A full body workout is a workout which exercises all of your muscles in one session. It’s a great way to build strength and burn calories, particularly for those who only have time to workout 2-3 times per week.

Find out more about the benefits of full body workouts below, or jump straight down to a free full body workout routine!

FULL BODY OR SPLIT WORKOUT?

A split workout plan involves targeting separate muscle groups on different days, for example an upper body and a lower body workout, or you can also split your routine up by different movement patterns, such as push and pull.

The best way to build muscle and strength is to work out each muscle group 2-3x a week. While split workouts are a great way to really target individual muscle groups, depending on the split, it can require a person to workout 4-6 times per week. This isn’t feasible for everyone, and for beginners particularly working out this often can be very tiring!

Full body workouts typically burn more calories per session than split workouts, so if you’re overall goal is fat loss or simply maintaining your current weight, these can be a great way to increase your TDEE while still building muscle.

Basically, if you are a beginner, can only workout 2-3 times a week, or your goal is general health and fitness, a full body workout plan is a great option. For more advanced weight lifters, those who can workout 4 or more times a week, or those really looking to increase the size and strength or certain muscle groups, split workouts can be more beneficial.

FULL BODY WORKOUT

This full body workout with weights can be repeated 2-3 times a week, or you can alternate it with different full body workouts if you want to switch it up.

1. Barbell Pause Squats – 8 reps

Pause squats are a great variation to the usual barbell squat! It’s the same movement, but with a 2 second pause at the bottom of the movement.

• Place the barbell on your back, holding it with both hands.
• Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width and your toes pointing out.
• Lower your glutes down towards the floor, as if you were going to sit down.
• When your legs are roughly parallel with the floor, pause for 2 seconds.
• Drive your hips upwards until you are back in the starting position.
• Repeat 8 times.

2. Overhead Press – 10 reps

The overhead press is an excellent compound movement which works your deltoids, triceps, traps, and core.

• Stand with your feet shoulder width apart.
• Rest the barbell on your upper chest, with your hands shoulder width apart and elbows pointing forwards.
• Making sure to brace your core and keep your chest up, push the bar towards the ceiling. You may need to tilt your head back slightly.
• Once your arms are fully extended above your head, lower the bar back until it’s held just above your chest.
• Repeat 10 times.

3. DB Chest Press – 10 reps

The dumbbell chest press is a unilateral movement, making it a great exercise for targeting imbalances between each side.

• Lie on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand and your feet firmly on the floor.
• Squeezing your shoulder blades together, drive the dumbbells towards the ceiling above your shoulders.
• Once your arms are extended, slowly begin to lower the weights until both dumbbells are level with your chest.
• Repeat 10 times.

4. DB Romanian Deadlift – 12 reps

The Romanian deadlift is an powerful exercise which works out almost every muscle group. For this routine, we’ve used dumbbells but feel free to switch it up with other deadlift variations.

• Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand and your palms facing inwards.
• Bending your knees slightly and keeping your back straight, lower your dumbbells towards the floor by leaning forward at the hips.
• To return back to starting position, squeeze your glutes and push upwards through your hips.
• Repeat 12 times.

5. Seated Cable Row – 10 reps

This is a cable exercise which works the back and arms extremely effectively, making it a great addition to this workout.

• Set up the machine with a double V bar attachment, and then sit down, placing your feet on the plate in front of you.
• Grab the bar and then lean very slightly backwards with your chest upwards and your arms extended. Your knees should be slightly bent.
• Drive your elbows backwards at a 45 degree angle until the bar reaches the chest, making sure to squeeze together your shoulder blades.
• Pause before slowly releasing the bar back to the start position.
• Repeat 10 times.

Do 3-4 sets of each exercise, with a 45-60 second rest between each set. You’ll want to increase either the weight or the reps each week to make sure you are continually challenging the muscles, which is essential for muscle growth.

Looking for more workout ideas? We have free workouts available on our free Pure Fitness app, including home workouts. Working with a Personal Trainer can be a great way to supercharge your workouts and reach your goals more efficiently.