Training
Marisa HeinzeMay 10, 2022
Full body workout in the gym: here's how!
Has it ever happened to you, especially after a long break, that you find yourself in the gym - full of energy? You want to exercise again. You have set yourself goals and want to give your body new training stimuli. You are standing in front of the free weight area or the weight machines and feel as if you have lost touch with your body?
Restarting a full body workout in the gym
Often, getting back into it can feel impossible. You have to start everywhere at once and don't know how? Don't worry: your body remembers everything. With a little guidance, you will surely notice your body re-adapting to the training after a few sessions and you will see an increase in performance again.
For exercising, especially after a long break, a full body workout in a gym is ideal. With a full body workout, you can target all the major muscle groups in your body and keep the training session to a minimum. It is advisable to start slowly but regularly. 3 workouts a week with a full body plan is ideal for this.
Important basics
- Technique before weight: always work on a clean technique first and make sure you have the execution down, before attempting heavier weights.
- Strength endurance before hypertrophy: to re-adapt your body, muscles, ligaments, and tendons to training, it is important to start with less weights and more repetitions per set. Later you can adjust the weight and repetitions to build muscle.
- Want support? Be sure to consult a trainer or ask a friend to train with you. Personal trainers can give you undivided attention and work with you to build the confidence you need to train on your own.
Full body exercises for getting back in shape
For a full body workout in the gym after a long break, we have put together an overview of exercises for a full body workout. The motto at the beginning is: keep it simple but effective.
1) The Squat
The squat is one of the simplest, but most effective exercises, for a total body workout and can be done with different variations, in the gym or even at home.
Execution:
- Place the feet slightly wider than hip-width and the toes turned slightly outwards.
- Lower the buttocks backwards towards the floor and make sure that your knees do not extend beyond the ankles.
- Your knees should be at about a 90° angle. If you have the flexibility, you can lower the squat.
- Bring your arms forward at shoulder height and parallel to the floor. Keep the abdomen tense.
- Start with 3 sets of 15 repetitions.
Increasing the exercise:
After a familiarisation phase of about 3-4 weeks, each of 3 training sessions, you can increase your squat exercise by holding a kettlebell in front of your chest or a placing sandbag on your back. Increase to 4 sets of 10 repetitions.
Tip:
If you want to focus more on endurance, you can also perform the squat as a "box jump" with a little practice. Place a box (there are soft plyo boxes in gyms) against a wall. Start at a low height of 30 or 45 centimetres.
- Start from a slight squat and jump onto the box with both feet at the same time.
- Make sure you land softly and with your knees slightly bent.
- Then descend with one foot after the other.
2) The Push-up
Sounds boring? But it is one of the most effective full body exercises of all. A properly performed push-up not only trains the arms, chest, and shoulders, but the entire core.
Execution:
- Get into a push-up position with your hands under your shoulders.
- Pull the belly button inwards, tighten the glutes, and push out of the hands and shoulders.
- Now bend the arms slightly away from the body and bring the body towards the floor in a straight line.
- Make sure that your back remains long and that you do not fall into a hollow back.
- Chest, abdomen, and legs should touch the floor at the same time.
- Tighten your abdominals and push yourself back up in a straight line.
- Perform 3 sets of 12 repetitions.
Tip:
If you notice that you are falling into a hollow back, initially lower your knees during the push-up, until you have built up sufficient strength.
Increasing the exercise:
You can also increase the push-up exercise with many variations. For example, take an exercise ball, place your hands on it and perform the push-up. The unstable surface makes the stabilising muscles work harder.
Another alternative is to raise your feet and perform a negative push-up. This changes the centre of gravity and increases the weight that has to be pushed back up.
Tip:
To make this exercise more dynamic, you can try burpees.
- Squat down and jump backwards with your feet into a push-up position.
- Perform a full push-up and hop back forward into a squat position.
- From here, jump out of the squat position into a stretch jump and gently land back in the squat position.
3) Bent-over dumbbell rowing
To also train the opposing muscles, the back, after the push-up, we now tackle standing dumbbell rowing.
Execution:
- You will need two dumbbells with which you can perform 12-15 clean rowing movements.
- Get into a hip-width stance, knees slightly bent and bend your upper body forward to 90°. Ideally, your torso is now parallel to the floor and at 90 degrees to your legs.
- Tighten the abdomen, keep the back straight and avoid a hollow back!
- Keep your arms stretched towards the floor with a weight in each hand.
- Now pull the elbows close to the body towards the ceiling, bringing the shoulder blades together at the back, before slowly straightening the arms again.
- Again, do 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions initially.
Increasing the exercise:
You can increase this exercise by using more weight. Once the technique is correct and you have built up basic strength, you can perform the bent-over row with a barbell, for example.
Important:
With this exercise it is particularly important to keep the knees slightly bent so that the back can remain straight and does not form a hollow back or a curve in the lumbar region. Also support the lower back by keeping the belly button pulled towards the spine.
4) The ultimate full body exercise: the Kettlebell swing
For this exercise you need good core muscles and good control of your movements. Feel free to try this exercise with a trainer or workout buddy to make sure the technique is correct
Important:
Before the exercise, prepare all joints (shoulders, hips, knees) for the load. Avoid hyperextending your back during the exercise. Instead, keep your core strong against the momentum of the kettlebell.
Execution:
- Stand upright with your feet slightly more than hip-width apart. Centrally, between your legs, the kettlebell is placed, which you hold with both hands.
- Straighten up and tense your abdomen and buttocks. This is your starting position.
- Now bend your upper body forward, keep your abdomen tense and let the kettlebell swing towards the floor.
- Now swing the kettlebell explosively forward with arms outstretched until the weight is at eye level.
- At this point tighten your buttocks and abdomen and hold against the swing.
Increasing the exercise:
Start with less weight and pay attention to the execution. As this exercise focuses on strength endurance, you can work with a higher number of repetitions. For example, start with 3 sets of 20 repetitions. Then increase the weight and do 4 sets of 15 repetitions.
Conclusion
Regular exercise is the only way to get your body back to what it once was. The basics for this can be achieved with a full body workout in the gym. Ideally, you should start with 3 full body training sessions a week.
A trained body helps you to have a better and healthier posture as well as an upright posture. Your metabolic activity increases. With a basic set of muscles, you can now attend any other classes or do any sports you want. You have laid the foundation with the fully body exercises. You will benefit from the full body workout exercises - also in everyday life.