Save time and prevent training plateaus with a full body workout.
A full body workout is just what it sounds like: a workout that aims to hit all the major muscle groups in one single session. Popular programs would include exercises for back, legs, chest, shoulders, arms and core.
There are many reasons some trainees like to utilise a full body workout, whether from time to time or as a standard go-to in their workout routine.
“When performing full-body workouts, you don’t want to waste time doing isolation exercises,” says personal trainer Matt Hampton. “You want to get the biggest, hardest exercises done for the biggest muscle stimulation.”
There are countless variations and ways to structure full body workouts but they all have this above idea in common.
In the video above, Matt takes you through his full body workout. His routine utilises a squat variation, a deadlift variation, a push movement and a pull movement to hit all the major muscle groups and get all the benefits from a full-body workout.
Here are 5 big reasons to consider full body workouts:
Saves you time.
Throw in a couple of full body workouts per week and your training frequency will naturally come down. That will save you time per week by reducing your daily time in the gym. In addition, even within a single session you can reduce your time training by trying a modified full body workout where you perform just one exercise per major body part. To keep the time down further, you can also reduce the time between sets and keep your sets to three per exercise.
Stimulates more muscle.
With more muscle groups being worked at once, your body is getting more bang for its buck when it comes to muscle stimulation. Performing big compound movements multiple times a week — and in a variety of rep ranges — means you’ll be stimulating more muscle fibres. As long as you’re taking enough proper post-workout nutrition and getting enough rest (see below), it’s a recipe for success.
Focuses your training.
Full body workouts get you to think about what it essential to your fitness goals. Picking just a few exercises for your whole body means you will have to cut a lot of extraneous movements, such as many isolation exercises, in favour of bigger, compound movements that hit multiple muscle groups at once.
Gives you more recovery time.
As mentioned above, hitting more body parts at once means your training frequency will come down. That gives your body more time for rest and recovery before coming back to the gym for another big session. Depending on how you structure your workouts, you might do two-to-three full body sessions per week — and that’s it. The rest is prime recovery time to help your body grow.
Prevents training plateaus.
Changing up your regular workout regime by throwing in a full body session every so often can give your body the stimulus it needs to ‘switch on’ and spark new growth. This goes for a mental plateau too, where you’re just going through the motions in the gym and not focusing on making the best gains you can. Full body workouts can snap you out of that slump and get you progressing again.
Why not add a full body workout to your routine?
