If you’re planning to start resistance training, a full-body workout program can be perfect for you.
The total body workout routine is an effective way to build strength, endurance, and lean mass.1 4 Reasons You Should Be Doing Whole-Body Training – Bodybuilding
It is also time efficient, allowing you to work on each muscle in less time and provide enough rest between your workouts to let your muscles fully recover.
However, to get the best results from full-body workout training, you need to design a well-rounded program that includes the exercises for all of your major muscle groups within each workout.
An appropriate workout program also helps you train in an organized way and achieve maximum results.
You can get numerous plans from various websites, but if you’re looking for an easy-to-follow and efficient beginner full-body workout routine, this article is for you.
In this article, I’ve shared three different workout plans for beginners, including 2-day, 3-day, and 4-day routines.
Whether you’re male or female, you can follow one of them to progress your fitness level.
2 Day Full Body Workout for Beginners
If you’ve recently decided to get fit and strong, you can do this 2-day full-body workout.
This program includes primarily compound exercises that work on multiple muscle groups simultaneously and help build strength and size.
One session will take approximately one hour to complete.
Make sure you warm up for at least 5 minutes to get yourself ready to lift weights. You can run on the treadmill or do bicycling, jumping jacks, and burpees as warm-up exercises.
Day 1 – Monday
| Exercise | Muscles Worked | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leg Press | Legs | 12 x 3 | 2-3 mins |
| DB Incline Bench Press | Chest | 10 x 2 | 2-3 mins |
| Lat Pulldown | Back | 10 x 2 | 2-3 mins |
| Lateral Delt Raises | Shoulder | 10 x 2 | 2-3 mins |
| Bench Dips | Triceps | 10 x 2 | 1-2 mins |
| Seated Cable Row | Back | 10 x 2 | 2-3 mins |
Day 2 – Thursday
| Exercise | Muscles Worked | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dumbbell Overhead Press | Shoulder | 10 x 3 | 2-3 mins |
| Pec Deck Fly (Butterfly) | Chest | 10 x 3 | 2-3 mins |
| Single-arm Dumbbell Row | Back | 10 x 2 | 2-3 mins |
| Barbell Curl | Biceps | 10 x 2 | 2-3 mins |
| Leg Curl | Hamstrings | 10 x 3 | 1-2 mins |
| Calf Raises | Glutes | 10 x 2 | 1-2 mins |
Pro Tips:
- You can increase or decrease the number of reps and sets depending on your fitness level.
- You can replace any exercise that is difficult for you to perform.
- Substitute some exercises in your subsequent weeks.
- You can increase and decrease the interval time between sets.
- Check your progress and make changes whenever necessary.
3 Day Beginner Full Body Workout Routine to Build Muscle
Working workout three times a week is the most suitable frequency for beginners.
In this three-day workout program, you’ll train every alternate day, while on the other days, you can take a rest to let your muscles recover and rebuild.
Here’s how a full body 3-day workout routine looks:
Day 1 – Monday
| Exercise | Muscles Worked | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lat Pulldown | Back | 12 x 3 | 2-3 mins |
| Leg Press | Legs | 12 x 3 | 2-3 mins |
| Incline DB Bench Press | Chest | 12 x 3 | 2-3 mins |
| Lateral Delt Raises | Shoulder | 10 x 2 | 1-2 mins |
| Bench Dips | Triceps | 10 x 2 | 1-2 mins |
| Dumbbell Curl | Biceps | 10 x 2 | 1-2 mins |
Day 2 – Wednesday
| Exercise | Muscles Worked | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dumbbell Front Squat | Quadriceps | 10 x 2 | 1-2 mins |
| Machine Overhead Press | Shoulder | 10 x 3 | 1-3 mins |
| Pec Deck Fly | Chest | 10 x 3 | 1-2 mins |
| Seated Cable Rowing | Back | 10 x 3 | 2-3 mins |
| Rope Pushdown | Triceps | 10 x 3 | 1-2 mins |
| Leg Curl | Hamstrings | 10 x 2 | 1-2 mins |
Day 3 – Friday
| Exercise | Muscles Worked | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dumbbell Lunges | Legs | 10 x 2 | 1-2 min |
| Hammer Incline Bench Press | Chest | 12 x 3 | 2-3 mins |
| One-arm Dumbbell Row | Back | 10 x 2 | 1-2 min |
| Reverse Pec Deck Fly | Shoulder | 12 x 3 | 1-2 min |
| Cable Curl | Biceps | 12 x 3 | 1-2 min |
Total Body 4 Day Workout Routine for Beginners
You can also follow a 4-day total body workout program to build strength and mass.
Each session in this program will take 45 minutes to finish.
If your lifestyle allows you to hit the gym four times a week, you can follow this program.
Day 1 – Monday
| Exercise | Target Muscles | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Machine Leg Press | Legs | 12 x 3 | 2-3 mins |
| Machine Bench Press | Chest | 10 x 3 | 2-3 mins |
| Lateral Raises | Shoulder | 10 x 3 | 1-2 mins |
| Single-arm Dumbbell Row | Back | 10 x 3 | 1-2 mins |
Day 2 – Tuesday
| Exercise | Target Muscles | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Machine Overhead Press | Shoulder | 10 x 3 | 1-3 mins |
| Pec Deck Fly | Chest | 10 x 3 | 1-2 mins |
| Seated Cable Rowing | Back | 10 x 3 | 2-3 mins |
| Machine Leg Curl | Hamstrings | 10 x 3 | 1-2 mins |
Day 3 – Thursday
| Exercise | Target Muscles | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sumo Deadlift | Legs | 5 x 3 | 2-3 mins |
| Incline Bench Press | Chest | 12 x 3 | 2-3 mins |
| Lat Pulldown | Back | 12 x 3 | 1-3 mins |
| Reverse Pec Deck Fly | Shoulder | 10 x 3 | 2-3 mins |
Day 4 – Friday
| Exercise | Target Muscles | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front Dumbbell Lunges | Legs | 10 x 3 | 2-3 mins |
| Flat Bench Press | Chest | 10 x 3 | 2-3 mins |
| Chinups | Biceps | 6 x 3 | 2-3 mins |
| High to Low Wood Chop | Abs | 10 x 2 | 1-2 mins |
| Plank | Core | 45-sec | – |
Download Beginner Full Body Workout Routine PDF
Full Body Workout vs. Split Training
Full-body training and split training are both effective training program that helps promote strength and hypertrophy.
The primary difference between them is that you train almost all major muscle groups within each session in a full-body workout, while split training allows you to work on one or three muscle groups in one session. Push-pull-legs (PPL), upper-lower, and Bro-split are examples of split training.
The other difference is that the full-body workout routine helps you boost strength and endurance, burn more calories, and aid in weight loss. While split training stimulates more muscle growth and increases strength.2 A Comparison Between Total Body and Split Routine Resistance Training Programs in Trained Men – Journal Strength of Conditioning Research
You can follow any training program you like. However, you have to train consistently, feed your muscles optimum nutrition, and get proper sleep to achieve maximum results.
References
- 14 Reasons You Should Be Doing Whole-Body Training – Bodybuilding
- 2A Comparison Between Total Body and Split Routine Resistance Training Programs in Trained Men – Journal Strength of Conditioning Research
