Full-body workouts incorporate multiple body parts to move together in different directions, improving movement synchronization between muscles and tissues that move the body and those that stabilize your body, says the National Academy of Sports Medicine. This also reduces your risk of injury and improves full-body strength that is necessary for daily activities. For most exercises, you use either a pair of dumbbells, one dumbbell or a barbell.
Squat Press
The squat press uses your lower body to generate and transfer force into your upper body to lift a weight over your head without relying much work in your shoulders and arms. The momentum that you create as you stand up from a squat helps your upper body lift the heavy weight that you would not normally be able to lift with your upper body alone. With a barbell, stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, and hold it with both hands about shoulder-width apart. Squat down as low as you can with your torso upright. As you stand up, exhale and press the barbell over your head. Hold this position for one second, and lower it to your shoulders. Perform three sets of eight to 10 reps.
You can also do the same exercise with a pair of dumbbells or one dumbbell, however, training with one dumbbell can help you determine whether one side of your body is stronger or more coordinated than the other side.
Standing Curl and Press
This exercise works on all of your shoulders and arms while working on stability in your torso and lower body. The more stable your body is, the more weight you can lift and the more fluid the movement becomes. Stand with your legs about shoulder-width apart, and hold a 40-lb. barbell with both hands about shoulder-width apart and with your arms extended down in front of you. Exhale and curl the weight up to your shoulders, and press it over your head without moving your body. Lower the weight by reversing the movement pattern. You can perform this exercise with a barbell, two dumbbells or one dumbbell. Perform three sets of eight to 10 reps.
Circuit Training
Circuit training is performing a series of exercises --- between four and eight exercises --- that trains different movement patterns without rest between exercises. This method improves your muscular endurance, burns more calories in less time and keeps your workouts varied to avoid boredom, says coach Vern Gambetta, author of "Athletic Development." For example, you can perform the squat press, curl and press, chest press, and standing back row for 30 seconds each consecutively. Then rest for no more than 30 seconds, and repeat the circuit two or three more times.
Supersets
A superset involves performing two exercises consecutively that work opposing muscle groups or movement patterns without rest between sets. This allows one group to work while the other group rests, stimulating greater muscle growth rate and improving muscular stamina, says physical therapist Gray Cook, author of "Athletic Body in Balance." For example, you can perform a set of dumbbell or barbell chest press with a set of standing dumbbell or barbell row. Rest for no more than one minute between each superset, and repeat the exercise two more times. To improve muscle growth, Cook suggests that you perform three sets of eight to 12 reps. Use a lighter weight if you cannot perform the exercise with proper form; use a heavier weight if you can perform the exercises with little effort.
References
- "NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training"; Michael Clark; 2007
- "Athletic Development"; Vern Gambetta; 2006
- "Athletic Body in Balance"; Gray Cook; 2003
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