What is a full body workout routine?
Instead of giving each muscle its own day, a full body routine builds every session around a few compound lifts that cover the whole body: a squat or lunge, a hinge such as the deadlift, a press and a pull. A couple of smaller exercises finish the session. You then repeat that pattern two or three times a week with a rest day in between.
Because you practise the main lifts so often, you get good at them quickly. That is the main reason classic beginner programs, from Starting Strength to StrongLifts 5x5, are full body routines. It is also forgiving: miss a session and every muscle still got trained that week.
Who a full body workout suits
- Beginners. Frequent practice of the big lifts is what new lifters need most, and full body training delivers it.
- Anyone who can train 2 or 3 days a week. With so few sessions, full body is the only setup that keeps each muscle at twice a week or more.
- Busy people and parents. Three sessions of 45 to 60 minutes cover everything, and a missed day costs little.
- Lifters cutting or combining with sport. Fewer gym days leave more energy for running, football or recovery.
- Less ideal for advanced lifters who need lots of volume per muscle. Fitting 20 sets for every muscle into three sessions makes them very long, and an upper lower split or push pull legs spreads the work better.
The 3 day full body workout plan
This plan uses three different sessions, A, B and C, so each lift gets a heavy, a medium and a lighter exposure across the week. Do them on non consecutive days, for example Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
| # | Day A | Day B | Day C |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Back squat, 3 x 5 | Deadlift, 3 x 5 | Front squat or goblet squat, 3 x 8 to 10 |
| 2 | Bench press, 3 x 5 | Overhead press, 3 x 5 to 8 | Incline dumbbell press, 3 x 8 to 12 |
| 3 | Barbell row, 3 x 6 to 8 | Pull-up or lat pulldown, 3 x 6 to 10 | Seated cable row, 3 x 10 to 12 |
| 4 | Romanian deadlift, 2 x 8 to 10 | Bulgarian split squat, 2 x 8 to 10 per leg | Hip thrust, 3 x 8 to 12 |
| 5 | Lateral raise, 2 x 12 to 15 | Dumbbell curl, 2 x 10 to 12 | Face pull, 2 x 12 to 20 |
| 6 | Plank, 3 x 30 to 45 s | Triceps pushdown, 2 x 10 to 12 | Hanging knee raise, 2 x 10 to 15 |
Rest 2 to 3 minutes between sets of the first two exercises and 60 to 90 seconds on the others. Most sets should end 1 to 3 reps before failure. Expect each session to take 50 to 65 minutes with warm up sets.
2 day and 30 minute versions
2 day full body workout
Training twice a week? Run Day A and Day B, and add one set to each of the first three exercises. Two hard full body sessions a week is enough to build real strength, and far better than an ambitious plan you cannot keep.
30 minute full body workout
When time is tight, do the first three exercises of the day as supersets: pair the lower body lift with the pull, rest a minute, then the press on its own. Three rounds of each takes about 30 minutes and still covers the whole body.
Dumbbell full body workout
No barbell, or training at home? This full body workout with dumbbells follows the same structure, with the goblet squat as the main leg exercise. Use the heaviest pair you can handle with good form and push the reps higher as the weights become light.
| # | Exercise | Sets x reps |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Goblet squat | 3 x 8 to 15 |
| 2 | Dumbbell Romanian deadlift | 3 x 8 to 12 |
| 3 | Dumbbell bench press or floor press | 3 x 8 to 12 |
| 4 | One arm dumbbell row | 3 x 8 to 12 per side |
| 5 | Dumbbell split squat or reverse lunge | 2 x 8 to 12 per leg |
| 6 | Seated dumbbell shoulder press | 2 x 8 to 12 |
| 7 | Dumbbell curl to press | 2 x 10 to 12 |
Once you can do 15 good reps of an exercise, make it harder: slow the lowering to three seconds, pause at the bottom, or switch to a single leg or single arm version.
How to progress on a full body routine
Beginners can add weight almost every session at first, so the plan uses fixed sets of 5 on the main lifts. This is the simplest form of progressive overload:
- Main lifts: add weight each sessionIf you hit all sets of 5, add 2.5 kg (5 lb) to the bench and overhead press and 5 kg (10 lb) to the squat and deadlift next time.
- Accessories: add reps, then weightWork up to the top of the rep range in every set, then add the smallest weight jump available and start again at the bottom.
- When you stall, slow downMissed the reps on a lift three sessions in a row? Take 10 % off that lift and build back up. When even that stops working, switch the main lifts to a rep range like 3 x 6 to 8 and progress weekly.
Want to know where you stand? The 1RM calculator estimates your max from any set, and the bench press standards and squat standards show how it compares.
Let Gripp plan your full body week
Add your three gym days to Gripp's weekly schedule, with rest days in between. Log every set and Gripp tells you what to lift next session, so you always know when to add weight.
Join the waitlistFull body vs upper lower vs push pull legs
| Split | Best days per week | Frequency per muscle | Session length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full body | 2 to 3 | 2 to 3x | 45 to 65 min |
| Upper lower | 4 | 2x | 60 to 75 min |
| Push pull legs | 6 (or 3 to 5) | 1 to 2x | 60 to 75 min |
For two or three days a week, full body is the clear choice. At four days, an upper lower split gives each session more focus. At five or six days, push pull legs handles the higher volume best. Plenty of lifters train full body for years and do very well. You only need to switch when sessions get too long or you want to train more often.
Common full body workout mistakes
- Too many exercises. Ten exercises per session is a circuit, not a strength workout. Cover a squat, a hinge, a press and a pull, then stop.
- Training on back to back days. Every muscle works each session, so keep at least one rest day between workouts.
- Same weights every week. Without adding load or reps, your body has no reason to change. Log every session.
- Skipping the hinge. Squats and presses are popular, but the deadlift or Romanian deadlift trains the hamstrings, glutes and back that most people neglect.
- Going to failure on every set. Leaving a rep or two in the tank lets you recover by the next session, which comes around fast on full body training. If you are very sore, the DOMS guide explains what to do.
The exercises
Barbell back squatQuads and glutes
Barbell bench pressChestGuide
Barbell bent-over rowUpper back and lats
Romanian deadliftHamstrings and glutesGuide
Dumbbell lateral raiseSide deltsGuide
Front plankAbs
Goblet squatQuads and glutesGuide
Dumbbell Romanian deadliftHamstrings and glutes
Dumbbell bench pressChest
One-arm dumbbell rowLats and upper back
Split squatQuads and glutes
Seated dumbbell shoulder pressFront deltsGuide