A full body workout is an optimal workout for numerous reasons. See, in one circuit you are able to work your major muscle groups.
It’s possible to do a full body workout with just your bodyweight to lose weight or to get into shape. Also, you can step it up a notch and use weights. Apart from its effectiveness as a workout, its also more feasible for people who can’t afford the time.
Additionally, a full body workout does wonders for fat loss. The reason is quite simple. The after burn of a full body workout is greater than the after burn of specific muscle workouts. See, post-workout, your body needs to start the recovery process.
This recovery process requires massive amount of calories. This is because you have just worked out your lower body, back and core in one go. Now, these muscle groups are big plus they’ll require calories at the same time.
In other words, they are effective for weight loss because of the post-workout burn of calories which is higher than other workouts.
Besides, full body workouts are best for beginners as it helps build strength in key areas that you can later capitalize on by doing isolated workouts on specific muscle groups.
Now, lets check out this full body workout circuit, how to do the movements, the rules and benefits of this workout.
The Full Body Workout at Home to Burn Fat
Since not all of us have access to weights and equipment, we made this workout using just your body weight. As a matter of fact, working without weights can help build an aesthetic body just like in the gym.
Before we start, here is a chest workout at home you can do with just your body weight.
Triceps dips
Muscles worked: triceps, upper chest, deltoids, and trapezius
How to do triceps dips:
- You’ll need an elevated structure for this exercise.
- Next, sit on the elevated structure and place your arms down on the edge.
- Finally, move up with the pressure now being on your arms, bring yourself down slowly and then back up.
Sets: 3
Repetitions: 15
Split Squats
Muscles worked: Glutes, quadriceps, gluteus maximus and hamstrings
How to do split squats:
- Start in a standing position and take a lunge forward
- Next, make sure to keep your back straight during the lunge
- Now, lower down until your knee almost touches the floor
- Pro tip: keep your knees and your toes aligned.
Sets: 3
Repetitions: 8 to 10 per leg
Reverse Plank High Knee
Muscles worked: core, hip abductors, hip flexors, and glutes
How to do reverse plank high knee:
- Get in to reverse push-up form with your chest facing upwards
- Keeping your body straight
- Now, move one knee up and then bring it down, followed by the other knee
- Pro tip: minimize the shift in your body during the movement by keeping your pelvis at a level
Sets: 3
Repetitions: 20
Incline Push-ups
Muscles worked: upper chest, deltoids, triceps and abs
How to do incline push-ups:
- First, use the same elevated structure from exercise one
- Now, put your hands on the elevated structure to get into position
- Next, getting to close to the elevated structure may cause you back to arch
- Finally, keep your body in a straight line and then do your push-ups
Sets: 3
Repetitions: 15
Mountain Climbers
Muscles worked: shoulders, hamstrings, triceps, quadriceps and core
How to do mountain climbers:
- First, get into a plank-like position
- Next, by keeping the force on your core, bring your right knee to your chest and then back to plant position
- Repeat with your other knee and that is one repetition
- Now, switch up the pace for a more excruciating burn
Sets: 3
Repetitions: 20
Rules For A Full Body Workout
Before you start exercising, there are a few things you need to know because a full body workout is different than working out a muscle group a day.
So, keep these rules in mind while working out at home for gains without unnecessary injuries.
Warm Your Body Up
Surprisingly, this is still a factor many people skip out on. This is the golden requirement of every pre-workout. Doing a warm-up lets your body know that it’s time for exercise.
Doing push-ups, squats, pull-ups and stretching your body prepares your muscles for rigorous movements and decreases the chances of pulling your muscles throughout your vigorous circuits.
Not More Than 3 Trainings Per Week
Secondly, this circuit is going to exhaust your entire body out, so pace yourself. You need to give your body at least 48 hours to recover.
This time will help your muscles repair and get stronger, but if you keep straining them out, then your muscles won’t grow. With three trainings in a week, leave a gap day in between.
This is a must for bigger gains. When you work out, your muscles rip and with rest they grow back stronger. If you remove rest from the equation, then you just have tired and sore muscles.
1 Exercise Per Muscle Group
Lastly, remember you are working out your entire body. Exhausting one muscle group with various exercises will drain your stamina and you won’t be able to complete the entire circuit.
Besides, muscle groups are interdependent on one another. So, if one group is exhausted then working out a related muscle group won’t be easy and you won’t get the most out of your workout.
Benefits of a full body workout
Time Saving:
A full body workout requires less time. This is because you can squeeze in different muscle groups in 1 circuit. Due to this factor, a full body workout can be ideal for working professionals, students, entrepreneurs or anyone who is short on time.
Also, full body workouts only require two to three sessions per week. So, you are saving time on time. You can dedicate this extra time to other activities.
Increased Muscle Recovery:
Another amazing plus point of full body workouts is the quick muscle recovery rates. This is because of two reasons. Firstly, your sessions have at least one day of rest in between. Secondly, isolated muscle workouts are not frequent enough for quick gains.
However, working the same muscle groups two to three times per week is definitely going to speed up the gains process.
Optimal for Home Workouts:
Less time, less space, your own routine, ample bodyweight exercises, more efficient than isolated workouts: these are just some of the reasons why a full body workout is perfect for home.
You can set your own pace, decide your own circuits and you don’t require expensive equipment or a lot of space to do all this.
Optimal for Fat Loss:
Compound exercises require different muscle groups to work together. Meaning, each muscle group will require calories to function. So, during the workout, you’ll be burning more calories for these muscle groups to work together.
Lastly, the after-burn is also going to burn more calories post-workout. All the muscle groups used will need calories to recover and grow as well, hence, more calories burnt throughout.
The Key To A Killer Full Body Workout At Home
Consistency, hard work and a bit of research can help you start getting in shape at home. Especially since we are all in lockdown until a magical vaccine arrives, meaning we have ample time on our hands.
Many of us have shifted our careers online. This is the optimal time to bringing a life-long and positive change. Therefore, its time to start shredding at home since it doesn’t matter if you have weights or fancy equipment.
A full body workout consists of a circuit that targets all of your major muscle groups in one workout. You can mix and match any routines as long as you’re not straining out one muscle group more than the other.
This full body workout at home will have you shredding body fat quickly, it is designed just to do this. Also, if you want to step it up a notch, then you really need to check out SQUATWOLF’s very own Kori Lindsay’s Ultimate HITT Workout.
Finally, I would like to wrap up by saying that whether you want to loser weight quickly, stay in shape, or work with just bodyweight, full body workouts are the way to go.
In these trying times of being stuck at home and with no access to the gym, a proper full body workout will keep your muscles gushing and your body fit.
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