on the end. Agree with the running comment. It’s nice to have the flexibility and freedom to push conditioning outside the gym and work on other athletic goals.

[@erikgutierrez3138]

Sick set up. 1 of my full body sessions is identical. I just add trap,calves, and neck isolations

[@FiveN9ne]

Id run out of energy before finishing. Doing 4 super sets of those first 3 combos and then expecting me to do squats with decent intensity? Not a chance.

[@Fuq2]

@ Sounds like an endurance or work capacity problem. I would say do upper Monday and Friday, and do lower on Wednesday. I can understand legs being an issue after a full upper session with supersets, but you can always put legs on another day.

[@lukaposeidon8490]

Biggest gains I’ve ever made was on full body 3x. Low volume works for me like nothing else.

[@AlexLeonidas]

Low volume 3x full body is legendary!!

[@Duden627]

Would you mind sharing your program? Could use some inspiration for which exercises and how to combine them

[@BigG627]

@@Duden627try boostcamp mobile, bald Omni man and GVs have full body programs

[@lukaposeidon8490]

@@Duden627 Absolutely, I’m by no means an expert, and my training is adapted to my needs, but there’s a few things I could share that might be of benefit. My training right now is an adaptation to what I did ~1 year ago. Exercises usually varied, but always the basic stuff. Due to my injury (herniated disc and sciatica) I avoided legs and stuff that was hard on the low back. When I reintroduced them back in, it was mostly just a leg exercise on top of the upper stuff I was doing. Upper was One exercise per muscle group every single time I was at the gym, and hitting variations of it the next day. Most of it was 2 sets, progressing each exercise smoothly most weeks. Sample day : Bench press, Vertical pull (pulldown or pullups), straight bar curls, pushdowns, a lateral raise. + a leg variation (at the beginning or at the end) Now, I’m more mindful of adding spinal erector stuff (and trap work, can be undertrained in this exact setup) and I do legs. Triceps started to overpower everything else and interfere with my chest and back (yes, even back training. Vertical pulls started cooking my long head) so I don’t do them at all, and they still grow. That being said, lately I’ve been successful at doing chest focused variations ( slightly wider bench with a modified technique ) and it has freed up some room for tricep isolations. What I do these days is 4x a week. 3x upper body and 1 legs. Great setup for me considering I don’t need that much volume especially for legs, which are a match for my upper body even with minimal training. The one piece of advice that I could give you is to start with a certain level of work (on the lower end volume wise, sets pushed hard - close to failure) and see how it works. Notice what gets trained more, what less and go from there. Isolation super sets can be a great way to make more time for more volume when it’s necessary.

[@BradScott-ys6ot]

i would imagine it prolly work for most. Me for example, there is a mental hurdle of “only” 3 sets. I know my mind is wrong here… I still end up wanting more sets per exercise per sesh, so I do like a ppl thing. If life becomes to busy tho, I always expect to play the fullbody card, and 3 sets is the BEST option. I mentioned in my own comment above, Joe Grimek (a silver era legend) had a 3 set per exercise routine that I never ended up trying, but have been meaning to. It’s exactly what Alex outlines when I look back at it. Much love, gains be to you🫡🍻

[@TheRealJharp]

This is the greatest video I’ve seen about full body training, well done man keep it up.💯⚔️

[@AlexLeonidas]

I'm honored, thank you man!! 💯⚔

[@sstein4777]

This is simply amazing. You are one of the most authentic youtubers I have seen. Common sense and no bs. Thank you!

[@AlexLeonidas]

Thank you very much! I do my best :)

[@JuliusCaesar103]

The biggest advantage of fullbody is imo, you only get one chance at an exercise for that muscle for the day, so you LEARN to make it count. If you have a bro split, if one exercise isn't hitting right you're like, oh well the others are good whereas. On fullbody, you learn to get the most out of every exercise because that is the only shot you get at it. The quality of the sets goes up exponentially when you do fullbody!!

[@AlexLeonidas]

Exactly, everything you do MUST COUNT by default!!

[@jfmorache]

I do twice a week full body : one heavy day one light + 3 runs a week and once winter is over here in quebec ill switch to 3 ride cycling a week instead. Perfect balance for me

[@michael43567]

Amazing point

[@JuliusCaesar103]

@@michael43567 thank you. I think it is the biggest factor why I hold fullbody in high regard.

[@slayer9907]

Been running full body for many years and you are 100 percent on point! Thank you for putting out high quality no BS information love your channel.

