Why Full Body Routines Are Superior for Beginners Part II

When you use compound lifts, the muscle groups work together, and thus grow together. However, when you train the muscle groups separately, there's a risk of some muscle groups falling behind. A lot of beginners who train this way, often favour certain muscle groups over others, particularly the beach muscles (what you can see in the mirror; chest, biceps, quads). This is bad because neglecting the other muscles (rear delts, upper back, hamstrings) can result in bad posture (shoulders hunched forward) and some serious muscle imbalances which leave the trainee prone to injuries.

There is just something about the way the compound lifts make the body grow, that cannot be mimicked by isolation exercises.

This guy clearly doesn't deadlift, his neck and traps are lagging behind

When you train the compound lifts, you don't have to worry about muscle groups being in proportion or whatnot. You just need to worry about getting strong on the compound lifts. Put as much effort into all your lifts and you won't have to worry about looking out of proportion. If you have short arms, you'll be better at benching and pressing, but deadlifting will be harder. If you have long arms, you'l be better at deadlifting but not as good at benching and pressing. But don't let your genetics stop you, worry about getting as strong as you possibly can.

Why do shrugs, leg curls, leg extensions, wrist curls and back raises when you can do deadlifts? No need for front raises, laterial raises and rear delt raises when you can do the overhead press. Get more out of doing less, training economy is your friend.

Jim Wendler clearly lifts heavy

Jim above may have a higher body fat % than the guy in the first picture, but it's still clearer that he has better muscular development, he looks strong. I find Jim's physique to be more impressive, being strong and looking strong is way more awesome than just looking big.

So any guys reading this, get strong on the compound lifts if you want to look badass, so your woman won't be embarrassed to be seen with you. Happy Valentines Day.