Full-Body Workout Plan: 16 Exercises for a Full-Body Workout

A full-body workout, also known as a total-body workout, is designed to target every major muscle group in a single workout session. A full-body workout could include compound exercises that target multiple muscle groups at once or a mix of isolation exercises that, combined, work your full body (a technique known as supersetting). In either case, a full-body workout routine includes a mix of strength training and cardio to effectively elevate your heart rate and build muscle throughout your entire body.

Full-body workouts can include weight training, high-intensity interval training (HIIT workouts), and bodyweight exercises. When putting together a full-body workout plan, incorporate rest days to maximize the effectiveness of your workout routine.

There are several notable benefits to practicing full-body workouts.

1. 1. Full-body workouts build strength. You don't need to be a bodybuilder to reap the benefits of muscle-building exercises. Total-body strength is beneficial for both competitive sports and daily movements. The best full-body workouts help increase muscle growth in your core, arms, shoulders, legs, and back.
2. 2. Full-body workouts support better overall physical health. Regular exercise can help lower your resting heart rate, potentially reduce your risk of heart disease, and help alleviate high blood pressure.
3. 3. Full-body workouts can be a convenient home workout. There are a wide array of bodyweight workouts that target muscle groups throughout the whole body, making it easy to practice a full-body workout at home. Consider investing in a pair of dumbbells or kettlebells to give yourself a greater challenge at home.
4. 4. Full-body workouts are efficient exercises. A good full-body workout plan targets muscles in your upper body and lower body in a single workout session. This can help you reach your fitness goals in a shorter amount of time.

Follow these general steps for conducting a full-body workout plan at home.

1. 1. Warm up. Warming up your muscles before beginning a workout will help you avoid injury and prepare your body for greater intensity. Good warm-up exercises include jumping jacks, squats, push-ups, and planks.
2. 2. Focus on compound exercises. In contrast to isolation exercises (which target one specific muscle group at a time) compound exercises activate multiple muscle groups simultaneously. By focusing on compound exercises, you'll be able to practice a balanced full-body workout in a relatively short amount of time. For each exercise, aim to complete 2–4 sets of 8–10 repetitions each.
3. 3. Cool down. The cool-down period is a crucial part of your workout because it aids in injury prevention and can help your muscles recover more quickly, resulting in less soreness later on. Stretch all your activated muscles and hydrate after finishing a full-body workout routine.
4. 4. Incorporate rest days. A good workout program for beginners could be to practice full-body exercises on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and rest or do light cardio the other days of the week. Rest days help your muscles recover for your next round of training.

Practice any of these exercises for a full-body workout.

1. 1. Burpees: A burpee is a full-body exercise that works most of the major muscle groups in your body, including the abs, glutes, quads, delts, and hamstrings. Burpees are performed by moving from a standing position to a squat position, then kicking your legs back and getting into a plank position. At the end of each repetition, you stand and jump off the ground before moving on to the next rep. With proper burpee form, this total-body exercise can boost cardio fitness and improve cardiovascular endurance. Some burpee variations include the burpee box jump, the burpee tuck jump, and the burpee pull-up.
2. 2. Deadlifts: The deadlift is a full-body exercise that activates your upper back, lower back, erectors, hip flexors, glutes, quadriceps, and hamstrings. It can also help build your grip strength. This barbell exercise requires you to place a barbell on the ground with weights attached. Hinging from your hips, bend your knees slightly and lift the barbell off the ground until you are standing straight. Lower the weight back down. You can also perform deadlifts with dumbells, an exercise known as the Romanian deadlift.
3. 3. Goblet squats: You can do a goblet squat with a kettlebell or a dumbbell as long as it’s a weight you can hold for the allotted number of reps. Stand in the squat starting position with the weight in your hands, roughly chest high. Lower yourself into a squat until you reach a point where your thighs are parallel with the ground. Stand back up and repeat.
4. 4. Plank jacks: The plank jack is a bodyweight exercise that adds a jumping jack movement pattern to the standard plank exercise. Perform plank jacks by starting in a high plank position with your hands shoulder-width apart beneath you. Keep your upper body and lower body in a straight line as you jump your feet out and back. Plank jacks are a total-body home workout, activating your lower back muscles, leg muscles, arm muscles, and core muscles simultaneously.

Practice these exercises in combination with lower-body exercises for a full-body workout plan.

1. 1. Push-ups: Push-ups activate your pecs, triceps, and anterior deltoids. Put your body in a high plank position with your arms spread a little more than shoulder-width apart. Using your arms, lower your body until you almost touch the ground, then lift your body back up.
   