[@aliensnail7173]

hi alex. ive been using a chest expander for a while. ive worked up to 5 springs now for reps! i can seriously notice the difference in the rear delts, rhomboids, and especially teres major. I had not seen teres growth pretty much at all on the machine rear fly. I think in large part because I chose to pull the springs apart and down in a diagonal fashion. I wanted to give a thank you for your videos on it, its a gem and honestly its fun to have friends over and see who can even do 3

[@randiestrouse2967]

Same here!

[@BradScott-ys6ot]

@@aliensnail7173 boy! I gotta try these someday… or well, prolly just buy the good ones cuz i KNOW it will instantly be added to weekly program. I guess it already makes me wonder how it would effect weekly routine characteristics. I mean, if you had two pull days, day1, 5 sets of Pulldown, and day 2 Weighted pullups x5sets, how would expander sets fit?

[@aliensnail7173]

@BradScott-ys6ot Im not gonna say this is 'optimal' but heres what ive found in my experience. if you go pulldown (or pullup)-> expander, the expander performance is not heavily hindered by the previous pulldowns. but, If you go expander -> pulldowns, you're gonna struggle to get out of the inital hole of the pullup when youre fully stretched. I do 3 sets T bar row, 3 sets pulldown, then 3 sets expander in that specific order, ive tried expander first, but its a large tax to the pulldown when done in that order. I also tend to do pull day before push day (in a legs, rest, pull, push, rest setup) because if your triceps are really sore from a push day less than 24 hours ago sometimes you miss reps on it, but the reverse doesnt seem to be true, expander the day before bench doesnt seem to hinder bench. bench the day before expander can hinder expander. I hope I was clear with this, i know sometimes writing stuff like this down can get a little messy word wise. But thats what I do, expander after pulldowns and I would make pushing follow pulling not the other way around. also, find a pulling pattern you like (starting either Stright in front of you, fully overhead and pulling down and out, or arms out up and diagonal) and stick to that one pattern for a while, specificity is higher on this than some more common things do to the ability to screw up and lose control of the motion in free space. keep one or maybe 2 patterns while you're getting used to it.

[@aliensnail7173]

@ sorry i dont know if my other reply connected correctly to your name tag

[@andrewcoates5681]

Full body OG On a second note, I like how you're going through a phase of explaining the different splits etc, like when you did the small series about PPL

[@AlexLeonidas]

Going to keep explaining these splits, thank you Andrew!

[@MilesAnderson-i2h]

Those overhead Pull-Aparts might be the most badass lift I’ve seen in a long time Alex

[@Jcampz01]

I've been doing full body for years now. I often get asked by people my routine and when I say I do full body they're shocked and stuck with the assumption that its for beginners only. Of course I've had to adjust it over the years from beginner to intermediate and onwards, but nonetheless it works very well for me and my schedule. And completely agree most people try to go way too hard on it, thinking they need to hit every muscle the same or with too many sets. I do 2 sets for most exercises and I rotate specializations. I've also found my own personal tolerance and volume that works well for certain muscles, so I don't aim hit the same volume for every muscle but thats personal. Another component of it that I like is if I do have to miss the rare session due to work or travel or something, I don't sweat it as much. I'll be hitting my whole body again soon anyway. Whereas people on splits go through crazy anxiety about missing a day screwing things up since they can't make it up as easy.

[@Dreweybaby]

Exactly! Something like lateral raises, curls, triceps, pull ups or dips, body weight squats or lunges you can basically do everyday.. but the heavy compound lifts you have to do in moderation and not go balls to walls everyday

[@Khadak22]

I moved away from the 'science' based routines being pushed on KZbin and have returned to building my programs based on return of experience. I have run full body splits in the past; my only issue with them is they get dry. I have no fun lifting in this style. I now do a classic bro split. I enjoy coming into each muscle group workout fresh with a full week recovery and push everything hard, giving a 100%. I also enjoy the variety of compounds, isolation and accessory work. I've gotten more gains going back to this style then running high volume PPL/UL splits. Thats just what works for me. That being said. I still enjoyed the video. Reading the comments, shows different programs work for different people.

[@juliusjacob1416]

You hit the nail on the head: a bro split works for you because you enjoy it. If you enjoy something you can give it your all and then some. And giving something your all is what makes stuff happen.

[@BradleyCTurner]

i think everyone should play around with all types of splits really, and also adapt their routine to what life gives them, sometimes you only have time for 2 days a week, sometimes 6 days a week, and honestly after a while any routine can become stale, the goal is to be consistent in the many ways it presents itsself, and not get hung up on optimal or perfect when in the end we arent training to be mr olympias.

