The Best Full Body Workouts For Men

Hooray! You’ve finally decided to work out; the times of hesitation are left behind. But what’s next? A lot of full body workouts for men and tips about nutrition, too many rules to consider, and you feel a bit lost with this avalanche of information. And now it’s our turn to help. We know how to organize a practical workout routine for men and make your body burn extra calories faster. If you’re at the beginning of your way, read on to find out everything about an effective workout for men.

What Is A Full-Body Workout?

The name says it all. The full body workout routine for men includes a series of exercises targeting all muscle groups, not just hitting your belly, hands, or legs. Focusing solely on particular muscle types, you lower the efficiency of your workouts on the whole – some muscles are getting enough work, and some just stay inactive. That’s why following a thoroughly created full body workout plan for beginners will lead you in the right direction towards a better body and weight loss.

A Full-Body Workout For Beginners At Home

1. Full body workout at home for men is a valuable tool in this day and age, as people can’t attend the gym or pay for a yearly membership due to different reasons. All the exercises below have proven their efficacy in terms of body muscle building workout. They can be done at home without equipment; however, adding extra weights will create more resistance and help you train the body and burn fat better.

2. When it comes to workouts, be sure to follow the schedule. You need to define certain days (morning/lunch/evening time) when you will perform your training sessions and stick to it. Any expert will say that consistency and constancy are crucial to success, especially regarding working out.

3. Nutrition – another mountain to climb. If you face weight-related problems, you definitely need to study your menu carefully [1]. Your health is directly influenced by the food you eat. If you want a strong and muscular body, stop eating rubish-like snacks. Fill your regimen with greeneries, cut down on sugar and greasy snacks, add the proteins – not the protein bars, but meat, soya, cheese, and fish; eat more freshly-prepared dishes, and avoid highly-processed food. Not only will your appearance improve, but your health will become better because you’ll get enough nutrients for proper functioning.

So, fill up your body with tasty but beneficial food and nutrients, and let’s start the training session!

1. Push-Ups

Pushups for lower chest are part and parcel of a full body workout plan for men; they strengthen your core and upper body. The benefits of daily pushups include cardiovascular health and improved muscle mass.

Pushups are a strength-building exercise that activates muscles in the arms and shoulders, simultaneously engaging muscles in the core and legs. Therefore, pushups are valuable for building strength in the whole body.

Push-ups are probably our first physical activity known from school, yet, it doesn’t imply its simplicity, just the opposite – push-ups are pretty difficult. After mastering the basic form, you may go to more challenging exercise variations by modifying the movement.

The instructions:

1. Place your hands on the floor or mat, shoulder-width apart; your fingers facing forward.
2. Brace your torso and take a plank position. Make sure your head and spine are aligned.
3. Keeping the same body position, lower your body toward the mat allowing your elbows to shift outward.
4. Once your chest or chin has reached floor level, press upward through the arms until they’re fully extended.

For proper alignment, ACE also suggests that your fingers face forward and are slightly turned inward, that your shoulders are situated right above your hands and that your torso is stiff so that your back doesn’t sag.

Tempo Push-Ups

Push-ups are a traditional bodyweight exercise and a part of all workout plans for men to build muscle. This exercise significantly develops shoulders, chest, and triceps using a 1-2-3 exercise tempo.

The instructions:

1. Start from a plank position widening your shoulder blades; take 1 second to lower your body until your chest is just above the ground.
2. Hold that position for 2 seconds before getting back to the plank position.
3. Take 3 seconds for the press portion of the rep.

If a ground push-up is too demanding for your current level, try elevating your hands on a bench, or start on your knees.

2. Squats

Squats are irreplaceable when talking about full body men’s workout routine. It’s excellent resistance training with no additional resistance used – just your body. After you learn the basics, you can include weights, like barbells or dumbbells, resistance bands, or yoga balls.

The instructions:

1. Place with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart.
2. Keep your chest up, engage your abs, and shift your weight onto your heels as you push your hips into a sitting position.
3. Lower your hips until your thighs are parallel (almost parallel) to the floor.
4. You will feel the squat in your thighs and glutes.
5. Pause for 2 seconds with your knees over your toes.
6. Exhale and push back up to the starting position.

3. Burpees

The burpee is a full body exercise used in strength training. Burpee is performed in four steps from a standing position and is known as a “four-count burpee.”

