Full Body Workout for all Fitness Levels

Full body workouts have so many benefits – after reading our four day suggested workout plan you’ll want to complete these workouts more often! Not only are full body workouts effective for those of us who are time-poor, but if you are chasing that ‘toned’ look, then a full body workout could deliver the results you’re after.

You might be sitting there thinking… Wait – what? I thought gaining muscle tone meant you need to break your body into sections – back day, chest day, leg day… Well yes, that can work and is a great method for bodybuilders, however, the human body is amazing and complex.

Let us take a quick look at your major muscle groups, for example, quads, hamstrings, chest, back. Like any good thing, these muscles don’t work solo. Many of these larger muscle groups are segmented into smaller compartments, activated by their nerve branches. Simply put, we can stimulate different areas of a larger muscle group without fatiguing that muscle, allowing the muscle to grow, strengthen and be exercised daily.

For example, a leg curl will stimulate the lower area of the hamstring, while a stiff leg deadlift will stimulate the upper area of the hamstring; allowing you to train hamstrings two days in a row.

So now you are probably wondering what would a full body workout look like, and how will you know you are stimulating different areas? Try our suggested four day full body workout plan below.

Day 1

Perhaps on Day 1, you would perform heavy loaded exercises with low reps, like squats, deadlifts, pull ups, overhead presses and rows. At the same time, incorporate exercises that stimulate those smaller muscle groups, such as rear delt raises and incline presses or cable cross overs.

Day 2

The next day, try moderate weights with higher reps and a different set of exercises to stimulate other areas of the muscles, such as lunges, glute bridges, bench press and chest flys.

Day 3

Let’s go lighter on Day 3. Increase the reps and select exercises that will target a different bunch of muscle groups.

Day 4

Throw in a total bodyweight circuit and you’ve pretty much covered everything!

Additional Options

Ever tried changing the angles of the bench or cable? Try placing the bench in the incline or decline position. Or changing the heights of the cables. Perhaps you  want to change up your grip too – close or wide grips, palms facing up, in, out, or down. Give these options a try to see if you can become more aware of the way your body moves, the different muscle areas that get stimulated and the effect these slight changes can have.

Happy Training!