[@robbo8074]

Problem with bro split is whilst yes you have plenty of localised recovery training a muscle once a week systemically is a different story because the about of days you are training in a week, if they are all hard

[@apuuvah]

I'm definitely liking your "no-nonsense" stuff of late. Keeping it short 'n simple.

[@michael43567]

13:48 - 13:55 Did heavy OHP & Squat yesterday. Followed by cable flys, chin ups, tricep rope extensions (then cardio). Every body part was hit. Not directly, but they were hit. Friday I'll prioritise the body parts I went light on today, so chest & arms. Monday I'll prioritise back. Full body is very simple & flexible as you said. Baffles me how people are against it. It's so efficient.

[@johnmorgan7989]

The quality of these videos in terms of content and presentation are second to none.

[@codyjzhang]

Awesome to see you’re still doing the ring push ups 18:00 would love to see more calisthenics content 🔥

[@yellowflash5123]

Bro thank youuuu, you don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for a video like this, I’ve been following you for so long now and this answered so many questions that I had, I’ve been trying to adapt my Full Body Training and I’ve been only taking guesses through a combination of your videos/interviews, some research and paying attention to how I felt but this gave me the extra confidence I needed!!!

[@ShotgunGuenni]

Man that was not just facts stacked on facts but also really inspiring somehow man Very helpful , appreciate you!

[@YakuzaGoon]

I'm a big fan of full body with heavy-light-medium days, keeps it fresh with the different lifts and rep ranges on different days. Training with heavy low rep barbell movements into pumping on cables on another day and then traditional bodybuilder reps on DBs and other machines on the next day.

[@AlexLeonidas]

For 3x a week, it's probably the best way to not mess it up!

[@therevolution500]

For doing those what volume do you prescribe throughout the week. Does it vary perr muscle group? Or session?

[@YakuzaGoon]

@ I'd recommend Fazlift's HLM program on boostcamp (it's free) for how to lay it out, then adjust based on how you personally best grow. I get bigger and stronger on 20 sets of chest per week but that's from personal observation and looking at my logbook.

[@Grahamgregorythethird]

@@therevolution500 1-2 working sets per muscle group per session is ideal.

[@SdertySense]

Thanks Alex. Watching you like a decade and never tired of you word!

[@AlexLeonidas]

Wow, thanks for a whole decade of support!! You rock, brother.

[@tallikimanimusic7127]

Got so hyped when I saw a new Alex video!

[@AlexLeonidas]

Always happy to make these detailed longs for you!

[@ryantimony6692]

I'm a full body training guy. I do giant sets. Done in 45 mins.

[@stillnessinmotion81]

Much appreciated. Being a martial artist and ballroom dancer, it always made sense to me to do full body considering that we use our whole body with our skill.

[@JamesTrainsAlot]

I’ve found that setting up each day like a mini push pull legs has helped me most with organization 19:50

[@Mifune41]

Fullbody OG Part of growing up for me was accepting that I will never commit to a 4/5/6 day per week split, no matter how much I think I want to do it. I've been watching some of your older full body training days looking for inspiration to really lock in my current 2 or 3 days a week pace, and would love to see some more videos with your current insight.

[@phijk66461]

Same. Took me over 10 years to learn this lesson. Every time I try to commit to 4/5/6 day splits, it starts off well, but falls off the tracks somewhere 4-6 weeks later. I start missing a day or 2 and next thing I know, I blink and the train is fully off the tracks and I'm stuck scratching my head wondering how it escalated that quickly. 3 days is sustainable and flexible enough that the train may slow down, but it will at least stay on the tracks.

[@davidnordqvist5749]

I’m the opposite. I LOVE to train every day, but I’ve realized I need to hold back if I’m gonna have time to do anything else. Especially since lifting is not my only goal in life

[@rucellknighton2836]

I've been doing Fullbody 2 and 3 times a week for 12 years. Best gains ever!!! 52 years old still going strong. Adding 4 days of zone 2 cardio accelerate gains and recovery 💪🏾. Awesome video

[@decathlete2000]

how do you do zone 2 cardio ?

[@JackBegotti]

@@decathlete2000 probably bike is the best , also running, but you need to be quite fit

[@ReticentIndignation]

Full Body OG Thank you for passing on your experience and philosophies of training. I'm now 40, work a rotating shift job and it is tough to maximize workout time and recovery time with everything else that goes on in life. I'd recently been thinking that hitting one muscle group a week if not twice some weeks isn't enough. This would alleviate that worry, with me likely seeing gains, while helping me maximize workouts and efficiently recover. I'm in it for enjoyment and life longevity and whatever works with my life/schedule. Thanks again.