The instruction:

1. Get into a squat position with your hands on the ground.
2. Kick your feet back into an extended plank position, keeping your arms extended.
3. Immediately return your feet into the squat position.
4. Stand up from the squat position.

4. Lunges

A full body workout plan for men cannot be imagined without basic lunges and variations. The lunges work your entire lower body strengthening all the major muscle groups in your lower half, including the glutes, quads, hamstrings, and core. You can make lunges with just your body weight or easily make lunges more challenging by adding dumbbells, kettlebells, a barbell, or resistance bands.

The lunge is a unilateral exercise because you primarily train one side of your body simultaneously.

The instructions:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands on your hips, or hold them together in front of your chest.
2. Step forward (about 2 feet) with your left foot, and place it firmly on the floor.
3. Bend both knees to create two 90-degree angles with your legs. Your chest should be upright, and your back is flat and not arched or rounded forward. Your right quad is parallel to the floor, and your left knee is above your left foot.
4. Push through your left foot to return to the starting position. That’s 1 rep.
5. Do all your reps on one side, then repeat with the other leg. You can also alternate.

5. Running And Cycling

Running and cycling are both excellent cardiovascular exercises that can help improve lung function, oxygen consumption, and cardiac output; hence, it helps to promote overall heart health. A cardio workout increases your heart rate and gets your blood pumping transporting oxygen around your body more efficiently.

You can do cardio at a low intensity, like brisk walking or slow running around your neighborhood, or you can do it at high intensity – just follow your needs and feelings.

Cardio is also great for weight loss. Increasing energy expenditure increases the total amount of calories burned in a day. The number of calories depends on the intensity and duration. High-intensity cardio burns more calories than low-intensity; running for an hour will burn more calories than running for 10-20 minutes. Besides, your age, weight, and fitness level are also crucial when counting the calories waste. A person with higher body weight or with more muscle mass will burn more per session. It seems pretty unfair, but their body has to work harder to perform the same muscle movements, consuming more energy.

6. Stair Climbing

A leader among full body workout routines for men because you get highly beneficial training, spending nothing but your calories and energy. If you have no time to go to the gym and live in a high building – your gym is right next to your apartment. The benefits are difficult to overestimate:

1. Stair climbing engages your body’s largest muscle group. You repeatedly lift your body weight up the stairs; it’s far more difficult than just running.
2. It raises your heart rate immediately, maximizing your cardio benefits.
3. Increases core muscle strength.
4. It engages every major muscle in your lower body – glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, abs, and calves.
5. Even while being at work, use the stairs instead of a lift. It might seem weird and challenging initially, but time will manage that.

Be attentive! Never run down the stairs; take a break when needed.

A Full-Body Dumbbell Workout For Men

We can’t imagine a full body workout for men without the basic equipment – dumbbells; they just add enough resistance, making the workouts more efficient.

1. Dumbbell Overhead Press

A dumbbell overhead press (shoulder press) is a weightlifting exercise that targets muscles throughout your body, including your triceps, glutes, trapezius, and lower back muscles, making it an efficient workout routine for men.

For dumbbell overhead presses, use a weight that you can control for 2 – 3 sets of 5-10 repetitions. Don’t rush to heavy weights at once, as you won’t be able to maintain a proper technique.

The instructions:

1. Grab two dumbbells and stand with your feet hip-width apart and a slight knee bend.
2. Your shoulders are directly over your hips, and your head and neck are in a neutral position. Your chin should remain still throughout the activity (imagine holding an egg under your chin).
3. Distribute your weight evenly and create a stable position. Raise the dumbbells slightly above your shoulders.
4. Initiate the movement upward by pushing the dumbbells toward the ceiling. As you push the dumbbells overhead, your shoulder blades move naturally with your shoulder joints.
5.  At the top of the movement, your arms should be long with a slight bend in your elbows. Pause at the top, maintaining distance between the dumbbells.
6. Bending your elbows, begin the downward movement. The dumbbells should stop above your shoulders without contacting your shoulders.
7. Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

2. Lateral Raise

The dumbbell lateral raise is a good bodyweight workout for building width in your upper body, especially for those who dream about a V-shape. It develops your muscle and strength, being an excellent addition to a full body workout routine when performed every week.

We advise you to read the article “How to get v shaped glutes?”.

The instructions:

1. Grab a set of dumbbells and stand straight with the dumbbells at your sides.
2. You should hold the dumbbells a little off your body to keep the tension on the side delts.
3. Slowly raise the dumbbells up to shoulder height; do not let your wrists go above your elbows while raising the weight.
4. Pause at the top of the movement and slowly lower the weight back to the starting position.
5. Do not let the dumbbells touch your body; raise them for the next rep.

