My colleague and close friend Alwyn Cosgrove was recently slammed in a bodybuilding magazine by trainer Charles Glass. The reason? He recommended full body workouts. He did a great job of addressing the situation himself HERE and certainly doesn’t need me to come to his aid. In fact he has no idea that I’m writing this but since I am also a big fan of full body training I felt the need to address this situation as well.
As columnist for a fitness magazine myself, I know exactly how this all works and know that there was no need whatsoever for this. Especially to address Alwyn by name and claim that he was promoting a gimmick. That suggests a lack of credibility on his part which couldn’t be further from the truth. The real problem I have with this is the fact that as a columnist I know that WE MAKE UP OUR OWN QUESTIONS!!
The question which was something like, “What do you think about the fact that Alwyn Cosgrove recommended full body workouts for those looking to gain mass,” was answered in a very puzzling way. Charles Glass who is supposed to know a thing or two about building muscle went on to say that what the author (Alwyn) is recommending is a gimmick.
WHAT?!?! How the fuck is it a gimmick?! If I do bench presses, chin up’s and squats in the same workout, how is that a gimmick? Which of those exercises is a gimmick? How do you compare those three exercises to Bosu or Bozo or whatever those balls are? What about the Bodyblade and that kind of crap? You’re telling me that squats and bench presses are the equivalent of waving the bodyblade while standing on a stability ball?
To say that he didn’t like full body training or that he didn’t think it was great for advanced level bodybuilders would have been fine. But to say it’s a gimmick just makes you look like moron of the year. It makes zero sense whatsoever. Full body workouts were the only way to train for years and years before drugs and supplements and bodybuilding magazines like the one in question ruined all that. It’s how all the old time greats built up incredible levels of size and strength and how I have helped thousands of people to get insanely big.
If you like bodypart splits, that is up to you and I would never claim that what you are doing is a gimmick. If you are an elite level bodybuilder it might be the best way to go, I really don’t know. To me it’s boring as hell and I feel like a complete bitch doing lateral raises and leg extensions so I’m a little biased.
The shit people say sometimes…
04. Apr, 2012
at 11:38 pm #
I’m not lucky enough to know exactly what days and when I can go to the gym so when I go I’m in there for as long as possible to get as much of a full body work out as possible! I’ve been getting stronger and packing on muscle at a decent rate (Since I get good recovery time). I’d say.. well and truely the only disadvantages would be (From my experience) that you only really get to be ‘fresh’ for one exercise (DL, SQ, BP, ect) Because you can’t lift in the high percentages (well I can’t) for all my lifts and expect the same performance because the compound lifts are all so taxing. Therefore I have to drop the weight back abit and this means slower strength gains. The other side of the coin too is blitzing your whole body in one go means you should have an intra work out or at least a good pre-workout meal to sustain you because I doubt any of us can really expect our fat burning systems to power us through a high intensity workout on fat alone.. And I forgot to mention, to recovery time too you really should take time off for abit or if you go again the next day deload or do a depletion workout or something.. that’s worked for me when I got lucky enough to go 2 days in a row (I can never know when I can go)
I think i’d find it hard to do an upper body day and while waiting to recover staring at the leg press… haha!
Good article
Rep +1