[@unnaturalatrophy8443]

I really appreciate your calm and clear speaking patterns. Keep up the good work big guy

[@chrismiddleton7873]

Alex's advice is always first rate. I've always made the best gains doing exactly what he discusses here

[@AlexLeonidas]

Love to hear it, Chris!

[@Taophysique]

I'm on that full body grind too. Just seems like the most time efficient split IMO

[@AlexLeonidas]

It really is the most efficient, recovery-wise!

[@fabioveiga7301]

Mate please do more videos about this. It was amazing

[@anthonyhaga7559]

Apparently I’ve been ahead of the curve myself. Almost everything in this video I practice myself and usually preach to my friends for full body advice. You’re the man Alex! Cheers!

[@michael43567]

haven't watched in a couple months. It's crazy how your back & arms have got even better. You have one of the best natty backs I've seen

[@dolphin007x]

Alex out here going full NH with the video length, my man!

[@b.f.skinner4383]

No more Elton John glasses when Alex does OHP because he changed his light bulbs ):

[@AlexLeonidas]

Haha I'm not done with these glasses yet!

[@Scorched_gymsocks]

This video is perfect, a couple weeks ago I decided to go back to full body. 1 day of heavy compounds, 2 sets of 6-8. 1 day of “body building lifts” + calisthenics at 3 sets of 8-10, and 1 day of accessory/machine work at 4 sets 8-10 reps. I know I’ve learned a lot from you throughout the years cause it’s basically what you laid out in the structure portion of the video. 👊🏽🔥

[@MarianoGrande1]

Your videos always sell me on different splits and exercises😂 Also gotta try that behind-the-head expander.

[@18_wheeler]

Thanks Alex! this video is so relatable to last week novice training video. Currently running a two day split with an additional abs and tris day. I also don't think you need to do any other full body training video as you already covered all the key points on how what when why of the spilt.

[@carlandrews5810]

Volume and recovery section is GOLD.

[@Reppintimefitness]

I remember when I first started watching you bro I didn't understand the full body thing But I've been doing it mostly for years Great results 💯

[@MarcoIsBig]

I really enjoy your full body discussions Alex. My first 10 or so years of training I did full body training. It's an excellent way of building up muscle. About the halfway mark with it I did the high volume style with 10 to 14 exercises per session. I was training like 3 hours per session but it was worth it for the gains. I liked the work capacity build up aspect of the high volume too.

[@AlexLeonidas]

A decade of full body, RESPECT! Yes, the work capacity benefits is one of the ultimate side effects.

[@mastersironmantarmstrong7148]

Really enjoyed this video Alex and would love it if you could do more videos on full body advanced training. This was very helpful to me. I have been training since 1982 and competed in the American Drug Free Powerlifting Association from 1988-1991. I have trained many different splits and programs but never done full body. I have always been intrigued by it mainly because the old school pre steroid guys trained that way and the frequency always practically made the most sense to me. I’m regularly contemplating advanced full body though and trying to get settled in my mind how I would implement it before I start. Faz was one guy who would promote it for advanced lifters which was interesting to me and now yourself. I knew the old school guys did it but their workouts seemed to be brutal marathons which is not going to be sustainable for me either mentally or time wise much less physically as a late 50s lifter working over 50 hours a week in a physical job. So thanks for the video and look forward to hearing more on this subject.

[@jezusrodriguez6266]

what a great video, basically reinforces everything I personally feel like the last 5 years of trial and error have pointed to

[@mikk0]

FULL BODY OG! Fantastic video Alex, absolute gold! Thank you as always for the rock solid knowledge and motivation 💪 Appreciate you brother

[@branc4973]

This was reasurring, and great timing, this year I'll be back at an actual gym and I'll only be able to workout 3 times a week, Im not a noob anymore and I was worrying if the full body template was going allow me to reach my goal physique. So now I can move forward and be easy knowing that if I put in the work, 2-3 years fron now I'll be a differnt man, and not just physically 😤lets fkn get it. Thanks Alex!

[@GeometryDashSpartan117]

Alex you are one of the pillars of legit info for the fitness community. What a journey

[@ileto1403]

He is trutly a pillar man

[@roofnugs3202]

Really needed this video, I've been running Full body 2.5x a week with a workout every third day. But I hit an aboslute wall once my weights kept climbing. I was doing 3-4 sets per excercise and wasn't able to recover between workouts. I cut down to 3 working sets and am running into this problem again, so I'm going to try 2 working sets like you recommend and see how it goes. Muscle and strength gains have been off the charts working full body split and I love it.

