Beginner Full-Body Men’s Workout: Exercise List, Tips, and FAQs

A full-body workout is good for beginners for many reasons. It’s a great way to introduce your body to different types of exercises and movements and it can help you build strength and endurance in a balanced way. For those who can’t spare a lot of time for exercise, a full-body workout is also a practical choice as it targets all major muscle groups in one session (1).

You can do a full-body workout at home or at the gym using weights or just your own body weight. In this guide, we’ll provide a list of exercises for beginners to incorporate into their full-body workout routines, in addition to tips and answers to frequently asked questions.

What Is an Effective Full-Body Men’s Workout?

An effective full-body men’s workout has a number of distinguishing characteristics:

• Targets all major muscle groups: A full-body workout should include exercises that target the chest, back, shoulders, arms, legs, and core.
• Uses compound movements: Compound movements involve using multiple muscle groups at the same time, which makes them more efficient and effective for a full-body workout.
• Includes some isolation exercises: While compound movements are important, it’s also beneficial to incorporate some isolation exercises that target specific muscle groups for balanced and targeted strength development.
• Incorporates both strength training and cardio: A good full-body workout will include both strength training exercises to build muscle and cardio exercises to improve cardiovascular health.
• Progressively overloads the muscles: Over time, you should gradually increase the intensity or difficulty of your full-body workout to continue challenging your muscles and promoting growth (2).
• Allows for proper rest and recovery: Adequate rest and recovery are essential for muscle growth (3), so make sure to incorporate rest days into your full-body workout routine.

Is a Full-Body Workout Effective?

A systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research concluded that there is no significant difference in strength gains or muscle hypertrophy between split and full-body routines when training volume is equated (4).

This suggests that individuals can choose either routine based on their personal preferences without compromising results.

However, a full-body workout has several advantages that make it effective for beginners (5):

Time Efficiency

Full-body workouts are ideal for those with limited time, as they engage multiple muscle groups in a single session. This approach can lead to significant fitness improvements, even with fewer gym visits per week.

Improved Coordination and Mobility

Full-body workouts typically integrate a variety of movements, which can help improve coordination and mobility. This has practical benefits in everyday life, in addition to reducing the risk of injury during physical activities.

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Balanced Muscle Development

A full-body workout targets all major muscle groups, ensuring balanced muscle development. This helps avoid muscle imbalances, which can lead to injury or hinder progress in other areas of fitness.

Strength Gains

Engaging multiple muscle groups simultaneously can lead to increased overall strength. Compound movements such as squats, deadlifts, and bench presses are staples in full-body routines that promote functional strength.

Foundational Strength

Full-body workouts are excellent for building foundational strength. As a beginner, it’s essential to establish a solid base of strength before moving on to more advanced exercises and training programs.

What Are the Disadvantages of a Full-Body Workout?

While full-body workouts offer numerous benefits, particularly for beginners, they also come with certain disadvantages that should be considered to ensure effective fitness progress.

• Risk of Overtraining

One of the primary concerns with full-body workouts is the potential for overtraining. As these routines involve exercising multiple muscle groups in a single session, there can be a temptation to push too hard, too often. This can lead to fatigue, decreased performance, and a higher risk of injuries (6).

Beginners who are still adjusting to new physical demands may find it challenging to gauge the right intensity, potentially leading to burnout. To mitigate this, it’s important to incorporate adequate rest days and listen to your body, adjusting the intensity and frequency as necessary.

• Lack of Focus on Specific Muscle Groups

Full-body workouts may sometimes result in a lack of specific focus on individual muscle groups. 

As the objective is to target all major muscles in a single session, there may be insufficient attention to areas that require extra strengthening or development. This can lead to imbalances in muscle growth and strength. 

To address this, you could consider integrating a few isolation exercises targeting weaker areas or alternating between full-body and split routines to ensure balanced muscle development.

• Challenges in Balancing Intensity and Recovery

Achieving the perfect balance between workout intensity and recovery is another challenge with full-body workouts. Beginners may struggle to hit the necessary intensity for muscle growth while simultaneously allowing adequate time for recovery.

