How To Set Up A Full Body Workout Routine For Men?

When I first went to the gym, I was utterly confused about the number of machines, equipment and trainers there. It was mind boggling to see so many things, yet not knowing what to do and where to begin. When I asked a friend, he told me a routine which he followed and that was too advanced for a beginner. The routine was advanced not only because he was a regular at the gym, but also because at gyms, people tend to focus on developing specific muscles and as a beginner, developing individual muscle is the last thing you need to do.

Advantages Of A Full Body Workout

Muscles to Target During Full Body Workout. Courtesy – http://builtlean.com

For starters, a full body workout routine is something that will really help you out. Not only does it focus on developing the entire body, but it also increases core strength, which is essential if you need to be actually fit and healthy. Also, full body workouts prepare the whole body for more advanced forms of exercises, which is where targeted exercises come in.

Even if you are not a beginner, full body workouts have lots of advantages for people. First of all, full body workouts are only performed 3 to 4 times a week, and not more. The reason being, that the full body workout is completely tiring and totally drains your energy, so you exercise on one day and then take the next day off.

Exercising on alternating days allows the body to rest in between, and thus the muscles relax and are not overexerted. Not only does it give your body a break, but it also saves a ton of time as gym exercises usually require daily practice. So instead of spending two hours in the gym everyday where you focus on each muscle separately, you only need to spend an hour on alternating days where the entire body benefits.

What To Do

Full body vs individual exercises. Courtesy – http://workout-routine.com

Here is the interesting part. Full body workouts do not necessarily have to be complex. They are a combination of exercises that can be performed easily, even at home. A full body workout should essentially be something that targets almost every muscle in the body or at least close to every muscle in the body.

Thus, the ideal body workout would include squats, lunges, crunches, pushups, curls and presses. Don’t be intimidated! You don’t have to do them all in one day. Just pick specific exercises for one day, then keeping the core exercises similar, change the main exercise for day 2, and then again for day 3. The whole process is then repeated for the next week.

Here is a sample of what a body workout may look like:

Crunches, Important part of Workout. Courtesy – http://gamentrain.com

Day 1:

• 5 minute warm-up
• Squats
• Pushups
• Bench Press
•  Bicep Curls
• Crunches

Day 2:

• 5 minute warm-up
• Squats
• Pushups
• Reverse Curls
•  Hip Thrusts

Day 3:

• 5 minute warm-up
• Squats
• Pushups
• Bench press
• Reverse pull ups
• Corkscrew or Scissors

You might have noticed that the exercises change, but the body part they target is the same, if you want to include any more exercises in the routine, feel free to do so, as long as they are useful and can be easily fit into the routine. Just remember to exercise only on alternate days. Doing any more will actually be harmful, as your muscles will be overexerted and can be damaged. However, if you want to remain active throughout the week, running or jogging in the days you are off is a great way to complement the full body workout.

Kelvin McKenzie

Kelvin wears many hats in the fitness and health industry. He believes in a practical, flexible and sustainable approach to bodybuilding. Initially Kelvin had started bodybuilding as a hobby which turned into passion and later, a successful career. He shares his expertise on strength training and body building to help the GFY community.