Best Full Body Workouts

If you’re busy and want to maximize your time, you need an effective workout that hits all of your major muscle groups while giving you that blissful endorphin high you just worked out. But what’s the best way to get your money’s worth? It seems like every time you turn around, there’s a new “expert” claiming to have the “perfect” workout. If you’re overwhelmed by the amount of fitness information out there, we can help.

That’s why we’re covering everything you need to know about full body workouts, including what they are, what they’re not, and some of the best ones, including insights from Peloton trainer Callie Gullickson.

Full Body Workout Explained

You’ve probably heard the term “full body workout” dozens of times. But what exactly does that mean? Read on to learn what a full body workout is, and isn’t.

Muscle groups included in full body workout

A full body workout works all of the body’s major muscle groups, rather than focusing on just one part of the body. If it only targets your core, obliques, and lower back, it’s not a full body workout. While a full-body workout can include aerobic exercise, resistance training, or a combination of both, it should work all or most of the following major muscle groups:

• Shoulders
• Back
• Chest
• Legs
• Gluteus maximus
• Core

Full-body Training VS. Split Training

If you’re focusing on strength training, it’s important to understand what people mean when they say full-body training versus split training. Split training refers to creating a workout routine that targets different muscle groups on different days. A traditional five-day split training program might look like this:

• Monday: Arms
• Tuesday: Chest
• Wednesday: Rest or Active Recovery
• Friday: Rest or Active Recovery
• Saturday: LegsThursday: Shoulders
• Sunday: Back

The goal is to put in a high-quality effort before your muscles become fatigued, and presumably you can do that because your target muscle group will have been well rested by the time you start the workout.

Benefits and Disadvantages of Split Training

The benefits of split training include shorter workouts because you’re only targeting one muscle group, and more intense workouts. Because you have more time to focus on one specific muscle group, you can do a variety of different workouts that challenge it in slightly different ways. (For example, you can work your biceps with traditional bicep curls and hammer curls.)
Disadvantages include that if you miss a day, you could easily go two weeks without working a muscle group if you do a five-day split. On the other hand, a full-body workout involves working every major muscle group and gives you at least one day of rest between workouts. A typical workout might include dumbbell rows, chest presses, deadlifts, squats, overhead presses, and some core work.

Benefits and Disadvantages of a Full-body Workout

Benefits of a full-body workout include that even if you miss a day, you’re still working every major muscle group multiple times a week, your heart rate during workouts will generally be higher than if you were targeting a single muscle group, and avoiding strength training on consecutive days means less time spent commuting to and from the gym.
As for the downsides, a full-body workout can take more time and can leave you tired or sore on your next ride, run, or other cardio session.

Are you right for a full-body workout every day?

While you can certainly do a full-body workout every day, that doesn’t mean you should. “Doing a full-body workout every day may feel great and powerful at first, but it’s not sustainable,” Callie says. Doing the same type of workout every day puts you at risk for injury and burnout.

While it may seem counterintuitive, doing too much of the same thing can actually hinder your performance gains. “Don’t be surprised if you see a plateau in performance after working the same muscle groups every day. When you work out hard enough to cause muscle tissue to break down, it will rebuild stronger, but only if you give yourself time to recover between workouts,” Callie says.

Generally speaking, you’ll get the most benefit from full-body workouts by leaving at least 48 hours between full-body workouts. While most trainers recommend taking one full-body rest day per week, Callie goes a step further; she recommends taking two full-body rest days per week. “More isn’t necessarily better. Making sure you give your body enough time to rest and recover means you’re less likely to get injured and more likely to feel strong and energized each time you work out,” she explains.

Of course, your workout plan should work for you. “That being said, I believe that finding a workout you enjoy is better than doing nothing at all,” Callie says.

So if you enjoy full-body workouts and want to work out four or five days a week, be sure to vary the type of workout and intensity. For example, if you swam hard on Monday, go a little easier with interval training on Tuesday, or better yet, lift weights on Tuesday. If you played volleyball on Wednesday night, make Thursday your power yoga day instead of playing volleyball again. If you did a full-body strength workout one day, try a full-body cardio workout the next day (and tone down the intensity if you’re sore the day before).

How to Warm Up for a Full-Body Workout

The best way to warm up for a full-body workout is to work all or most of the muscles you plan to work during your workout. But in general, it’s best to do any activity at a gentle or moderate pace for at least three to five minutes before you start your workout to get your heart rate up. This could be brisk walking, jogging, jumping rope, or even biking. If you’re lifting weights, it’s a good idea to do a warm-up set using your body weight or a much lighter weight than you plan to use during your workout, regardless of what exercise you’re doing.

Benefits of Full-Body Exercises

There are many benefits to full-body exercises, including the ability to accomplish a lot in a short period of time, which is especially important for people who don’t have enough time to get fit.

“Full-body exercises work every major muscle group in the body, which means you’re engaging muscle fibers throughout the body, which means you’re expending more energy. If you’re getting adequate rest, hydration, and nutrition, your body will recover from the workout stronger and healthier,” says Callie.