3. Dumbbell Front Raise

The front raise is a weight training in the full body workout for men, which has a muscle building function, specifically the anterior deltoid. The front raise is carried out in 3-5 sets during a shoulder workout every week. The number of reps depends on the training program and your initial strength.

Remember our advice – choose a controllable weight of the dumbbells not to get injured.

The instructions:

1. Stands with your feet shoulder-width apart and weights by your side with an overhand grip.
2. Bring the arms up in front of the body to eye level with a slight bend in the elbow. By doing this, you use the anterior deltoid to lift the weight.

4. Reverse Fly

Full body workout for men should always include a Reverse Fly, which is among the best body exercises to work your shoulders and upper back with the help of dumbbells.

The instructions:

1. Grab a pair of dumbbells and bend forward at your hips until your core is nearly parallel to the floor.
2. Set your feet shoulder-width apart.
3. The dumbbells hang straight down from your shoulders, your palms facing each other.
4. Keeping your back flat and your torso still, raise your arms straight out to your sides until they’re in line with your body. Don’t change the bend in your elbows.
5. Pause, then slowly return to the starting position.
6. The number of reps is up to you.

 5. Dumbbell Stiff-Leg Deadlift

A part of an advanced workout routine for men which works the upper legs, glutes, and hamstrings.

The instructions:

1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip; place both feet on the floor slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Draw your shoulder blades down and back to push your chest out slightly.
2. Breathe in. Bending from the hips, run the dumbbells along the length of your thighs and halfway down your shins. Ensure that you keep your chest upright. You should feel the tension in the back of your legs (hamstrings).
3. When you reach halfway down your shins, breathe out. Push through your heels and return to the starting position. The dumbbells should remain in contact with your legs.
4. Repeat for the required number of reps and sets.

6. Dumbbell Spider Curl

The spider curl’s purpose is also a part of a full body workout for men used to strengthen their upper arm muscles. Use an incline bench for this exercise and two lighter-weight dumbbells.

The instructions:

1. Lean forward on a bench set to an incline setting; press your chest and stomach into it. The balls of your feet must be on the floor, with your knees slightly bent.
2. Hold your dumbbells with your palms facing away from your body. Retract your shoulder blades. Throughout the movement, focus downward.
3. Keep your upper arms still, bend your elbow, and squeeze your biceps to curl the weights up as high as possible toward your shoulders.
4. Contract your biceps before straightening your elbow joints to lower your weights.
5. The number of reps is strictly individual, especially at the beginning of workouts.

Incline Dumbbell Press

The incline dumbbell press – the incline chest press, the incline dumbbell bench press, bench press – is an upper body workout to engage the pectoral muscles, the triceps, and anterior deltoid muscles. Such an influence makes it a perfect addition to a full body workout for men.

For the incline dumbbell press, begin using a controllable weight for 2 – 3 sets of 8 -12 reps. An adequately chosen weight helps you perform the technique right.

The instructions:

1.  Adjust the bench to an incline of 15–30 degrees; sit on it and place two dumbbells in the creases of your hips.
2. Lie back on the bench with the dumbbells; engage your core.
3. Push the dumbbells toward the ceiling. Your upper back should remain tight and stable throughout all the sets.
4. Slowly lower the dumbbell until your upper arm is slightly past your back. Pause for a second at the bottom of the rep.
5. For the upward movement, squeeze your chest and push the dumbbells back toward the starting position.
6. Finish the movement at the top by squeezing your chest.
7. Keep distance between the dumbbells at the end of the repetition.

The number of reps incline dumbbell bench press requires entirely depends on your muscle and strength. Don’t overdo it at the beginning to avoid harming your health.

The Full-Body Kettlebell Workout

The usage of kettlebell develops power, endurance, muscle volume, and strength. The kettlebell is an ideal device for the workout routine for men at home as it’s compact, adaptable, and versatile.

Below we offer you the 5 best exercises for your workout routine for men using kettlebells.

Attention! Choose your kettlebell size according to your strength and fitness level. If you’re a beginner – not more than a 12kg kettlebell will be the best option; with some experience – 12 kg and more. Avoid heavy weights at the beginning of your routine; otherwise, a full body workout for men will bring just injuries and strained muscles.

