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.
An effective full-body men’s workout has a number of distinguishing characteristics:
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):
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.
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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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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).
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.
1. Squats (Compound Exercise)
2. Deadlifts (Compound Exercise)
3. Bench Press (Compound Exercise)
4. Pull-Ups (Compound Exercise)
5. Shoulder Press (Compound Exercise)
6. Bent Over Rows (Compound Exercise)
7. Bicep Curls (Isolation Exercise)
8. Tricep Dips (Isolation Exercise)
9. Plank (Core Exercise)
Cardiovascular Activity
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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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
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.
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. 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). 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. 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.Frequently Asked Questions
What's better, a split or a full-body workout?
Can I do cardio every day?
Do bodybuilders train with full-body workouts?
Is 20 minutes of cardio enough?
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.
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