In addition to building your physique, full-body exercises have a practical side, helping you avoid injuries and enjoy an active lifestyle. “Working all the major muscle groups ensures you’re not overworking certain muscles and neglecting others, which can lead to imbalances that, over time, can cause chronic pain or even limited joint mobility,” says Callie.

For example, you could do a few sets of crunches and push-ups on your morning run. While it’s great to incorporate some strength training into your routine, your posture and overall upper-body strength will suffer if you never work the antagonistic muscles commonly known as the posterior chain, which include the lumbar extensors and lats.

Because full-body exercises often involve compound movements, or exercises that require movement at multiple joints, these movement patterns are a form of functional fitness. In other words, your triceps curls and triceps dumbbell kicks may work your triceps well, but these single-joint movements can’t simulate the demands of everyday tasks like shoveling snow, lifting a Costco-sized bag of dog food, or lifting a child from the ground to your hips. The compound movements you find in many full-body workouts, including squats, deadlifts, chest presses, and overhead presses, simulate the demands of everyday life and keep you moving well even as you age.

Types of Full-Body Workouts

If you’re interested in exploring full-body workouts, there’s no shortage of options. Not sure which full-body workout is best for you? Here are some ideas to get you started.

Rowing

Rowing is a full-body workout that’s also an excellent aerobic exercise. It works the muscles in your back, shoulders, arms, core, hips, and legs. If you’re new to rowing, it’s a good idea to take a rowing class with a professional to ensure you’re rowing correctly to avoid lower back issues and optimize your efficiency and power output.

Swimming

Like rowing, swimming relies heavily on technique—but once you’ve mastered the basics, there’s nothing better than gliding powerfully through the water. Low-impact exercises work the muscles in your back, shoulders, arms, core, hips, and legs.

Resistance Training

You can work all the muscles in your body using body weight, resistance bands, dumbbells, barbells, and even household objects (think: lunges with a heavy backpack or lifting a full gallon jug). Building muscle not only makes you stronger and less prone to injury, it also helps improve bone density, which is especially important as you get older.

Dancing

Depending on the type of dance you do and the intensity you want it to be, you have plenty of room to let your dancing do its thing. But dancing will likely work every muscle in your body. Plus, if you’re learning a new dance or style, it has the added bonus of working your brain. (Pro tip: Peloton members can check out dance cardio classes on the Peloton app.)
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

There are dozens (if not hundreds) of ways to do a HIIT workout, but they all have one thing in common: short bursts of intense activity (usually 20 to 40 seconds) followed by a period of complete recovery. “To get the best workout, you really need to go all out for, say, 20 seconds, and then recover for 40 seconds. If you’re doing it right, that 40 seconds of rest will go by really fast,” says Callie.

5 Total-Body Exercises Worth Trying

If you want to stick with strength training, these total-body exercises are tried-and-true.

Dumbbell Press

• Descend into a squat, keeping your weight on your heels while lifting the dumbbells to shoulder height with your elbows bent.
• As you stand up, raise the dumbbells overhead until your elbows are fully extended.
• Lower the dumbbells to your shoulders and repeat.
• Remember to keep your core engaged throughout the movement.

Muscles Worked: Legs, Shoulders, and Core

2. Mountain Climbers

• Start in a plank position with your hands directly under your shoulders.
• Engage your core by bringing one knee toward your chest, then quickly switch legs, jumping and extending the other knee.
• Keep alternating quickly, keeping your hips low and your back straight. Avoid dropping your hips to the ground.

Muscles Worked: Core and Upper Body

3. Rebel Rows

• Start in a plank position with a dumbbell in each hand, your wrists directly under your shoulders.
• Row one dumbbell up to your chest while balancing on the other arm to engage your back muscles. Maintain a stable plank position throughout the movement, keeping your hips level.
• Return the dumbbell to the ground and repeat on the other side.

Muscles worked: Back, shoulders, and core

4. Press

• Start with your feet shoulder-width apart and your back at shoulder height.
• Hold the dumbbell with your palms facing forward.
• Drop your knees slightly, then quickly extend your hips and knees to lift the dumbbell overhead.
• Use the momentum of your lower body to lift the weight overhead as you extend your knees and hips.
• Fully extend your arms and lift the barbell or dumbbells directly overhead.
• Lower the barbell back to shoulder height with control.
• Remember to keep your core tight at all times to stabilize the movement.

Muscles worked: Calves, glutes, quadriceps, shoulders, triceps, and core

5. Clean

• Start standing, hip-width apart, with the dumbbells at your sides and your palms facing inward.
• Bend your knees slightly and bend your hips back, holding the dumbbells close to your body.
• In one go, lift the dumbbells and hold them in front of your shoulders while pushing through the floor and extending your hips.
• Land on your knees and stand back up.
• Return to the starting position. Repeat.

Muscles worked: Glutes, quads, trapezius, calves, hamstrings, core, forearms