By Will Duru, BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science, Award-winning Personal Trainer with over 10 years of experience in strength training and optimising recovery.
The main full-body workout benefits are simple: you train each muscle more often, need fewer gym days and can miss a session without losing a whole muscle group. A full-body workout trains your legs, back, chest, shoulders and arms in one session, usually two or three times a week. Research suggests it builds strength and muscle as well as split routines when weekly volume is the same.
Many people think they need a chest day, a leg day and an arm day to make progress. Split routines have their place, but they usually need more days in the gym.
This article explains what the evidence says about full-body training, who it suits best and how to put together your own full-body week.
Written by Will Duru, BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science, Award-winning Personal Trainer.
What Is a Full-Body Workout?
A full-body workout is a session where you train all your major muscle groups: legs, hips, back, chest, shoulders and arms. Instead of spending a whole session on your chest, you do one or two exercises for each area and move on.
This is different from a split routine, where each session focuses on certain muscles. Common splits include push/pull/legs and upper/lower. Splits work well too, especially if you can train four or more days a week. If you are weighing up the options, see how to choose a workout split for a busy schedule.
Think of it this way. On a typical split, you might train your chest once a week. On a full-body plan, you can train it two or three times a week, with fewer sets each time.
The Benefits of Full-Body Training
1. You train each muscle more often
Training a muscle group at least twice a week appears to build more muscle than training it once a week (Schoenfeld et al., 2016). Full-body training makes this simple: just two sessions train every muscle twice.
When weekly volume is matched, going from two sessions to three or more seems to add little extra growth (Schoenfeld et al., 2019). The real advantage is that you can spread your weekly sets over short, manageable sessions.
2. Results similar to split routines
A 2024 meta-analysis of 14 studies found full-body and split routines gave similar gains in strength and muscle size when volume was equated (Ramos-Campo et al., 2024). The authors suggested choosing the routine you prefer. So you don’t need a complicated split to make progress.
3. Fewer gym days
The NHS advises strengthening activities that work all the major muscle groups on at least two days a week (NHS). Two or three full-body sessions cover that, which leaves more time for work, family and other activity.
4. Missed sessions matter less
On a split, missing leg day can mean your legs go untrained for a week or more. On a full-body plan, your next session covers every muscle again. That makes full-body training forgiving when life gets busy.
5. Good for learning the basics
If you are new to strength training, full-body sessions let you practice the key movement patterns several times a week. These are squatting, hinging, pushing and pulling. More practice helps you build good technique and a solid base before you try more advanced methods.
6. Balanced training
Because every session covers your whole body, it’s harder to skip a muscle group by accident. That keeps your training balanced from week to week.
What about calorie burn?
Full-body sessions use a lot of muscle, so they can feel demanding. Strength training may also raise your resting metabolic rate a little. One meta-analysis estimated about 96 extra calories a day, but the studies varied and had a high risk of bias (MacKenzie et al., 2020). That is a modest effect. It can help with weight management, but it won’t do the job without changes to how you eat.
How to Build a Full-Body Workout
Focus on compound movements
Compound movements use several joints and muscle groups at once, so you train more muscle with fewer exercises. A review on time-saving training recommends prioritizing multi-joint exercises. It suggests at least one leg-pressing, one upper-body pulling and one upper-body pushing exercise (Iversen et al., 2021). For form tips on the main lifts, read our guide to compound lifts.
Pick one exercise from most of these movement patterns:
- Squat: quads, glutes and core. Examples: barbell squat, goblet squat, dumbbell squat.
- Hinge: glutes, hamstrings and lower back. Examples: deadlift, Romanian deadlift, good morning.
- Horizontal push: chest, front shoulders and triceps. Examples: bench press, dumbbell press, push-ups.
- Horizontal pull: lats, rhomboids and biceps. Examples: barbell row, dumbbell row, seated cable row.
- Vertical push: shoulders and triceps. Examples: overhead press, dumbbell shoulder press.
- Vertical pull: lats and biceps. Examples: pull-ups, lat pulldown.
Sample full-body workout routines
Here are two sample weeks. Treat them as templates and adjust the exercises to the equipment you have.
Sample 2-day full-body week (for example Monday and Thursday)
This works well if you’re very busy or just starting out. It leaves plenty of recovery time.
Workout A (Monday):
- Goblet squat: 4 sets of 8-12 reps
- Dumbbell bench press: 4 sets of 8-12 reps
- Dumbbell row: 4 sets of 8-12 reps
- Overhead press (dumbbell or barbell): 3 sets of 8-12 reps
- Plank: 3 sets, hold for 30-60 seconds
Workout B (Thursday):
- Romanian deadlift (dumbbell or barbell): 4 sets of 8-12 reps
- Push-ups (on your knees or on an incline if needed): 4 sets of as many reps as possible (AMRAP)
- Lat pulldown (or assisted pull-up): 4 sets of 8-12 reps
- Walking lunges: 4 sets of 10-15 reps per leg
- Face pulls: 4 sets of 12-15 reps
For a complete two-day program, see the 12-week 2-day gym workout split.
