Full Body Workout Plan

I love free-styling most things in life.  However, when I’m hitting the gym, I prefer having a how-am-I-going-to-sweat-today plan.  This full body workout plan is perfect if you are a gym newbie, have weight loss goals or looking to get back in the gym.

 

Full Body Workout Plan Advantages

• Easy format to follow and take with you to the gym
• Targets major muscles of the body
• Combines cardio and strength training

Instead of targeting specific muscles, this full body workout will target the major muscle groups of your entire body.  Moreover, each mini circuit will challenge your entire body as it cycles through a mixture of lower-body, core/abs, and upper-body moves.

If it’s your first time working out, or if you simply haven’t been to the gym in a minute, the gym can be quite an intimidating place.  All the people, all the equipment, all the machines, and all the weights cant get very overwhelming.  This full body workout plan will provide a simple guideline to follow and will ease you into gymming it regularly and with confidence.

The individual circuits are designed to be done within the same area.  This is ideal for busy times at the gym where everyone is fighting for that piece of gym real estate. It is laid out to eliminate the back and forth between different machines across the gym.

 

The Breakdown – combining cardio and strength training

There are 5 mini-circuits in total.  Each circuit has 3 moves.  The first is a lower-body exercise, the second target your abs and core, and the third is an upper-body move.  Each circuit is cycled through 3-4 times, while each move is required 12-15 reps.  There is no rest between the moves.  A 15-second rest is allowed after each cycle, and about 1-2 minutes rest while you’re setting up for the next circuit.

The higher number of repetitions and fewer breaks is intended to increase the cardio component of this workout.  Your heart rate should be up, and you should have a good sweat going while performing these exercises.

 

 

Useful Tips

Most of the moves can be done with body weight.  However, if you can, add some weight to produce an even sweatier workout.  Make sure that you pick your weights appropriately.  At first, you will want to focus on the form of each move.  Only once you’ve mastered the mechanics of the exercise, can you increase the weight.  Then as the moves become familiar, definitely challenge and push your body with more weight.

Aim to do this full body workout plan at least 3 times a week.  I like to alternate it with my cardio days and yoga classes in order to add variety to my workout sessions.  Moreover, alternating your workouts will not only allow your muscles to rest, it will also challenge your body with new movements.

From experience, having a planned out workout regimen has given me the most success.  Sometimes getting that gym time is hard to come by since we are all pressed for time.  However, with this full body workout plan, I get to the gym with a plan of attack in place.  Most importantly, I don’t waste time wondering what my next move is, rather I can solely focus on getting the best sweat session possible.