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There are a number of ways you can set up a full body workout that's aimed at gaining size. Find out which of the following 3 options would help you most.

Article Summary:

Full body workouts are superior for people with slower recovery systems.

The benefit of upper/lower body focus days is the addition of body part specific exercises.

Be sure you are using an appropriate amount of rest for the type of workout you're doing.

3 Full Body Workouts For Size!

If you're looking to pack on some serious mass, one of the best ways to go about accomplishing this mission is to get on a full-body workout program. Many seeking muscle gain are quick to assume that three days in the gym is not enough to effectively add body mass, however that's not the case at all.

In many cases, especially when an individual is doing a higher amount of volume, the full-body workout will be superior to the upper/lower split, or even worse yet, the body part split.

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There Are A Number Of Ways You Can Go
About Setting Up A Full Body Workout.

The primary reason for this is that these set-ups decrease the total time available to recover and if you have a slower recovery system, this will directly impact your total muscle growth.

There are a number of ways you can go about setting up a full-body workout that are aimed at gaining size, so have a look at the three different options below in order to choose the one that's best aimed at your own situation.

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1. Alternating Upper And Lower Body Workouts

On the second training session of the week, you might reverse this so the legs get a bit more attention. You continue alternating in this pattern as time progresses, with some weeks having two leg-day focus workouts and others two upper-day focus workouts.

The benefit to this type of set-up is that you will be able to add in a couple additional exercises specifically targeted toward the upper or lower body. On a classic fully body workout, this is slightly harder to do since you're trying to aim to work each muscle equally.

Generally the muscle groups that aren't being focused on can receive 2-3 sets total of a compound movement and be fine for maintenance purposes.

Here is a sample of what this would look like using an upper body focus.

Squats: 2 sets of 5-8 reps
Bench Press: 3 sets of 5-8 reps
Bent Over Row: 3 sets of 5-8 reps
Shoulder Press: 3 sets of 8-10 reps
Biceps Curls: 2 sets of 10-12 reps
Weighted Dips: 2 sets of 10-12 reps
Lateral Raises: 2 sets of 10-12 reps

Then you could use this workout to focus on your lower body on alternate days.

Incline Press: 2 sets of 8-10 reps
Lateral Pulldowns: 2 sets of 8-10 reps
Squats: 4 sets of 5 reps
Deadlifts: 4 sets of 5 reps
Lunges: 2-3 sets of 8 reps
Calf Raises: 2-3 sets of 10-12 reps
Crunches: 2 sets of 10-15 reps

You may want to add your own individual exercise selection to this, but you can get a feel for the overall general trend that the workout pattern follows. As long as you maintain the weight on the couple sets you do for the non-focus muscle groups then you should have no problem making good strength and size gains on this approach.

2. The Hypertrophy Workout

You still can certainly see some strength gains during this workout as well, but it wouldn't be as much as you'd see using lower rep ranges as illustrated in the workout directly below this one.

It should also be noted that this type of setup shouldn't be followed for an extended period of time. It is demanding on the CNS and could lead to overtraining down the road.

You will still follow the typical 3-day-a-week setup with this full-body workout program, being sure to take at least one day off between workouts.

Workout 1

Squats: 3 sets of 6-8 reps
Bench Press: 3 sets of 8-10 reps
Rows: 3 sets of 8-10 reps
Shoulder Press: 3 sets of 8-10 reps
Leg Extension: 2 sets of 10-12 reps
Hamstring Curl: 2 sets of 10-12 reps
Biceps Curls: 2 sets of 10-12 reps
Side Lateral Raises: 2 sets of 10-12 reps

Workout 2

Deadlifts: 3 sets of 6-8 reps
Incline Press: 3 sets of 8-10 reps
Lat Pulldown: 3 sets of 8-10 reps
Lunges: 3 sets of 8-10 reps
Upright Rows: 2 sets of 10-12 reps
Skull Crushers: 2 sets of 10-12 reps
Calf Raises: 2 sets of 10-12 reps
Crunches: 2 sets of 10-12 reps

For these workouts you should aim to keep the rest periods slightly shorter, coming in at 30-to-60 seconds each.

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You Should Aim To Keep The Rest Periods
On The Slightly Shorter Side.

3. The Up-Your-Strength Workout

Keep in mind that in order for size gains to be accomplished with this program - or any of these for that matter, the calorie surplus must be present. You can in some cases get stronger without taking in more calories than maintenance, but you won't get larger without that being present.

For this workout you will also utilize longer rest periods. These will be essential to recover from the heavy lifts you do. The total number of reps and sets will also be lower, which further accommodates the heavier weight.

Here is an example of one of the workouts you could perform following these principles. Often your best bet will be to use a similar workout over all three days of the week but then change up the exercises that make up that particular workout every 3-4 weeks.

Squats: 4 sets of 5 reps
Bench Press: 4 sets of 5 reps
Rows: 4 sets of 5 reps
Barbell Curls: 3 sets of 8 reps
Triceps Pressdowns: 3 sets of 8 reps
Calf Raises: 2 sets of 10 reps
Crunches: 2 sets of 10 reps

Conclusion

Keep these three variations of strength programs in mind. There is definitely a number of options you can choose from in terms of program design to build muscle. Find the one you think you'll enjoy the best and works with your own individual body type. That will be your best guarantee to get great results.