Over time, insufficient recovery can hinder progress and lead to plateaus. A solution is to utilize periodization tactics, where workout intensity and volume are varied systematically over weeks to optimize performance and recovery.

Read more: 7 of the Best Compound Exercises for Weight Loss

Can I Build Muscle with Full-Body Workouts?

Yes, you can build muscle with full-body workouts. A well-designed full-body workout routine targets all major muscle groups and incorporates both compound and isolation exercises to promote balanced muscle development. When coupled with progressive overload and adequate rest and recovery, this approach can lead to significant gains in strength and muscle size.

It’s important to note that the rate of muscle growth may be slower compared to split routines where specific muscles are targeted in each session. However, for beginners or those with limited time, a full-body workout can still be an effective way to build lean muscle mass.

Proper nutrition, sufficient protein intake, hydration, and adequate recovery are essential for promoting muscle growth regardless of the type of workout routine (7).

What Is the Best Whole-Body Workout for Men?

This whole-body workout plan is designed to help men build muscle and improve overall fitness by targeting all the major muscle groups. The plan includes a mix of compound and isolation exercises, in addition to cardiovascular activities to ensure a balanced approach. If you’re a beginner, make sure you take things slowly and focus on proper form. This will be a big workout and trying to max out the weight for every exercise will not work. 

• Frequency: 3 times per week (e.g. Monday, Wednesday, Friday)
• Duration: 60-75 minutes per session
• Warm-up: 5-10 minutes of light cardio (e.g. jogging, cycling) and dynamic stretching

1. Squats (Compound Exercise)

• Sets: 3
• Repetitions: 8-12
• Rest: 60-90 seconds
• How to perform: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes slightly out. Lower your body by bending your knees and hips, keeping your back straight and chest up. Go as low as you comfortably can, then push through your heels to return to the starting position.

2. Deadlifts (Compound Exercise)

• Sets: 3
• Repetitions: 8-10
• Rest: 60-90 seconds
• How to perform: Stand with your feet hip-width apart and grip the barbell with your hands just outside your knees. Keep your back neutral and core engaged and lift the bar by extending your hips and knees. Lower the bar back to the floor by bending your hips and knees.

3. Bench Press (Compound Exercise)

• Sets: 3
• Repetitions: 8-12
• Rest: 60-90 seconds
• How to perform: Lie on the bench with your feet flat on the floor. Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width and lower it to your chest while keeping elbows at about a 45-degree angle. Press the bar back up until your arms are straight.

4. Pull-Ups (Compound Exercise)

• Sets: 3
• Repetitions: 6-10
• Rest: 60-90 seconds
• How to perform: Hang from a pull-up bar with your palms facing away from you. Engage your back and pull your chest toward the bar, keeping your body straight. Lower yourself back to the starting position with control.

5. Shoulder Press (Compound Exercise)

• Sets: 3
• Repetitions: 8-12
• Rest: 60-90 seconds
• How to perform: Stand or sit with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height with your palms facing forward. Press the weights overhead until your arms are straight, then slowly lower back to the starting position.

6. Bent Over Rows (Compound Exercise)

• Sets: 3
• Repetitions: 8-12
• Rest: 60-90 seconds
• How to perform: Bend at the hips with a slight bend in the knees, keeping your back flat. Hold the barbell with an overhand grip, pull it toward your lower rib cage, squeezing your shoulder blades together, then lower it back down.

7. Bicep Curls (Isolation Exercise)

• Sets: 3
• Repetitions: 10-15
• Rest: 45-60 seconds
• How to perform: Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with your arms fully extended. Curl the weights up by bending your elbows, keeping them close to your sides. Lower the weights back to the starting position.

8. Tricep Dips (Isolation Exercise)

• Sets: 3
• Repetitions: 10-15
• Rest: 45-60 seconds
• How to perform: Position yourself at the edge of a bench or chair with your hands shoulder-width apart. Lower your body until your elbows are at a 90-degree angle, then push back up to the starting position.

9. Plank (Core Exercise)

• Sets: 3
• Duration: 30-60 seconds
• Rest: 45-60 seconds
• How to perform: Place your forearms on the ground with your elbows aligned below your shoulders and your arms parallel. Keep your body straight from head to heels, engage your core, and hold the position.