2. 2. Pull-ups: Pull-ups are an upper-body bodyweight workout that activates your upper back and biceps, including your rhomboids, triceps, and delts. Pull-ups can also help build your grip strength. The pull-up requires you to hold onto a horizontal bar, known as a pull-up bar, hanging your body off of the bar. Using your arms and back, pull your body upwards until your chin is above the bar. Pull-ups are traditionally performed with the palms facing away from the body, which activates the back more. A variation, called the chin-up, has the palms facing the body to activate the biceps.
3. 3. Knee crunches: The knee crunch is a bodyweight exercise that helps build core strength and targets your upper abdominal muscles. Knee crunches add a challenging twist to a range of motion similar to sit-ups and basic crunches. To do knee crunches, lie flat on your back with your hands behind your head, knees bent, and feet on the floor. Lift your knees so that they form a 90-degree angle, then bring your head toward your knees by crunching your stomach muscles. Return to the starting position before repeating for your desired number of reps.
4. 4. Lat pulldown: A lat pulldown is a compound exercise that targets your arms and back muscles. Perform the lat pulldown exercise by sitting in front of a cable machine with a pulldown bar. Grab the bar and bend your elbows to lower it closer towards your upper chest. Raise the bar and repeat this movement for your desired number of reps.
5. 5. Bench press: The barbell bench press is an upper-body exercise that can help build chest muscles (pecs) and shoulders (delts). The lower back, core, and glutes stabilize the lower body. Lying flat or at an incline with your back curved, move the barbell from your chest directly upward, extending your arms completely. You can also perform a bench press with dumbbells.
6. 6. Overhead press: Also known as the shoulder press, the overhead press is an upper-body exercise that works out your shoulders, upper chest, and triceps. This requires you to move weight from your chest directly upward, using your back and abdomen to stabilize your body. There are different variations on the overhead press, including the dumbbell press, military press, or the push press.

Practice these exercises in combination with upper-body exercises for a full-body workout plan.

1. 1. Lunge twist: A lunge twist, also referred to as a lunge with a twist, is a lunge exercise in which you twist your midsection to the left or right while in the lunge position, resume the standing position, and repeat, twisting in the opposite direction. Be sure to twist at the hip, not the knee. For an added challenge, perform lunge twists with a medicine ball, kettlebells, or dumbbells.
2. 2. Squats: The squat is a lower-body exercise that activates the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and hip flexors. Squats also engage the back muscles and abdomen for stability. Standing with your legs shoulder-width apart, lower your hips until you're in a sitting position where your hips are below your knees, then stand back up. The squat is versatile. It can be a bodyweight exercise, or you can perform squats using a barbell with weights, dumbbells, or resistance bands. You can also do squats on a squat machine. Variations on the squat include the back squat and front squat.
3. 3. Calf raises: The calf raise, also known as the standing calf raise, is a bodyweight exercise that targets the muscle groups in your lower legs. Perform calf raises by standing tall with your feet hip-width apart. Lift your body by pushing into the fronts of your feet, activating your calf muscles as you stand on your tiptoes. Return to a regular stance and repeat the movement pattern. Although calf raise exercises require no equipment, you can add an additional challenge by holding a kettlebell or a pair of dumbbells during the exercise.
4. 4. Leg raises: The leg raise, also known as the straight leg raise or the lying leg raise, is a bodyweight exercise that targets your abdominal muscles, particularly the lower abs. With proper form, leg raises work muscle groups throughout your lower body as well, including the rectus abdominis, hip flexor muscles, hamstrings, and lower back muscles. If you want to try a more advanced variation, consider attaching ankle weights or trying the hanging leg raise.
5. 5. Hamstring curl: Hamstring curls, also known as leg curls, are isolation exercises that target the hamstring muscles on the backs of your legs. Perform hamstring curls by lying on the floor face-down. Activate your core and keep your back straight as you bend your knees. Lift your lower legs closer to your glutes and extend them slowly. Continue this movement for the desired amount of repetitions. You can also perform hamstring curls on a lying leg curl machine.
6. 6. Leg extensions: A leg extension, also known as a knee extension, is an isolation exercise focused on the quadriceps. This exercise requires a leg extension machine that includes a seat and a padded bar that presses against your legs, promoting strength and flexion. (Variations may involve ankle weights or a resistance band.) When using a leg extension machine, you sit and extend your legs to push a padded bar away from your body.

If you have a previous or pre-existing health condition, consult your physician before beginning an exercise program. Proper exercise technique is essential to ensure the safety and effectiveness of an exercise program, but you may need to modify each exercise to attain optimal results based on your individual needs. Always select a weight that allows you to have full control of your body throughout the movement. When performing any exercise, pay close attention to your body, and stop immediately if you note pain or discomfort.

To see continual progress and build body strength, incorporate proper warm-ups, rest, and nutrition into your exercise program. Your results will ultimately be based on your ability to adequately recover from your workouts. Rest for 24 to 48 hours before training the same muscle groups to allow sufficient recovery.

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