[@ethan-zi8hd]

Try one set, 6-7 exercises. Failure or close 1 rir on each. If you’re doing 2 sets only do 3-4 exercises. You’ll fatigue if you go much further than that

[@levantinian]

Here’s my routine. Comments welcome! Workout A (at the gym): Bench press Deadlift Chin ups Machine row (high, for rear delts emphasis) Workout B (at home): Dumbbell overhead press Dumbbell split squats Lateral raises Curls or hammer curls Day 1: workout A Day 2: light run Day 3: rest Day 4: workout B Day 5: light run Day 6: rest Day 7: workout A … etc. And sometimes there are extra rest days because of work/family commitments.

[@abuhassan515]

hey alex do recommend treating the barbell upright row as a compound movement like pull ups and bench press it’s technically a vertical pull like the dip is vertical push thanks for content

[@AlexLeonidas]

I'd put it on the same level as power lateral raises, a snatch grip high pull would be more "compound vibes".

[@abuhassan515]

@@AlexLeonidasthanks friend greetings from syria💚

[@RamiroFarias1]

I've been trying to make my own program for a while now, and this week I ended up deciding on 3x full body, with heavier compounds limited to 2 sets of 4-6, lighter compounds on 3 sets of 5-8, and most isolations 3 sets of 6-10. Also I was planning on rotating some exercises so in week A I do them Monday and Friday, and in week B i do them only on Wednesday. You dropping this video now feels incredibly validating. Thanks Alex!

[@saha19]

this video was such a gospel for optimised muscle hypertrophy training regimen, thanks alex!

[@konebrieber2390]

Great informative content thanks!! One of the best I have seen of yours in years

[@carlandrews5810]

Lots of good information in this. Definitely going to listen to this again tomorrow at the gym during my workout. Thanks!

[@bloo0178]

Amazing video. Appreciate all the info you've given out over the years, Alex. You're a real one.

[@AlexLeonidas]

Thank you Bloo, it takes a real audience for me to continue doing what I'm doing. Your support makes this possible.

[@nikolateslacoil4003]

Been checking every day, super excited for this video bro!

[@AlexLeonidas]

These videos take a lot longer to make, thanks for checking in bro!

[@nikolateslacoil4003]

Worth the wait!

[@michael43567]

10:50 - 11:00 EXACTLY. Especially since you could do OHP on one of the other days. Every gym day can have a body part prioritised. And as you alluded to, doing bench means your shoulders were already partially hit. There's no need to go overboard with another front delt centric shoulder exercise.

[@umbertoperrotta344]

I convinced myself that I could not do full body but after listening to you and Jordan Peters I learned that I just didn't understand how to program it. So I decided to give it another try at the beginning of this year. I have to say I'm enjoying it. My plan is to do full body for the rest of the year and we'll see what the results are.

[@spontaneousbootay]

i highly recommend alexs naturally enhanced program

[@florinflorin5727]

@@spontaneousbootay whats your experience with it?

[@spontaneousbootay]

@florinflorin5727 it is very knowledgeable in teaching you how to create a program around your weak points and at the same focusing on body parts that are typically hard for naturals to grow like the traps and forearms. its only 2x a week but you can do more if you have the drive and time. still 2x a week is all you need. it includes mini workouts to help recover and build up the neck on days off. that leaves you with ample time to recover and get cardio in, as well as have a life outside the gym while getting maximal gains. it explains everything in great detail and is worth reading through. it has an intensity day followed by a volume day after a day off with a mini workout so that youre getting the best of both worlds through the concurrent periodization. his philosophy behind this is also explained. i am able to focus my workouts on my weak point and be flexible with when and how i train. i can train hard without developing overwhelming fatigue and my days off have more meaning to them besides laxing around. i think that its the perfect program your naturals.

[@spontaneousbootay]

@@florinflorin5727 i was able to create a personalized program that addresses my weak points and muscles that need higher volume that are typically associated with enhanced lifters like traps and forearms. i only train 2x a week with maximal gains and optimal recovery. this leaves me time for sports, cardio, and the rest of life. there is so much information on programming in the ebook.

[@spontaneousbootay]

@@florinflorin5727 i was able to create a personalized program that addresses my weak points and muscles that need higher volume that are typically associated with enhanced lifters like traps and forearms. i only train 2x a week with maximal gains and optimal recovery. this leaves me time for sports, cardio, and the rest of life. there is so much information on programming in the ebook.

