Following a full body workout routine can seem challenging at first. But it is simpler than you might expect. By becoming familiar with multiple exercises and learning to structure your workouts, you can start building muscle across your entire body in no time.
This article will teach you how to develop a full-body training program. Before long, you’ll have a chance to enhance your physical fitness like never before.
“Your limitations may be challenges, but they shouldn’t be excuses.”
― Tony Horton, The Big Picture: 11 Laws That Will Change Your Life
What Are The Pros Of Full-Body Workout Routines?
Research suggests that full-body workout routines carry many benefits over other workout programs. Some of the primary advantages may include the following:1
- More muscle growth
- Higher calorie burn
- Time efficiency
Medical professionals have found that these types of workout routines are also superior when it comes to boosting hypertrophy.2 A more traditional bodybuilding workout would call for focusing on one body part per day. But exercising both your lower and upper body in a single session contributes to muscle building without sacrificing strength gains.
Full-body routines produce these benefits by focusing on compound exercises rather than isolation exercises. For example, these routines might call for a leg press rather than a leg curl. The difference is that the first exercise works your quads, hamstrings, and glutes.3 In contrast, the leg curl specifically works the hamstrings alone.4
Read on to learn how you can add compound exercises to your strength training routine in a way that will burn calories while maintaining lean muscle mass.
How To Build A Full-Body Workout
As the name implies, a full-body workout exercises your entire body. But let’s get a bit more specific. When you begin to develop your routine, you will want to focus on adding in exercises that focus on these five main muscle groups:5
- Chest, shoulders, and triceps
- Back and biceps
- Quadriceps
- Glutes and hamstrings
- Abdominals
In general, most exercises will fall into one of the categories above. But what makes a full-body routine different from other workout programs is that you will exercise all those groups in a single workout.
At first glance, it seems like a full-body workout will take a long time to complete. But that is not necessarily the case.
Of course, you have the option to work out as long as you choose, but most people struggle to fit exercise into their already busy schedules. Despite working for many muscle groups, total body workouts can be extremely time-efficient.
In fact, it is perfectly reasonable to expect these workouts to last no more than 30 minutes.6 But how is this possible?
Using Compound Exercises In Supersets
The trick is to incorporate the compound exercises mentioned above into supersets. A superset is a specific way of structuring your workout to best use your time. After completing an exercise, rather than resting, you will simply move on to your next exercise.
It may seem like this approach will quickly lead to complete exhaustion. But that is why you need to be very strategic in the exercises you choose for your superset.
That fact that a total body workout will include exercises from each of the above categories is what makes the superset manageable. This is because while you work one particular body part, the other muscle groups rest.
For example, if you just did an exercise that works your back and triceps, in the next exercise you could work your glutes and hamstrings. In this scenario, you don’t technically take a rest; your upper body is resting while you continue your workout by moving on to your lower body exercises.
But there is an alternative way to use supersets in your workout routine that will allow you time to rest fully. To do so, choose multiple exercises that work the same muscle group and complete them back to back.7 This strategy works well if you have a specific muscle group you want to target.
But either way, supersets make great use of your time while contributing to a higher metabolism.8 Ensuring that each set includes a compound exercise will only increase the rewards of this kind of strength training.
You can choose your number of reps, the length of your sets, and your total workout time based on your lifestyle and your goals. Likewise, there are many different exercises you can choose from when building your workout routine.
Best Full-Body Exercises
Now that you know the basics of what makes a full-body workout so effective, let’s look at some highly effective exercises for each muscle group. Before beginning these exercises, make sure you do a good warm-up. The superset method can result in an intense workout. This is a great way to reach your fitness goals. But without proper preparation, you may end up getting injured.
Let’s return to our list of major muscle groups earlier on in this article and add in some exercises that will work each one.
-
Chest, Shoulders, And Triceps
- Bench press
- Lateral raise
- Dips
- Overhead press9
-
Back And Biceps- Bent-over row
- Pull-up10
-
Quadriceps
- Squat
- Deadlift
- Leg press
- Kettlebell swing
-
Glutes And Hamstrings
- Squats
- Deadlift
- Leg press
- Kettlebell swing
-
Abdominals- Planks
- Russian twists
- Kettlebell windmills
To build your full body workout routine, select exercises from each category, and organize them into sets. Since this will produce a challenging workout, you should give your body plenty of time to rest. As such, start out with performing this type of workout no more than three times per week.11
As you get stronger, move on to heavier weight to continue your progress.
Bodyweight Full-Body Workout
As you may have noticed, many of the exercises in the previous section typically require a barbell. But even if you don’t have access to this equipment, you can still perform a full-body workout using bodyweight exercises.
Unable to get to the gym? Here are some alternative exercises that require little to no equipment other than your own body.
-
Chest, Shoulders, And Triceps
- Push-ups
- Dips
-
Back And Biceps
- Pull-up
- Chin-ups
-
Quadriceps- Bodyweight squats
- Walking lunges
- One-legged squats
-
Glutes And Hamstrings
- Bodyweight squats
- Walking lunges
- One-legged squats12
-
Abdominals
- Planks
- Sit-ups
All you will need for these exercises is a pull-up bar and a couch or chair for your dips. Other than that, you can complete a serious full-body workout without making any purchases.
Is A Full-Body Workout Routine For You?
A full-body workout is one of the best exercise options around. This kind of routine offers immense benefits without taking up too much of your time. By following the guidelines in this article, you will be ready to burn calories and elevate your fitness level to new heights.
Learn More:
Sources:
1. https://dailyburn.com/life/fitness/benefits-total-body-workout/
2. https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Abstract/2019/07001/High_Resistance_Training_Frequency_Enhances_Muscle.16.aspx
3. https://www.healthline.com/health/exercise-fitness/leg-press-vs-squat#how-do-they-differ
4. https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/compound-exercises#:~:text=Compound%20exercises%20are%20exercises%20that,quadriceps%2C%20glutes%2C%20and%20calves.&text=Those%20work%20a%20single%20muscle,strengthen%20the%20biceps%2C%20for%20example.
5. https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/how-to-build-your-own-workout-routine/
6. https://www.muscleandfitness.com/workouts/workout-routines/30-minute-full-body-workout/
7. https://www.burnthefatinnercircle.com/public/Same-Muscle-Supersets.cfm
8. https://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/six-best-supersets-sick-pump-and-serious-muscle-gains/
9. https://www.menshealth.com/uk/workouts/g758355/giant-sets-to-grow-your-chest-shoulders-and-tris/
10. https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/what-is-the-best-all-compound-workout.html
11. https://www.intense-workout.com/total_body_workout.html
12. https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/advanced-body-weight-workout-warning-this-will-kick-your-ass/
