Full-body or split workouts? A new study confirms which is best for fat loss

One of the most common dilemmas in the gym is whether you opt for full-body or split body workouts. Both are effective at packing on muscle and increasing strength, but when it comes to losing body fat, a new study suggests that one approach may be better for fat loss than the other.

If you've been unsure how to structure your workouts, then it may finally settle things for you, or it may even have you rethink your current training routine. Let’s take a look at what the study found…

The study

Published in the European Journal of Sport Science, the 8-week study aimed to look at whether full-body training (where you train all the body’s main muscle groups) or a split routine (where you focus on individual muscle groups), was more effective in promoting fat loss in male lifters.

Twenty-eight male lifters participated in the study and completed five full-body or split-body workouts per week with the same training volume (75 sets/week for 8–12 reps at 70%–80% of 1RM).

Prior to the study, and at the end of it, full-body fat and regional body fat were measured using DXA (Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry – a type of X-ray that can measure body composition). The participants were also encouraged to continue eating their regular diet, and were given a protein shake (containing 24g of protein) after each training session.

The results

At the end of the 8 weeks, they found that the group who had taken part in the full-body workouts had a significant reduction in whole-body fat, as well as regional fat in the upper limbs, lower limbs, and around the abdominal region.

However, it wasn’t just a reduction in body fat that the full-body group experienced. They also reported experiencing less delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) in comparison to the split-body, who seemed to have this more frequently, especially in the lower body.

We do need to add though, it wasn’t all doom and gloom for those who took part in the split-body workouts. Participants still saw a noticeable reduction in body fat, it just wasn’t as much as those who did full-body sessions.

The study also had limitations. In general, the number of participants was small and only included male participants. Researchers also mentioned that “there was no assessment of energy expenditure and physical activity” – which is important when assessing DOMS – and “an uneven distribution of warm-up sets between the groups resulted in a higher total volume for the full-body group”.

As we mentioned earlier, both types of training helped reduce overall body fat, so if you prefer doing split-body workouts over full-body, rest assured that you will still be able to lose body fat this way. Not to mention eating in a calorie deficit (when your body burns more calories than it takes in), increasing your energy expenditure, or doing both are key for effective fat loss.

However, if you are someone who’s fallen into the trap of thinking that full-body workouts don’t deliver as good results as split workouts, hopefully this study shows you this isn’t the case.