How to Design a Full Body Workout
As you become familiar with lifting weights and fitness routines in general, you may decide to design your own workout. Rather than train different muscles groups on separate days, you might opt to perform a full body workout that targets all of the major muscles groups during one workout. Full body workouts are typically performed when you are not trying to build massive amounts of muscle tissue like bodybuilders. A full body workout will indeed build some muscle tissue, but it will also help you burn fat by keeping your heart rate elevated for longer stretches of time.
Instructions
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Designing a Full Body Workout
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Incorporate all of the major muscle groups first. Begin your workout with exercises that work the chest, back, and legs. Don't begin your workout with isolation exercises, as they will tire the smaller muscle groups and prevent you from lifting heavier weights later. Try to do 10 to 12 repetitions of each exercise before advancing to the next.
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Perform some cardiovascular exercise for 10 to 15 minutes before beginning the weight training. This will help blood flow to your muscles and prevent injuries. Walk on a treadmill or do some light jogging.
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Stretch your legs, chest, back, arms, and neck. Do not lift weights without stretching, or you may strain a muscle.
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Begin your weightlifting circuit with an exercise that targets more than one muscle group at once, known as a compound exercise. This will allow smaller muscles to warm up properly by helping the larger muscles. For example, perform the bench press before you do a triceps exercise, or to begin with squats before performing an exercise that only targets your quadriceps.
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Work opposing muscle groups consecutively. Do a set of bench presses, followed by a set of lat pull-downs (chest then back). Do not work the same muscle groups for consecutive sets or the muscles will tire. Working opposing muscle groups back to back gives the first muscle group time to recover before the next set.
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Rest for 30 seconds between sets. Make sure you do not rest for any longer, or else your heart rate will drop too far. Use a stopwatch to time yourself.
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Perform exercises in this order: entire legs, chest, back, shoulders, biceps, triceps, quadriceps, hamstrings. Choose one exercise for each muscle group, then choose a different exercise for each muscle group for the second circuit. Perform two or three circuits total. Try to do 10 to 12 repetitions of each exercise.
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Do your full body workouts two or three times per week, with at least one day of rest in between workouts. Perform some cardio exercises on your off days from weight training.
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References
- Photo Credit gym image by Mat Hayward from Fotolia.com