Cardiovascular Activity

• Duration: 15-20 minutes post-strength training
• Options: Cycling, jogging, rowing, or HIIT (high-intensity interval training)

Progression Tips

• Increase Resistance: Gradually increase the weight or resistance every 1-2 weeks to keep challenging your muscles.
• Adjust Repetitions: If you can easily complete the maximum number of reps, consider increasing the weight.
• Form and Technique: Prioritize proper form to prevent injuries and enhance the effectiveness of the exercises.
• Recovery: Ensure adequate rest and nutrition to support muscle recovery and growth.

How Long Is a Good Full-Body Workout?

A good full-body workout typically lasts between 45 and 75 minutes. This duration allows enough time to effectively target all major muscle groups with a mix of compound and isolation exercises while also incorporating a warm-up and cool-down. 

The exact length can vary based on the intensity of the workout, the number of exercises, and the rest periods between sets. It’s important to balance workout duration with intensity to avoid overtraining and ensure adequate recovery.

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Is a Full-Body Workout 3 Times a Week Enough?

Yes, doing a full-body workout three times a week is generally enough for most people to build muscle and improve overall fitness (8). 

This frequency allows you to target all the major muscle groups multiple times per week, which can be effective for muscle growth and strength gains. It also provides sufficient rest days in between sessions for recovery, which is essential for muscle repair and growth.

 Just make sure to focus on progressive overload and proper nutrition to maximize your results.

Read more: 3 Full-Body Workouts for Men to Build Muscle and Burn Fat

Is Working Out 7 Days a Week Bad?

Working out seven days a week can be counterproductive and potentially harmful, particularly if you don’t allow your body adequate time to recover. 

Rest days are essential for muscle repair and growth and preventing overtraining, which can lead to fatigue, decreased performance, and an increased risk of injury (3). It’s important to incorporate rest or active recovery days into your routine to ensure your body has time to heal and adapt. Balancing workout intensity and rest is the key to achieving long-term fitness goals.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What’s better, a split or a full-body workout?

The choice between split and full-body workouts depends on an individual’s goals, lifestyle, and fitness level. 

Full-body workouts are ideal for beginners, those with limited time, or anyone who is looking to improve overall fitness, as they target all muscle groups in a single session and can be performed 2-4 times a week. 

Split workouts, which focus on specific muscle groups on different days, are beneficial for those who aim to increase muscle mass or strength, providing more volume and intensity for each muscle group (9). 

Ultimately, the best approach is one that is aligned with your goals, allows for recovery, and fits your schedule.

• Can I do cardio every day?

Yes, you can do cardio every day, but it’s important to vary the intensity and duration to prevent overuse injuries and burnout.

Mixing high-intensity sessions with moderate- and low-intensity workouts can help maintain motivation and support cardiovascular health without excessive strain. 

In addition, incorporating rest or low-impact activities such as walking or swimming can provide recovery while still keeping you active (10).

• Do bodybuilders train with full-body workouts?

Bodybuilders typically don’t train with a full-body workout every session, as they often use split routines to focus on specific muscle groups with high volume and intensity. This approach allows for targeted muscle hypertrophy and adequate recovery between sessions. 

However, some bodybuilders may incorporate full-body workouts during certain phases of their training, such as during cutting phases or when prioritizing conditioning and fat loss.

• Is 20 minutes of cardio enough?

20 minutes of cardio can be sufficient, depending on your fitness goals and the intensity of the workout. For general health and maintaining cardiovascular fitness, 20 minutes of moderate- to high-intensity cardio can be effective. 

For weight loss or improved endurance, longer sessions may be required. Incorporating interval training in shorter workouts can also enhance cardiovascular benefits by increasing the intensity level.

The Bottom Line

Incorporating full-body workouts into your fitness routine can provide numerous benefits, from improving your overall muscle strength and growth to increasing your cardiovascular health. Remember to focus on proper form, gradually increase intensity and volume, and allow for adequate rest and recovery in order to see the best results.