[@mortishall1440]

FULL BODY OG: Hey Alex and anyone willing to help! for context been training in the gym for about 5 years, im 22 now and i would say only seriously started training 6 months ago, this consisnted off going months off at atime, not focusing on protein and binge eating, with super aggressive c uts, and realisticly made zero progress in those 5 years my current split it: A Smith Incline Press - 3x11,10,10 (1 rep up, still gains) Superset Dumbbell Row - 3x12,12,12 Side Delt Raises - 3x10,10,8 Machine bicep Curl - 3x10,10,10 Tricep Pushdown - 3x14,14,11 B Seated OHP - 3x11,10,10 Superset Hammer Curls - 3x9,8,8 Pull-ups - 3x12,11 (Form could be better, but back got annihilated) Neck Curl - 3x10,10,10 Side Delt Raises - 3x12,12,12 Chest Fly - 3x14,11,11 (Just on 1 for fly) C Machine Row - 3x8 Incline Dumbbell Press - 3x12,10,8.5 (Didn’t rest long enough, barbell might’ve been too much, chest was sore beforehand) - context, we used barbvell last week as all benches were taking in dumbell section Tricep Overhead - 3x12,12 (Weight going down, but form might be improving) Superset Side Delt Raises - 3x12,12,8 (Barely got 12, shoulders getting used to volume, don’t give up-managed 3x12 a few weeks ago) Bicep Curls (Dumbbells) - 3x12,12,9 D Hack Squat - 3x6,6,4 Stiff Leg Deadlift - 3x7,7-8,8 Quad Extensions - 3x10,10,10 Hamstring Curls - 3x10,10,9 Calf Raises - 3x12,12,12 --------------- comments beside exercises are my notes, and ive noticed in these 6 months, alot of my pushing exercising are either staying still for 3 weeks, or for some like my tricep overhead even regressing!!, i train very close to failure with all my sets, hit 140g protein, currently 160 at probably 23% ish body fat or around there, so im currently also dieting, down 12 lbs in like 4 months which isnt very fast at all so might pick up the pace from now on. Also important note i train witha gym partner, who does not want to work out legs so hence the 4 day split, after watching this video i will be lowering all my sets to 2 not 3, but other than that, any other tips? any and all would be appreciated! - also order of exercies might look off, we go to a busy gym so instead of waiting we just hop on the next one and rotate exercises around for convenience in not waiting 15 mins for a machine or bench or cable etc.

[@davidchavez2981]

full body is the best, remeber many years ago, when you started in youtube and i follwed your advice, because you was allready strong and i was thinking, that i have to try it out with full body and overload......i get really big and really strong in this time....thank you for that alexander

[@travisrambaran4701]

Love you so much bro! Ive been requesting this a while now and you delivered. Gonna watcha and learn now❤

[@wotwithbert7591]

The overview as I understood: - focus on antagonistic pairs of exercises in sequence (horizontal pull - horizontal pull / vertical pull - vertical push / quads - hams / bis - tris / calves - shoulders.. - if time is tight, use supersets (less rest between antagonistic pairs of exercises) - use a lower rep scheme as to not overexhaust the nervous system (6-12 reps) - if doing supersets, focus on ease of transition, don't superset exercises that require a lot of setup in between sets - focus on weaker body parts first followed by the rest - do not train the same muscle group in sequence as to not overlap work load capacity - program 2-3 full body sessions per week, add 1 for accessory if needed And i still feel like I'm missing points 😅

[@joaqu7002]

I’ve done full body for almost all the time I’ve been training. It is really hard, but it is very rewarding

[@AlexLeonidas]

Indeed, it's so punishing but so worth it.

[@heiszfelix11]

Amazing video! I'm currently on a modified PPL split and want to stay consistent with it for some time. But afterwards, I'm thinking about changing to a full body split and am really looking forward to it

[@raymondjurado9203]

I learned a lot from full body. Mostly about how much I could NOT handle over the course of a month, how to leave reps in reserve, and when to push a session to the right.

[@gaelicpatriot3604]

I like full body but I can’t help but be drawn to upper lower. I like having more room for arm isolations in particular

[@AlexLeonidas]

I feel you, full body can be exhausting after a while. My second wave of gains came from upper/lower.

[@AntiGravityResearch2022]

I make my full body based on a torso arms split, works great, and that means 1-2 arm days a week

[@anthonini66]

For me it's a mix. Atleast once weekly upper/lower/fullbody.

[@dreday3113]

Love this I'm the 2xs a week guy I had to cut down from 6, 5, 4 now to 2 days and I'm pleased

[@marjanboltevski7613]

After experimenting with various programs, I finaly made something that suits me the most. An A/B split, three times per week. I'm calling it the Anterior/Posterior training split. Training day A includes the chest, mid delt, quads and biceps. Training day B includes the back, rear delt, hamstrings and triceps. So first week it's A, B, A, then next week it's B, A, B.