Sample 3-day full-body week (for example Monday, Wednesday and Friday)
This is a popular approach. You alternate Workout A and Workout B.
Workout A (Monday and Friday):
- Barbell squat: 3-4 sets of 6-10 reps
- Barbell bench press: 3-4 sets of 6-10 reps
- Barbell row: 3-4 sets of 6-10 reps
- Overhead press (barbell): 3-4 sets of 6-10 reps
- Biceps curls: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
- Triceps pushdowns: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
Workout B (Wednesday):
- Deadlift: 3-4 sets of 4-8 reps
- Incline dumbbell press: 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps
- Pull-ups (or lat pulldown): 3-4 sets of 6-10 reps
- Leg press: 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps
- Calf raises: 3 sets of 15-20 reps
- Ab rollouts: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
Want to see a full-body session in action? This 12REPS video shows a barbell full-body workout in the app.
For a barbell-only plan, try the barbell full-body strength workout.
Sets, reps and rest
- Sets: for most compound movements, 3-4 sets are a good starting point. For isolation exercises such as biceps curls, 2-3 sets are usually enough.
- Reps: for maximal strength, heavier weights for lower reps work best. For muscle growth, a wide range of reps works if your sets are hard (Schoenfeld et al., 2017). A range of about 6 to 15 reps suits most exercises (Iversen et al., 2021). See strength vs hypertrophy training for how to set reps for your goal.
- Rest: for compound movements, rest 2-3 minutes between sets so you can perform well on the next one. For isolation exercises, 60-90 seconds is usually enough.
Good form comes first. Use a weight you can control for every rep, and don’t chase numbers at the cost of technique.
Progressive Overload in Full-Body Workouts
Progressive overload means gradually making your training harder over time, so your body keeps adapting. If you keep lifting the same weight for the same reps, progress tends to stall.
How to keep progressing
- Add weight: if you lifted 10kg for 10 reps last week, try 12.5kg this week, as long as your form holds.
- Add reps: when you reach the top of your rep range, such as 12 reps in an 8-12 range, add a rep or two or move up in weight.
- Add a set: an extra set adds work, but keep an eye on session length and recovery.
- Improve your technique: cleaner reps through a full range of motion count as progress, even at the same weight.
- Shorten rest a little: doing the same work in less time makes the session denser. Keep enough rest to perform well on big lifts.
- Slow the lowering phase: controlling the lowering (eccentric) part of each rep keeps your muscles working for longer.
A 2022 study found adding reps and adding weight produced similar muscle growth. Adding weight was slightly better for maximal strength (Plotkin et al., 2022). So both are valid ways to progress.
Why it suits full-body training
Because you train each muscle two or three times a week, you get more chances to beat your last performance. Write down the weight, sets and reps for each exercise so you know what to beat next time. For more on this, read the science of progressive overload.
How 12REPS Supports Full-Body Training
Knowing the theory is one thing. Turning up with a plan and tracking every session is another. Here is how 12REPS helps:
- A plan for your goal, equipment and time: your training is built around what you want to achieve, the equipment you have and the time available. Open the app and your workout is ready.
- Build your own session: choose the muscle, equipment and time on the body map, and 12REPS builds a session you can save and train.
- Trainer demonstrations: every exercise has a demonstration and technique breakdown from qualified personal trainers.
- Simple tracking: enter reps and weight for each set. The app remembers what you lifted, so you always have a number to beat.
- Accountability: track your workouts, streaks and weekly goal, and join challenges.
Conclusion: Is Full-Body Training Right for You?
Full-body workouts suit you if you can train two or three days a week, are new to lifting or want a plan that copes with a busy schedule. The evidence suggests they build strength and muscle as well as split routines when total work is matched.
Focus on compound movements, train each muscle at least twice a week and add a little weight or a few reps over time. If you want a ready-made three-day plan, see the 3-day gym workout split.
If you want full-body sessions planned around your goal, your equipment and the time you have, 12REPS sets out each workout and shows a trainer demonstration for every exercise.
Sources
- Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Medicine, 2016. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27102172/
- How many times per week should a muscle be trained to maximize muscle hypertrophy? A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining the effects of resistance training frequency. Journal of Sports Sciences, 2019. https://lida.sport-iat.de/ta/Record/4052540?lng=en
- Efficacy of Split Versus Full-Body Resistance Training on Strength and Muscle Growth: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2024. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38595233/
- Physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64. NHS, 2024. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/physical-activity-guidelines-for-adults-aged-19-to-64/
- The effect of exercise interventions on resting metabolic rate: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Sports Sciences, 2020. https://research.bond.edu.au/en/publications/the-effect-of-exercise-interventions-on-resting-metabolic-rate-a-/
- No Time to Lift? Designing Time-Efficient Training Programs for Strength and Hypertrophy: A Narrative Review. Sports Medicine, 2021. https://lida.sport-iat.de/ta/Record/4073965
- Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2017. https://www.pubmed.gov/28834797/
- Progressive overload without progressing load? The effects of load or repetition progression on muscular adaptations. PeerJ, 2022. https://peerj.com/articles/14142
