A full body workout allows you to practice the same movements frequently to develop skill as well as get plenty of rest. Using compound exercises and moderate weights will not only allow you to build muscle and burn fat, but also become conditioned to the demands of resistance training. Consult your physician before beginning any diet or exercise program.
Compound Exercises
Compound exercises are often referred to as multijoint exercises and work multiple muscle groups. If you use the squat, bench press, chin-up, dead lift, barbell row and military press in a single workout, you have trained most of the muscles of your body. These exercises teach you to use good technique as well as focused effort. Complete three to five sets of each exercise, and 10 to 12 repetitions per set. Train only three times per week on nonconsecutive days.
Intensity and Rest Periods
At first you should train with a weight that easily allows you to complete each exercise with good technique, and take as much time in between sets as you need. Then, focus on adding weight when possible and reducing your rest periods. As your results are directly proportional to your intelligently applied effort, increase intensity while maintaining good technique. Your goal is to train with at least 75 percent of the weight you can lift for a single repetition of each exercise, and your rest periods should be no more than a minute.This will cause your endocrine system to respond by producing more testosterone, a hormone which contributes to recovery and muscle growth.In addition, this will keep your cortisol levels down. Cortisol is a hormone that contributes to muscle loss and fat gain.
Technique
Proper technique allows you to get more out of each exercise and helps reduce your risk of injury. Resistance training is safer than most sports, including many noncontact activities, but only when good technique is the rule, rather than the exception. When squatting, ensure that you are squatting in a power rack or safety cage, and descend below parallel, which refers to the point where your legs at the top surface of the hip joint are below the level of your legs at the top surface of the knee joint. Never round your back when lifting, and never bounce or jerk a weight into position. If you cannot lift the weight smoothly, it is too heavy.
Extra Work
At first the six exercises are enough, but not everyone develops at the same rate or in the same manner. If you are having trouble with an exercise as part of your whole-body routine, you many need to look into adding an assistance exercise to strengthen a weak muscle group. An example of this would be if you are struggling to complete the bench press, you may wish to add barbell or dumbbell triceps extensions. Extra work in the form of isolation exercises should be performed following a compound exercise for the same muscle groups. Training your triceps before bench pressing will only limit your ability to perform the bench press.
References
- "European Journal of Applied Physiology"; Acute Hormonal and Neuromuscular Responses to Hypertrophy, Strength and Power Type Resistance Exercise; George O. McCaulley, et al.; March 2009
- "Fiziol Cheloveka"; Acute Testosterone and Cortisol Responses to High Power Resistance Exercise; Andrew Fry & Charles Lohnes; July-August 2010
- "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research;" Relative Safety of Weightlifting and Weight Training; Brian Hamill; 1994
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