[@ClassicPhysique27]

Fire split 💯

[@mattallthat]

Full body OG ! Great video. I do 3 x week FB with lowish volume . Works great and i always comr back to it due to its efficiency.

[@ricothegypsy]

Thanks for this video bro, I only ever do full body and always get hate for it. It's the only way I love working out though so nice to see you make a video on it

[@agk7678]

nice video Alex! can you do a video on optimal upper/lower training?

[@AlexLeonidas]

You're first!

[@AlexLeonidas]

I could make that video, although you'll find that most of the advice presented in this full body video applies to upper/lower! Similar, just scrapping legs and have to up the volume a bit more compared to say, 3x full body.

[@barbellbryce]

I second this. Would also be a cool video.

[@agk7678]

@@AlexLeonidas nice

[@agk7678]

@@AlexLeonidas agree

[@shinramen709]

A: Vertical Push, Vertical Pull, Squat B: Horizontal Push, Horizontal Pull, Hip Hinge Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Mix and match the planes of push/pull, squat and hinge as preferred, but in a way such that for any given 2 weeks, volume for each movement pattern is equated (ABA, BAB). Add arm, side/rear delt and calf isolations as needed. 2 sets per exercise, 1/0RIR. Been doing this for while, it feels very tidy and efficient. I wonder what you think about it?

[@manimal9871]

It’s a great structure, add in the right assistance movements and your good to go.

[@AlexLeonidas]

Still full body!! Classic abbreviated routine right there.

[@shinramen709]

@@manimal9871 Thanks! Arms are a weakness so i'm doing 2 sets of incline curls and overhead extensions every session. Less disciplined with the other isolations, should probably at least consistently include rear delt and calf work.

[@shinramen709]

@@AlexLeonidas Yeah, still feels like the whole body gets stimulated and recovers in tandem! May have to shift volume away from certain movements and towards others once I actually develop lagging areas and it's not that my whole body is weak as it is now haha.

[@OMRugby12]

I do exactly the same

[@nitolinilo9034]

Full body 6x a week and working in all rep ranges has been amazing for me. 2 sets on everything so 12 sets for every muscle a week, good effort sets, without any crazy soreness sounds good to me

[@monkeycried]

Shout out to Leroy Colbert!

[@AlexLeonidas]

The Silver Era OG who inspired me!!

[@monkeycried]

@@AlexLeonidas And you inspire us all brother - iron sharpens iron!

[@criztal6604]

Alex, I have been following on/off for many years, since the early AlphaDestiny days and I just want to say thank you so much for providing constant gold for natural lifters for SO LONG now. You have changed the lives of many people on such a consistent basis it is really incredible. Thank you for your detailed explanations that are evidently coming from your own honest experience as an elite lifter, it is always a gift to learn from your expertise. Full body OG!

[@espendahl9719]

I started with 3 day Full Body Workout as a newbie, and got back to it 11 years later with a 2 day Full Body after bro splits and P-P-L. It works perfect with my lifestyle, better gains, better recovery and I can push it when I hit the weights.Great video Alex 😎😎💪💪

[@ClassicPhysique27]

You’re a full body OG

[@espendahl9719]

@@ClassicPhysique27 Yessir 😎😎💪💪

[@ClassicPhysique27]

@@espendahl9719 I’ve seen you in Steve reeves videos too so that’s how I know you’re an OG. I’ve been following his proportion calculator to the tee and my physique is better now. Stubborn calves however 😔

[@skullknight2041]

Excellent video! I'm currently doing upper 2x lower 1x as im quite happy with my legs, and it's probably the best split i ever ran for recovery, longevity and enjoyment, just because my leg volume is low enough to easily fit into one session. This always gives 72-96 recovery for upper and 1 week for lower I believe full body 2x would be in theory the best split for recovery but I'd rather have one day for legs

[@JackBegotti]

How do you organize your upper sessions?

[@khana.713]

Old school infomercial vibes. Premium content. Appreciated 🤝

[@AlexLeonidas]

I appreciate you, Khana!

[@JuanCruz-cy8gh]

Another thing people miss out is how good full-body can be for prioritizing a body part. It literally allows you to do it first in the session 3 times per week. Doing 2-3 sets at the start of your workout IS the best wait to recruit motor units and to stimulate the muscle as much as possible.

[@phil-spinelli]

Awesome. I've actually been doing something very similar to what you are talking about. I kinda figured this out on my own after many years of training lol

[@robert50173]

Great vid Alex. The other thing (not mentioned) I love about doing FB 3x week is... when...life gets in the way, such as work, sick, holidays, vacations, etc.

