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What is a full-body workout?
Whether you’re doing Pilates or hitting the gym for a strength session, as long as you target multiple muscle groups and movement patterns (lower body, upper body, core), you’re likely doing a full-body workout.
“These workouts aim to engage the entire body rather than focusing solely on specific muscle groups or regions,” explains Shabnam Islam, MS, clinical exercise physiologist and professor of kinesiology.
Should you do a full-body workout every day?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. It depends on your fitness level and goals. While daily full-body workouts offer benefits like improved cardiovascular health and endurance, overdoing it can lead to injury.
“Muscle growth occurs during rest,” Islam says. Rest, proper nutrition, sleep, and hydration are essential for muscle repair and growth.
Brittany Watts, certified personal trainer, warns that daily full-body workouts without adequate rest can lead to overtraining and injury.
How often should you do a full-body workout?
According to guidelines, healthy adults should engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity weekly, with two or more days of muscle-strengthening workouts.
Kasen recommends different frequencies for beginner, intermediate, and advanced exercisers interested in full-body workouts.
- Beginner: 2 to 3 days per week
- Intermediate: 3 to 4 times per week
- Advanced: 2 to 3 times per week alongside other targeted workouts
Planning your workouts and focusing on form and variation is crucial for optimal results, says Kasen.
How should you structure your full-body workout?
To maximize effectiveness, include a warmup, focus on form, vary your exercises, allow for adequate rest, and listen to your body to prevent overtraining.
Try the following full-body workout routine provided by Watts during your next gym session.
Warmup: 3 Sets
Circuit 1: 3 Sets
Circuit 2: 3 Sets
Cooldown
