Muscle confusion is probably one of the most annoying myths I hear, the number of “professional bodybuilders” and “personal trainers” who tell you to constantly switch up your workout routine in order “confuse” the muscle so it will grow!

Often times you are told to change up your exercises, workout routine, weight selection or number of reps/sets in an attempt to trick that muscle into becoming bigger and stronger.

The only “confusion” in my opinion is the lack of understanding of how muscles becomes stronger. To increase muscular strength and size you must utilize the progressive resistance method, whereby you make small increments in weight once your muscles can handle a given number of repetitions for a given number of sets of an exercise.

To give you a quick example of progressive resistance – Let’s assume you can almost squat 200lbs for 3 sets of 10 reps, on the first and second sets you manage 10 repetitions, however on the third set you only manage 8 repetitions. The next workout when you perform squats you manage 10 reps across all 3 sets, this means you became stronger. Also because you manged 10 reps across all 3 sets you must increase the weight the next time you squat. The weight increase will depend on the exercise and how close you are to genetic potential, but for squat you could go up 5lbs, maybe even 10lbs.

So, only by using this method of progression can you achieve strength and size gains. When you think about it, it’s quite a simple process. So as Kelly Johnson once said – “Keep it simple, Stupid!”

Why Muscle Confusion Doesn’t Work

Muscle confusion doesn’t work because your muscles have no idea what you are doing, they don’t care if you are performing dumbbell curls one day and barbell curls the next. The most efficient way to build muscle strength is by adding incremental loads to facilitate the adaption process. To constantly increase the weight for a given exercise you must continue performing that exercise, by using muscle confusion to change up your routine means you almost start all over again with progress.

Muscle confusion makes it very difficult to keep track of results, how will you know if your making progress if you are constantly changing things, the answer – you won’t.

There are a few people in my gym that moan and groan why their not seeing any size gains in my legs, So I ask them: Well, what can you squat for 10 reps? Their answer is usually along the lines of: I don’t know, last time I did it I think I managed 10 reps with 160lbs, but I can’t honestly remember. Because they are not staying consistent or writing it down they have no idea if they are making progress.

To Summarize

Stick to a workout routine that works for you, make sure your routines primarily consist of compound exercises and utilize the progressive resistance method at all times. If you need help creating a routine checkout my workout routines section.

If you have been lifting weights for a number of years or even if you’ve just started you may be familiar with the two most common training routines: Full body workout routines and split routines.

There is continuing debate about which training routine will build muscle and increase strength faster, with pros and cons of both methods.

I believe the method you choose will ultimately depend on your training goals, available time and current training level, but before I go into more detail I would just like to explain both methods:

• A Full Body Routine is where you workout every major muscle group in one workout. For example: back, chest, legs, triceps & biceps in one workout. Full body workouts are usually performed 3-4 times per week and it’s recommended that  they consist primarily of compound exercises rather than isolation exercises.
• A Split Routine is where you workout one or more muscle groups in one workout, for example: back and biceps one workout, then chest and shoulders the next workout. Split routines are performed 3,4 or even 5 times per week and it usually takes 3-4 workouts to cover all major muscle groups.

Full Body or Split Routine

Before I go into the benefits of both training methods I want to make one thing absolutely clear:

“Both training methods will build muscle and increase strength!”.

That’s right, both methods will work, because the key to building muscle and increasing strength is not just in the program design, it’s by using the progressive resistance method. Progressive resistance is where you gradually increase the weight, sets or repetitions for a given exercise. So whether you do a split routine or a full body workout it won’t make much difference if you aren’t progressively increasing the resistance as the body adapts.

Now it’s time to look at the benefits of both training methods so that you can make an informed decision about which one is right for you:

Full Body Workout Benefits

1. Higher Frequency Per Muscle Group – Because you are working the same muscle groups 3-4 times per week it means you will stimulate more growth, and more growth means more size & strength.
2. Compound Exercises – For a full body routine to be completed in an efficient amount of time it must consist of compound exercises, doing this will allow you to target all major muscle groups in under 90 minutes, by performing only 6-7 exercises per workout.
3. More Energy Expended Per Workout – When you perform a full body workout every major muscle group is exercised, therefore you burn more calories and use up more energy compared to a split routine.
4. Higher Depletion, Greater Compensation - A full body workout uses a lot of energy, therefore more micro-trauma occurs in the muscle, your muscles will be depleted of glycogen and you will have degradation of proteins. This leaves the body in a state of higher anabolism, so if you are fueling the body with good proteins and carbohydrates following a full body workout a super-compensatory effect will happen. Put simply this means more growth!
5. Strong Foundation – By working the body as a unit you are building a strong foundation, this is more important if you are a novice who has just started lifting, because your goal should be to build a strong back, legs, chest, arms and core.
6. Missed a Workout, Don’t Worry - Because the same muscles are worked out 3-4 times per week missing a workout is no big deal. However if you miss a workout with a split routine it could be a week before you workout the same musle again.

Benefits of a Split Routines

Now that you have an understanding of the benefits of full body workouts it’s time to understand the benefits of split routines.

• Less Fatigue Leading to Greater Intensity – Because a split routine is less demanding and because you only workout one or two mucle groups per workout you will be able to work the targeted muscles to a higher intensity. With a full body workout only one group is exercised once per workout, but with split routine the same muscle is exercised 2,3 or even 4 times in the same workout. The benefit of this will lead to better size gains for the targeted muscle, so if you have a weak area of the body a split routine targeting that muscle will help improve it.
• Less Chance of Overtraining – Split routines do not consume as much energy as full body workouts, therfore you have a much smaller chance of overtraining, unlike you do with full body workouts, wich can, if not properly planned can lead to overtraining. Split routines allow you to workout intensly in a shorter amount of time, usually under 60 minutes, which means you won’t feel exhausted at the end of every workout and on your rest days. The end result means you will be more likely to enjoy working out and going to the gym, which means you are more likely to stick at it.

Summary

So, if you like training to a high intensity, want to build all round size and strength and can dedicate 1-2 hours per workout, 3-4 times per week then full body workouts are the most suited option for you.

If however you like taxing a muscle group and can only dedicate 45-60 minutes per workout and 3-4 workouts a week then split routines are better suited for you.

So just remember, both methods will increase your size & strength, it’s really down to personal preference which one you choose, good luck with your training!