When people think of workouts, they often only think about their arms and legs. That is a mistake! Full body workouts are the best way to improve your health and physical fitness.
The reason why is because they engage all of the major muscle groups in your body.
As a result, you get stronger and more toned. You also burn more calories than doing an arm or leg workout alone. So if you are looking to lose weight and build muscles, full body workouts should be part of your routine! The best types of full body workouts you can do at home are bodyweight and equipment-based workouts.
Bodyweight Workouts: Basic exercises, such as pushups, pull ups or squats work the entire body because they use your own weight to challenge your muscles. Your feet will provide stability for most of these moves so no need to worry about purchasing any expensive workout
They work out all parts of your body at once, hence the word “Full Body’, which means that you don’t have to spend hours on end working out just one muscle group.
In this article I will discuss what benefits full body workouts can provide, as well as important tips to get you started on your fitness journey!
The Benefits of Doing Full Body Workout
When you exercise with your full body you’ll be able to experience the following benefits:
- Better weight management – The more muscles you work during a workout, the less likely your metabolism will slow down when not exercising. This is because different muscle groups require energy in order for them to function properly and thus burn calories at an increased rate (for example fat burning). The more lean mass (more muscle) you have, the higher your metabolic rate is.
- Improved coordination – when performing full body workouts you need to maintain balance as well as control over the different muscle groups in order not to strain too much on one side of your body, this can help you to improve your coordination skills as well.
- Improved muscle strength – when performing a full body workout and exercising all of your muscles in your whole body, this will then lead to an increased muscular strength across every part of you which is great for weightlifters or athletes because it will help them to increase their overall fitness strength in the gym.
- Improved bone density – when performing a full body workout, you’re working out your whole body which will lead to increased muscle contractions and this will then lead to an improved muscular tension that is found on the bones as well. This can help people who are at risk of osteoporosis or brittle bones.
- Increased strength – when performing a full body workout, you will increase the number of muscle contractions which can lead to an increased muscular tension and this helps with building lean muscles. This is beneficial for people who are involved in more strenuous activities such as lifting weights or those who have arthritis because it increases their mobility by strengthening their joints.
- Increased weight loss – when performing a full body workout, you will burn more calories because of the increased number of muscle contractions. This is also beneficial for people who are trying to lose weight or have an active lifestyle and need to keep up with their fitness needs.
- Improved flexibility – by working out your whole body in order, you will improve your flexibility because we all know that working out just one muscle group can cause other muscles to tense up. By increasing the number of contractions, there is less chance for this to happen and it also improves range of motion which in turn helps with injury prevention.
- Healthy joint function – by strengthening and stretching those joints that might be tight, you will have healthier joint function. You’ll be able to avoid injury and pain, all while gaining more stability in your joints which is also essential for athletes or people who are looking to improve their performance in a sport.
- Improved core strength – By engaging on a full body workout, you are no longer just working the muscles of one part on your body, but instead engaging all of them. This can help to strengthen and improve the function in your core (which is important for so many reasons like injury prevention). Also, by having a strong core, you’ll have tighter support for your spine which will also help with your posture.
- Increased stability – When performing a full body workout, you’re stretching different muscles during each exercise routine or movement pattern. Some people may have tight hamstrings while others might be more prone to knee pain due to their leg length difference so by doing these exercises throughout the day they’ll increase their awareness about how certain movements affect them and adjust accordingly
- Increased range of motion – this can be both a function of increased strength in certain areas to allow for more flexibility or by having to stretch muscles during the workout. It’s important that you have an adjustable routine so that if one area is tight, you know how much longer/more often you need to spend on stretches before moving onto lower body exercises.
Now, these are just a few of the many benefits of full body workouts. As you can see that the benefits of a full body workout is huge. So why not try it out!
You have to remember that safety comes first. You know what your body can handle. It’s always best to start slowly and slowly increase your intensity.
Now is it a good idea to do a full body workout everyday? I would say no. It is best not to do a full body workout everyday because your muscles need time to heal and recoup which will help them grow stronger.
If you’re constantly putting stress to your muscles and don’t give it enough time to rest, this will lead you to injuries. And Injuries will only set you back!
If you made it this far, you might be wondering what are some full body workouts you can do at home.
There are so many different types of full body workouts you can do in your own time, like Yoga or Pilates! So I will go ahead and also share some exercises with you that are a bit more intense but easy to follow along too.
My Top favorite full-body workout exercises
Push-ups: Push-ups are a full body exercise because it works your chest muscles, triceps, and abs as well! This is probably the most famous workout for upper body workouts. You can start off easy by just doing floor push ups or against a wall to get used to the movement before jumping into any kind of high intensity training.