The results will always become visible when the stability approach to workouts is maintained.

1. Kickstand Deadlift

The kettlebell kickstand is a part of a full body workout for men that targets the muscles of the hamstrings, glutes, and back. Its position focuses on the stretch and contraction of each leg. It can be performed in low reps, such as 5-8 reps per set to strengthen the posterior chain, or in higher reps, 8 – 12 for muscle growth. The rest between reps – is up to 30 seconds.

The instructions:

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, with a kettlebell in each hand.
2. Place one foot a foot-length in front of the other, and fix your stance. You’ll work your front leg.
3. Push your butt far back and keep your back flat. Your torso is almost parallel to the floor.
4. Keeping your core tight, push through your front heel to stand up straight.
5. Keep the weights close to your shins as you pull up.
6. Pause at the top and squeeze your butt. That’s 1 rep.

2. Front Rack Carry

This part of men’s full body workout targets the entire body.

The instructions:

1. Take a kettlebell in each hand.
2. Lift the kettlebells up under your chin; your palms are facing up, and wrists are facing each other.
3. Begin walking forward and hold the kettlebells at the same position the whole time.
4. The reps are up to you for the desired amount of time or distance.

3. Dead Stop Swing

A dead stop swings are workouts with is an excellent cardio-boosting, fat-burning, and leg conditioning function.

It’s a mix of muscle toning and strength development. It must be included in your men’s full body workout plan.

The instructions:

1. With your kettlebell on the floor in front of you, place your feet a bit over shoulder-width apart and point your toes forwards.
2. Push your hips backward, keep your back straight and your shoulders squared. Flex your knees and extend your arms towards the floor.
3. Squat down and grab your kettlebell, keeping your arms straight. Push up with your legs and lift the kettlebell off the floor.
4. When the kettlebell is slightly off the floor, swing the kettlebell back between your legs; keep your back straight.
5. Swing the kettlebell to chest height until your extended arms are parallel to the floor.
6. Let it go between your legs when your kettlebell starts to swing back down.
7. At this point, pull it in front of you and squat to the floor, placing the kettlebell down to a complete stop. Reps are up to you.

4. Goblet Squats

The goblet squat can be used at all fitness levels and sports to develop squat technique, muscle strength, and better functional movement.

The instructions:

1. Grab a kettlebell and hold it at chest level.
2. Place your feet in a squat stance; your heels are at hip width or slightly wider.
3. To squat, sit the hips down and pull your groin down between the thighs.
4. As you descend, support the weight to stay above your chest line.
5. At the bottom of your squat, contract your back muscles to raise your chest high with the weight at that level.
6. When standing up, y lift the chest and the weight, so they both stay slightly higher than chest height.

5. Archer Row

An effective kind of workouts routine; it takes an active part in building muscle strength.

The instructions:

1. Stand with your right leg back, and hold a kettlebell in your right hand. Rest the left forearm on the left thigh and let the right arm hang straight down.
2. Engage the abs and keep your back flat.
3. Row right elbow back, bringing weight up to your rib cage; straighten arm back down.
4. Keep shoulders down away from ears the entire time.
5. Repeat for 30 to 45 seconds, then switch sides.

Final thoughts

When aiming for balanced muscle development and weight loss, plan a full body workout routine, which will target all muscle groups, train your endurance and uplift your physique.

It’s challenging to start, but once you complete the first sets of your training routine, you will feel how tense your muscles become, and your motivation will keep you going. If you feel like stopping – please, don’t. Arrange some group training with friends to support each other. Besides, that’s another perk nowadays, as we see our closest ones less often.

Workout plans for men to build muscle are very individual. Before starting any type of workout routine, coordinate your actions with the doctor. Losing weight and toning up your body must be beneficial, not harmful.

After you start, keep to your schedule – steadiness is a key to your goal; if you avoid the days with workouts, you will never reach your goals. Don’t forget to include the recovery days to give some rest to your muscles.

Bodyweight exercises don’t require you to hit the gym day by day; the trainings we offer are perfectly acceptable for a home atmosphere at any time that is comfortable for you.

If you want to lose weight faster, try moving from slow intensity performance to a higher one, but make sure you are on the safe side – starting with 10 reps with 10 – 12 sets is not the best option. Give your body time to adjust.

Have some patience and you will see the results of it!

FAQs

Sources

1. Weight loss maintenance: A review on dietary related strategies

2. How Often You Should Exercise