Full body routines - Yay or Nay

[BEEF]

As the thread title states really.

A lot of people swear by these full body routines and all that. Also a lot of people have been singing the praises of the HIT method of training. Now I'm sure they're not crap, but it can't be as effective as a decent split can it? I can't see how squatting 3 times a week but for 2 sets a time would stimulate anything? I at least like to feel like I've done a good workout and burned the muscle out well.

EDIT: OOPS! This is aimed at Bodybuilding, of course full body routines are useful for different aspects of the industry, such as DQ kindly pointed out to me in another thread, but this is just aimed at serious bodybuilders, are they any good?

[JohnnyCage]

Nay. I am a firm beleiver that it is better to train the body as a whole when you are aimed at doing better is sports and gaining strength, but I dont think it is that good for mass.

[muscle_n_blood]

When I first started experimenting with training in the late 60's, a standard workout regimen was a full body workout 3 x a week. Low volume, usually one or two excercises per bodypart, 3 sets, 10 reps or so. Made gains on it, but I was a kid and would respond to anything then. As we got more advanced and added new excercises, we just started splitting up into 2 training sessions a day, still hitting bodyparts 3 x a week. Trained this way throughout the 70's, off and on. For this to work, ya gotta eat and ya gotta get plenty of rest, (I didn't, then) and I wouldn't train that way today.

Back then, not nearly as much emphasis was put on back and legs, which require the most output by far. We hammered arms and chest, but just did a few chins and rows for back, and a few sets of squats for legs. I was at my biggest, strongest in my early 30's, when we were hitting everything every 5-6 days or so. My physique was best about 10 yrs ago on the same type program, but added cardio and diet.

[RJSMuscle]

for the average Joe, full body is fine but if you want to really hit a muscle group hard you gotta split them up throughout the week.

I can't see how you could recover fully in just one day from a full body routine.....a recipe for over training for sure

[p.s.]

I've tried every concievable routine over the years including 3x per week and even HIT, and I've made my greatest gains training 1 major bodypart per day on a 5x per week schedule ie shoulders on monday, legs on tuesday, chest wednesday, back thursday, and arms friday using high volume (sets and reps).

No matter what you try though ya gotta eat and rest in order to grow, or you'll just be spinning your wheels.