Full Body Sit Ups: These sit-ups will engage all of your core muscles which includes stomach, back, hips and lower abdomen area with this simple yet effective move that targets each muscle in one go! There’s three different variations you can do which include regular crunches where you crunch up from lying on your back to sitting up straight; Reverse Crunches, which is where you lie on your back and crunch up to lying down with your feet flat against the ground; And finally Flutter Crunches, which are when you lay on your stomach in a push-up position with hands under shoulders (or even behind head) and then crunch up.
Squats: Squats is one of those exercises that should be done by everyone at some point because it works so many muscles all at once! When doing squats our main muscle groups being worked would be the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes as well as lower back muscles. It’s important not to make this exercise about speed or how deep you can go but instead just focus on form and squatting until thighs are parallel with the ground.
Lunges: Lunges should be done in sets with about one minute rest between them so they’re best done before any other muscle group. This exercise will work most major leg muscles – quads, hamstrings and glutes while also working smaller stabilizing muscles such as hip abductors. It’s better if you put an even amount of time into this set rather than focusing too much on your right leg or left leg.
Mountain Climbers: Mountain climbers are a great way to work your entire abdominal and leg muscles. They’re also quite difficult so you’ll feel like you’ve worked really hard after doing them.
Jump Rope: Jump rope is a great cardio exercise and it’s something you can do anywhere, anytime. It’s a low-impact workout so people with joint pain or injuries will be able to enjoy the benefits of this full body workout without having any negative effects on your joints. Jump rope exercise will work your full body!
Step Ups: Step ups are a way for you to get stronger in one step at a time! You’ll start out by standing with both feet flat on the ground then lift up onto just one foot, hold briefly at the top (when lifting off each leg), then return down through each repetition. This move is going to work your quads but also engage hamstrings and glutes as well because they’re involved in stabilizing more weight than what their small muscles would usually need to take on.
Now if you want a little bit more challenge, you can do these full body exercises with slight modifications.
Lunge with Twist: This exercise will work both the front and back of your legs as well as your core muscles! Begin by standing up straight, then step one foot forward, bending at the knee to a 90-degree angle on that same side. Next, reach down for your toes while still keeping upright (keep knees aligned), go into a twist from waist level to bend sideways towards the toe you’re reaching for. Hold this position briefly before returning to start and repeating on the opposite leg.
Step Ups With Squats: Step ups are great but if you want an even more intense workout try adding squats in between each repetition! Start out by doing about 20 reps of step ups then add in some squats – with the goal of doing all 20 reps with squats in between each one.
Leg Lifts: Start out by laying on your back and lifting both legs up so that they form a 90-degree angle to your body – then release them down slowly, going as far past horizontal as possible at the point of repulsion before pressing them back towards the ground again. Try not to let hips drop while your leg is up or press feet too close together when you lower it! Aim for around 15 repetitions if this exercise alone.
Pull Ups: Pull ups is not a beginners exercise, but if you are looking for a full body workout that will really work your whole upper-body – this is it. Grab the bar with palms facing away from you and shoulder width apart then pull yourself up until your chin is over the bar. Lower back down keeping arms straight (so as not to use biceps) and repeat!
Duck Walks: Duck walks are fun, but they require a great deal of balance and coordination. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, be in a squat position, then walk in a straight line without bending over or allowing arms to touch the ground! Aim for around 20-seconds before moving on to another exercise.
Burpees: Burpees are usually done by jumping out the bottom position (so hands should be at sides) into standing, then squatting down again so that you can place palms on floor between legs, jump back up into starting position once more from which you drop as low as possible into pushup position and finally going all the way back up to stand tall one last time. Aim for about 15 repetitions if this is your only workout!
Conclusion
To conclude this post, I hope you understand the benefits of full body workouts. Whether it’s at home or in a gym, any type of workout can be effective if done correctly and with intensity.
The biggest advantages of a full body workout is that you don’t need much equipment. Most of the exercises I listed above can be done at home. And the best part is you can tailor this workout to your fitness level!
I hope you were able to enjoy this post. If you enjoyed it, please share!
FAQ
Can full body workouts build muscles?
Yes! full body workouts can build muscles! Like I mentioned above, full body workouts are great for building muscle because they work both the major muscles groups, which in turn stimulates growth.
What is considered a full body workout?
In a full body workout routine you train every major muscle in your body. Therefore, an exercise that require a full body movement would be considered a full body workout.
Do full body workouts burn more calories?
Yes! Full-body workouts are typically higher intensity and can help you lose weight in a shorter amount of time. You’ll be able to get through the workout faster, which means less total caloric expenditure than if you were doing lower-intensity exercises for the same length of time.
Should You Do Full body Workouts?
It’s always a great idea to engage in a full body workout routine. A full body workout can help break those plateaus that you’ve been stuck at. Engaging in a full body workout is a great way to mix things up.