[@MinhiCZ]

Full body OG! Considering switching to full body these days as I've been having a tough time managing recovery on my current split, so this video came out at a perfect time for me.

[@HollerAtcherBoi]

Hey Alex. I designed a full body routine and I’m curious what you think of it. I did it for the first time and whole body was sore for 2 days. I designed it to hit the entire body without too much redundancy. I ordered it from hardest to easiest moves, and bounce back/forth between pulling/pushing moves. Here it is: -Deadlift -Incline bench press -Chin up -Dips -Bent over row -Shoulder press -Upright row -Overhead extension -Barbell curl -Calf raise

[@christianayalacruz1095]

This is probably the most comprehensive full body explanation I've ever heard. Excellent video, as always! 4:17 Fuck this is true. Created a 4-day full body program a on Boostcamp and damn... even with a well planned out program, 4 day full body sessions is tough on the body. Did this for 12 weeks, and never again. Created a new 3-day one and it feels so much better, without any real drawback, muscle building speaking. 6:53 Davide is somewhere in Germany feeling validated. Also, makes me wonder if, for example, Natural Hypertrophy's 3 day silver era workout program is overkill. It has something like 36 sets per session with most being 3 to 4 sets.

[@user-vf5pz3sc3d]

Literally perfect timing I just switched to a full body split yesterday

[@DonPenn41]

I remember seeing a Steve Reeves interview where he said he would train full body Monday, Wednesday, Saturday one week and Monday, Thursday, Saturday the next week before repeating the process. I ran an A/B split (Legs, Chest, Triceps/ Back Shoulders, Biceps) with that template a few years ago and made great progress.

[@HypertrophyByDesign]

I am glad you talked about super setting push pull. The speed gain is awesome. I also feel like it keeps me jacked and motivated throughout the whole session. What do you think about super setting limbs. Like a squat and a preacher curl? I just really like super sets 😂

[@TheBcoolGuy]

I'm doing a 4x/week high intensity split right now. Sort of anteriour/posteriour+legs. Most things to failure. Finally a stable and fast-progressing routine without compromising form. You can tell it's similar to what you're describing in a way. I'd do more, but I cannot.

[@cole_p_warren]

Been tweaking my own 3 day fullbody routine for 2 years now, all of this info is spot on with my experience.

[@AlexLeonidas]

Happy to have your confirmation, Cole!

[@kaizenproductions00]

Great video! Especially since it came out when I'm considering going to full body due to my current schedule lol

[@disintegrate1077]

We need a fullbody template from Alex! Great video, currently running a HLM x3 fullbody split.

[@elliotthulse.2]

You’re awesome bro. Good video. Well done.

[@kgc0609]

When I thought full body as "hit every movement pattern every workout" it almost made no sense. 😂 Now I realize it is not about trying to do everything at once, but rather trying to disperse the volume so we get highly stimulus sets across all the sessions.

[@DacioNerdTV]

I would like to see you make a video based on bands. Like an updated one. Comparing their movements to cable machines. Would like to see your take on the form of resistance.

[@AlexLeonidas]

I would but the demand is unfortunately way too low. My recent short on benching with bands only got 10k views. No one seems to care even though it's the most inexpensive, portable option.

[@michael43567]

11:38- 11:52 man I feel like we have the same brain. Been preaching this to gym friends for years. They have this misconception that full body is every single body part being hit directly with 2-3 exercises & the session being 2hrs 30 mins

[@carlandrews5810]

Will consider this. Doing upper/lower 4 days a week with extra short day for forearms, abs and neck and recently changed all my exercises to 2 hard sets. Was just wearing myself out doing 3-4 sets like the trainers initially were suggestions to me.

[@akaWiings]

Gotta love it! I've been on FB x2 since i bought your ebook and man i love it, would love to see your updated thoughts on Volume and intensity days, as you say in this video that you do not need +10 exercises. Much love alex!

[@mightystories1]

Hey alex do you think a rep range of 4-6 compared to a 5-8 or 8-12 is better for hypertrophy? And why

[@AlexLeonidas]

It's just convenient since you instantly access the high threshold motor units. I'd say 5-8 is probably #1 for most hypertrophy bros.

[@bambostarla6259]

Been running full body for almost a year and I've been loving it. 2-3 times a week in the gym, train hard, and just recover on off days.

[@0713mas]

Very true! A lifters volume and frequency is able to be conditioned in but that may not be optimal for hypertrophy or performance. Basically prioritize weak points to the first few exercises, and change up the focus every workout.

[@dreday3113]

I love this finally someone with SENSE