BEST Workouts for Full Body Fitness

BEST Workouts for Full Body Fitness

It can be hard to get a full body workout that leaves you feeling like you worked yourself as hard as you could have. So, I’ve compiled a few of my favorite exercises guaranteed to work your entire body!

SWIMMING: Swimming is an excellent way to work your whole body because it takes core strength and arm and leg muscles, all while being excellent for cardio. Varying your strokes will also help you make the most of your workout. I’ve compiled three swimming workouts of different difficulties for you to try.

Beginner Workout (400m)

• WARM UP: start with 50m of the stroke of your choice
• MAIN SET:
  • One 50m kick (holding a flutterboard and just kicking your legs) and one 50m swim for both backstroke and freestyle. Do this twice.
  • 25m swim on a pace time. Set whatever pace time feels right for you. Push yourself and choose whichever stroke you think will benefit you. Do this 4 times.
• COOL DOWN: Swim 50m of whichever stroke you find easiest

Intermediate Workout (650m)

• WARM UP: 100m of your choice stroke
• MAIN SET:
  • 3x 25m swim of any stroke. Do this 3 times. Start slow on the first 25m, medium on the second, fast on the third. Do this three times. Try to vary the strokes as you go.
  • 25m easy backstroke
  • 100m kick
  • 4x 25m freestyle/breaststroke focusing on breathing
• COOL DOWN: 100m of your choice

Advanced Workout (1000m)

• WARM UP: Start with a 200m warm up consisting of:
  • 50m swim, 50m kick. Do this twice.
• MAIN SET:
  • 4x 50m (25m moderate, 25m sprint): Do this on a pace time, with your choice of strokes
  • 4x 100m: Alternate 100m swim and 100m kick, with 20-30 seconds rest in between at moderate speed.
  • 4x 25m swim: One freestyle, one backstroke, one breaststroke, and one choice
  • If you’re feeling adventurous, maybe try butterfly for your choice of stroke.
• COOL DOWN: 100m stroke of your choice

KICK BOXING: Kick boxing is a great work out because it utilizes your arms, legs and core all while getting your heart rate up. Plus, it’s super fun! The only downside is that it can be hard to learn without being in a class. Enrolling in a group class at a gym will teach you the basics of how to move your arms and legs in the proper way to reduce strain and muscle tear.

Often, before learning how to properly punch and kick, it can be easy to misinterpret the moves and you’re far more likely to get hurt. Check your local class options to get involved. Once you have the basics, you could start kickboxing on your own!

YOGA: Not only does yoga utilize almost all of the muscles in your body, it’s an extremely good way to stretch out and relax. Yoga also helps with brain health and has been proven to reduce stress.

Doing yoga every day is also very viable because of its relatively low-intensity nature and practicing daily is extremely beneficial for flexibility. There’s a ton of classes available for you to enroll with, or online tutorials that make it easy to do at home as well.

SPIN/CYCLE CLASSES: Many spin studios play loud, upbeat music and have fun flashing lights to make this intense exercise more fun! A motivator exercises with the class and acts as the main source of inspiration to keep you going. While fun, spin class is very intense. Most classes are around an hour long and consist of high intensity cycling and sometimes include exercises with small weights to work on arm strength.

Cycling is a great form of cardio and works your legs and core at the same time. Combining cycling with some arm exercises makes this a super fun full body workout. For something less intense, go on a bike ride outdoors or on a stationary bike where you can determine your own intensity.

BODY WEIGHT EXERCISES: If all else fails, it can be rewarding to build your own exercise routine at the gym or home. Make sure to get a little bit of cardio in on top of your body weight exercises. You can do this by going for a brisk walk, running, or a bike ride. Indoor tracks, treadmills and stationary bikes come in handy when the weather starts to get colder. For a full body workout include a combination of the following body weight exercises like push ups for your chest and triceps, sit ups and side planks for your back and core, squats and lunges for your legs, front plank for your core, as well as jumping jacks and wall sits for your full body.

Here is an example workout for you:

• CARDIO: 20 minute jog
• BODY WEIGHT (Do this 1-3 times depending on desired intensity):
  • 20 jumping jacks
  • 10 push ups
  • 10 sit ups
  • 30-60 second side plank on either side
  • 20 squats
  • 60 second front plank
  • 20 lunges
  • 60 second wall sit

If you’re unsure about the proper form for any of these exercises or have not done them before, I would suggest watching some YouTube tutorials to keep your body safe from harm or even approaching someone else who is more experienced at the gym like a personal trainer or athlete.

I hope you found this helpful! What kind of full body exercises do you like doing? Share them in the comments below!

Written by Robyn Welsh

Photo credits:

Swim - www.idph.iowa.gov.com
Kickboxing - www.resources2.news.com.au
Yoga - www.cdn2.blisstree.com
Spin Cycle - www.reflexfitness.com
Body Weight - www.i.huffpost.com