Do you train the whole body? Find out how you can do it

The excellent physical shape, harmonious development of all the muscles and maintenance of the correct weight according to your constitution … these are some advantages of training the whole body by working, with varied exercises, the different muscle groups. Do you want to know how you can do it?

There are several types of training routines that pursue the same goal: to tone and grow muscle mass in its entirety and in a proportionate way. It is important to differentiate between gym routines that focus on thoroughly working specific muscles and those that pursue a global workout, also called full body.

They are not incompatible workouts and you can include sessions of both when making your annual training plan. There are many benefits that a full-body workout can bring you, but doing it correctly requires following specific guidelines.

How to do a full body workout?

A full body routine is designed to train the entire body in a single session. It is a good option both for people who are starting out in strength training and want to work the different muscle groups while gaining tone and strength in a generalized way, as well as for athletes who want to regain physical shape after a temporary break or who After training sessions for specific muscles, they dedicate a few sessions to training the whole body in order to achieve a more balanced muscular development.

A training of this type involves working in the gym, with equal intensity, all the major muscle groups: legs + gluts, pectorals + upper extremities and core (abdomen + back). It has some basic characteristics and “rules” that are:

1. It is done in relatively short sessions, lasting no more than 40 – 45 minutes.
2. Muscle work is intense, so breaks after exercising are very important. It is advisable to train in this way a maximum of 3 times a week, always leaving 1 day of recovery between sessions.
3. The routine is varied, but it is based on multi-joint exercises in which different muscles intervene in the same movement. Among the basic exercises that cannot be missed in a full-body workout are: chin-ups, bench press, squats, deadlifts, barbell rowing.
4. It is a training that requires correct planning. It is important to determine the number of series and repetitions of each exercise, also establishing the rest times between them. Usually two or three different routines are planned to be done on alternate days. Thus, the training will always be dynamic and will ensure that not a single muscle is left unworked.

Example of routine to train your whole body

Increasing volume and strength in a general and proportionate way in the whole of the musculature is the objective of a full body training that, like any other training, must adapt its rhythm and intensity to the form and physical level of each athlete. Starting from this premise, to give you an idea of ​​what a routine in which you work the whole body is like, we propose the following example:

• Warming up. 2 – 3 sets of squats, to which you can add a few minutes of aerobic exercise on the elliptical or on the treadmill.
• Exercises to work abdomen and back

1. Classic Crunches / Shrugs
2. Leg raises
3. Dominated
4. Dumbbell birds

• Exercises focused on the upper body(chest, shoulders, back)

1. Deadweight
2. Press bench
3. Barbell military press
4. Push-ups
5. Barbell or dumbbell row

• Exercises for lower body(legs – torso)

1. Deep squat
2. Dumbbell lunge
3. Weighted heel raises
4. Inclined press
5. Leg extensions (quad machine)

Choose at least two exercises from each group to be able to work the different muscle groups. You can perform 2 – 3 sets of each of them, resting between sets for 60 – 90 seconds. As for the number of repetitions, it will depend on your objectives: the more incidence we look for in the work of maximum strength and hypertrophy, the fewer repetitions and with a greater load.

Remember to always consult your questions with a personal trainer or a qualified instructor before changing your training routine to work the whole body. You can also try one of the group classes to train your whole body in the gym. You will love them!