Best Full Body Workouts for All Fitness Levels
Running through a variety of exercises is important if you want to accomplish your fitness goals. You would need exercises that would focus on each of your muscle groups.
However, not all of us have the luxury of time. Spending a few hours at the gym everyday may sometimes not be doable. It’s not a problem though if you are short in time. We have made a list of workout exercises that targets multiple muscle groups in one go. Before jumping on, here are some notes about full body training that you must remember:
- Frequency – Don’t perform body exercises on back to back days. Instead, it is recommended that you do it 3 days a week, preferably on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
- Selection of Exercise – Full body workouts generally utilize heavy compound lifts to stimulate strength and muscle growth.
1. The Muscle & Strength 5×5 Full Body Routine
This workout routine for beginners may be simple, yet it has proven to be effective in helping you pack on strength and muscle. Performing a limited number of exercises per training day will give you as much strength as possible.
The core lifts included in this routine are important for muscle gains and overall strength. As you grow stronger on each lift, you’re also forcing your body to grow bigger. Make sure that you follow with this program religiously and fight the urge to make a few tweaks.
Monday
- 5 sets and 5 reps of: Squat and Bench Press
- 3 sets and 10 reps of Wide Grip Pull Up
- 3 sets and 10-20 reps of Weighted Sit Up
Wednesday
- 4 Sets and 5 Reps of Deadlift.
- 5 sets and 5 reps of Seated Barbell Press
- 3 sets and 5-10 reps of Barbell Curls
- 3 sets and 10-25 reps of Seated Calf Raise
Friday
5 sets and 5 reps of the following:
This workout targets bodybuilders who want to add body weight and increase their strength. Aside from being a general strength building routine, it can also be used as a preparation for a more advanced full body exercises.
Stick to this routine for 4 to 6 months. However, feel free to continue as long as you’d like especially if you are seeing exceptional results.
2. The Fast Start A/B Full Body Workout
The Fast Start A/B is another full body routine perfect for experienced beginners. This workout routine targets hardgainers of underweight lifters who are not making any progress on conventional bodybuilding split routines.
Though this full body workout is designed to focus on major lifts, it also includes ab, calf, and trap workout. As you perform 8 to 10 rep range per set, you will surely build solid muscle and core strength.
Do this workout on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and rotate between 2 workouts.
Workout A
- 4 sets and 8-10 reps of: Squat, Bench Press, Barbell Row, and Military Press
- 2 sets and 10-20 reps of: Seated Calf Raise and Weighted Sit Up
Workout B
- 2 sets and 10-15 reps of Deadlift
- 2 sets and 12-15 reps of Leg Press
- 4 sets and 8-10 reps of: Incline Dumbbell Bench Press, Dumbbell Shrug, and Barbell Curls
- 2 sets and 10-20 reps of Standing Calf Raise
- 2 sets and 10-25 reps of Hanging Knee Raise
Follow this program for 6 months, but you can continue as long as you want especially if you’re making huge progress.
3. The Grind
You may think that this workout routine will be extremely difficult and painful but it’s the other way around. If you want to pack on strength without straining and taxing your body, then this workout plan is perfect for you. It’s also perfect for those who want to increase their strength while also bulking up.
This workout routine for experienced beginner targets primarily on adding strength. Also, the exercises are designed to add muscle mass. The core of this workout plan is simple. You just have to focus on lower rep sets for each of the major lifts while improving each set by only one rep.
Monday
- 6 sets and 2-3 reps of Squat
- 2 sets and 6-10 reps of Romanian Deadlift
- 3 sets and 6-10 reps of Barbell Rows
- 2 sets and 6-10 reps of: Weighted Chest Dip and Seated Dumbbell Press
Wednesday
- 6 sets and 2-3 reps of Bench Press
- 3 sets and 6-10 reps of: Front Squat and Pull Up
- 2 sets and 6-10 reps of Barbell Curl
- 2 sets and 10-25 reps of Weighted Sit Up
Friday
- 6 sets and 2-3 reps of Deadlift
- 3 sets and 6-10 reps of: Seated Barbell Press and Close Grip Bench Press
- 2 sets and 10-25 reps of Seated Calf Raise
- 2 sets and 8-15 reps of Dumbbell Side Bends
Follow this program as long as you make progress consistently.
4. The 20 Rep Squat HLM
This workout routine can be brutally hard but the results are quite impressive. This plan is perfect for an experienced beginner or intermediate lifter who are stuck in gaining muscles on training splits. The 20 Rep Squat HLM Full Body Workout is designed for you if you want to try something different.
Monday
- 3 sets and 3-5 reps of Squat
- 1 set and 5 reps of Deadlift
- 3 sets and 3-5 reps of: Bench Press and Seated Barbell Press
Wednesday
2 sets and 15 reps of the following:
- Leg Press or Leg Extension
- Dumbbell Flys or Weighted Chest Dip
- Lat Pull Down or Wide Grip Pull Up
- Leg Curl
- Dumbbell Lateral Raise
- Skull Crushers or Cable Tricep Extension
- Concentration Curl or EZ Bar Preacher Curl
- Seated Calf Raise
- Rear Laterals
Friday
- 1 set and 20 reps of Squat
- 3 sets and 6-10 reps of: Dumbbell Bench Press and Bent Over Row
- 2 sets and 6-10 reps of Romanian Deadlift
- 3 sets and 6-10 reps of Seated Dumbbell Press
- 2 sets and 6-10 reps of: French Press or Close Grip Bench Press, Barbell Curl or Dumbbell Curl, and Standing Calf Raise
It may be challenging to have your first full 20 rep squat set. It can even take several weeks but you just have to be patient.
Mastering full body workouts is like learning a new language. It may seem difficult at first. Make a smooth transition by choosing a simple full body routine in the beginning. As you learn your capabilities, modify into other variations to fit your individual needs.
REFERENCES:
Ava. (2018). What Is The Best Full-Body Workout For Muscle Growth?. Retrieved from https://www.superprof.co.uk/blog/full-body-workout-and-muscles/
Clark, S. (2019). 3 Full Body Workouts For Size!. Retrieved from https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/3-full-body-workouts-for-size.html
Forget Steroids: 5 Full Body Workouts For Serious Gains. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/forget-steroids-5-fullbody-workouts-for-serious-gains.html
The Full-Body Workout For Extreme Fitness!. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/the-full-body-workout-for-extreme-fitness.html