Following a consistent full body workout plan is a time-efficient and effective way to target all of the muscles of your body during each exercise session. There are several techniques for going about planning a full body workout regimen, and it really just comes down to personal preference and your overall fitness goal, such as weight loss, muscle gains or a combination of both. Keep each full body workout to less than 60 minutes, says pro bodybuilder Dino Pierce of Bodybuilding.com, because your body begins to produce cortisol after 60 minutes of intense training. Cortisol negatively affects your muscle gains and can lead to fat gain.
Circuit Training
Circuit training offers one of the most effective ways to build and tone your muscles while getting an aerobic benefit as well. A circuit training program consists of about 10 different exercise stations designed to collectively target all of your muscle groups. You complete a circuit by moving from one station to the next with no more than 30 seconds of rest in between. This keeps your heart rate elevated -- the aerobic benefit -- and speeds up your full body workout. A sample circuit training program includes bench press, squats, deadlifts, tricep pulldowns, bicep curls, calf raises, crunches, bent-over rows, shoulder presses and back extensions.
High-Intensity Interval Training
A full body workout that is designed more for fat burning and muscle toning is high-intensity interval training, or HIIT. You can use just one exercise to complete HIIT, but in order to exercise the entire body, you can choose up to five exercises to target all of your muscles. HIIT consists of short "rest" and "work" intervals completed with no rest in between. For instance, you can choose a light jog in place or on a treadmill as your "rest" interval.
Do 30 seconds of the "rest" interval to start followed by an intense interval for an additional 30 seconds; repeat the cycle. Alternate between the following exercises for your "work" interval to get a full body workout: sprint, pushups, crunches, jumping jacks and bent-over rows with light weights.
Sets/Repetitions
When doing a full body workout, sticking to about three sets will allow you to complete your workout in less than 60 minutes while still providing maximum aerobic and/or anaerobic benefit. If you're looking to build muscle, use heavy weights with which you can do between eight and 12 repetitions. If you're just looking to tone your muscles or burn fat, do 12 to 15 repetitions per set with lighter weights.
The only exceptions are crunches and calf raises, of which you may do 20 to 30 repetitions. Regarding HIIT, do about 10 "rest" and "work" cycles per workout for a total of about 20 minutes when using 60-second intervals.
Workouts per Week
No matter which type of full body training regimen you choose, it's always best to have a day of rest in between workouts to allow your body to recover, especially for beginners. Three workouts per week provide the ideal schedule for beginners and intermediate level gym-goers. Advanced lifters may add a fourth day. The key is to avoid over-working your body; rest is the key element in gaining muscle. So, if you find yourself getting extremely sore after a workout, you may have to take an extra day off or lower the intensity of your workout a bit.
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